Moderation Policy Overhaul

[Inanimacy]

We would prefer that you refrain from any form of spam anywhere on the site. Keep in mind, anyone can view your visitor's messages.

Thank you c:

[Astrosimi]

Ok, I love this. Things have kind of been getting out of hand lately and a bit of discipline never hurt...


But because I am still not clear on this completely... I understand we cannot spam memes, such as "facepalm" and "fail". Can we post less sarcastic memes, if the post itself actually contributory to the overall topic/the meme serves to compound the message of the post, or is it "no memes, no exceptions"? I'm just asking, whatever it is, I'll make sure to follow.

[xtremesackboy]

For the good of the LBP AND LBPC communities, let's keep the Internet a safe place for all sackfolk alike!

[schm0]

Ok, I love this. Things have kind of been getting out of hand lately and a bit of discipline never hurt...


But because I am still not clear on this completely... I understand we cannot spam memes, such as "facepalm" and "fail". Can we post less sarcastic memes, if the post itself actually contributory to the overall topic/the meme serves to compound the message of the post, or is it "no memes, no exceptions"? I'm just asking, whatever it is, I'll make sure to follow.

A good way to measure this is to ask yourself if what you are posting is actually contributing to the thread in a substantive or contextual way. If the answer is "no" or "kinda-sorta" to any of those criteria, then it's potentially off-topic.

And, as BabyDoll pointed out so very eloquently:

We generally consider each case on an individual basis, taking into account the previous behaviour/attitudes and infractions of the member. We'd deal out whatever infraction we felt was appropriate to the member's understanding of site policy and blahblahblahblah... just don't do it, okay?

[Whalio Cappuccino]

I'm a whale, therefore I have fins, therefore I can FACEFIN. Is that the same?

Just kidding, I love all of you and I appreciate all the work the moderators and CC take. I know how hard it is since I was a moderator back in the old days, actually a few months ago but I wanted to make it sound epic.

[rseah]

Well hopefully this stops a lot of the crazy stuff.

[Ryhas]

I think this is a fantastic, absolutely fantastic idea. And nah, I don't see it becoming a police state. I see this making things more peaceful and fun.

I'm a whale, therefore I have fins, therefore I can FACEFIN. Is that the same?

Just kidding, I love all of you and I appreciate all the work the moderators and CC take. I know how hard it is since I was a moderator back in the old days, actually a few months ago but I wanted to make it sound epic.

Your post made me laugh pretty hard.

[Silverleon]

Oh man with more strict mods and rules LBPC just won't be as lulz-y as it was it's going to be hard to bring in chuckles and laughs to threads now. What if we manage to find a loophole?

Fun at the expense of others only.

General jokes and other funny stuff not meant to put others down should be still fine, right?

[TheZimInvader]

I'm glad something is being done about the unacceptable behavior of some members as of late. We all appreciate you guys' hard work to maintain the site and keep it clean, thanks for deciding to do this.

Let's just hope it works!

[schm0]

Fun at the expense of others only.

General jokes and other funny stuff not meant to put others down should be still fine, right?

Yes, both jokes and fun are still allowed. (Unless you have a history of being completely unfunny.)

[Inanimacy]

This should start tomorrow so we can all get FUUUUUU-, facepalm and others out of our systems with a bang xD

or have memedays jk. So these rules take place......nao? So sudden D:

[Amigps]

FINALLY!! All those "facepalm" posts were getting really annoying :\ Double posting was starting to become a common thing *shivers* Oh the horror!! D: Well at least all those things will be over....I hope O.o

[Silverleon]

Altho, would it not be a good idea now to re-ad the spam can?
I mean, not saying its because of that, but ever since it was 'deleted' was when all this started if I'm not mistaking.

Maybe it was actually good as it contained all spam in one single area for all members to get all the spam they want there, and don't need to do so elsewhere?

[Gravel•]

I've had a lot of fun here.

My # one internet destination. While I don't really believe these 'more clearly clarified rules more strictly enforced' are meant for or directed at me... I really have no idea what an acceptable post is anymore! And now apparently-- its important to know which moderator is 'on' and where their 'particular' sensitivities lie.

Case in point. I love Comphermc as a creator. I like him as a friend. I found his first post offensive and irrelevent, but figure, you guys have been dealing with a lot of stuff lately so... I look the other way.

Then his next post is a bunch of malarkey about pandas! Someone help me out here, cause my post expressing I felt like crap over a three month lbp2 delay was moderated YET you let Moderators run roughshot over the rabble and abuse those same rules? Often, as is the case, (though not in mine) quite sarcasticly to boot!

Now I'm all for this I really am, but can someone please explain to me how either of these posts can not be considered spam? They add absolutely nothing to the topic and in all "truthiness" run in direct violation of the official policy just stated directly preceeding. Maybe I don't understand what spam is... but I really don't think it should matter who's posting it-- now should it?

