Infractions

My suggestions:

1) Make reversed & expired infractions disappear
2) Adopt a more lenient policy on handing them out


Explanation for #1

If they've been reversed it means they were dealt in error, or a mod re-considers etc. They don't need to be attached to your profile forever.

Same with expired infractions. You've received your slap on the wrist, and its served its purpose in being there for a month in case you receive enough to get temp banned. Expired infractions are mostly irrelevant from a moderation perspective, so there isn't a real reason they need to appear.



Explanation for #2

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe right now infractions are actually incentivised in the form of mod score. More infractions =/= the better. In my opinion it fosters an enviroment of contempt between users and staff.

A simple friendly PM could do a lot more, even if it was something automated for ease of use. Mod score can be granted in other ways.

They should be reserved for repeat undesireable behavior that isn't quite worthy of a ban.




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Some side notes:

A) The reasons written down can be toned down a lot. For example I have an infraction that reads "flaming/harrassing staff." Anyone who reads that would raise an eyebrow. But in reality it was closer to arguing borderline back talking over PM.

B) I know a lot of people really don't care about them. They don't see them as a big deal, they'll just say suck it up etc. But I still think its an easy to implement solution that'll hopefully alleviate some tension.

Any additional suggestions/feedback is welcome.

 

There is a cap on the amount of modscore you can gain from infractions so that they're not abused.

Also, if previous infractions are wiped, mods don't know how often a person has broken a specific rule and whether a more extreme punishment is needed like a section ban etc etc

 

[Laptop65]

There is a cap on the amount of modscore you can gain from infractions so that they're not abused.

Also, if previous infractions are wiped, mods don't know how often a person has broken a specific rule and whether a more extreme punishment is needed like a section ban etc etc

Okay, infractions are hidden and only viewable to staff members? How's that sound?

Or perhaps give us the option to hide infractions (hiding the infractions will have no effect on their punishment on you). But they are always there for staff no matter what.

 

There is a cap on the amount of modscore you can gain from infractions so that they're not abused.

Its still an incentive system. When a friendly PM might have been sent, or the post left alone the mod will be more likely to infract. I mean you get points for it lol.

Also, if previous infractions are wiped, mods don't know how often a person has broken a specific rule and whether a more extreme punishment is needed like a section ban etc etc

Reversed and expired infractions shouldn't be a part of the consideration imo. They become mostly irrelevant. If someone is a problem they'll be temp banned for infraction accural. If that system isn't effective it needs to be looked over again. Maybe the expiry times would need to be made longer.

Okay, infractions are hidden and only viewable to staff members? How's that sound?

Or perhaps give us the option to hide infractions (hiding the infractions will have no effect on their punishment on you). But they are always there for staff no matter what.

I believe that's already the case, viewable by staff only. But its a really frustrating situation to be told you've been dinged, that even if its reversed it'll show up forever. And there is no real way to appeal it. You can message the person who did it, who obviously feels it was warranted. Or message someone higher ranked that'll try to avoid stepping on their toes.

 

I think he means you don't see your own reversed/expired ones.

 

Like you said, I don't think anybody really cares that much about seeing reversed or expired infractions on their profile. They serve a purpose in showing a moderator how many times a specific rule has been broken. We often use that measure to moderate effectively. For example, there are different punishments for 1st level, 2nd level, and 3rd level signature violations.

Newer staff members tend to infract more, but as Roary said, there is a cap on how many infractions can be given, and if someone sees that a particular moderator is infracting too much, they'll be given a heads up, since we always encourage going light on infractions. If you think there is an issue with a specific moderator, you should definitely PM an administrator. I'm going to mark this as resolved now.