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  #1   ^
Old Tue, Oct-19-04, 03:54
tamarian's Avatar
tamarian tamarian is offline
Forum Founder
Posts: 19,570
 
Plan: Atkins/PP/BFL
Stats: 400/223/200 Male 5 ft 11
BF:37%/17%/12%
Progress: 89%
Location: Ottawa, ON
Default Suspension and warning policy on the Active Low-Carber Forum

Suspension and warning policies

Dear Members,

We frequently receive inquiries into why a Member has had their posting privileges suspended and how warnings and issues related to suspensions are handled. We have summarized the most common questions and information below to help you understand our policy.

The guiding light of this policy is to maintain a supportive, non-intimidating environment, and prevent flame-wars that plague many online discussion forums.

1. Why do Members get suspended? We suspend a Member’s posting privileges when they violate the forum rules. The forum rules are displayed when Members join the forum and no one can register unless they first click on the "Agree" box.

If we allow violations of the forum rules, such as flames, spam, insults, harassment, trolling to occur, it damages the supportive environment of the forum. Fear of flames and/or insults from others may intimidate Members and keep them from asking or offering support.

2. What are the forum rules? The forum rules can be easily accessed by clicking on the FAQ link:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/faq.php?...faq_forum_rules

3. What options do forum Members have if they do not agree with the forum rules? In this case, there are two options:
A) If you would like to suggest changes to the forum rules, or if you have an alternative method for effectively managing an online support community, free from flame wars, spam or other problems, we will be glad to hear from you! But please be very specific about your suggestions for change (saying "the rules are stupid" is not very specific)

B) Join another forum.
4. What does being suspended mean? What happens? When a Member is suspended, they will no longer be able to post and will receive an error message indicating that they do not have permission to access the site (or a similar message).

When a Member is suspended for the first time, it is considered a cooling-off period. Suspension of posting privileges prevents Members from committing further violations of the forum rules when tempers flare and the line of acceptable behavior is crossed. This system provides the suspended Member with a cooling-off period, with time to carefully consider their words or actions and to re-read the forum rules. When the suspended Member is ready to contact us at the email address we have provided, they will also be sent a copy of our Forum Rules. They will be asked for their assurance that they will not repeat the offense and that they will respect our forum rules in the future.

5. Why don't you send a warning prior to suspending? Past experience has demonstrated that many of our Members have expired email addresses, or have strict anti-spam programs that will prevent them from receiving email from us. In addition, the member's email address may be shared with others, such as roommates, family, or coworkers and may not be completely private. For this reason, the displayed message will also include an email address at which the Member should contact us. By doing so, we can ensure we use the correct email and that the Member is willing to accept our emails at that address.

6. How can Members be reinstated? Following a suspension, the Member simply needs to contact us and affirm that they will respect the forum rules and not repeat the violation.

7. How many times may suspended Members be reinstated? We are always willing to offer a second chance, but only one.

8. In what circumstances will a suspended Member not be allowed back? The following represents the most common reasons for denying a suspended member a second chance:

A. The suspended Member attempts to circumvent the suspension by re-registering under a different user name. This indicates that the Member is not interested in contacting us, or in respecting the forum rules.

B. The suspended Member circumvents contacting us by asking other members to post publicly on their behalf. The most common scenario is that other Members will complain publicly about the suspension and assert that no violation has occurred. This is unfair to everyone involved, as the offensive posts that caused the suspension would already have been removed. Therefore making it appear as though no violation of the forum rules has occurred.

C. Contacting us directly, but failing to accept the forum rules. In such cases, we will agree to disagree, but we will not make an exception for Members who do not agree to follow the forum rules.
9. Who decides which Member should be suspended? Our team consists of volunteer Administrators and Moderators. Decisions on suspending a Member are not made lightly. We do everything possible to make sure that disagreements on issues and opinions (low-carb or otherwise) do not interfere with application of the forum rules.

10. I have read all the posts made by Member X, and found no violations. This is because all posts that violate forum rules are removed when a Member is suspended. It is unfair to Members who are the targets of insults or flaming to keep an insulting post in public view on the forum.

11. Why do other Members get away with violations? We frequently hear the argument "Member X called me a name, so I'm entitled to reply in kind!" Not true. If you read a post that contains any such violation, we ask that you do not further degenerate the discussion by adding more insults. The right way to handle this type of situation is by using the "report" feature , which alerts Moderators to the post(s) in question.

In addition, we receive thousands of posts everyday, and it is not humanly possible for anyone to read every single post. If a violation did occur and you chose not to report it to us, that's fine. But you may not use such posts as an excuse to violate the forum rules yourself. Reporting such posts is the responsible thing to do.