Comphs' victorius self-serving post is no different than those "I got TEH BETTORZ" we all love-- upon reading I feel somehow unworthy like a bad dog who just got my nose rubbed in it... If someone, (like say Inanimacy) posted the same thing-- (not just the sentiment) I think he'd already be silenced... yet Compher recieves THANKS on what I view as a silly, ridiculous, unwarranted post by a moderator. I might even say it's a 'fun' post. Yet I've already discovered that fun is not guaranteed nor equal.

I really just hope EVERYONE puts a little more thought into their posts...

And please, I'm not siding with anyone here or drawing any lines in the sand... Inanimacy walks a line I am far to afraid and care not to tread... nor do I mean to single-out anyone... My apologies to both of my examples (especially Comph) my intent is not to portray anyone in an unfavourable light... I'm just saddened and confused. I come here for fun.

And am a little confused as to what we are actually saying here... what it means... and who it applies to. It is my personal fear it is already to late.

[Sehven•]

Well I think this policy is completely dumb and that the mods can just [+4 pts]
Also, you should all play my new level: [+4 pts]
And let me tell you, there's this guy on the site named Sehven who is such an idiot and he's always putting down other creators and hijacking threads to plug his levels [+4 pts]
I.... uh.... can't really think of a joking way to bypass the word filter without... you know... actually bypassing the filter.... so um.... d@rn!!

Yes, both jokes and fun are still allowed. (Unless you have a history of being completely unfunny.)

Oh. Guess I'd better start packing my bags now.

In all seriousness, this is probably a good policy. I hadn't seen much trouble (except for that which I caused) but I've been told that it's gotten pretty bad here and there. I've always loved how civilized this site is and it's good to see that steps are being taken to keep it that way... and.... I'll um... try to behave myself better in the future. Just to be clear, that first part was meant to be funny and I don't actually have a problem with the policy or have a new level to promote and I think that Sehven guy is pretty cool.

[Sackgirlsrule]

Thanks CC & Spaff! I've noticed alot of Name-Calling & Mocking and sometimes i would be the Victim! And i think it's a great idea what you're doing, Making the site a better place, So the only people that will be on this site is, Polite, Respectful, Nice, Respectful Of Other's Opinions, Knowing that some people just don't know about something but it doesn't mean that they're not Smart, They just don't know. So Thank Spaff & CC Sooooo Much! You Guys are the best!

[moonwire•]

I have never really encountered any flame war around here... Maybe I always stayed on the safe side of the forum. Wait we don't get to do "yo mama" jokes? D'awwww

Just kidding I am all up for the new rules, I do not want any unreasonable fighting anywhere so

[ConfusedCartman]

I've had a lot of fun here.

My # one internet destination. While I don't really believe these 'more clearly clarified rules more strictly enforced' are meant for or directed at me... I really have no idea what an acceptable post is anymore! And now apparently-- its important to know which moderator is 'on' and where their 'particular' sensitivities lie.

Case in point. I love Comphermc as a creator. I like him as a friend. I found his first post offensive and irrelevent, but figure, you guys have been dealing with a lot of stuff lately so... I look the other way.

Then his next post is a bunch of malarkey about pandas! Someone help me out here, cause my post expressing I felt like crap over a three month lbp2 delay was moderated YET you let Moderators run roughshot over the rabble and abuse those same rules? Often, as is the case, (though not in mine) quite sarcasticly to boot!

Now I'm all for this I really am, but can someone please explain to me how either of these posts can not be considered spam? They add absolutely nothing to the topic and in all "truthiness" run in direct violation of the official policy just stated directly preceeding. Maybe I don't understand what spam is... but I really don't think it should matter who's posting it-- now should it?

Comphs' victorius self-serving post is no different than those "I got TEH BETTORZ" we all love-- upon reading I feel somehow unworthy like a bad dog who just got my nose rubbed in it... If someone, (like say Inanimacy) posted the same thing-- (not just the sentiment) I think he'd already be silenced... yet Compher recieves THANKS on what I view as a silly, ridiculous, unwarranted post by a moderator. I might even say it's a 'fun' post. Yet I've already discovered that fun is not guaranteed nor equal.

I really just hope EVERYONE puts a little more thought into their posts...

And please, I'm not siding with anyone here or drawing any lines in the sand... Inanimacy walks a line I am far to afraid and care not to tread... nor do I mean to single-out anyone... My apologies to both of my examples (especially Comph) my intent is not to portray anyone in an unfavourable light... I'm just saddened and confused. I come here for fun.

And am a little confused as to what we are actually saying here... what it means... and who it applies to. It is my personal fear it is already to late.

I honestly think the issue is you're just not understanding the point we're trying to convey.

