New User Infraction System explained...

[TROLL]

User Infractions

This new user infraction system will replace the old system we used, and should be beneficial to everyone on the forum, on the giving and receiving end.

User infractions are used by the moderating team to warn and penalize members when they break the forum rules. The goal here is to help keep the forum running as smooth as possible, and to protect the quality of the community on TST. Any time a member is given an infraction or a warning (which carries no points), they will be notified via PM about it.

Less serious offenses will receive less points and more serious offenses will receive more points. Specific points penalties are listed in detail below. These point values will most likely be modified in the future to more appropriately reflect the violations they are associated with.

Knowingly going Off Topic – 1 point
Spamming – 1 point
Dodging Swear Filter / Inappropriate Language – 3 points
Insubordination (Second-Degree) – 3 points
Non-Vendor Advertising – 3 points
Disrespecting Another Member – 5 points
Posting Inappropriate Content or Link – 8 points
Insubordination (First-Degree) – 10 points
Sucking At Life (The bad kind of Troll) – 100 points, permanent ban

The infraction points are set up to expire after 3 months from the date the infraction is given, so they will not be permanently attached to the user’s record. This means that if a user only has a problem every once in a while, he will most likely not be severely penalized, but if they do have continuous problems the points will add up and they will be penalized.
If a member reaches 10 points at any given time, they will be temporarily banned for 7 days. Hopefully in this time they will be able to take a deep breath and come back to the forum fresh and without any further problems.
In the extreme event that a member appears to only be here to cause trouble, they will be permanently banned and will no longer be able to visit the forum at all. This is done at the moderators discretion and can be done without warning at any time.

Please understand that the moderating team doesn't want to send out infractions, but it is sometimes a necessary part of keeping the forum running smoothly. Hopefully this new system will work out well for everyone, and there wont have to be many infractions given out.

Infractions are a private matter and moderators will only discuss a member's own infractions with them and no one else.
Additionally, infractions are not for public discussion on the forum in any way. If you have any questions or concerns please contact a moderator via PM and they will be happy to help you.

If you have any general questions, this is the appropriate place to post them... thanks for your time.
Bryan

[CHAOS]

i like this... are there ways to lose points? similar to the drivers license or is it cumulative forever

[wrxman60]

will these points be seen next to the person's user name, so others can see it?

[mtwn]

how will we know if we have points? will we be notifed ,will there be sometype of mark on/under our names?
i like the idea. just curious how we'll kno

[ToTheIX's]

i like this... are there ways to lose points? similar to the drivers license or is it cumulative forever
it says they expire 3 months from when you get them tard

[D Money]

Oh no.

[TROLL]

thanks to those for the serious useful responses...

to answer your question mtwn, i just edited the original thread with "Any time a member is given an infraction or a warning (which carries no points), they will be notified via PM about it."

wrxman60, points will not be publicly displayed, but they are documented for the appropriate moderators to look up when they need to.

[mtwn]

thanks to those for the serious useful responses...

to answer your question mtwn, i just edited the original thread with "Any time a member is given an infraction or a warning (which carries no points), they will be notified via PM about it."

wrxman60, points will not be publicly displayed, but they are documented for the appropriate moderators to look up when they need to.

:thumbup:

[ScubaSteve]

Just out of curiosity, what would qualify as first degree insubordination?

[zerioustt]

What if they use a sidekick? You can ban there name but if you ban there ip your banning numerous individuals because they share ips.

[jdm free]

User Infractions

Non-Vendor Advertising – 3 points


does that mean i have to change my sig

[Broken5hift]

well, its been fun guys.

[05Accent]

well, its been fun guys.

haha!!

[ozthunder]

As long as we don't become China, I'm fine by it.

However...some questions..

Knowingly going off topic- how do you define this? Like is it in a thread about a Scion and you start talking about your car?

Or is it in the same thread and you start talking about the girl who is pictured next to the Scion?

Swear filter/inappropriate language- Isn't that what the filter is there for? If it blocks it out, it blocks it out. Or are you talking like adding an H in a word so you can still get the same exact word, just with an H? And how would you define "inappropriate language"? Name-calling? Teasing? Etc etc?

The rest is somewhat explanatory, but i'd like to understand some angles and all that..

[Intercooled T]

I actually like this, because its going to catch some double-standards on this board, but the Insubordination, well thats a little vague. I'm hoping that some mods who get 'personally offended' or just pissed in general b/c they don't like certain members won't abuse it. Like if Dimitri's brake/wheel issue thread, would it be considered insubordination because some people get offended by it? Like if Troll was personally offended by it, would he be 'in the right' to dock D with an insubordination penalty? (because of this one: Disrespecting Another Member – 5 points)

know what I mean?

just my take. hope the new system works.

[Evo8kid]

it says they expire 3 months from when you get them tard

isnt that a point? haha jk

well, its been fun guys.

haha, this is such a true statement

[Tiny]

User Infractions

Insubordination (Second-Degree) – 3 points
Insubordination (First-Degree) – 10 points



Regardless of the service you provide, you are still our peer. Maybe you should consider a better choice of words. Sounds too much like "Respect my AUTHORITY" to me.

