Thread: SITE RULES...
View Single Post
Old 11-21-2009, 03:00 PM   #50
Rich Z
Quote:
Originally Posted by carol View Post
Can we have some sort of warning system, like a PM or visitor message before an infraction until we get a feel for exactly what's expected?
Just a note here that the infraction system IS a warning system. It is generally used by the mods to warn a member that their actions are not in keeping with what we desire from participation within this site. The infraction itself is NOT a punishment. The temporary, then permanent, bans ARE the punishment that can result from a member failing to respond properly to the warnings the infraction points are designed to inform that member about.

As for trying to put something like "profanity" into a black and white definition, sorry, but that just is not possible to do. I've faced this problem since day 1 with all of my sites. So I simply give my mods basic guidelines to go by and hope they have the common sense necessary to realize that the purpose of a site like this is for us all to have fun and make this a place that people enjoy coming to. If there are some people who try to inhibit that goal by their choice of words that seem abusive, abrasive, or offensive to many of the members, well the mods can choose to warn them via the infraction system that that are going against the grain, and to continue traveling on that road can incur the penalty of being removed from this site for the sake of the comfort of the majority of the other members.

Bear in mind that each and every mod will have their own definition of what constitutes profanity. I prefer to err on the side of caution in such things, but there will be mods much more stringent in their own definition. Pretty much my own definition is that if you are not likely to see your statement printed as a headline in the local newspapers because the words or context are offensive, then quite likely that statement will not be well received here as well.