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What is the User Infraction System?
The user infraction system is a tool which will be used by the Admins & Moderators to ensure members interact according to the rules of Smartmaniacs, and learn quickly from mistakes. If a rule is broken, the team can place either a warning or an infraction mark on the post which is out of line, and this mark will remain on a user's profile both for the duration of the infraction period and after the infraction period has expired. The moderation team will use these notes in an attempt to recognize offensive posting patterns sooner and to help prevent problems among our membership.
How do I avoid getting an infraction?
The easiest way to ensure you are not breaking the rules is to be kind and considerate to all members. A short overview is below on the types of things that will result in an Infraction. If unsure visit the site Terms & Conditions page to help eliminate any confusion. The infraction system was implemented to help ensure the rules shown on that page are enforced and records better kept.
How will I know when I have broken a rule?
You will receive a private message from the moderator who initiated the infraction. The PM will state which post was offensive, will include a link to that post, and a brief message from the staff member giving the infraction. Once an infraction has been submitted, you will see a small red or yellow tag on the bottom left hand corner of the offending post. A yellow tag means that only a warning was issued (has no lasting effects), and a red tag means that a full infraction was issued (a penalty was assigned).
What happens to me if I do break a rule?
You will be monitored by the moderation team, and multiple infractions will lead to a temporary ban this could ultimately lead to a permanent ban.
What is your process for banning a member based on infractions?
If a user has more than 3 active infractions at any given time, they will be banned from interacting with the forums for the times specified below. Often emotions can run high and result in posts which stretch the rules, and this temporary ban is meant to give the user a time to cool down and compose their thoughts before posting again. Permanent ban is the last option, but will be enforced when necessary.
You mean I could be banned permanently from smartmaniacs?
Yes, this was already the case, and is now also possible using the infractions system. However, please remember that we here at smartmaniacs appreciate diverse ideas and opinions. Banning is not intended to be a method of cruelty or a way to ignore given social standards/contexts of the infraction. It is a way to keep the dialogue in our community beneficial to everyone.
What if I was wrongly accused of a rule infraction?
First, this is very subjective, and we are not always competent to judge our own behaviors without bias. However, if you were given an infraction by accident, or you feel that it was undeserved, you can submit an appeal with any of the Administrators for the infraction to be reversed. Such appeals should only be sent to one Admin. That Admin will then take the appeal request to the other moderators for discussion. All situations are discussed by the entire mod team.
Infraction System
Members can get infraction points for the following reasons:
Spamming the board 15
Major abuse of others 6
"Stealth" Advertising 5
Minor abuse of others 2
Foul language 2
All points valid for 90 days after infraction given.
6 points = 7 day ban
10 points = 28 day ban
15 points = 6 months / permanent ban
Spamming the board - 15
e.g. Viagra adverts, link posts to promo "dubious" websites.
The sort of stuff that gets deleted from your e-mail systems every day!
Major abuse of others - 6
e.g. The intended persecution of members because of their race, sex, sexual orientation disability or religion.
"Stealth" Advertising - 5
Non-sponsoring business attempting to "freeload" off the site.
Minor abuse of others - 2
Low level "hounding" of another member. What you find funny the recipient might not. It's not pleasant and it IS bullying.
Foul language - 2
This site does have a language filter, people deliberately attempting to use inapropriate words will be penalised.
If you feel the need to add expletives try the :censor: icon - trust us we'll get your intention!
In sum...
The infraction system is a tool that has been implemented to give users warnings if their posts are 1) against the rules, or 2) the user's behavior is deemed inappropriate. The infraction system does not remove the rights or privileges of the administration to add a warning or ban without assigning an infraction, but it does give another layer of information for them to use when making such decisions. Overall, it will improve and update the system previously in place.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to post here. We will clarify when we can. Hopefuly, much of the above will never be a factor during your membership at smartmaniacs, but we wanted to help you understand what we do and why, because we are all part of this community together. Thanks for your attention.