Ignoring all the rules, all the infractions, all the point values and lengths of time each lasts, essentially what it all boils down to is this: does your post constructively contribute to the discussion at hand in a positive way? If it does, you've literally got nothing to worry about. This is why we feel 95% of our members will never have to concern themselves with the changes we've enacted - all we're doing is ensuring we more effectively crack down on posts that don't constructively and positively contribute. The pointless one-picture replies and other spam, basically - the things that we couldn't really ever silence/ban for consistently because of the way the old system was designed. Before, you could spam fairly frequently without ever being punished - you'd have to literally become a nuisance to the point that we took notice and dealt a punishment manually. Now, if you spam regularly, it will eventually come back to bite you because, this time, infractions stick with you for much longer. That, coupled with higher point values and smaller requirements for various ban lengths, all come together to ensure that those who knew how to work around our old system won't be able to do so any longer.

Like we said before, we're not excited about disciplining anyone - in our perfect world, we wouldn't need mods (sorry guys! I still love you! ) because everyone would contribute well, contribute often, behave themselves, and be respectful of others all the time. Sadly, that's just not how it is, so we have to make sure we've got systems in place that enforce good behavior as often as possible.

We're always working to make these systems less infringing on most members' "day-to-day" while still retaining their efficacy, and I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. Think about it like this: if we do our jobs right and you're already a positive member of our community (I'd say your respectful concern about these changes proves you are), out of this deal you're getting less spam in each thread, more people contributing to the topic at hand, and better overall forum behavior, all without having to change anything about how you personally behave on the forum. Sounds like a good deal to me!

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In terms of staff accountability, I don't think we'd ever expect the users to adhere to any standard we weren't OK with adhering to ourselves. None of comphermc's posts in this thread would be considered spam by our measure - they're all related to the topic. Though it is a bit more indirectly related than the others, even the Panda post would be OK. It's just him providing that photo for others to use, since it had to be made in Photoshop.

There will always be a grey area in terms of what is considered spam and what isn't. Some posts will always be more or less related to the topic than others. The difference between a post that leans off-topic and a post that is spam is simple: spam doesn't contribute (and, in some cases, does damage) to the thread. You could remove the "spam" post with zero impact to the flow or discussion of the remainder of the topic. You couldn't manage the same with posts that are simply considered "more unrelated" than others - they will always be left alone given they still manage to contribute in a positive way.

One final word, before I sign off for the night: if I can be perfectly honest, it irritates me that some would think our mods aren't willing or able to adhere to the standards they're enforcing. I take that as a personal insult. I choose staff members based on a number of factors, and it's a nightmare ensuring new additions are familiar with the rules they're tasked with enforcing on a day-to-day basis. The team we have now is an awesome set of dedicated, intelligent people, who honestly want nothing but the best for the community (why else would they work so **** hard for literally nothing?), so it rattles me a bit when I hear that some think they might be trying to subvert the system they worked to hard to build up.

It's not like these rules are insane expectations we pulled out of a hat - they're basic decencies. They're not at all difficult to follow. In fact, I already manage to adhere to them on a daily basis, as does the entire LBPCentral staff and the huge majority of our community, so there's actually not much going on in terms of real change. There's only a very small group of people who'll feel impacted by these changes, and that's the intended result anyway.

[Alex™]

• Publicly harassing another member for posting in the wrong section or for posting a duplicate thread.
• Trolling
• Mocking another member.
• Posting "Facepalm," "Thread Derailed," "Fail," and "Spam" pictures/ comments. These are now an automatic 4 point infractions, and will result in being Silenced.
• Asking for reputation or experience. This is disrespectful to the system in place. Earn these, don't demand them.
• Swearing. This a family site. If in doubt, use a different word; there are lots of them.
• Abusing new members of our community, simply for making minor site/internet faux pas.
• Arguing with Staff over a disciplinary issue. Discourse is fine, anger and name-calling is not.
• Trying to take moderation issues into your own hands. It's okay to be helpful, but not bossy.

So we're now not allowed to tell someone they have posted in the wrong area? That sounds... sensible?
Automatic 4 point infractions for NOTHING? That sounds... utterly retarded.
Who the hell asks for rep/exp anyway? They sound... stupid.
Swearing in censored anyway, so banning it sounds... pointless
If i want to argue with the staff, i shall. If i disagree with their reasoning for giving an infraction out, i have every right to tell them what i think.
If someone does something that needs moderation, telling them that 'x' isn't allowed isn't 'taking moderation into out own hands' and being 'bossy', because their fail has made it worse for other users, someone has to tell them.

I don't understand why you have bothered, in all honesty. I never saw a problem in the first place. Although, maybe you should bring back the Spam Can. That's sensible, right?

[Sehven•]

Ever heard of the Magna Carta?

Don't you think you're being a little dramatic? We're talking about an internet forum here. The absolute worst that could happen is that you *gasp* won't be able to post on a lbp site.

I just don't want the number of infractions to get out of hand, to the point where a quarter of our active members are muted at a time. Thank you.

CC has specifically said that they DON'T want to get all heavy handed with this: they're just trying to keep things from getting out of hand.