Very Important Announcement: Please Read!

[Captain-Heather]

First off, I would like to say something that has been bothering myself and the forum staff for quite some time. It is in regards to how users treat the staff on this site (game and forum staff). Lately you all feel like it's OK to accuse the staff of cheating, abusing the system, playing favorites, etc. Let me remind you all that we are VOLUNTEERS. No one deserves to come onto a site like this and read the disrespect that goes on in these forums about themselves. It's very hurtful, and it's akin to cyber-bullying. Many of you who are committing these offenses are the type to quickly jump into a conversation and say how bullying is never okay and how you would never condone it....yet here we are.

Please be respectful in ALL posts on the forums with regards to staff. I don't care how you feel about us (yes, Forum Staff are legitimate staff, just like the game staff who are currently being trash-talked). If you can't be polite and stop the baseless accusations, you will be warned.

With that in mind, we are changing the warning system a bit. We used to allow 3 strikes per type of warning before points/bans were given. This is not the case any longer. We are now allowing 2-3 strikes TOTAL and you will then get a 1 day ban. It will increase/decrease from there depending on when your next warning is.

LINK TO FORUM RULES

THESE ARE THE SEVERE WARNINGS (2-3 STRIKES):
Inappropriate/Non G-Rated discussions
Flaming
Naming Names
Trolling
Disrespect
Ban Discussion
Impersonation of other Users & Staff
Highly Controversial Topics

**Please note that ON the 2nd/3rd strike, you receive your 1 day ban. From there, additional days are added depending on the frequency of offenses and type of offense. If we feel your 2nd strike broke rules severely enough, you might be banned for up to a week or longer.

THESE ARE MODERATE OFFENSES (4 STRIKES ALLOWED):
Personal Information
Thread Hijacking
Real World Trading
Language (English only forums...this does not refer to foul language)
Backseat Moderating
Spamming

**Again, on the 4th strike you will receive a 1 day ban, which will increase/decrease depending on future behavior.

THESE ARE SLIGHT OFFENSES (5-6 STRIKES ALLOWED):
GIFs/Animated Images
Off-topic/Nonsense posts/Excessive Chat-speak
Signatures
In-Game Quests
Bumping
Advertising/Asking for Donations
Trades/threads in wrong area

**On your 5th/6th strike you will be banned 1 day, which will increase/decrease depending on future behavior.

Refresh yourself on the forum rules!

Hopefully you guys will take this seriously. We want people to treat EVERYONE with respect. If you don't agree with something, that's unfortunate, but it does not give you the right to disrespect those you do not agree with. We are real people behind these avatars and usernames, and what you say does affect us.

If you have any questions, please post here or feel free to PM me. As I have said countless times, if you are unsure whether a post might be construed as offensive or disrespectful, run it past myself or a staff member. In general, many of you do try to follow the rules, so this new change will not affect you.

Thank you! Hopefully we can all move on from here with positive attitudes.

 

[Thorn]

What is an In-Game Quest offense?

Like talking about quests? Or giving the answers?

 

[Captain-Heather]

What is an In-Game Quest offense?

Like talking about quests? Or giving the answers?

This was a bigger problem when we had the shoutbox, but yes

In-Game Quests
Please do not post any quest answers in the shoutbox or on the forums. The answers will be removed and users will be infracted.

 

[ladycopper]

Bumping is that referring to trading post threads? I thought it was allowed after a certain time frame.

 

[Mothstradamus]

Bumping is that referring to trading post threads? I thought it was allowed after a certain time frame.

I thought this as well... I'm guilty of bumping after 24hrs if so.

EDIT:

Bumping
Bumping your thread so that it is moved to a higher position in the forum to be more noticeable to others is allowed. However, please remember that bumping is only allowed after a thread has been inactive for 12 hours Bumps made earlier than this will be considered spam and removed.

Good to refresh!
@ladycopper , looks like it's 12+ inactive hours. You were correct!

