Member warning system to prevent abuse / spam / off-topic posts

We have a new 'Warning' system - now each member may receive a warning before they get suspended. The current warning codes are as follows:


Only the warned members can see their own warnings and history of their own warnings. Warned members may be suspended without further notice. There is no explanation what the warning was exactly for (the posters should know what they were warned for; if they don't know they should read the Rules first _).

Should I feel honoured that I got the first one already?

Yes (provided you won't get another one again ;).

" O - Off-topic / meaningless posts"

What makes a meaningless post?

A lot of times moderators warned me about meaningless posts but i read it again and i don't find it meaningless.

So we should just post now if we discover something extremelly meaningful, like the cure for cancer?

It could be a post that has nothing to do with the subject of the title, and one that probably takes the thread off topic. The threads on the main forums are for discussion about Poland and Polish people.


Unless the cure is discovered in Poland, I wouldn't bother. If a cure is found, then it will be all over the TV news and news papers, so it will be very hard to miss.

ASO sounds a bit funny for TOS doesnt it????:))))

Where?

Warnings will show up on your profile page with the relevant code.
You will also see the date each warning was given.

Is it true that the administrator and mods. can read our private messages?

If you falsely ask 'is it true' - admin can falsely ask 'is it true that you are a child abuser'? Now it's your turn to prove you are not. Got it? Admin

"If" I did, but I didn't.
Let me ask you this way then, "can you read our personal messages ?"


I don't have to prove anything.
You are the one confusing the issue by going off thread.
Gee's, it was just a simple yes or no question.
I am sorry to have upset you with it.

What does that mean? (admin's quote, somehow attributed to JR)

It means they can but you can't prove it.

Then why do they call it a "private message" when it is not ?
Why couldn't Skippy just have said 'yes' instead of being so gamey.


Of course not.
I have never beaten my children.........well..........only when they really need it. :-)

Is there any point in having a warning system for members when they can simply carry on doing exactly what they have been warned about doing by using 'guest' accounts (as pigsy is clearly doing at the moment)?

And how can you prove it?

For one thing his ceaseless obsession with English teachers and the British in general. For another his IP address.

and since when ordinary forum users can check IP addresses?

And this is a very interesting question: how can ordinary members like Harry view someone else's IP?

No it wasn't falsely asked jon, I exposed you for being the owner of this forum and the administrators job is just to keep the website up and running for you.

We all know your game of charades now.
You can read our private messages, you can intimidate us with warnings, you can CONTROL this forum by posting any damn thing you want, delete any damn thing you want, have your personal little Brit gang to back your personal opinions as god's truth.......so no Pal, I did not falsely ask. Got it !

My thread (that you closed so conveniently) should have read: "Is the Ownner of the Polish forum Polish ?"
Well you should ban yourself with five warnings for ABUSE just to make things fair.
Have you noticed how things quiet right down and no one attacks or argues when you are not here ????
You are the problem jon but since it is your little game you party on son at the expense of the great country of Poland.

Johnny Reb ~

No - jon357 doesn't have any moderating or administrative rights on this forum, and he isn't the owner of course

Managing a forum such as this is quite easy.......and yes Admin has access to everything anybody types on here, including private messages - not emails obviously though. Thats completely separate.

I don't get what you are trying to say. Is it just irony or what? Private massages (PM) should be exempted from access for Admin and mods. I remember there was once a discussion on the PF in which Admin clearly said the forum administration have no access to PM's. I wonder what the PF rules say about it, if they say anything on the matter at all?

Technically, however, this should be feasible. The forum staff has access to members' posts which means they can override your password. A PM message is kind of a post, so they would have access to it.

Keep to the current topic please

You mean like the last one that was posted in "What are the Polish so conservative and religious" that has
been left up all morning to bait someone to respond to it off thread ?


Good


Even better

I was going to ask this in random but perhaps this is a better place for it.


So is it five warnings and then a ban or the fifth warning is a ban?

Not at all Harry, a "rouge" member might get banned after a few warnings, depending on their past history on PF. Their past suspensions would probably be taken into account too, when deciding if they will be banned for good or not. Hope this clears up your query.

Do you mean there are different rules for different people, Vincent?

Having never banned anyone I would imagine that it's more of an art rather than a science.

I didn't say that Harry, so don't blow it out of proportion. I meant exactly what I said in my last post. You asked a question and I give you an answer.

Its highly unlikely that Mods would be able to view PM's, you would need file manager access for that, and anybody who has that can basically delete the entire website if they so wish. I doubt even Admin bothers to read private PM's but he could if he wanted to.


Mods can't, unless Admin really, really trusts them. They only have a basic control panel, to do basic things.

Sorry, Vincent, but I can't quite grasp what you're saying there. Do you mean that there are different rules for different members or that all members share the same rules? No need for discussions about proportion, it's a fairly straight either / or question.

Yes, members who have been suspended in the past don't share the same rules as members who followed the terms and haven't been banned.

Merged: Forum warning system

I'm not familiar with this, can someone explain it to me?

I got a warning, but I'm not sure what it relates to - it mentioned abusing other members, but I've been a good boy!

4 more to go and you'll be suspended for another several months. Thank you.


Can you tell me what it was for? I'm just curious - things have changed around here, and I'd rather not get banned again!

Personal attacks and abuse = a warning or suspension.

(I mean, I read the warning - I'm just confused because I didn't abuse anyone...or has the definition of abuse changed?)

Argh, missed the deadline for editing...

Another (probably stupid) question - do warnings expire?

They don't expire for repeat offenders.


Seems fair :)

Sort of, but the flaw is "statistical bias". If you post a lot, you expose yourself to going off-topic, especially if you sometimes take a while to write your reply (while doing other things) and don't notice that a mod has commented on someone's previous post - that happened to me. Plus technical issues - I was once accused of deleting a mod's comment - maybe he/she thought I have magical powers.

And of course some posters only ever seem to flame and abuse, especially but not only in random. They get away with it with impunity and whoever responds gets into bother.

No system is perfect though, but sometimes the faults are glaring.

Getting suspended for off-topic posts is less likely than for Abuse or Trolling.