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A. First of all, being assigned a warning on Neowin is not the end of the world (nor is it a badge of honour). We have an automatic warning reduction system that, after six months of good behavior, will reduce your warning level by 20% (
Normally, warnings do not affect your use of Neowin in any way. You may notice that your warning level increased by 20% but it is invisible to all members other than staff so no one else will know that you are anything other than an angel.
If you think that your warning was not fair or just then you need to contact someone higher up on the chain of command. If your warning was from a fmod or a gmod then contact a Supervisor. If your warning was from a Supervisor then contact an Admin. Your challenge will be discussed at the upper levels and a reversal will be considered if your claim has merit. We seek to have as fair a moderation process as possible.
What if this isn't your first warning? If you repeat a rule violation for the same thing that you were already warned about, or if you do something severe, you may be told that you cannot post for a few days. It is also possible for us to selectively remove your access to certain features of the site (profiles, particular subforums) either temporarily or permanently. Generally, we are pretty conservative when it comes to applying these sorts of restrictions.
Remember, we warn you because we love you.
There have been a several formerly difficult members who eventually adapted to our rules and have become very productive members. You know who you are. Well done.Q. So why does Neowin have rules anyway?
A. Neowin's community rules serve three main purposes.
- They protect members from abuse.
Neowin wants members to respect other members at all times. Members should feel free to express their opinions without being personally attacked by online bullies. This is not Survivor:Neowin where the most aggressive member left standing is the winner. Neowin is both diverse and international and thus we are trying to maintain a friendly community here. Thus we do not want to see examples of hatred towards any group (race, sex, orientation, nationality or religion). - They protect Neowin from legal trouble.
Some of the rules are designed to protect Neowin. We don't want minors seeing graphic material (even over your shoulder). We don't want to risk lawsuits by tolerating discussion of hacks, cracks or warez. We don't have a legal budget so we need you to do your part. - They prevent additional work by the staff.
We do not want to be constantly cleaning out topics that contain examples from the above two points. Thus we assign warnings to members who cause us work (like cleaning up flame wars) in the hope that they will learn and not do it again.
). We need members to assist us by reporting potentially inappropriate content or conduct. Thank you for your support and, hopefully, for your understanding.Q. Why does Neowin not wish members to discuss their private warnings in public threads?
A. Members tend to provide one-sided or inaccurate information that would then cause us to respond to clear up the miscommunication. We do not want to be tempted to reveal private or personal information to "prove" our case publicly. Please contact us privately so no one else has to see the dirty laundry.
For the time being I will leave this thread open for mature discussion but if there are any public discussions about particular warnings they experienced it will be closed and potentially cleaned right back to this solitary post.
If you wish to discuss your warning privately then please do so with the original moderator. If you do not receive the answer that is acceptable to you then contact a Supervisor. If you still do not think that you have been dealt with fairly then you are free to contact an Administrator.
The forum staff hierarchy is as follows (most powerful first):
Administrators > Supervisors > fmods/gmods
Edited by Fred Derf, 11 March 2007 - 11:00.
