The Respectful Treatment of Members and Staff
Nov 5, 2015 18:00:12 GMT
Fletcher, Sync, and 2 more like this
Post by Data Holder on Nov 5, 2015 18:00:12 GMT
As much as no one on the staff enjoys moments like these, it has become apparent that a reminder of the respectful treatment of all members and staff is necessary. We are aware that a bit of friendly teasing and dark humor does crop up from time to time in the cbox and this is generally not an issue, as it does not attack or intend to hurt. However, there have been several incidents as of late where this line has been pushed or crossed.
One of the core rules of this forum states: “Treat other members and moderators with respect. If you have any issues with another member which can't be settled on the spot, don't hesitate to ask a mod. If you are consciously aware that your behavior is not positive, then it shouldn't be a behavior that you keep. Toxic behavior will be dealt with by a moderator, and will be dealt with accordingly by that moderator. Know when to be mature, and don't be an ass.” These rules are also reflected in the cbox rules, with rules such as "01. Be respectful to other users and don't be a drama queen" and "09. Foul, vulgar, derogatory or abusive language will not be tolerated".
All of us on this forum, members and staff, are people. There is a real person typing to you with feelings. Emotions are often difficult to control or words do not come off as they are intended, creating confusion on how something should be taken. Sometimes we get mad or hurt by what others say when they didn't mean it. These situations can almost always be resolved with an apology, as a misunderstanding has occurred. Mistakes do happen, misunderstandings do happen. It is understandable. However, intentionally attacking or saying hurtful things to others will not be tolerated.
Please play nice with each other. Actions, comments, etc which appear to cross these lines will be dealt with accordingly. Each and every mod here is a volunteer and does their absolute best to uphold these rules while treating the members fairly. No one is perfect, no matter who they are. If you feel you have been banned for behavior that did not cross the line, please calmly express this and ask the mod in question to look over the situation again and explain what was going on. If you are uncomfortable discussing the issue with the mod who banned you, please ask another mod to review the situation. That mod will discuss it over with the mod who issued the ban and the situation will be reviewed.
Sometimes, when a situation appears to be heated or heading in a heated direction, the best course of action is to forcefully end the conversation with a temporary ban while the situation is assessed in its entirety. If it is found the actions do violate the rules, the ban would be upheld or extended, as needed. If, after review, the situation was found to not have been as it initially appeared to be, the members would be immediately unbanned and allowed to return to the cbox or forum and no record would be kept of the ban. When a mod comes across a situation, they sometimes must act quickly to keep things which appear to be escalating from reaching that point and not always is there time to read the entire backlog of the cbox, while the situation is still occurring. In some cases, by the time the mod staff would have had the opportunity to read several pages of back log chat to understand the entire situation, the ongoing conversation could have reached a point of extreme toxicity which hurts the feelings of others. By ending a conversation which appears to be violating the rules or attacking other members while the situation is reviewed, it helps to prevent these situations from escalating.
It is never acceptable to contact staff or members on their personal Skype or other non-forum accounts to berate them, call them inappropriate names, swear at them, or threaten them, no matter how much you feel you disagree with what happened or dislike someone. These actions will be taken seriously and treated as if they happened on site, with bans or other punishments equaling the offense.
Everyone wants to have fun and enjoy the forum and that is what the staff wants, as well. Please work with us as we all do our best to keep things friendly and free of hurtful words and toxic behaviors.
One of the core rules of this forum states: “Treat other members and moderators with respect. If you have any issues with another member which can't be settled on the spot, don't hesitate to ask a mod. If you are consciously aware that your behavior is not positive, then it shouldn't be a behavior that you keep. Toxic behavior will be dealt with by a moderator, and will be dealt with accordingly by that moderator. Know when to be mature, and don't be an ass.” These rules are also reflected in the cbox rules, with rules such as "01. Be respectful to other users and don't be a drama queen" and "09. Foul, vulgar, derogatory or abusive language will not be tolerated".
All of us on this forum, members and staff, are people. There is a real person typing to you with feelings. Emotions are often difficult to control or words do not come off as they are intended, creating confusion on how something should be taken. Sometimes we get mad or hurt by what others say when they didn't mean it. These situations can almost always be resolved with an apology, as a misunderstanding has occurred. Mistakes do happen, misunderstandings do happen. It is understandable. However, intentionally attacking or saying hurtful things to others will not be tolerated.
Please play nice with each other. Actions, comments, etc which appear to cross these lines will be dealt with accordingly. Each and every mod here is a volunteer and does their absolute best to uphold these rules while treating the members fairly. No one is perfect, no matter who they are. If you feel you have been banned for behavior that did not cross the line, please calmly express this and ask the mod in question to look over the situation again and explain what was going on. If you are uncomfortable discussing the issue with the mod who banned you, please ask another mod to review the situation. That mod will discuss it over with the mod who issued the ban and the situation will be reviewed.
Sometimes, when a situation appears to be heated or heading in a heated direction, the best course of action is to forcefully end the conversation with a temporary ban while the situation is assessed in its entirety. If it is found the actions do violate the rules, the ban would be upheld or extended, as needed. If, after review, the situation was found to not have been as it initially appeared to be, the members would be immediately unbanned and allowed to return to the cbox or forum and no record would be kept of the ban. When a mod comes across a situation, they sometimes must act quickly to keep things which appear to be escalating from reaching that point and not always is there time to read the entire backlog of the cbox, while the situation is still occurring. In some cases, by the time the mod staff would have had the opportunity to read several pages of back log chat to understand the entire situation, the ongoing conversation could have reached a point of extreme toxicity which hurts the feelings of others. By ending a conversation which appears to be violating the rules or attacking other members while the situation is reviewed, it helps to prevent these situations from escalating.
It is never acceptable to contact staff or members on their personal Skype or other non-forum accounts to berate them, call them inappropriate names, swear at them, or threaten them, no matter how much you feel you disagree with what happened or dislike someone. These actions will be taken seriously and treated as if they happened on site, with bans or other punishments equaling the offense.
Everyone wants to have fun and enjoy the forum and that is what the staff wants, as well. Please work with us as we all do our best to keep things friendly and free of hurtful words and toxic behaviors.
