Warning Points Indicator

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    • Warning Points Indicator

      After facing a rather long time being banned from the forums (unjustly, in my opinion, but that's neither here nor there), I've done a little checking in on the automatic banning and the warning system's points...system.

      It occurs to me that, aside from trying to do some math in one's head, a user really has no idea how many warning points they currently have nor how much time they are risking being suspended at the next point "awarded". Sure, a user needs to be responsible for their writings and try not to violate rules of conduct. But it is easy to let things get out of hand when one doesn't realize they could be one curse word away from a 4 week suspension, or worse, a "controversial" (I hate that word because it is SO subjective) post that just so happens to add enough points to make you go "over the limit" and get permanently banned.

      That happened to me, I had just accumulated a few points when a "controversial" posting earned me another point or so and I was automatically and suddenly banned permanently -- without any warning. It has taken me three months to appeal and get this cleared up. But, since it happened just after the new system was implemented, it should be understandable that I would not have known about the warning system nor have employed the extreme caution necessary to try to ensure that my stated opinions weren't possibly capable of being interpreted as being offensive by an easily-offended person.

      Still, one might argue that I should have been diligent in keeping track of the rules. But, like most users, I didn't spend several minutes of my every day to inspect the terms of service to check for sudden changes (sorry for the sarcasm, but there are people who think that life is really like that).

      So, I was banned. OK, I've appealed, try to deal with numerous people and I finally got heard. And, since then, I got over it -- the frustration, that is. But, I want to be a vigilante for the people who feel wronged by this system. And I've got a perfect compromise solution.

      Please implement a visible warning tally with an additional indicator (perhaps a float-over) that indicates how many points needed to get the next level of suspension and for how long the suspension lasts as well as how long the current points are waiting to expire.

      That simple indicator (yes, a bit of page clutter at the top by the notifications and conversations buttons) would be all that's needed to help keep people on their toes. "Hey, I've got 4 points, I better be very careful or I might get suspended for a couple weeks." Even if there is no countdown to expiry, just having a bright green (or some other color) number indicating the current warnings count could be helpful.

      So, PLEASE implement this so as to help your loyal users avoid overly-costly mistakes -- especially those, like me, who actually can and like to write prolifically and in a generally-civilized manner. After all, what can be worse than penalizing somebody permanently for tiredly succumbing to a late-night fit of passion upon reading an [perceived to be ] outrageous post from another writer whom had said something that could be inciting of the reader.

      I got smart and used the spoiler feature to hide less relevant stuff...read on if you dare.

      Display Spoiler

      Not that that was what happened to me, of course. I'm just saying that, if I did, I would feel wrongly persecuted for any consequent suspension -- especially if my only warning was the warning that said something akin to "Hey, you are permanently banned but please read the rules that I've included a link to, so that you can avoid doing this in the future"...sure, rules on how to avoid making the mistake that you can't read because you've been banned permanently and for which you could never implement because you've been banned permanently.

      THAT logic is best saved for another argument. But, that last part actually was said to me...here's the rules, so you don't repeat the offense in a system where you won't be able to read the rules and you will never be able to have a chance to repeat the offense anyway. The worst part about all that is that the person actually said that I should learn the rules for "next time" when there was no "next time".

      OK, so a little soapbox rant got mixed in. But, I do know where that 'disobedience' line is and I will not cross it. So I'm not naming names, but if the guilty party happens to be reading this, I hope they see the error of their ways and learn from it.

      BTW: Kudos to the admin guy that helped me out and got my account restored. You know who you are, and you have my many thanks.

      My one regret is that this did not happen with an American company where I could have sought legal satisfaction for this infringement on my implied rights. In America, the laws are patently different and so all this might have gone down much more reasonably since we have free speech protections that apply even on private web servers. Thus the things being prohibited by Bytro would not all be allowed to be prohibited. And, the stuff that America's laws wouldn't have protected are not the kinds of stuff that I would have, nor ever would have, written.

      OK, soapbox again...I guess I'm just on-a-roll.

      So, to review, please implement a warning count indicator with a count-down timer to show how long until the points expire. Please put the warning count indicator somewhere on the page frame such that it is always visible at-least at the top of every page or maybe on the bottom left of the window and always visible regardless of page scrolling. Please be careful when enforcing warnings and watch what you say and how you say it when doing so to avoid any appearance of...irrationality. And thanks again to the person that helped me get over this hurdle of injustice. And would it hurt to relocate Bytro to America where we know better how to implement freedom of speech [I soapboxed again...seems like I can't stop myself].