Happy smartying
Vlad & the moderation team
The user infraction system is a tool which will be used by the Admins & Moderators to ensure members interact according to the rules of Smartmaniacs, and learn quickly from mistakes. If a rule is broken, the team can place either a warning or an infraction mark on the post which is out of line, and this mark will remain on a user's profile both for the duration of the infraction period and after the infraction period has expired. The moderation team will use these notes in an attempt to recognize offensive posting patterns sooner and to help prevent problems among our membership.
How do I avoid getting an infraction?
The easiest way to ensure you are not breaking the rules is to be kind and considerate to all members. A short overview is below on the types of things that will result in an Infraction. If unsure visit the site Terms & Conditions page to help eliminate any confusion. The infraction system was implemented to help ensure the rules shown on that page are enforced and records better kept.
How will I know when I have broken a rule?
You will receive a private message from the moderator who initiated the infraction. The PM will state which post was offensive, will include a link to that post, and a brief message from the staff member giving the infraction. Once an infraction has been submitted, you will see a small red or yellow tag on the bottom left hand corner of the offending post. A yellow tag means that only a warning was issued (has no lasting effects), and a red tag means that a full infraction was issued (a penalty was assigned).
What happens to me if I do break a rule?
You will be monitored by the moderation team, and multiple infractions will lead to a temporary ban this could ultimately lead to a permanent ban.
What is your process for banning a member based on infractions?
If a user has more than 3 active infractions at any given time, they will be banned from interacting with the forums for the times specified below. Often emotions can run high and result in posts which stretch the rules, and this temporary ban is meant to give the user a time to cool down and compose their thoughts before posting again. Permanent ban is the last option, but will be enforced when necessary.
You mean I could be banned permanently from smartmaniacs?
Yes, this was already the case, and is now also possible using the infractions system. However, please remember that we here at smartmaniacs appreciate diverse ideas and opinions. Banning is not intended to be a method of cruelty or a way to ignore given social standards/contexts of the infraction. It is a way to keep the dialogue in our community beneficial to everyone.
What if I was wrongly accused of a rule infraction?
First, this is very subjective, and we are not always competent to judge our own behaviors without bias. However, if you were given an infraction by accident, or you feel that it was undeserved, you can submit an appeal with any of the Administrators for the infraction to be reversed. Such appeals should only be sent to one Admin. That Admin will then take the appeal request to the other moderators for discussion. All situations are discussed by the entire mod team.
Infraction System
Members can get infraction points for the following reasons:
Spamming the board 15
Major abuse of others 6
"Stealth" Advertising 5
Minor abuse of others 2
Foul language 2
All points valid for 90 days after infraction given.
6 points = 7 day ban
10 points = 28 day ban
15 points = 6 months / permanent ban
Spamming the board - 15
e.g. Viagra adverts, link posts to promo "dubious" websites.
The sort of stuff that gets deleted from your e-mail systems every day!
Major abuse of others - 6
e.g. The intended persecution of members because of their race, sex, sexual orientation disability or religion.
"Stealth" Advertising - 5
Non-sponsoring business attempting to "freeload" off the site.
Minor abuse of others - 2
Low level "hounding" of another member. What you find funny the recipient might not. It's not pleasant and it IS bullying.
Foul language - 2
This site does have a language filter, people deliberately attempting to use inapropriate words will be penalised.
If you feel the need to add expletives try the :censor: icon - trust us we'll get your intention!
In sum...
The infraction system is a tool that has been implemented to give users warnings if their posts are 1) against the rules, or 2) the user's behavior is deemed inappropriate. The infraction system does not remove the rights or privileges of the administration to add a warning or ban without assigning an infraction, but it does give another layer of information for them to use when making such decisions. Overall, it will improve and update the system previously in place.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to post here. We will clarify when we can. Hopefuly, much of the above will never be a factor during your membership at smartmaniacs, but we wanted to help you understand what we do and why, because we are all part of this community together. Thanks for your attention.
Happy smartying
Vlad & the moderation team
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