[MuddyREX]

Sounds like demerits in high school, which can result in detention, suspension, or even being expelled.....

[S4toSTI]

Well muddy sometimes this site is like high school so maybe this is what we need. I love how someone always brings up double standards. Anyway i think this system will really help this site when it is no longer just like warning and so on. But i say when someone is just an idiot and gets points on purpose we re open the troll cage.

Hopefully all this gets enforced and works smoothly.

[05OCsrt-4]

can we have a contest to who can get the most points? lol

[S4toSTI]

can we have a contest to who can get the most points? lol
Yeah thats a good idea have fun with that, :mad: .

[05OCsrt-4]

Yeah thats a good idea have fun with that, :mad: .

but honestly this is a good idea, should've been done awhile ago. The infractions should have an explanation with them to help narrow what will cause the infraction.

[TROLL]

Just out of curiosity, what would qualify as first degree insubordination?
the insubordination offenses exist because sometimes people intentionally defy a moderators wishes. the second degree would be a less serious non-bannable offense, and first degree would be a more serious offense that the moderator feels should result in a temporary ban (7 day time-out).


What if they use a sidekick? You can ban there name but if you ban there ip your banning numerous individuals because they share ips.
if someone abuses the forum from a sidekick and the problem gets serious enough i will be forced to block sidekicks alltogether. you can hate the offending person not me for that, but hopefully it wont come to that.


does that mean i have to change my sig
profitable promotion isnt allowed unless you are a vendor, which helps regulate the quality on the site as well as protect the vendors that support it. personal non-profit promotion is sometimes allowed, but is up to the moderating team's discretion.


Knowingly going off topic- how do you define this? Like is it in a thread about a Scion and you start talking about your car?
Or is it in the same thread and you start talking about the girl who is pictured next to the Scion?
we have been dealing with people knowingly going off topic for a long time and as much as we try, some people just dont listen. we try to keep things pretty laid back, and if anything is even somewhat linked to the topic, then its fine, but when you are knowingly and intentionally going off topic or adding completely useless posts to a thread and it is noticeable enough then you will get an infraction point for it. its merely a slap on the wrist, but hopefully will deter someone from doing it chronically and building up infraction points. this is all to try and keep the threads cleaner and more organized.

Swear filter/inappropriate language- Isn't that what the filter is there for? If it blocks it out, it blocks it out. Or are you talking like adding an H in a word so you can still get the same exact word, just with an H? And how would you define "inappropriate language"? Name-calling? Teasing? Etc etc?
yes, it is mostly for people who are dodging the swear filter, which unfortunately is also a chronic problem for some reason.
The rest is somewhat explanatory, but i'd like to understand some angles and all that..
thanks, like i said we're still trying to sort things out and this type of thoughtful feedback helps a lot...


I actually like this, because its going to catch some double-standards on this board, but the Insubordination, well thats a little vague. I'm hoping that some mods who get 'personally offended' or just pissed in general b/c they don't like certain members won't abuse it...
It has always been very important to myself and the rest of the moderating team to never make any moderating judgements personal. There is a very defined line between a personal response and a moderator response, and I'd like to think we do a very good job at making that division and not abusing any moderating power. If you ever do see a problem with this please contact me or any other moderator via PM and we will absolutely address the issue.
As far as "insubordination", unfortunately I can't summarize every single offense possible, so that is part of the reason the minor and major insubordination offenses exist, and it also defines when a user does not respect a moderators specific requests. I felt that the name was appropriate, but if it seems logical, I can always name it something else.


Regardless of the service you provide, you are still our peer. Maybe you should consider a better choice of words. Sounds too much like "Respect my AUTHORITY" to me.
We do want to be your peers, but at the end of the day the moderators are working to achieve a specific goal, and in certain situations, our authority must be respected.


can we have a contest to who can get the most points? lol
And the winner will receive a permanent ban and will be forgotten about almost immediately. The best part is there can be more than one winner :wink:

[HatchSurfer3]

Hey, sorry if i missed it, but I see that we will be notified for an offense that carries no point value, and that the offenses carrying points will be document. However, when we get a violation involving point(s) will we still be notified via PM or how will we know?

[TROLL]

you will be notified for either, sorry if i wasn't clear.

the nomenclature has changed a bit with the new systems so i was trying to explain that also. the new system says:

warnings carry no points, but are just a formal notification that you're pushing the limit. user will receive the warning via pm with a message from the mod about it.

infractions carry points which will be put on your 'record' and will increase or decrease as explained above. the user will receive the infraction notice via pm with a message from the mod about it, and the point value of the infraction.

[drew]

Sounds like demerits in high school, which can result in detention, suspension, or even being expelled.....

it's the same system everything else works on, just like day to day life.. break the laws and you get fined, penalized, or go to jail

[SexyDSM95]

it's the same system everything else works on, just like day to day life.. break the laws and you get fined, penalized, or go to jailSimilar...just you can go to court to correct the mitakes that do happen when you are penalized.

[EvlEgl]

Wow I didnt Know the internet now had Forum police...Good Luck with the new system

[Dave]

it's the same system everything else works on, just like day to day life.. break the laws and you get fined, penalized, or go to jail

Jail? is the troll cage coming back?