      Believe it or not, this is just a small sample of how I usually write. I guess it's something I'll have to work on.
      It seemed like such a waste to destroy an entire battle station just to eliminate one man. But Charlie knew that it was the only way to ensure the absolute and total destruction of Quasi-duck, once and for all.

      The saying, "beating them into submission until payday", is just golden...pun intended.

      R.I.P. Snickers <3

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Diabolical ().

    • Interesting idea.


      "I came, I saw, I conquered" Written in a report to Rome 47 B.C., after conquering Pharnaces at Zela in Asia Minor in just five days; as quoted in Life of Caesar by Plutarch; reported to have been inscribed on one of the decorated wagons in the Pontic triumph, in Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Julius, by Suetonius.


      "Alea iacta est" Gaius Julius Caesar.
    • OH THANK YOU!!!! A quick response and it's a positive one at that. I try to only suggest ideas that I think are legitimately practical from a coder's point of view as well as a usability point of view.

      I'm still fishing for a job with Bytro...just saying.
      It seemed like such a waste to destroy an entire battle station just to eliminate one man. But Charlie knew that it was the only way to ensure the absolute and total destruction of Quasi-duck, once and for all.

      The saying, "beating them into submission until payday", is just golden...pun intended.

      R.I.P. Snickers <3
    • Diabolical wrote:

      Please implement a visible warning tally with an additional indicator (perhaps a float-over) that indicates how many points needed to get the next level of suspension and for how long the suspension lasts as well as how long the current points are waiting to expire.
      I think this is one of the best Forum ideas I've seen in a while. I have not been banned, and I have not been given a warning, but I can completely see where @Diabolical is coming from.
      It's been a while
    • Diabolical wrote:

      OH THANK YOU!!!! A quick response and it's a positive one at that. I try to only suggest ideas that I think are legitimately practical from a coder's point of view as well as a usability point of view.

      I'm still fishing for a job with Bytro...just saying.
      This is a good idea.


      "I came, I saw, I conquered" Written in a report to Rome 47 B.C., after conquering Pharnaces at Zela in Asia Minor in just five days; as quoted in Life of Caesar by Plutarch; reported to have been inscribed on one of the decorated wagons in the Pontic triumph, in Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Julius, by Suetonius.


      "Alea iacta est" Gaius Julius Caesar.
    • Well, frankly, I haven't read through the whole post. But I agree with you: a user should know the number of warning points he/she has. As one of the most active and most banned users on the forum, I find it quite annoying when I get banned for something trivial just for point accumulation.
      The past is a foreign country.
    • Diabolical wrote:

      After facing a rather long time being banned from the forums (unjustly, in my opinion, but that's neither here nor there), I've done a little checking in on the automatic banning and the warning system's points...system.

      It occurs to me that, aside from trying to do some math in one's head, a user really has no idea how many warning points they currently have nor how much time they are risking being suspended at the next point "awarded". Sure, a user needs to be responsible for their writings and try not to violate rules of conduct. But it is easy to let things get out of hand when one doesn't realize they could be one curse word away from a 4 week suspension, or worse, a "controversial" (I hate that word because it is SO subjective) post that just so happens to add enough points to make you go "over the limit" and get permanently banned.

      That happened to me, I had just accumulated a few points when a "controversial" posting earned me another point or so and I was automatically and suddenly banned permanently -- without any warning. It has taken me three months to appeal and get this cleared up. But, since it happened just after the new system was implemented, it should be understandable that I would not have known about the warning system nor have employed the extreme caution necessary to try to ensure that my stated opinions weren't possibly capable of being interpreted as being offensive by an easily-offended person.

      Still, one might argue that I should have been diligent in keeping track of the rules. But, like most users, I didn't spend several minutes of my every day to inspect the terms of service to check for sudden changes (sorry for the sarcasm, but there are people who think that life is really like that).

      So, I was banned. OK, I've appealed, try to deal with numerous people and I finally got heard. And, since then, I got over it -- the frustration, that is. But, I want to be a vigilante for the people who feel wronged by this system. And I've got a perfect compromise solution.

      Please implement a visible warning tally with an additional indicator (perhaps a float-over) that indicates how many points needed to get the next level of suspension and for how long the suspension lasts as well as how long the current points are waiting to expire.

