Stronger Anti-Harassment System

[Amazon_warrior]

Bolding is mine for indicating what I am replying about. The forum has a wonderful feature that will eliminate those worries if a message has been read or not. When you compose a message, before you send it off check the track box first. Then you will be able to answer your own question if it has been read. If the tracked message disappears from your tracking page, it was read and deleted. If you don't hear back from them I would assume it to be a no.

You can set tracking on all messages under the Board Settings, too. Then you don't need to remember to check the box.

[Fuzzbucket]

many people don't report, they just suffer silently or go away.

That is THEIR choice. They have the option to report.

 

(Lord, this is beginning to remind me of my sister complaining that she visits my mother because I don't... )

[olympe]

Personally, I'm all for a report button on PMs - and the option to take away that button for people who abuse it repeatedly.

 

I also think that we need to discuss whether dozens of "first contact PMs" to all known new prize users within a week of the announcement should be counted as harassing. Because someone doing that would undoubtedly know that they're being pushy and making things hard for people. In such a case, sending 20, 40 or 60 PMs to various people isn't making a (more or less) innocent first contact, it's trying to advance oneself to the disadvantage of everyone else: The prize owners (who might get pelted with PMs anyway), the people who do use common sense and not contact them and the community at large by creating the kinds of attitudes many prize owners have. From what I read, many of them had a hard time with being PMed by way too many people who all wanted to get something from them.

 

Regarding the tracking of messages: I don't usually do this because I really feel like this is control-ism. I mean, even if a message has been read, it might have been forgotten. Been there, done that. When I read a PM at work during break, I don't usually answer it straight away. And I just might forget to do so later if the message isn't exactly important to me.

[JavaTigress]

That is THEIR choice. They have the option to report.

 

(Lord, this is beginning to remind me of my sister complaining that she visits my mother because I don't... )

True. IF they just don't bother to report it, knowing that they can, then that is their choice.

I wonder, though, IF they are aware that they CAN report it?

 

That is why I wonder if it needs to be made more widely known what to do if you are facing a problem like that... also making harassing, or even just vulgar and nasty, PMs more easily reportable would help.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Silverswift

[Obscure_Trash]

That is THEIR choice. They have the option to report.

 

(Lord, this is beginning to remind me of my sister complaining that she visits my mother because I don't... )

Reasons I have heard/seen people not reporting PMs:

• They don't know how to report
• They aren't sure it's really worth it to ask in help and then go through with reporting - that's a lot of steps for a lot of unsureness if they even can report
• They are not comfortable contacting mods
• They aren't even sure who the mods are
• They aren't aware that PMs must abide by board rules as well

(Which is why in my post earlier, I mention some options I do support adding.)

 

So let's not start a witch hunt for victims because they 'chose' to 'not report' harassment. ;3

 

I also think that we need to discuss whether dozens of "first contact PMs" to all known new prize users within a week of the announcement should be counted as harassing. Because someone doing that would undoubtedly know that they're being pushy and making things hard for people. In such a case, sending 20, 40 or 60 PMs to various people isn't making a (more or less) innocent first contact, it's trying to advance oneself to the disadvantage of everyone else: The prize owners (who might get pelted with PMs anyway), the people who do use common sense and not contact them and the community at large by creating the kinds of attitudes many prize owners have. From what I read, many of them had a hard time with being PMed by way too many people who all wanted to get something from them.

 

Prize winners are definitely unique and even though it's mentioned in the OP, I think perhaps general harassment and harassment specific to prize winners should be separate discussions. I think it's good if users have suggestions, but mostly perhaps it's something the mods and TJ need to discuss how to handle ourselves.

[Starscream]

I may contemplate how to deal with prize winner harassment to open up a thread for that. But you did sum it up socky with your little listy. Because that is where a definite concern lays.

 

 

[demonicvampiregirl]

I'm ok with the option to disable PMs and stricter punishments for those who really cross the line; my reply was in regards to the idea that anyone who PMs someone without explicit permission get a warn. That is way overkill.

