The Warning System - Introduction

[Craig]

Brief

As you have all seen by now, a warning system is now in place here in the forum.

I have seen that this has caused a little trouble in forum over the past couple of weeks, but this is partly due to the fact I haven’t yet advised the other administrators and moderators with guidelines on when action via the warning system should be taken.

As you read this, the administrators and moderators will have access to guidelines with regards to operating the warning system.

Why Use The Warning System?

Earlier this year we had one member in particular that was causing a little bit of trouble. We ended up banning him for life from the forum as he became a nuisance, but it took a while to come to that decision. To begin with a few admins and mods PM’ed him to make him aware that what he was doing wasn’t going to be tolerated, but he persisted and I then banned him. After several personal emails from the member I gave him a second chance, but again, the problem persisted. This carried on for a while until I took the final decision.

Because the warning system was not in place, there was no set rule on how to deal with problematic members.

Now however, there is.

When Will It Be Used?

The warning system will be used in conjunction with the Forum Guidelines, so if you do something against the guidelines, expect a warning.

How Does It Work?

The warning system is set for a maximum of 25 warnings per member. If you reach 25 points, you will be banned for life. This may seem harsh, but I don’t actually see anyone reaching that many points.

In extreme cases, admins and mods also have the option when adding a warning to suspend a member from accessing the forum. Suspending times start at 1 day and go up in daily intervals.

How Will Do You Know When You Have Been Warned?

When a warning is added to your name, you will receive a personalised PM explaining why you have been given a warning. At the same time, the reason is added to a log so other admins and mods can view it.

In the event that you are suspended, the above will happen, but you shall receive an email instead of a PM.

In your Control Panel and also under your username in your topics / posts, there will be a Warning Indicator shown as a graphic display. This will show you what percentage of warnings you have had.

You can only see your own indicator with the exception of admins and mods.

Overall

The warning system will standardise the way members are treated if and when they step out of line.

I don’t want you to change the way you post here at the forum, or feel like Big Brother is watching you.

The forum is growing (slowly), and we need something to keep it all under control. After all, we cannot interview our members to see if they ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

Craig.