[EvlEgl]

Drew, It's the internet, It shouldnt be this serious...Last time I checked there wasn't a Handbook on rules/laws for the internet. But like I said before Good luck to everyone on the Mod team with implementing the new system.

[Buster]

Troll cage was a better idea.....

[jspek]

we need a rep system to show how close someone is to being banned.

[1_badimport]

im on alot of sights and this seems a little harsh ..punishment for violating rules ??
is this an infraction im just wondering as i used it in a thread but wasnt trying to do it to piss anyone off ..
you have the word *** f*a*g* banned but not **** i dont get it ??just seems a little silly,, sorry not bashing but is this site g-rated ??

[TROLL]

i've never been on a forum that doesnt have rules, and what are rules when they arent being inforced somehow? without any structure the forum would go to hell, and thats not what i'm interested in doing here.
i totally welcome your questions and as long as construcrive, nobody is getting pissed off.
about the specific words, if they were to become a problem and get abused in the future, we would look over censoring them. not trying to limit anything we dont have to at this point though.

p.s. this post was much more useful than the one you made in the other one in the sig thread, dont you think?

[05GT]

I'd like to know what happened to the warning.....straight from nothing to "BAM - You have 5 points because you called someone an idiot". Like idiot is that offensive.

[TROLL]

if you're seriously interested in talking about it then contact me via PM, this is not the place to do it.

[c0nfl1kt]

What is not clear to me is how many points you have to accumulate for a perm ban or something like it.

Basically, what sort of penalties are associated with which punishment(except the obvious sucking at life ban).

[TROLL]

"In the extreme event that a member appears to only be here to cause trouble, they will be permanently banned and will no longer be able to visit the forum at all. This is done at the moderators discretion and can be done without warning at any time."

In addition to and going along with this, any member that has been temp banned 2x is brought under heavy review. Its quite hard for a member who respects the rules and makes an effort to contribute to the forum to get themselves temp banned, so in the rare event that it happens twice to the same person, its time to try to understand how they do or don't fit into the forum.

[c0nfl1kt]

"In the extreme event that a member appears to only be here to cause trouble, they will be permanently banned and will no longer be able to visit the forum at all. This is done at the moderators discretion and can be done without warning at any time."

In addition to and going along with this, any member that has been temp banned 2x is brought under heavy review. Its quite hard for a member who respects the rules and makes an effort to contribute to the forum to get themselves temp banned, so in the rare event that it happens twice to the same person, its time to try to understand how they do or don't fit into the forum.

Well, let me ask a more specific question. I received 4 of those "Knowingly Going Off Topic" thingies literally the first day I joined not knowing that this place is more joke than serious. How many of those would I need to collect over a period of, lets say, 6 months to be considered for a temp ban. Or, are penalties purely based on every moderators discretion and weight of infraction. Meaning, If I go 4 more months without collecting any more of these in which case the previous 4 would be over and get 4 more making it a total of 8 infractions in 6 months, what would the penalty, if any, be for that?

Is there a way you guys can trace x amount of "knowingly going off topic" penalties even when they expire and act accordingly?

[Vsix]

I should have known when my buddy told me to join in 05 ...."A site for CHILDREN is ran by CHILDREN " :roll: I'm on 15 different car related sites for 10+ years and never ran into these "WACKY RULES" i understand you need rules but please just use some common sense when posting :)

[TROLL]

The only one acting like a child right now is you being pissy and trying to talk down to people on the internet, give me a break. Sorry that we don't want people who dont contribute anything to the forum just hanging around to exploit the FS section. If you don't like it go ahead and Alt-F5 yourself away.
Now, if you don't have anything on topic to post here I would recommend that you don't post in this thread again. If you have any other genuine issues you are always free to contact myself or another moderator and we'll be happy to help.

[Vsix]

Now staying on "TOPIC" of course.... How many points do you get for speaking your mind on a public forum ? :)

[kcnizm0]

Dodging Swear Filter / Inappropriate Language – 3 points.... does dodgin swear filter mean abbreviating a curse word? i just got 3 points for abbreviating one from a 5 month old post lol? if so i wont do it again... but really?

[TROLL]

If you have questions regarding the rules or infractions in general, please post them here. If you want to comment about a specific infraction you received, particularly if you're not asking a genuine question, then that would not be appropriate here.

Dodging the swear filter is when you intentionally misspell a censored word, and it is not allowed on the forum. We do this to keep the forum work and family safe, and try to uphold a reasonable amount of tastefulness to teh site. Its not difficult to express yourself without cursing, but if the mood strikes then just type it out and let the censor do its job, please do not dodge it.

[2010verabr]

are there ways to lose points? similar to the drivers license or is it cumulative forever

[TROLL]

It explains in the first post:

"The infraction points are set up to expire after 3 months from the date the infraction is given, so they will not be permanently attached to the user’s record. This means that if a user only has a problem every once in a while, he will most likely not be severely penalized, but if they do have continuous problems the points will add up and they will be penalized."

If you have any other questions just let me know, thanks.