I can agree here it would be over kill.

Edited January 13, 2015 by demonicvampiregirl

[Alse15]

Sorry for not posting in my own topic sooner but the redirect glitch was kicking my butt.

 

To clarify:

 

A random, out of the blue PM should not be considered harassment UNLESS it is specifically stated that the user does not want to receive messages of that kind (example: anyone who posts that they do not take breeding requests on their rares/do not have open commissions/etc.) OR unless someone is going out of their way to berate/bully you for any reason.

 

To further clarify:

 

"Hey, I saw that you have X and Y that could make a Z lineage, I didn't see anything on your profile against breeding requests, would it be cool to organize a trade or if I could be put on a breeding list?" = OK

 

"Breed me X from your Y" (after overlooking notices stating they weren't interest in breeding requests) = You're really pushing your luck, pal.

 

 

"I SAW THE BS YOU POSTED IN GENERAL DISCUSSION AND YOU'RE AN IDIOT FOR THINKING THAT WAY -nonsense nonsense nonsense huuuuur-" = NOT OKAY

 

 

-------

 

 

I think action needs to be taken case by case. Not every interaction warrants an immediate smack-down but in some cases they should.

 

Again, more things that need to be taken into consideration before saying "well everybody should be able to pm a mod to report them":

 

- Some people have strong anxiety and do not want to burden the mods.

- A lot of people who are being harassed and bullied do not bring other people into it because they think they can handle it.

- Fear of repercussion from the harasser if they find out who reported them

- Fear of community outrage

- Not knowing it's something they can do or how

- A conglomerate of other things that could get in the way of people protecting themselves in what should be a safe community.

[BlindWolf]

Sorry for not posting in my own topic sooner but the redirect glitch was kicking my butt.

 

To clarify:

 

A random, out of the blue PM should not be considered harassment UNLESS it is specifically stated that the user does not want to receive messages of that kind (example: anyone who posts that they do not take breeding requests on their rares/do not have open commissions/etc.) OR unless someone is going out of their way to berate/bully you for any reason.

 

To further clarify:

 

"Hey, I saw that you have X and Y that could make a Z lineage, I didn't see anything on your profile against breeding requests, would it be cool to organize a trade or if I could be put on a breeding list?" = OK

 

"Breed me X from your Y" (after overlooking notices stating they weren't interest in breeding requests) = You're really pushing your luck, pal.

 

 

"I SAW THE BS YOU POSTED IN GENERAL DISCUSSION AND YOU'RE AN IDIOT FOR THINKING THAT WAY -nonsense nonsense nonsense huuuuur-" = NOT OKAY

 

 

-------

 

 

I think action needs to be taken case by case. Not every interaction warrants an immediate smack-down but in some cases they should.

 

Again, more things that need to be taken into consideration before saying "well everybody should be able to pm a mod to report them":

 

- Some people have strong anxiety and do not want to burden the mods.

- A lot of people who are being harassed and bullied do not bring other people into it because they think they can handle it.

- Fear of repercussion from the harasser if they find out who reported them

- Fear of community outrage

- Not knowing it's something they can do or how

- A conglomerate of other things that could get in the way of people protecting themselves in what should be a safe community.

And what about issues of clarity? Even the examples provided by a mod here contradicted themselves in different places; information wasn't always the same. And beyond that, these things are not always easy to see, as has been point outed several times. Not to mention the sheer unfriendliness and paranoia of having to check EVERYWHERE to not get banned for 'harassment' because you sent a single message to someone. Okay, I checked their profile and their sig, but whoops, I missed the one dragon named "LEAVE ME ALONE" halfway down their scroll, a completely different URL. Guess I'm banned now. Or maybe it was one tiny line in their sig that's otherwise taken up by a bunch of massive, crammed-together banners. It can be any of those things, really.

 

And to address your points. If someone has anxiety issues, I don't think anything at all can help them, as far as interacting with people goes, short of an option to not receive PMs at all. I don't think it's necessary, but I don't exactly object to it either. The way not to handle that? A huge net of 'harassment' rules that just causes unfriendliness and paranoia.

