Personal issues have kept me from dealing with this in a timely manner, and for this I apologize to TEP.
Abuse towards members of TEP has grown to an unacceptable level. I am not talking about normal arguing and witty banter. I am referring to actions that are harmful, tasteless, and just down right mean. For this, I am instituting a new forum rule. This is not a law of TEP that can be amended.
“Abusive behavior towards any member of The East Pacific Forum will be enforced with zero tolerance, regardless of age or position. The first offense will receive a NON-EXPIRING warning. The second offense will result in the offending member being banished from The East Pacific Forums.”
Is that how it is to be spun, Kelssek? Please list all instances of my abusive behavior. One comment was made, and it was made prior to any disclosure of the deeper connotations. That is it.
No one has even attempted to contact me in the last 16 days, so that tells me this will all be done in back rooms amongst the old guard and nothing will be done via Conclave (especially since the comment did not violate the invisionfree TOS in anyway).
It will be interesting to see if this will be evenly enforced amongst all TEP members.
If this is going to be your attitude, you aren’t helping anyone, least of all yourself.
I don’t know how you got the idea that something the webhost’s lawyers draw up to cover the company is the standard of socially acceptable behaviour. Neither should it be necessary to put in black and white that disrespectful and/or disparaging comments are not how one conducts themselves. This isn’t a matter of “terms of service”, this is simply basic manners.
The internet, especially in a medium such as this where almost all of us operate under pseudonyms and don’t necessarily personally know each other, is a faceless and anonymous world. That doesn’t excuse bad behaviour, even though the absence of instinctive social constraints that exist when we are dealing with flesh and blood people face to face does tend to encourage it. If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, you shouldn’t say it here. I say this without the admin hat on; whatever my status I consider that same principle valid.
Perhaps to my discredit, I was not the one who made the relevant decision, and for the same reason it would be best if I stepped back from this issue anyway.
The disparaging comment was “You are not my Dante. You do not factor into my decisions.” It was made from the POV that he was the RP catalyst since every MSN conversation with DFD ultimately became one about his RP influence upon her. It wasn’t until five minutes after the comment was sent on 12/23 that Allegheny told me there was more to it. This situation boils down to me somehow possessing prior knowledge of the relationship, which, since I’m not some insider from 6 years ago, I had no access to.
If this makes me the great, abusive troll of TEP, so be it.
Look, if you were the great, abusive troll of TEP, you wouldn’t be here anymore. You’re complaining about being warned. Unless you plan on making this a habit you really don’t have anything to worry about. Simply be more careful and circumspect in the future: that’s what warnings are for.
Personally, and speaking purely for myself, I can accept that you may not have known the full implications of your comment, because I didn’t either. But it is clearly intended as a snarky, snide comment meant as a put-down towards the other person. That’s not what we want here. You do many positive things; don’t let negatives creep in.
No one has even attempted to contact me in the last 16 days, so that tells me this will all be done in back rooms amongst the old guard and nothing will be done via Conclave (especially since the comment did not violate the invisionfree TOS in anyway).
— End quote
Conclave and Admin and Magisterium all have private forums. The players who use them are not “old guard.” That phrase gets tossed out like a pejorative - as in inflexible or unwilling to change or hoarding power - and I’m weary of it. Players - Admin, Magisters, and Arbiters - work in those private forums to contribute to the region so that it is positive and enjoyable.
We do so without any thanks or recognition. Sometimes it’s better for the region for certain matters to be dealt with privately - it can protect players from unnecessary embarrassment. They are not “back rooms” where secret deals are made or plots are hatched or inquisitions are planned. Some players can see all of those private forums and some of can see more than one - depends on their responsibilities.
Forum Admin have authority to warn players and delete their accounts that is separate from region government and cannot be appealed. Conclave has no power to challenge any Admin action. An action by Admin has no bearing on whether or not Conclave will hold a trial.
Conclave does not enforce the Terms of Service of InvisionFree. Conclave interprets Concordat and laws of the region. No citizen of this region or member of this forum can use the TOS of InvisionFree or the action of any Admin as grounds for any complaint or defense in Conclave.
Conclave and Admin aren’t apples and oranges. They’re more like apples and pandas.
The East Pacific Rules
This forum is a service provided to the government of the East Pacific. The board administration encourages any visitors to become involved in the numerous enjoyable activities on the forums.
With that said, these forums are a privilege not a right. The board administration is generally lenient but will not tolerate impersonation, trolling, spumming, flaming, abuse, or similar disruptive activities. The board administration reserves the right to discipline board members without recourse.
Please note that accounts created solely for spumming will be IP banned for nine thousand days and the IP of said accounts will be publicly posted.
Abusive behavior towards any member of The East Pacific Forum will be enforced with zero tolerance, regardless of age or position. The first offense will receive a NON-EXPIRING warning. The second offense will result in the offending member being banished from The East Pacific Forums.
The disparaging comment was “You are not my Dante. You do not factor into my decisions.” It was made from the POV that he was the RP catalyst since every MSN conversation with DFD ultimately became one about his RP influence upon her. It wasn’t until five minutes after the comment was sent on 12/23 that Allegheny told me there was more to it. This situation boils down to me somehow possessing prior knowledge of the relationship, which, since I’m not some insider from 6 years ago, I had no access to.
If this makes me the great, abusive troll of TEP, so be it.
— End quote
While I was trying to help work this out between you two so we can stop this drama nonsense i asked you to send her an explanation for locking the Rubicon thread… not a pile of snarky sarcastic BS.
Flame-baiting has always been a violation of the civility we endeavor to promote on this forum. Nothing about flame-baiting has changed: it is forbidden, has always been forbidden, and everyone is encouraged to report it. Whether or not a warning is issued is a decision made by Admin with regard to the severity of the offense.
Pack publishing a one strike warning policy on abuse may seem “new” but it’s always been an option for Admin. There’s nothing new about it - therefore nothing about it is retroactive. It’s just being emphasized.
You can still get yer butt booted without a warning if you post a particularly reprehensible brand of stupid.