12. Are journals exempt from the forum rules? No. Any post made on our forum is subject to the same rules. If you violate the forum rules in your journal, it will be treated in the same way.

13. May I debate with Moderators? Moderators are also Members, and have their own theories, views and opinions. You may disagree with a Moderator’s opinions and debate them as much as you want, as long as the topic is not related to their role as a Moderator. And we ask that you do not publicly debate how the forum is moderated. Examples:

A) "It was unfair for you to suspend Member X". As stated above, Members generally do not have access to the posts that were involved when a Member has been suspended. Therefore it is disruptive to publicly debate a matter that can not be supported with full details. Plus, questionable posts are often removed because they contain derogatory comments about other forum members. Deleting these posts protects everyone involved and helps us maintain a happy environment for all.

Also, while not being directly involved, some members choose to bring the entire forum into the debate by publicly posting details regarding the suspension of a member or when a member chooses to leave the forum in protest. Using the forum in this way is not acceptable. Members may use the PM feature to contact other members with this information and certainly they may communicate privately via any other medium they wish. They may not, however, use the forum or journal spaces to invite the entire forum into a debate or discussion of another member’s suspension.

B) "Right on! I support your decision to suspend Member X". Even if you are in support of our decision to suspend a Member, it is inappropriate to post about it publicly and you will be suspended. Such posts only further inflame other Members and may encourage further flame wars.
14. But I’m a Contributing Member. Do the same rules apply to me?. Absolutely. Your financial support of the site is greatly appreciated and helps offset costs. However, the same rules and procedures apply to all Members of the forum. Contributing Membership does not bring additional chances or preferential treatment.

Active Low-Carber Team

Last edited by DWRolfe : Tue, Oct-19-04 at 07:46.
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, Oct-19-04, 08:18
tamarian's Avatar
tamarian tamarian is offline
Forum Founder
Posts: 19,570
 
Plan: Atkins/PP/BFL
Stats: 400/223/200 Male 5 ft 11
BF:37%/17%/12%
Progress: 89%
Location: Ottawa, ON
Default

Two issues were raised so far:

1. Why don't you include a link to this document in the error message?

We'll shortly do that, as this document was just released today, after a couple of days of writing/editing by all of us.

2. Why not just send an email to the latest known email address?

We used to, and have done that in the past. Unfortunately, we've had legal threats from some members, if we ever contact them at this or that email address.

This is why we have mentioned privacy, and how we want to make sure the members gives us explicit permission to discuss this matter through a specific email address.

Wa'il
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Oct-19-04, 12:25
lperk002's Avatar
lperk002 lperk002 is offline
Run Spot, run!
Posts: 1,976
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 168/151/150 Female 67 inches
BF:32%/27ish%/21-25%
Progress: 94%
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Default

Question: Since your Contributing Member fees are for one year of support, do you anticipate a policy to refund the balance if a suspended/banned member does not chose to come to the Moderators for reinstatement?
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Oct-19-04, 12:37
tamarian's Avatar
tamarian tamarian is offline
Forum Founder
Posts: 19,570
 
Plan: Atkins/PP/BFL
Stats: 400/223/200 Male 5 ft 11
BF:37%/17%/12%
Progress: 89%
Location: Ottawa, ON
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by lperk002
Question: Since your Contributing Member fees are for one year of support, do you anticipate a policy to refund the balance if a suspended/banned member does not chose to come to the Moderators for reinstatement?


If the contribution was made within 30 days, a full refund can be issued upon request. The 30 days is what PayPal allows us for refunds.

Wa'il
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  #5   ^
Old Sat, Sep-23-06, 17:40
PilotGal PilotGal is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 36,355
 
Plan: KetoCarnivore
Stats: 206.6/178/160 Female 5'7
BF:awesome
Progress: 61%
Location: USA
Default Troublesome Member

At what point do you take action for the bad apple in the basket?

Mission Control, we have a problem.
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  #6   ^
Old Sat, Sep-23-06, 18:09
Rosebud's Avatar
Rosebud Rosebud is offline
Forum Moderator
Posts: 23,881
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 235/135/135 Female 5'4
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by PilotGal
At what point do you take action for the bad apple in the basket?

Mission Control, we have a problem.

If you feel a particular member is a "bad apple," You can leave the moderators a message via the "report post" ( ) button.