 

If people think they can handle it, however, then that's their choice. They're making the decision not to say anything about it. It's not your place or mine to tell them they're wrong to do so, and it's impossible to make rules to counter people who wish to keep it private.

 

As far as repercussion or outrage? I'm completely at a loss as to how either apply. How can someone take meaningful action against another on an online website? If they try to further harass someone then they're going to suffer worse punishment or even lose their scroll. That should be enough to dissuade them from doing the very little they can. And since PMs by their nature are private, I don't see how a public outcry could happen at all.

 

If it's not something they know they can do, that's actually another argument. As far as making the tools available to them more well known, all I can imagine to do is to create a topic listing them out somewhere on the forum. Also, it could be placed somewhere in the introductory posts made in the welcome forum

 

As far as other things? That's much too vague to support or hurt an argument for or against anything. In the end, it seems more a question of making the information more obvious than it does changing the rules to be severely more strict and make this a harsher, more paranoid, and unfriendly place to me.

[AnanoKimi]

No PM option is perfect. There are people who are on the forums not to chat or get messages regardless of offers, and this would work fine.

 

A PM flag system to directly send offending PMs for all mods to see and for one to pick and deal with is perfect. This means users intimidated by staff don' have to directly confront them, mere leave it in a pin up board for anyone of the available mods to see.

 

A user flag is also a good idea in case the person has sent multiple PMs. This way a user could screenshot the series of PMs sent and as such a Mod can directly deal with them.

 

Harsher punishments is an iffy. Depending on the severity which would have to be evaluated case by case. There are many ways to miss "Do not PM" messages and as such a "Do not PM me" should be seen as a guaranteed form of deterring people from sending you messages. Each case would have to be reviewed and such by the mod that decides to take up the report though a general consensus between all mods on what punishments should be applied is never a bad idea.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Each player must judge the severity of the 'harassment' personally though. Yes some users feel they can deal with it but all users reach a breaking point and as such a system where someone can flag PMs is not a bad idea. Flagging a PM and saying "Hey this person messaged me despite my sig saying "NO PMS" so band them" Should not be and probably will not be a probable cause for a ban. Maybe a personal warning from a mod letting the 'offender' know that they should take a little more care to check signatures and profiles before contacting someone, but I doubt it could warrant a ban.

 

I highly dout this system could cause ban paranoia unless you are for a fact harassing a user with foul language, insults, demeaning words, constant demands, or begging. If none of those apply to you then why would you fear someone banning you for missing a line of text or a dragons name saying 'do not pm". On top of that, what makes anyone think that a "DO not PM" would warrant a ban under harassment if a user states they missed it and only contacts someone once?

 

For example I have a "No PMs ever." Note on my profile, signature, and a dragon named that for extra measure. A random user misses that or doesnt entirely check and messages me asking me about a breeding pair, my prize, or just a random chat. I think I would have the common sense not to flag the pm with the excuse that I have a note so ban them. As a person with common sense I would reply to the user, letting them know that I am not available for breeding and that I would prefer no further PMs unless it pertains to x matter. If the user responds with "Oh I'm sorry, I didnt see it. Thanks anyway" then there is absolutely no reason for me to flag his PM.

 

Now if the user is persistent despite my politely telling him once, maybe even twice that I do not wish to be messaged on random matters, then that should warrant a PM flag. Even then, that shouldnt warrant a Ban for the user unless they were not only being persistent, but rude.

 

There is a difference between:

 

Hey I saw you have X breeding pair and was wondering if you could breed it for me.

Sorry I do not accept breeding requests or random PMs for that matter. Please check my signature or profile for things I am ok with being messaged about.

Oh! Ok I'm so sorry I didnt notice that. Thank you anyway.

 

and

 

Hey I saw you have X breeding pair and was wondering if you could breed me an egg.