 

[RebeccaRock]

I agree with the concern on bumping. There is so much activity in the forums and it is so easy for things to get missed. I personally look to the recent activity much of the time to see what is happening and find threads I will jump into (like I did this find this one).

If bumping is not going to be allowed for a thread, then I am thinking the forum staff work load would increase in volume due the the larger number of threads they will have to be reviewing and archiving on a regular basis. The reason for the additional workload would be becuase everyone will just be posting new threads every time they would have "bumped" an existing thread, and the reason for the new thread is because they do not want to get into trouble for simply bumping the existing thread they created.

@Captain-Heather can you provide more clarification around the "bumping" rule based on how it is a listed offense here? Thank you.

 

[Captain-Heather]

Bumping is that referring to trading post threads? I thought it was allowed after a certain time frame.

I thought this as well... I'm guilty of bumping after 24hrs if so.

EDIT:


Good to refresh!
@ladycopper , looks like it's 12+ inactive hours. You were correct!

I agree with the concern on bumping. There is so much activity in the forums and it is so easy for things to get missed. I personally look to the recent activity much of the time to see what is happening and find threads I will jump into (like I did this find this one).

If bumping is not going to be allowed for a thread, then I am thinking the forum staff work load would increase in volume due the the larger number of threads they will have to be reviewing and archiving on a regular basis. The reason for the additional workload would be becuase everyone will just be posting new threads every time they would have "bumped" an existing thread, and the reason for the new thread is because they do not want to get into trouble for simply bumping the existing thread they created.

@Captain-Heather can you provide more clarification around the "bumping" rule based on how it is a listed offense here? Thank you.

This has always been a rule on the forums, so nothing new here. Regardless of what you are posting (trades, game idea, help, etc), you are not allowed to bump a topic (ANY topic, yours or a friends) before 12 hours have elapsed.

Bumping
Bumping your thread so that it is moved to a higher position in the forum to be more noticeable to others is allowed. However, please remember that bumping is only allowed after a thread has been inactive for 12 hours Bumps made earlier than this will be considered spam and removed.

If this doesn't clarify, please let me know

 

[Flurp]

 

[Elessar]

Please by all means remove this if it somehow violates rules, but I have something to say.
And also when I say "you" in this post, it's a general thing; no specifics, I don't want to sound like I'm trying to personally attack anyone in particular, though I'm sure parts of this will come off that way. I'm not out for anyone here. I'm just addressing a concern I've had for the very brief month and a half I've even been playing this game.

The only reason why anyone is ever naming names or getting negatively riled up about things is because they don't feel like this game is run fairly. And it's not founded on baseless accusations or stirring up trouble for the sake of trouble - these concerns are all founded on very real experiences and events. They didn't just come out of nowhere.
I'm not trying to excuse blatantly disrespecting anyone for any reason because that is bullying and it is wrong. I'm just a little perturbed by the bit at the beginning:

Lately you all feel like it's OK to accuse the staff of cheating, abusing the system, playing favorites, etc. Let me remind you all that we are VOLUNTEERS.
If you can't be polite and stop the baseless accusations, you will be warned.

Specifically about the baseless accusations and volunteering ... It was very much discovered and publicized that some staff members were cheating the system and playing favorites. And people got upset about it, cried out about it, and nothing was ever done. It just kind of got brushed under the rug and people either quit, forgot, or moved on hoping things would get better. So if you see people getting upset, it's because they don't feel like they are being heard or taken seriously, because nothing was ever actually done to fix these broken things.
You may be volunteers - and believe me I respect the heck out of you for doing this stuff in your personal spare time - but with a position like this it should still be treated like a job, with the same care and consideration that would be put in if you were being paid for it and you had the threat of termination should you slip up. If you can't take that seriously, respect your own authority and boundaries, and have some accountability for the mistakes you make and the negative things you do, then you should not be doing it. I get that this game is run by amateurs/volunteers who have no higher authority to report to, but that doesn't excuse anything. Disrespect is a two-way street; staff are just as capable of disrespecting players as players are staff. And the big issue here is that players feel disrespected by staff.
Again that does not excuse the disrespect of staff by players - of anyone by anyone - but there is a reason behind it, it's not just maliciously out of nowhere for the sake of being rude.
Like you said - there are people behind these screens. And players have and sometimes still do feel victimized by staff members. Not all of these players are innocent, but if there is even one that is then that's too many.
There are real problems with this game and by continuously not addressing them in a transparent way (if at all) is not going to solve anything. It's just going to create more problems.
This community is so tiny already. Don't make it tinier by pretending there isn't a problem.

