Things to consider:
True, this forum is about Pinball and not about free speech. However consider it is not about robots playing pinball. Humans are fallible creatures who need to express themselves. Sometimes, in doing so, members will sometimes go farther than our guidelines permit. Consider that all members are from different social and geographical backgrounds and therefore express themselves in various ways that may not comply with our “family friendly†site, or even with your own standards. That does not make these members evil. Some get caught up in the moment; others do not understand our guidelines. It is our job to educate these members when the line is crossed, and not just punish. If said action continues, then of course appropriate D/A action is acceptable. Please consider this when issuing PM’s, warnings and D/A’s.
When encountering a thread that breaks our guidelines:
There are several possible options on our part, each dependent on the severity of the content of the posts/thread. For all options, do not delete the post/thread! Explanation noted below.
- Edit the post accordingly and add a comment within the post explaining the edit, identifying yourself in the process. Remember that although editing the post in question adds your name and date in the post, if the member re-edits it, the post will not signify you had edited it as it reflects the author and time of the last edit. Notify the rest of the staff of said edit by posting a thread in the staff forum.
- Threads requiring action: Whenever possible, provide a warning in a thread to “settle down†if discussion becomes too heated. I say “whenever possible†because with porn, warez, etc., there is no hesitation; the thread/post in question must be moved to the staff forums, with the relevant warning issued and communicated. However, if you are unsure of the legalities of a particular thread, don’t hesitate to move it to the Staff Archive and inform the staff to look into it. It’s always better to be safe then sorry. When doing so, please do not forget to inform the relevant author of the thread movement, explaining we’re looking into it and if possible, will move the thread back ASAP, as long as it does not pose a threat to our forums.
- For threads that do not settle down, give 2 more warnings, edit and communicate if appropriate. If this persists, lock the thread for a period of 24 hours, include a last post explaining the reasons why you are doing so and that it will be re-opened if all concerned cool down, and of course communicate this to the rest of the staff via a message in the staff forums. If when reopening the thread things escalate further, then close the thread again indicating it is closed until further notice and under review by the admins. The admins will determine if the thread is moved to the staff forums or if through efforts on all parties can be reopened with an understanding that discussions will be civil.
- Typically, a thread is not moved to the archives unless its expired (no activity for 3 months) or due to the thread starter posting an inappropriate subject/comment (moved to staff archive). As well, an unacceptable post within a valid thread will usually receive an edit instead of removal of the said valid thread. However, if a condition occurs that does validate the removal of the thread even though the thread owner did not err in any way, please communicate the thread move to the author in question.
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(just discovered the smilies) 