Rosebud
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  #7   ^
Old Sat, Sep-23-06, 18:11
tamarian's Avatar
tamarian tamarian is offline
Forum Founder
Posts: 19,570
 
Plan: Atkins/PP/BFL
Stats: 400/223/200 Male 5 ft 11
BF:37%/17%/12%
Progress: 89%
Location: Ottawa, ON
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by PilotGal
At what point do you take action for the bad apple in the basket?

Mission Control, we have a problem.


The first step is reporting the offending post, which is done by our members most of the time. The is done through the report icon next to the post

Wa'il
P.S. Oops, yes, just what Roz said
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  #8   ^
Old Thu, Nov-16-06, 13:34
rabrijumo2
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
Plan:
Stats: //
BF:
Progress:
Default plz help me

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I Joined This Board In 2000 Under The Name Rabrijumo, Stayed On Plan For 3 Years Then Off 3 In 2005 I Did A Google Search For Liquid Splenda Found This Site(which Had Changed Considerably From The Old Board) When Trying To Join It Said There Already Was A Rabrijumo So I Joined As Rabrijumo2. I Did This Not Realizing I Was Already A Member. I Came Back This Month, tried my old name and pw it worked and then i Purchased A Membership For A Year And Began My New Woe. I Did Not Realize That The Email Addy Was An Very Old Aol Addy. I Have Been Frozen Out Now Because Of This Bounce Back. I Changed My Addy To My Main Addy Rach_thom_family~yahoo.com. It Would Not Take Because It Weas Allready In Use With The Rabrijumo2 User Name. I Changed My Addy To A Casdes Ladder (online Spades Group) Addy Thaty Bounces Back To My Main Yahoo Emailaddy. It Is Not Workinjg I Am Not Receiving The Activation Code And Am Stuck. I Have Emailed Over And Over And No Response. As A Paying Member This Is Really Frustrating.

so what we need to do is eliminate this account rabrijumo2 immediatly and change the email addy of rabrijumo to my main addy. is this possible. thanks Rachael
ps sorry i posted this q on report a bug forum cuz i couldnt find this but now i have.
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Nov-16-06, 13:42
doreen T's Avatar
doreen T doreen T is offline
Forum Founder
Posts: 37,199
 
Plan: LC paleo/ancestral
Stats: 241/188/140 Female 165 cm
BF:
Progress: 52%
Location: Eastern ON, Canada
Default

hi Rachael,

Sit tight my dear, I'll see what I can do. Thanks for letting us know about the dual registration


Doreen
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  #10   ^
Old Thu, Nov-16-06, 13:50
doreen T's Avatar
doreen T doreen T is offline
Forum Founder
Posts: 37,199
 
Plan: LC paleo/ancestral
Stats: 241/188/140 Female 165 cm
BF:
Progress: 52%
Location: Eastern ON, Canada
Default

Okay, rabrijumo2 account has been deleted, and I've re-issued the email activation code for your original account, to your main email addy.

Let me know if you're still having problems.


Doreen
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  #11   ^
Old Fri, Dec-14-07, 12:41
rightnow's Avatar
rightnow rightnow is offline
Every moment is NOW.
Posts: 23,064
 
Plan: LC (ketogenic)
Stats: 520/381/280 Female 66 inches
BF: Why yes it is.
Progress: 58%
Location: Ozarks USA
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tamarian
1. Why don't you include a link to this document in the error message?

We'll shortly do that, as this document was just released today, after a couple of days of writing/editing by all of us.

Just a small reminder, since 5000+ messages a day here must mean y'all have nothing else to do ( . . . ) heh -- this link is still not on the error page. I recently posted on my journal asking my friend what the error meant, as the message makes it sound like it has more to do with my access than that of the journal holder I was visiting. I think having an item added that mentions that the error can happen due to suspension and linking would be helpful. Just a suggestion. Best, PJ
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  #12   ^
Old Fri, Dec-14-07, 13:13
tamarian's Avatar
tamarian tamarian is offline
Forum Founder
Posts: 19,570
 
Plan: Atkins/PP/BFL
Stats: 400/223/200 Male 5 ft 11
BF:37%/17%/12%
Progress: 89%
Location: Ottawa, ON
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rightnow
Just a small reminder, since 5000+ messages a day here must mean y'all have nothing else to do ( . . . ) heh -- this link is still not on the error page. I recently posted on my journal asking my friend what the error meant, as the message makes it sound like it has more to do with my access than that of the journal holder I was visiting. I think having an item added that mentions that the error can happen due to suspension and linking would be helpful. Just a suggestion. Best, PJ


Umm, the specific error message will appear to suspended members only. Since you are not suspended, you will not see this message. If you try to access a journal or any other thread that has been removed, you will get a forum error message, not a suspension error message.

Wa'il
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