I apologize if any of this is seen as being disrespectful, because it was not written with that intent.
To me, disrespect means getting in someone's face and being intentionally rude and potentially untruthful with accusations; it does not mean openly disagreeing with authority.
I respect staff members for taking the time, but I don't appreciate it when they condescend and take an "I shouldn't have to explain" approach to rules or decisions. That's both unprofessional and - here we are again - disrespectful; it makes me personally feel like you think less of me because I don't have a WORD_ in front of my username. I'm sure that's not the intent, but that's how it comes across. And as far as I've seen, I'm not alone in feeling that way.
That is what people are upset about - is feeling like they aren't being taken seriously as a person.

Idk.

 

[RoboDisney]

Please by all means remove this if it somehow violates rules, but I have something to say.
And also when I say "you" in this post, it's a general thing; no specifics, I don't want to sound like I'm trying to personally attack anyone in particular, though I'm sure parts of this will come off that way. I'm not out for anyone here. I'm just addressing a concern I've had for the very brief month and a half I've even been playing this game.

The only reason why anyone is ever naming names or getting negatively riled up about things is because they don't feel like this game is run fairly. And it's not founded on baseless accusations or stirring up trouble for the sake of trouble - these concerns are all founded on very real experiences and events. They didn't just come out of nowhere.
I'm not trying to excuse blatantly disrespecting anyone for any reason because that is bullying and it is wrong. I'm just a little perturbed by the bit at the beginning:

Specifically about the baseless accusations and volunteering ... It was very much discovered and publicized that some staff members were cheating the system and playing favorites. And people got upset about it, cried out about it, and nothing was ever done. It just kind of got brushed under the rug and people either quit, forgot, or moved on hoping things would get better. So if you see people getting upset, it's because they don't feel like they are being heard or taken seriously, because nothing was ever actually done to fix these broken things.
You may be volunteers - and believe me I respect the heck out of you for doing this stuff in your personal spare time - but with a position like this it should still be treated like a job, with the same care and consideration that would be put in if you were being paid for it and you had the threat of termination should you slip up. If you can't take that seriously, respect your own authority and boundaries, and have some accountability for the mistakes you make and the negative things you do, then you should not be doing it. I get that this game is run by amateurs/volunteers who have no higher authority to report to, but that doesn't excuse anything. Disrespect is a two-way street; staff are just as capable of disrespecting players as players are staff. And the big issue here is that players feel disrespected by staff.
Again that does not excuse the disrespect of staff by players - of anyone by anyone - but there is a reason behind it, it's not just maliciously out of nowhere for the sake of being rude.
Like you said - there are people behind these screens. And players have and sometimes still do feel victimized by staff members. Not all of these players are innocent, but if there is even one that is then that's too many.
There are real problems with this game and by continuously not addressing them in a transparent way (if at all) is not going to solve anything. It's just going to create more problems.
This community is so tiny already. Don't make it tinier by pretending there isn't a problem.

I apologize if any of this is seen as being disrespectful, because it was not written with that intent.
To me, disrespect means getting in someone's face and being intentionally rude and potentially untruthful with accusations; it does not mean openly disagreeing with authority.
I respect staff members for taking the time, but I don't appreciate it when they condescend and take an "I shouldn't have to explain" approach to rules or decisions. That's both unprofessional and - here we are again - disrespectful; it makes me personally feel like you think less of me because I don't have a WORD_ in front of my username. I'm sure that's not the intent, but that's how it comes across. And as far as I've seen, I'm not alone in feeling that way.
That is what people are upset about - is feeling like they aren't being taken seriously as a person.