Sorry I do not accept breeding requests or random PMs for that matter. Please check my signature or profile for things I am ok with being messaged about.

Aw cmon please? I'll trade you this for it?

I already said no. Please stop messaging me or I will report you.

Fine! You don't have to be rude! Jeez I just wanted an egg but if your gonna get your nickers in a twist I'll leave you alone!

(note some language used in response can be much much more rude and if it escalates beyond something like this then they should definitely be reported.)

 

The First exchange can be very well left alone. The user made a mistake and as long as they leave their response at that there is no reason to scream "BAN HIM!!" Now the last exchange warrants a message flag and probably a warning to the user from a mod. If that same user returns and continues to message you calling you names and acting rude, then it is time for a temporary ban while they calm down and learn that the messaging system is not a place to vent at people.

[Alse15]

^ This.

 

I've never once said that anyone should be banned from a first offence, but that it should be a punishment that people know can and will happen if they constantly overstep their bounds.

 

Mods should ALWAYS investigate flags. Especially since it could be abused. If someone's tossing around flags on things just for the take of flagging people, they should receive a warning. If the situation is just between two users having an argument, issue the equivalent of a restraining order and if either of them takes it further to try and ruin the other's reputation, that's where more warnings and suspensions can come from.

 

Bans should always be used for the most severe cases and be part of a step process. Unless of course you have someone run over to a picture board and post an extremely inappropriate picture or something (which DC has never had a problem with as far as I'm aware).

 

And granted, I've been gone awhile but the only real time I've seen mods collectively come down on the community and pretty much told everybody to get their stuff in order was after the 2013 shimmers drama.

[Lurhstaap]

I fail to see how any of the suggestions aren't achievable with currently existing features. Particularly PM flagging - how exactly is that different from PM reporting? Honestly, reading this thread, it seems to me that the issue isn't that the existing features are inadequate, it's that too many forum users don't seem to realize what options they have. For example a lot of people don't seem to realize they can use the block function. If that's the case then all that's needed is more awareness.

[AnanoKimi]

I fail to see how any of the suggestions aren't achievable with currently existing features. Particularly PM flagging - how exactly is that different from PM reporting? Honestly, reading this thread, it seems to me that the issue isn't that the existing features are inadequate, it's that too many forum users don't seem to realize what options they have. For example a lot of people don't seem to realize they can use the block function. If that's the case then all that's needed is more awareness.

Reporting a PM has to be done by directly forwarding it to a mod. Some people are intimidated, or simply dont want to bother mods so having something like the report post feature for PMs means that Users who are anxious about directly interacting with mods don't have to. It is sent to a general ticket area for any mod to look at, review, and deal with.

[Starscream]

people who abuse the flags will likely themselves get the hammer.

 

Both of those examples are fair and interestingly I have had both examples in the very distant past. I actually kept both PM's. They were regarding the same AP LIT catches at the time. I caught two dragons that were apparently meant for someone else. I was quite new at the time and I was busy freezing stuff, because we had unlimited freezes and I could grow my scroll quickly.

 

One pm kindly suggested I check the LIT thread in future if I happen to catch harder to find stuff.

The other was much more snarky and demanded that I check the LIT thread, because it was being thoughtful.

I do not think I was even aware of the LIT thread at the time. It never occurred to me I was intercepting trades. It was assumed I was doing this out of spite.

 

However the rudeness of the Second PM essentially started me into my current path. I refused to give LIT the time of day. If I caught it, it was mine. I removed my name from my scroll so people did not blast me for catching something that was "theirs".

 

Also I did not really think I had much understanding on the rarity scale of stuff - and to be honest, the rarity really doesn't concern me all that much now.

 

I do not recall if I PM'd them or not, or simply ignored it. But for whatever reason, I felt compelled to keep those two PM's (dated sept 4th 2009). I think I kept them because of the general rudeness, and I had not experienced anything like that in my years of being on forums. I did not think I could possibly report it either. But in either case, they were demanding I play per their standards.

