[Forum Guardian]

Warnings: How They Work

The Moderator Team has long been aware that we could be a lot more transparent about how we do things. The userbase deserves to be aware of how we handle reports and punishments in general, so you can make educated guesses about how reports you submit and reports submitted against you are dealt with. This is also to give you a view into our thought and procedural process. We can't give out information on specific reports, but we could do a lot more to spell out what our general process looks like so you know what to expect.

We've decided that we need to revise our warning standard in a significant way, and to do that we've come up with this system. We're looking at separating warnings into two levels, because certain actions on the forum are more severe than others, and giving out the same warnings for all of those things was too severe in some cases and not severe enough in others. We've also tried to provide examples of the behavior we're talking about for each warning level, so you can know what we were thinking when we divided the two levels up in the way we did.

As it remains still, the forum warning system functions on a very generalized “three strikes, you’re out” standard. As warnings are issued there will be clear indication as to what step of following action will be given if the behavior continues.

All of this is a work in progress and can change at any time due to reconsideration, additions, or any other future changes. Any following updates will be posted individually to be properly logged as a change.

The Warning Levels:

Level 1 Warning: The more minor of the two but still pertinent to receiving a message from the moderation team. Examples for potentially receiving these warnings include but are not limited to: Public misconduct in discussion or any public threads, passive aggressive/pointedly aggressive commentary in public threads, repeated dogpiling in discussions, invoking fights/arguments in discussions or public scenarios, repeated cases of OOC to IC (including IC dogpiling brought on by OOC influence).

Level 2 Warning: The more major of the two warnings, ones that if repeated up can result in heftier repercussions which can include suspensions or bans. Examples for potentially receiving these warnings are but not limited to: Bullying of any type (over a disagreement, pointed aggression, exclusion, etc) General harassment (repeated attempts at contact when requested not to, unsolicited sexual references/discussions, targeted ooc to ic, etc) and in rare occasions forceful opposing or pushing back against a moderation team decision (including team harassment to multiple mods).

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Other Punishments and Appeals

Both warning levels combined can be followed up with repercussions such as but not limited to: temporary suspensions, removal from staff teams (from mod issued warnings), banning from sales of artwork, and permanent forum bans. Some instances there is a case by case basis where the severity of the warning level will depend on the situation. Multiple, different offenses will also be considered by the moderation team if there are continued issues. Generally, these warnings will correspond to any of our current forum rules.

The moderation team is also aware that we can make mistakes, and we will allow users to appeal warnings you feel were incorrectly made against you. Successfully appealed warnings will be taken into account and considered for future warnings if they happen. Allowing users to appeal their warnings is something new for IDS, so our plan is to construct a process for it as we go along. As of now, there is no process, so if you would like to appeal a warning you receive from here on out, let us know that that is what you intend as you make your case in a PM sent to one of us.

If you have any questions, concerns or input about this warning system, you may kindly let us know via PM and we will try to get back to you with an appropriate response thereafter.

[Forum Guardian]

The MyBB Warning System

We are now using the MyBB warning system!

You've seen your own warning level pop up on your profile, and now it's going to start to mean something. What we have set up is a point-based system where the warnings you receive add points to your warning level, changing that percentage. Since the IDS Moderation Team uses a "three strikes and you're out" system for our warnings, here are how our leveled warnings are put into the MyBB system:

Level One - 1 point (17% warning level)
Level Two - 2 points (33% warning level)
6 points = 100% warning level

As warnings stack up, a user's warning level percentage goes up. A user can reach a maximum of 6 points, which is a 100% warning level. (A user at 100% is not automatically banned by the MyBB system. There is no automatic banning mechanism in the system at this time.) When you receive a warning, you should also receive a PM notifying you of what you received the warning for, along with what will happen should there be a second (or third, etc.) offense. This is to keep everyone aware of when and for what we will consider temporary or permanent bans, and to save bans only for repeated behavior.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to PM one of us!

[Forum Guardian]

Submitting a Report

The Moderator Team often relies on our users to supply information we miss or lack. At times, what happens with your submissions depends a lot on how you submit them. If you pass on something via skype or discord, we are more likely to take your words as a concern to think over instead of a report to act on. To ensure that what you intend to pass on is treated as an official report, please follow the instructions below.

• All official reports must be submitted as Private Messages to a Guardian.
  
• Do not message a Guardian on Break.
  
• Please label your Private Message as a report, either in the subject or the body message.
  
• If you would like your report to be anonymous, say so, and the Guardian you message will leave your name out of the report when it is posted on our boards for review.
  
• Once you have sent your report, you should receive a reply stating that it has been received. If you do not receive this reply, resend the report or send it to another Guardian.
  
• You may at any time message a Guardian for an update on your report. We can tell you what stage of discussion the report is in, and whether it is open or closed, but we do not divulge whether punishments are given out or what those punishments are.
  

We do not require reports to be submitted using a form, but if one would be helpful to you, this is the information we need to proceed with the report:

Name: (or Anonymous)
User(s) Reported: (Usernames of those reported)
Reason For Report: (What forum rule was broken)
Supporting Evidence: (Any evidence you want to add such as screenshots, discord logs, etc)
Additional Comments: (Is this a recurring issue, do you have a something else to add, etc)

Code:

[b]Name:[/b] (or Anonymous)
[b]User(s) Reported:[/b] (Usernames of those reported)
[b]Reason For Report:[/b] (What forum rule was broken)
[b]Supporting Evidence:[/b] (Any evidence you want to add such as screenshots, discord logs, etc)
[b]Additional Comments:[/b] (Is this a recurring issue, do you have a something else to add, etc)

If clarification on anything in these instructions is required, please message a Guardian. We are always happy to answer questions and reword if necessary.