Idk.

Extremely well said.

Also, having this information regarding infractions out there is helpful. So thanks~

 

[Bimbette]

Does having our threads closed (ie. my thread in the Debates) count as a warning?

 

[Rosey]

Please by all means remove this if it somehow violates rules, but I have something to say.
And also when I say "you" in this post, it's a general thing; no specifics, I don't want to sound like I'm trying to personally attack anyone in particular, though I'm sure parts of this will come off that way. I'm not out for anyone here. I'm just addressing a concern I've had for the very brief month and a half I've even been playing this game.

The only reason why anyone is ever naming names or getting negatively riled up about things is because they don't feel like this game is run fairly. And it's not founded on baseless accusations or stirring up trouble for the sake of trouble - these concerns are all founded on very real experiences and events. They didn't just come out of nowhere.
I'm not trying to excuse blatantly disrespecting anyone for any reason because that is bullying and it is wrong. I'm just a little perturbed by the bit at the beginning:

Specifically about the baseless accusations and volunteering ... It was very much discovered and publicized that some staff members were cheating the system and playing favorites. And people got upset about it, cried out about it, and nothing was ever done. It just kind of got brushed under the rug and people either quit, forgot, or moved on hoping things would get better. So if you see people getting upset, it's because they don't feel like they are being heard or taken seriously, because nothing was ever actually done to fix these broken things.
You may be volunteers - and believe me I respect the heck out of you for doing this stuff in your personal spare time - but with a position like this it should still be treated like a job, with the same care and consideration that would be put in if you were being paid for it and you had the threat of termination should you slip up. If you can't take that seriously, respect your own authority and boundaries, and have some accountability for the mistakes you make and the negative things you do, then you should not be doing it. I get that this game is run by amateurs/volunteers who have no higher authority to report to, but that doesn't excuse anything. Disrespect is a two-way street; staff are just as capable of disrespecting players as players are staff. And the big issue here is that players feel disrespected by staff.
Again that does not excuse the disrespect of staff by players - of anyone by anyone - but there is a reason behind it, it's not just maliciously out of nowhere for the sake of being rude.
Like you said - there are people behind these screens. And players have and sometimes still do feel victimized by staff members. Not all of these players are innocent, but if there is even one that is then that's too many.
There are real problems with this game and by continuously not addressing them in a transparent way (if at all) is not going to solve anything. It's just going to create more problems.
This community is so tiny already. Don't make it tinier by pretending there isn't a problem.

I apologize if any of this is seen as being disrespectful, because it was not written with that intent.
To me, disrespect means getting in someone's face and being intentionally rude and potentially untruthful with accusations; it does not mean openly disagreeing with authority.
I respect staff members for taking the time, but I don't appreciate it when they condescend and take an "I shouldn't have to explain" approach to rules or decisions. That's both unprofessional and - here we are again - disrespectful; it makes me personally feel like you think less of me because I don't have a WORD_ in front of my username. I'm sure that's not the intent, but that's how it comes across. And as far as I've seen, I'm not alone in feeling that way.
That is what people are upset about - is feeling like they aren't being taken seriously as a person.

Idk.

-claps-

just gonna say this but i think i know why sometimes and many times we're not taken seriously... not pointing fingers/naming names but just saying....

 

[Captain-Heather]

Does having our threads closed (ie. my thread in the Debates) count as a warning?

If you got a PM with a warning message, that counts as a warning

 

[cait]

Please by all means remove this if it somehow violates rules, but I have something to say.
And also when I say "you" in this post, it's a general thing; no specifics, I don't want to sound like I'm trying to personally attack anyone in particular, though I'm sure parts of this will come off that way. I'm not out for anyone here. I'm just addressing a concern I've had for the very brief month and a half I've even been playing this game.