 

[AnanoKimi]

Thats why I included them. Each person deals with harassment a different way. Some people ignore it and only really deal with it if it is the same person being persistent and rude or just overly persistent even if polite.

 

Others ignore it or block the person.

 

Either or should be allowed. Having these features in place does not mean everyone has to use them but they are there in case one needs to or wants to. As such I don't see much reason to oppose said implements, its just as with all things:

 

use common sense in judging the level of harassment (Note: This is not directed at anyone in specific but is a general statement.)

 

EDIT:

Its should also be noted that if you are not accepting PMs for certain things and someone continues to persist despite their being polite, it can still be considered harassment, but as with all things, one should practice common sense when deciding how to deal with the issue.

Edited January 13, 2015 by AnanoKimi

[Lurhstaap]

Reporting a PM has to be done by directly forwarding it to a mod. Some people are intimidated, or simply dont want to bother mods so having something like the report post feature for PMs means that Users who are anxious about directly interacting with mods don't have to. It is sent to a general ticket area for any mod to look at, review, and deal with.

Again, though, that strikes me as an awareness issue. People who are too intimidated to do that will probably also be too intimidated to press a single report button, as well, because the fundamental issue is that they don't want to be a bother to the mod(s). I can tell you that is the case because I have dealt with this issue in my own time as staff on a similar game; I often encountered that very problem. Our reporting system was exactly as you describe, requiring no mod-player contact, but still a lot of the shyer players wouldn't use it for fear of "annoying" us. Not that it wouldn't help at all - I'm sure plenty of people do find it easier to use that sort of system - but IMO it doesn't go nearly far enough to reaching the sort of people you're describing. So, given that, the most successful measures in correcting it for me were...

 

1.) Ensuring that the staff was friendly and in contact with the player base on a casual level constantly, myself included, so that the majority of players didn't feel too awkward to contact us.

 

2.) Making frequent announcements, sticky posts in our forum, and so forth, clarifying the available options for harassment and what players can do in those situations.

 

With that said, we also had a system of "restraining orders" in which players who were unable to get along were required not to PM each other or directly address each other on the forum. They could be temporary or permanent. The interesting thing is that they were mostly self-enforced; once people got angry enough at each other to request a restraining order they'd usually stick to it once a mod came in and made it official. People are funny.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Lurhstaap

[AnanoKimi]

Again, though, that strikes me as an awareness issue. People who are too intimidated to do that will probably also be too intimidated to press a single report button, as well, because the fundamental issue is that they don't want to be a bother to the mod(s). I can tell you that is the case because I have dealt with this issue in my own time as staff on a similar game; I often encountered that very problem. Our reporting system was exactly as you describe, requiring no mod-player contact, but still a lot of the shyer players wouldn't use it for fear of "annoying" us. So, given that, the most successful measures in correcting it for me were...

 

1.) Ensuring that the staff was friendly and in contact with the player base on a casual level constantly, myself included, so that the majority of players didn't feel too awkward to contact us.

 

2.) Making frequent announcements, sticky posts in our forum, and so forth, clarifying the available options for harassment and what players can do in those situations.

 

With that said, we also had a system of "restraining orders" in which players who were unable to get along were required not to PM each other or directly address each other on the forum. They could be temporary or permanent. The interesting thing is that they were mostly self-enforced; once people got angry enough at each other to request a restraining order they'd usually stick to it once a mod came in and made it official. People are funny.

Even if staff is friendly, some people are still intimidated. I am actually one of those people that unless a situation is really dire and requires the immediate attention of an online Mod, I prefer to not have to contact them for any reason. I feel like I'm bugging them and would much rather use a report button and leave it up to a system to alert a mod that an issue needs to be taken care of, than feeling like I'm bugging someone for something minor or not as dire that can be taken care of when the person has time.

 

So you can post in every single thread and sticky it everywhere that mods are super friendly super nice and accept all PMs regarding reports, and I still won't personally contact a Mod unless I really absolutely desperately need to.