      That simple indicator (yes, a bit of page clutter at the top by the notifications and conversations buttons) would be all that's needed to help keep people on their toes. "Hey, I've got 4 points, I better be very careful or I might get suspended for a couple weeks." Even if there is no countdown to expiry, just having a bright green (or some other color) number indicating the current warnings count could be helpful.

      So, PLEASE implement this so as to help your loyal users avoid overly-costly mistakes -- especially those, like me, who actually can and like to write prolifically and in a generally-civilized manner. After all, what can be worse than penalizing somebody permanently for tiredly succumbing to a late-night fit of passion upon reading an [perceived to be ] outrageous post from another writer whom had said something that could be inciting of the reader.

      Not that that was what happened to me, of course. I'm just saying that, if I did, I would feel wrongly persecuted for any consequent suspension -- especially if my only warning was the warning that said something akin to "Hey, you are permanently banned but please read the rules that I've included a link to, so that you can avoid doing this in the future"...sure, rules on how to avoid making the mistake that you can't read because you've been banned permanently and for which you could never implement because you've been banned permanently.

      THAT logic is best saved for another argument. But, that last part actually was said to me...here's the rules, so you don't repeat the offense in a system where you won't be able to read the rules and you will never be able to have a chance to repeat the offense anyway. The worst part about all that is that the person actually said that I should learn the rules for "next time" when there was no "next time".

      OK, so a little soapbox rant got mixed in. But, I do know where that 'disobedience' line is and I will not cross it. So I'm not naming names, but if the guilty party happens to be reading this, I hope they see the error of their ways and learn from it.

      BTW: Kudos to the admin guy that helped me out and got my account restored. You know who you are, and you have my many thanks.

      My one regret is that this did not happen with an American company where I could have sought legal satisfaction for this infringement on my implied rights. In America, the laws are patently different and so all this might have gone down much more reasonably since we have free speech protections that apply even on private web servers. Thus the things being prohibited by Bytro would not all be allowed to be prohibited. And, the stuff that America's laws wouldn't have protected are not the kinds of stuff that I would have, nor ever would have, written.

      OK, soapbox again...I guess I'm just on-a-roll.

      So, to review, please implement a warning count indicator with a count-down timer to show how long until the points expire. Please put the warning count indicator somewhere on the page frame such that it is always visible at-least at the top of every page or maybe on the bottom left of the window and always visible regardless of page scrolling. Please be careful when enforcing warnings and watch what you say and how you say it when doing so to avoid any appearance of...irrationality. And thanks again to the person that helped me get over this hurdle of injustice. And would it hurt to relocate Bytro to America where we know better how to implement freedom of speech [I soapboxed again...seems like I can't stop myself].

      Believe it or not, this is just a small sample of how I usually write. I guess it's something I'll have to work on.
      I like it .
    • For my posts, you might want to quote only a smaller portion...just saying.

      And, for Pablo,

      Pablo22510 wrote:

      Well, frankly, I haven't read through the whole post. But I agree with you: a user should know the number of warning points he/she has. As one of the most active and most banned users on the forum, I find it quite annoying when I get banned for something trivial just for point accumulation.
      Aside from not reading it, I gotta say, you may have been banned a lot. But I was banned permanently and had to appeal over and over again just to get enough attention to my cause.

      This is all about helping others avoid going through what I went through...or what you've gone through.
      It seemed like such a waste to destroy an entire battle station just to eliminate one man. But Charlie knew that it was the only way to ensure the absolute and total destruction of Quasi-duck, once and for all.

      The saying, "beating them into submission until payday", is just golden...pun intended.

      R.I.P. Snickers <3
    • Diabolical wrote:

      Aside from not reading it, I gotta say, you may have been banned a lot. But I was banned permanently and had to appeal over and over again just to get enough attention to my cause.

      This is all about helping others avoid going through what I went through...or what you've gone through.
      Trust me, I've been banned for a number of stupid reasons, including saying Rommel is a good general.
      The past is a foreign country.
    • I agree completely.
      Carl Wilson

      “Dad, how do soldiers killing each other solve the world's problems?”
      ― Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985-1995: An Exhibition Catalogue

      "Rule 1, on page 1 of the book of war, is: 'Do not march on Moscow'… Rule 2 is: 'Do not go fighting with your land armies in China."
      Bernard Law Montgomery, British general