The only reason why anyone is ever naming names or getting negatively riled up about things is because they don't feel like this game is run fairly. And it's not founded on baseless accusations or stirring up trouble for the sake of trouble - these concerns are all founded on very real experiences and events. They didn't just come out of nowhere.
I'm not trying to excuse blatantly disrespecting anyone for any reason because that is bullying and it is wrong. I'm just a little perturbed by the bit at the beginning:

Specifically about the baseless accusations and volunteering ... It was very much discovered and publicized that some staff members were cheating the system and playing favorites. And people got upset about it, cried out about it, and nothing was ever done. It just kind of got brushed under the rug and people either quit, forgot, or moved on hoping things would get better. So if you see people getting upset, it's because they don't feel like they are being heard or taken seriously, because nothing was ever actually done to fix these broken things.
You may be volunteers - and believe me I respect the heck out of you for doing this stuff in your personal spare time - but with a position like this it should still be treated like a job, with the same care and consideration that would be put in if you were being paid for it and you had the threat of termination should you slip up. If you can't take that seriously, respect your own authority and boundaries, and have some accountability for the mistakes you make and the negative things you do, then you should not be doing it. I get that this game is run by amateurs/volunteers who have no higher authority to report to, but that doesn't excuse anything. Disrespect is a two-way street; staff are just as capable of disrespecting players as players are staff. And the big issue here is that players feel disrespected by staff.
Again that does not excuse the disrespect of staff by players - of anyone by anyone - but there is a reason behind it, it's not just maliciously out of nowhere for the sake of being rude.
Like you said - there are people behind these screens. And players have and sometimes still do feel victimized by staff members. Not all of these players are innocent, but if there is even one that is then that's too many.
There are real problems with this game and by continuously not addressing them in a transparent way (if at all) is not going to solve anything. It's just going to create more problems.
This community is so tiny already. Don't make it tinier by pretending there isn't a problem.

I apologize if any of this is seen as being disrespectful, because it was not written with that intent.
To me, disrespect means getting in someone's face and being intentionally rude and potentially untruthful with accusations; it does not mean openly disagreeing with authority.
I respect staff members for taking the time, but I don't appreciate it when they condescend and take an "I shouldn't have to explain" approach to rules or decisions. That's both unprofessional and - here we are again - disrespectful; it makes me personally feel like you think less of me because I don't have a WORD_ in front of my username. I'm sure that's not the intent, but that's how it comes across. And as far as I've seen, I'm not alone in feeling that way.
That is what people are upset about - is feeling like they aren't being taken seriously as a person.

Idk.

edit: I just wanna say, I can't imagine how less of a problem this would be if there could be some sort of justice. At work today, I noticed a sign in my manager's office that sparked my interest, and I feel like it should be shared here. I found it online, luckily!

Spoiler

I feel like respect and kindness is a two-way street. I personally have never been attacked by a player OR a staff member, and therefore I have no reason to be disrespectful or unkind. However, that is not the case with other members. If we (AS A WHOLE - staff and players!) could just learn to work together, follow the rules we set ourselves, own up to our problems, and make solutions, our game would be back to being packed every single day, with queues back up in the 400's like it was months ago. For something like this, we have to work together.
Hopefully, I did not come off as disrespectful. I am a lover of this game and a person that likes to see fairness and kindness treated to ALL. I just want our game back to the way it was.

 

[Stargirll]

Bumping
Bumping your thread so that it is moved to a higher position in the forum to be more noticeable to others is allowed. However, please remember that bumping is only allowed after a thread has been inactive for 12 hours Bumps made earlier than this will be considered spam and removed.

Two questions. Since the time on the forums is messed up I have no idea if the thread has been inactive for 12 hours or not. I have to guess so how is this going to work if we have no idea of the timings?

Secondly, I notice that sometimes my posts get automatically merged (because I have no idea if I could post or not due to forum times) - if posts are automatically merged would we still get a warning/infraction if a mod later comes across the merged posts?

 

[Captain-Heather]

Two questions. Since the time on the forums is messed up I have no idea if the thread has been inactive for 12 hours or not. I have to guess so how is this going to work if we have no idea of the timings?

