A general reminder about personal arguments.

Vik 22-07-2007, 06:39 PM

To whom it may concern.

There has recently been an outbreak of trouble on this forum which mirrors the problems it had a few months ago. We have had assurances this trouble will not crop up again, and I believe those assurances to be sincere. However, generally and to all members, we must make this announcement.

In the past, certain members have come very close to the mark as concerns what constitutes an acceptable post on the forum. It was a well-known tactic employed by certain parties involved in this ‘trouble’ to make posts with negative implications about other people, while still being ‘technically’ not against the rules. This will no longer be tolerated. Mods will use their personal judgement as well as the rule book in deciding if a post is acceptable or not. If you want to make a post, and have to word it in a certain way to keep within the rules by the skin of your teeth, please refrain from posting it at all. If you would like to have a signature which contains a message, or which has a double meaning which is obvious to all members of the forum and those viewing from outside, please chose a different one. If you have a slight doubt that what you would like to say contravenes this warning, do not say it! I admit that due to the very nature of the problem, this policy of no more tolerance will mean that certain members who become involved in personal arguments and bring them onto the forum will be kept a closer eye on than others and it will mean that the rules are enforced more strictly for these members than others. This applies to all personal arguments past, present and future. Some may find this unfair - please continue reading.

Between 80-100 members log in to read and maybe to post, every day. Approximately just as many guests visit out forum each day. This means each and every day, it’s possible that around 200 people are reading this forum. With reference to recent events as well as future possibilites, the numbers of those posting in regard to their troubles off the forum are far, far fewer in number. Is it fair for all these daily readers that in innocent threads, there are veiled insults and insinuations? We have those very few members who are actually involved. Then we have another few members who are not directly involved but who take an interest. Then we have a very large amount of members who know what it’s all about, roughly, and who do not want to see it on the forum, and then we have those poor souls who have no idea what’s going on but who can sense there is a bit of unrest. This means the vast majority of people who read this forum do not want to see negative and personal arguments, and yet they do. THIS is unfair. Recently, these people have been incredibly patient in putting up with this for months on end, but it is now time for those people to be considered. I’d ask you to put yourselves in the place of those people and imagine what you would think of it all by now.

We have the added risk, apparently, of legal action being taken against some people due to what is said here and elsewhere. Do you really think it’s fair for a very few members to risk screwing up this forum for everyone else? May I remind you at this point that the potential trouble of which I am speaking is a personal matter, and that this is a games forum? The purpose of this place is for people to get together and discuss the game, to meet other members and to have a little fun. The purpose of this place does not include providing a battle ground for personal fights. This is intolerable. If you have issues with others, go through the correct channels to resolve those issues. This forum is not a channel and will no longer be used as such. While you enjoy the freedom of this forum, you will have to accept this.

My priorities and my loyalties while I am here, posting on this forum as a moderator, lie in protecting the interests of all of the members of this forum. As such, any breach of this warning will result in an immediate 3-day ban for the member involved. Three of these bans, and you’re out. Maybe after this new policy is introduced, all members, present and future, will see and understand that personal battles here are just not acceptable. Similarly, any posts or signatures containing implications of personal comments in regard to arguments separate from this forum will be seen as an attempt to goad banned members into joining under a different name (which is often the result of such posts) and will result in a 3-day ban. Those who wonder what they are now allowed to post ought to seriously consider their interpretation on the function of this forum. You have been warned.

Thank-you for reading, sorry for the drama and stuff - now go and enjoy posting :)

The moderating team.

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Vik Epic Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Stuttgart Posts: 1,711 Thanks: 213 Thanked 147 Times in 81 Posts Show Printable Version Email this Page