Warning Points and Bannings

[MaxSterling]

My recent banning has brought forth a couple of questions...

1.) Warning points... do they expire? I checked my inbox once I was able to log back into my forum account and notice that one of my other two warnings was received on January 9th, 2010. I must've accidentally deleted the other warning I got, but that's nearly 4 months ago. Surely that warning should have expired by now.

2.) 2-week banning... does the punishment fit the crime? Even if the ruling on my banning was not overturned, was a 2-week banning fair? My January warning was received for 1 spam post. I'm unsure what my other warning was for, but 2-weeks? I can understand 1-3 days, perhaps 1-week at most... but 2-weeks? It's not like I'm here pushing the envelope. I do make some heated posts when it comes to game updates or when I'm defending the true value of my account, but surely everyone receiving 3 warnings for their first time are not deserving of a 2-week banning. There should be some kind of predetermined tier system established on bannings, not a flat 2-week banning for all cases receiving 3 warnings.

[Jack]

1.) Warning points... do they expire? I checked my inbox once I was able to log back into my forum account and notice that one of my other two warnings was received on January 9th, 2010. I must've accidentally deleted the other warning I got, but that's nearly 4 months ago. Surely that warning should have expired by now.

They expire every sixth months.

2.) 2-week banning... does the punishment fit the crime? Even if the ruling on my banning was not overturned, was a 2-week banning fair? My January warning was received for 1 spam post. I'm unsure what my other warning was for, but 2-weeks? I can understand 1-3 days, perhaps 1-week at most... but 2-weeks? It's not like I'm here pushing the envelope. I do make some heated posts when it comes to game updates or when I'm defending the true value of my account, but surely everyone receiving 3 warnings for their first time are not deserving of a 2-week banning. There should be some kind of predetermined tier system established on bannings, not a flat 2-week banning for all cases receiving 3 warnings.

Yes, it is fair. 3 warnings is a lot, most other sites would permanently ban you and most users never get two.

[Juliette]

What the public needs to know is simple: Don't get yourself a warning, steer clear of ambiguous situations and you'll be fine. See a riot, turn around and run like hell.

[[BoT] Jason]

i have 3. should have 5. they expire yes


2 weeks is not harsh. P.S. its just a forum. if you cant last 2 weeks with out posting maybe go outside for a while?

[MaxSterling]

i have 3. should have 5. they expire yes


2 weeks is not harsh. P.S. its just a forum. if you cant last 2 weeks with out posting maybe go outside for a while?

Not lasting 2 weeks is not the issue and I realize this is a forum. I play 1- 3 days/week and forum post or accept brokers on my days off. Being banned from the forums severely limited my access to the Market Section of this forum, which also severely restricts my in-game play, as well. I'm highly active
on my days in-game that I'm not on PPT. I'm always looking for ATs and UU, and also bumping my account sale topic.

What the public needs to know is simple: Don't get yourself a warning, steer clear of ambiguous situations and you'll be fine. See a riot, turn around and run like hell.

While it's all good in theory, whether or not we get a warning seems to be determined on the mood of the moderator staff. It's very difficult to gauge the mood of the staff when one day you can say something, the next day you get modded for it.

6 month expiration seems awful long to me. Perhaps it's the type of forums that I frequent, but this is the only forum that I have ever been a part of that has a 6-month expiration. Most others have 1-3 month expirations. 6-months seems ridiculous.

[MaxSterling]

I believe you can still 'see' the forums when you're banned/not logged in.

Seeing the market section and posting what you're willing to buy at are two different things... I always buy at a slightly lower rate than what is the norm. People like the fact that I'm usually online when I create my threads and accept 90% of my brokers almost immediately. 98-99% are accepted within the time frame I provide. Only 1-2 times I've fallen asleep without updating my thread and accepted immediately when I woke up. It's that reliability that when I create a thread, that people know I'll almost always immediately accept the broker, which allows me to buy at slightly lower rates.

[MaxSterling]

So it's an inconvenience to you.
Although it is the staff's job to issue warnings/mod topics..etc.. it can inconvenience the staff to issue a warning and clean a thread if they have to do it while having to take a break from something else that they were doing.

In my case, it was an inconvenience that was wrongfully received.

If it's an inconvenience for a staff member to do their job, then perhaps they shouldn't have that position in the first place?

Either way, I'll stop replying to this thread because I fear that should I respond any further... I'll probably receive another warning that has more to do with a staff member not liking me or what I said, rather than actually breaking a rule... which is another matter.

[Zeratul]

we could have been much harsher... like having short bans as well for the first two warnings...

or had warnings last forever...

out of the about 1300 active users on these forums, only 104 have warnings...
out of those, 38 have more than one warning... so that means that there are 66 users with only one warning...

with the above estimates, 8% of the active userbase have warnings at all, and 3% total have more than one warning... (well, 2,92% but that rounds to 3)

[Q Man]

you should consider yourself lucky, i remember before the warning system was in place i got banned for 4 weeks, for something worthy of one "warning"

and i find the 6 month reset more than generous. after the first warning, most people don't make the same mistakes, yet there are some users with 6+ warnings and i consider them lucky not have a perma ban after 6 warnings.

[Hitchkok]

What the public needs to know is simple: Don't get yourself a warning, steer clear of ambiguous situations and you'll be fine. See a riot, turn around and run like hell.

even easier, don't ever post.
than you can never be warned.

[Juliette]

What the public needs to know is simple: Don't get yourself a warning, steer clear of ambiguous situations and you'll be fine. See a riot, turn around and run like hell.

even easier, don't ever post.
than you can never be warned.

Perfect solution if one is too stupid to avoid warnings like our regular users. Agreed, fair point.

[[BoT] Jason]

out of those, 38 have more than one warning...

i'm one of 38

*feels special*

[moses]

How many of us actives with warnings are sitting at 8

I think i know of 3

[Zeratul]

correct, there is one on 9, and two on 7...

we're not going to reveal anything about whom...

[moses]

moses confused i was sure there is 3 of us with 8 warning each and 1 away from perma if not that means i got a couple to spare