Secondly, I notice that sometimes my posts get automatically merged (because I have no idea if I could post or not due to forum times) - if posts are automatically merged would we still get a warning/infraction if a mod later comes across the merged posts?

If you can remember what time you actually posted at and then post 12 hours later, the time stamps will work fine. If you look at your post and see whatever time it was posted at and then make sure that your next post is 12 hours after that posted time, you will be fine. Even with the time not working properly, you can still make sure you post 12 hours from whatever it says. That is how we are looking at the times, anyway, so if you follow those guidelines you'll be fine.

If your posts are automatically merged, we do not warn for that. Sometimes posts do not get merged (haven't figured this out yet) and for those we do warn.

 

[Guitar]

I have a couple of questions.

Will the forum time ever be fixed?

If someone else has posted on your thread you can't bump until 12 hours after the last comment regardless of WHO commented? @Captain-Heather

 

[Mama Umbridge]

I couldn't agree more, Elessar.

While yes, it is extremely evident that in this community there is quite a bit of disrespect toward the superiors, it is also evident that the accusations of some of the players and participants of this forum are not without reason. I know that not everyone is the best at handling their issues in a professional way, but honestly, what are you (not you specifically, you as in the general public) going to do?
This is:
A.) an online community,
B.) an online community for a child's game, and
C.) a place where people feel safe and confident in their abilities to outwardly be rude and snide due to the fact they have created a safety net adjacent to their computer monitor.

People will do and say more online than they will in person due to the fact that they don't have to directly answer to the consequences for their actions. And people have always been that way. When you poke the bear with a stick, do you stay and battle it? Or do you run before it can get you? We have always had a fascination with tempting others, and that isn't going to stop merely because people are getting their feelings hurt. That's not something you can change. That doesn't mean it is right, it just means that it's not going to disappear anytime soon.

But this is in no way condoning the actions of these people. I just feel that if you step into a position of authority in an online community such as this one, it should be expected that there will be a form of backlash that you classify as near "cyber-bullying." I'm not saying you should just stand for disrespect, I'm just saying that you should know it is going to happen, whether or not you want it to. Yes, you are all volunteers, but by that logic, if you can't take the heat, please, step away from the kitchen. If you don't have a thick enough skin to handle people giving you a piece of their mind (ie. accusing you, calling you out) when you decide to become an administrator or moderator on any type of site, then is it really worth your "donated time" to put up with it? No one is forcing you to become a volunteer. It is ridiculous that the argument you "don't have to be here" is still occurring. That is exactly the point. No one is forcing you into becoming a staff member, no one is forcing your hand in any way. You are here because you volunteered to be here. No disrespect, but get over it. Don't use the volunteer thing as a crutch.

I'm not saying when the going gets tough you run away crying. But stop coming back to the whole "I don't have to put up with this" dilemma. If you genuinely feel that way, the door is at the top right-hand corner of the screen in the form of a swell little red 'X'.

I know that the members here can be incredibly rude. I was one of them, probably one of the worst. I get that. I honestly do.

Again, I am in no way saying you should merely lie and taking a beating. I am just saying that you should expect it. This kind of thing comes with the territory. When you take on a position like this, you should really know what you're getting into and do the best you can to change public opinion or better yourself as a person in authority. Just be as respectful and helpful as you can and know that at the end of the day, you did your best and you can't please them all. If members are falsely accusing the staff members, forget them. You guys are the ones with the ability to stop it. Don't be afraid to do your job. You can ban people, warn people, suspend people. You don't have to be martyrs. You can be leaders.

Also, if accusations have been cast, invest in them. See who is truly at fault. Is it the person accusing a staff member? Or is the staff member legitimately cheating the system? Don't be afraid to listen to a layman. Not every person of power is an honest individual.

I have been a website administrator, moderator, forum moderator. I know how hard it can be and I know how rude people can be. But we are not all without our faults. Just as normal and occasional members of this community have been blatantly terrible, as have highly regarded staff members. When societies crumble and people riot, it is with reason. When an accusing finger is pointed, there is purpose behind it. Sure, some people like to stir trouble, but some of us have been wronged or are seeking justice for one reason or another. Every time you point a finger, three more are pointing back at you. That doesn't just apply to casual users. That applies to higher-ups as well. In any institution.