 

Some people will be like that, and giving them a less personal option to report things might make them a bit more comfortable and able to report PM issues as opposed to personally feeling like they have to bug an online mod.

[Starscream]

a lot of users tend to be freaked out by me. I terrified one today by saying "5 minute warning" in response to their disdain about being called for dinner and its not even ready.

 

A few users have spoken to me and said I am not as scary as I appeared. I have a tendancy toward no nonsense - I think that's why they are nervous. "face to face" I am friendly. The only time I get cold is when someone is screaming their heads off at me, at which point I'll tell them to come back when they have settled down.

 

I am quite loopy.

 

I have contacted users who have indicated a fear of mods to reassure them that we are approachable and we won't ban just because. I strongly believe all DC moderators are reasonable people. I will say I was terrified of _Z_ (it's the eyes) but she is extremely sweet and understanding.

 

To really connect with mods to alleviate some of the fear, there are ask a mod threads. I have one, Check my sig a link is there, and I am willing to answer any questions users may ask. _Z_'s thread is a permanent party as far as I can tell.

 

I have had to use the report button for something more frequently lately and as a user-in this respect- I do feel discomfort in "bothering" moderators with what could be trivial - but is necessary. So I can see how users may not want to stir the proverbial pot.

 

IRC members will PM me or other staff with Quotations regarding discussion that is in violation with IRC/Forum rules. We actually have no way that is anonymous in irc.

 

Some users have joined DC after being part of more volatile, sites where moderators are not kept to the same standard DC mods are or the admin is corrupt. These people may actually fear the mod-admin staff. Such as a user I spoke with to assure them that we are decent people.

 

As a mod, the fact we have to try to maintain order will mark us a "bad guys" It is not a fun role when people start to be scared of you. However it is a fact we have to deal with.

 

AN option for a report button for unsavoury PM's is idea, for our shyer folk.

 

 

 

 

[BlindWolf]

I think the key issue here when it comes to being able to warn and ban people for first time messages through a flag system is that people are putting trust into everyone with access to this system to be fair, logical, and calm. This is something we all know to not be the case. In fact, if everyone was then there wouldn't even need to be rules against harassment because it would never happen, no? Common sense is not always so common, because everyone has a slightly different definition of it. What may seem the obvious and fair way to go about things is not always the same as it is for others. Generally, one should be cautious about how much power they give to an individual, for the sake of avoiding abuse in the first place. This is why I don't really support any sort of harsher rules regarding this, and think what we have now is fine.

 

As far as mechanical changes, like a PM blocking option and a report button on PMs? I'm fine with one, either, or none. I don't see any harm in those when applied to the rules we have now, as all it does is increase convenience. Making it easier to do so is likely to lead to overuse by itself, but with the rules as they are it shouldn't cause people to be punished when they shouldn't be.

[Fuzzbucket]

 

So let's not start a witch hunt for victims because they 'chose' to 'not report' harassment. ;3

No witch-hunt, socky. Just that making the option to report a lot more obvious won't necessarily mean that people will report more.

 

People do make choices. There is no denying that - and it isn't a Bad Thing not to do so - so where's the witch-hunt ?

[Obscure_Trash]

I think the key issue here when it comes to being able to warn and ban people for first time messages through a flag system is that people are putting trust into everyone with access to this system to be fair, logical, and calm. This is something we all know to not be the case.

If you notice an issue with any of us mods, please PM or even email your concerns to TJ09. He does take these things seriously, as do we.

 

Just that making the option to report a lot more obvious won't necessarily mean that people will report more.

 

People do make choices. There is no denying that - and it isn't a Bad Thing not to do so - so where's the witch-hunt ?

 

With the reasons I as well as AnanoKimi gave, not everyone really has much of a choice. Personally contacting anyone, particularly authority, can be very intimidating. I'm not saying reports will fly in, but I do heartily believe more people would be more comfortable reporting if there was some way to distance themselves from actually PM'ing mods.