 

[cait]

I couldn't agree more, Elessar.

While yes, it is extremely evident that in this community there is quite a bit of disrespect toward the superiors, it is also evident that the accusations of some of the players and participants of this forum are not without reason. I know that not everyone is the best at handling their issues in a professional way, but honestly, what are you (not you specifically, you as in the general public) going to do?
This is:
A.) an online community,
B.) an online community for a child's game, and
C.) a place where people feel safe and confident in their abilities to outwardly be rude and snide due to the fact they have created a safety net adjacent to their computer monitor.

People will do and say more online than they will in person due to the fact that they don't have to directly answer to the consequences for their actions. And people have always been that way. When you poke the bear with a stick, do you stay and battle it? Or do you run before it can get you? We have always had a fascination with tempting others, and that isn't going to stop merely because people are getting their feelings hurt. That's not something you can change. That doesn't mean it is right, it just means that it's not going to disappear anytime soon.

But this is in no way condoning the actions of these people. I just feel that if you step into a position of authority in an online community such as this one, it should be expected that there will be a form of backlash that you classify as near "cyber-bullying." I'm not saying you should just stand for disrespect, I'm just saying that you should know it is going to happen, whether or not you want it to. Yes, you are all volunteers, but by that logic, if you can't take the heat, please, step away from the kitchen. If you don't have a thick enough skin to handle people giving you a piece of their mind (ie. accusing you, calling you out) when you decide to become an administrator or moderator on any type of site, then is it really worth your "donated time" to put up with it? No one is forcing you to become a volunteer. It is ridiculous that the argument you "don't have to be here" is still occurring. That is exactly the point. No one is forcing you into becoming a staff member, no one is forcing your hand in any way. You are here because you volunteered to be here. No disrespect, but get over it. Don't use the volunteer thing as a crutch.

I'm not saying when the going gets tough you run away crying. But stop coming back to the whole "I don't have to put up with this" dilemma. If you genuinely feel that way, the door is at the top right-hand corner of the screen in the form of a swell little red 'X'.

I know that the members here can be incredibly rude. I was one of them, probably one of the worst. I get that. I honestly do.

Again, I am in no way saying you should merely lie and taking a beating. I am just saying that you should expect it. This kind of thing comes with the territory. When you take on a position like this, you should really know what you're getting into and do the best you can to change public opinion or better yourself as a person in authority. Just be as respectful and helpful as you can and know that at the end of the day, you did your best and you can't please them all. If members are falsely accusing the staff members, forget them. You guys are the ones with the ability to stop it. Don't be afraid to do your job. You can ban people, warn people, suspend people. You don't have to be martyrs. You can be leaders.

Also, if accusations have been cast, invest in them. See who is truly at fault. Is it the person accusing a staff member? Or is the staff member legitimately cheating the system? Don't be afraid to listen to a layman. Not every person of power is an honest individual.

I have been a website administrator, moderator, forum moderator. I know how hard it can be and I know how rude people can be. But we are not all without our faults. Just as normal and occasional members of this community have been blatantly terrible, as have highly regarded staff members. When societies crumble and people riot, it is with reason. When an accusing finger is pointed, there is purpose behind it. Sure, some people like to stir trouble, but some of us have been wronged or are seeking justice for one reason or another. Every time you point a finger, three more are pointing back at you. That doesn't just apply to casual users. That applies to higher-ups as well. In any institution.

That is honestly the most well put, extremely well written take on this situation that I have ever seen. I commend you. Perfectly put.

 

[GodricGryffindor]

What do you mean by baseless accusations? I'm pretty sure all accusations have a base.
If you don't think my last accusation you deleted after about a day had a base, I will gladly post some screenshots to prove that there is a base.
And tbh, I'm pretty sure I have like 50 strikes lol so just wondering specifically how this ban system actually works?