 

~

 

I will say I do not think flagging is possible on this version of the forum. I know a forum that uses this system, but as that is not how our reports work, I do not believe that's how PMs would have to work, if a report button for PMs is possible on this version of the board. I would think they'd work similar to our current report system. Which I don't really think makes a difference flagging vs. a report button - but just to clarify. (TJ would know for sure, but I'm pretty sure flagging isn't possible with this version.)

[BlindWolf]

If you notice an issue with any of us mods, please PM or even email your concerns to TJ09. He does take these things seriously, as do we.

Oh, that statement was not so much in regards to mod abuse, but instead users utilizing the flag system maliciously. The possibility of such on the mod's part was in the back of my mind, but I didn't really address it in that post because I didn't see it as being a likely issue either way. Mods are a much smaller group than users and thus harder to generalize, and to feel comfortable making any argument based on their behavior, I'd have to be able to call up specific examples in my mind. There weren't any modern examples I could think of, so there's no reason for me as an individual to expect it or base an objection on it.

[annageckos]

Sorry for not posting in my own topic sooner but the redirect glitch was kicking my butt.

 

To clarify:

 

A random, out of the blue PM should not be considered harassment UNLESS it is specifically stated that the user does not want to receive messages of that kind (example: anyone who posts that they do not take breeding requests on their rares/do not have open commissions/etc.) OR unless someone is going out of their way to berate/bully you for any reason.

 

To further clarify:

 

"Hey, I saw that you have X and Y that could make a Z lineage, I didn't see anything on your profile against breeding requests, would it be cool to organize a trade or if I could be put on a breeding list?" = OK

 

"Breed me X from your Y" (after overlooking notices stating they weren't interest in breeding requests) = You're really pushing your luck, pal.

 

 

"I SAW THE BS YOU POSTED IN GENERAL DISCUSSION AND YOU'RE AN IDIOT FOR THINKING THAT WAY -nonsense nonsense nonsense huuuuur-" = NOT OKAY

 

 

-------

 

 

I think action needs to be taken case by case. Not every interaction warrants an immediate smack-down but in some cases they should.

 

Again, more things that need to be taken into consideration before saying "well everybody should be able to pm a mod to report them":

 

- Some people have strong anxiety and do not want to burden the mods.

- A lot of people who are being harassed and bullied do not bring other people into it because they think they can handle it.

- Fear of repercussion from the harasser if they find out who reported them

- Fear of community outrage

- Not knowing it's something they can do or how

- A conglomerate of other things that could get in the way of people protecting themselves in what should be a safe community.

Reading through all this(this isn't just directed at you) I've been wondering. Is this really a problem? Have you had this problem or are you just assuming? I would think that reports are handled by the mods and it's all between them and the people involved. We don't know what happens unless we are the one reporting or being reported. I would think they can handle the situation and know what to do.

[Fuzzbucket]

I think things are pretty much OK. Having said that, since you ask - I have had:

 

"Breed me this tx" (iffy, but had no more come, I would have done it. But as it happened I was locked.)

 

Followed within 24 hours by:

 

"Where is my ..."

 

Followed by "I told you to breed x and you haven't done it yet"

 

Followed by (I hadn't answered any of them; I'd not even had time to answer the first to say I was locked, and had decided against breeding for him as soon as I got the second.)

"I see you got a new egg from that dragon, why didn't you breed mine first and when you do I want one from these two as well."

 

(at this point I blocked him. I also got PM from someone else saying "have you been getting PMs from x person...")

 

Followed by emails along the same lines till I also blocked his addy.

 

I knew how to block and I couldn't be bothered to report as I am up for dealing with it myself, and I figured the mods had enough to do (see, sock - my choice ! I made it !)

 

Yes, these things happen

 

 

[annageckos]

Sorry to double post, I'm having issues trying to edit my post. I wanted to add that I think it would be a great idea to add a report button on PM's. But I think we need to leave the punishments up to the mods and TJ.

 

Ok, didn't double post. Fuzz posted while I was typing.

Edited January 13, 2015 by annageckos