 | A request for fair treatment and decorum in the forums(1) | Category: GeneralJuly-1-2013 10:15 AM PDT (9 years ago)  |
| TL;DR: The topic is too important for TL;DR. While reading the code of conduct (CoC) page I noticed that no warning/explanation is given and the user is left to figure out what they did wrong so that they don't repeat the offense. However, when personal attacks and discriminatory remarks (hate speech) go unchecked it sends two clear messages, which are: 1) One will NOT be penalized or CoC enforcement will be slow, if one creates posts/threads that are inflammatory, peppered with discriminatory remarks, and/or littered with personal attacks, with the expressed intent to cause trouble, derail topics, and start flame wars. 2) One will be censored or penalized rather swiftly if one creates posts/threads that might strongly criticize and/or may cause doubt/uncertainty/distrust toward Blizzard (the company), its products, or its business practices. I admit that I (and the rest of the forum community) should make it a personal habit of revisiting the CoC page from time to time just to stay current with the CoC and avoid unnecessary infractions/penalties. However, when CoC enforcement is uneven or unnecessarily heavy-handed it inspires anger, resentment, and distrust. One might ask: What are you talking about? For example, I made a thread titled "New Self-found ONLY server Please" and it was deleted. I believe the infraction committed was that I listed the names of many businesses who have no connection to Blizzard (the company). I believe the infraction belongs to the Advertising category of the CoC. I should have read the CoC before making the thread so the infraction was my fault, and I could have tailored my thread in a different manner to avoid an infraction. I had no intention of committing a CoC offense and for my offense I apologize. Many would consider the above type of infraction to be minor. While I did not incur a temporary or permanent revocation of posting privileges, the thread deletion amounted to censorship (a thread lock could have been imposed). To my unhappy surprise, I've encountered my posts in multiple threads deleted in under 2 hours of posting. However, it is not clear what CoC infraction(s) were committed or if any infraction was committed. The post deletions seem unjustified and more like a pattern of censorship. When an obvious and severe infraction: - is committed - is allowed to persist for more than 22 hours without deletion - the poster continues to posts - the original infraction post is seen/used as encouragement by other players the two messages described at the top of this post become apparent. One might respond by saying: Just what are you rambling about exactly BossDogg? Log in, scroll to the bottom of the page, and read the warning below the "Reply to Thread" box. See the following excerpt from the warning message: ...Harassing or discriminatory language. This will not be tolerated. Removing player name and associated links/quotes The first quote is squarely in the discriminatory (hate speech) section of CoC and baiting a flame war. It seems that Otis took the bait but should have exercised better judgement by not putting the "Rednecks aside" phrase in his response. It is pretty easy to evoke an inflamed emotional response and to fall victim to baiting. Lets be clear, I am not gay and I do not harbor resentment toward gay people. However, unfair treatment (swift thread/post deletes vs severe infractions going unchecked) spurs anger, resent, distrust, and poisons the forums. I paid $60 for the privilege to play the game and participate in the forums. I should NOT be swiftly and unjustly censored for what COULD considered minor infraction(s) when another player's discriminatory post is allowed to persist for ALMOST A FULL DAY. We the players need to exercise a greater amount of decorum and respect for each other. One of the worst and best features of Blizzard's games is its player community and forums. A lively player community is integral to the long term success of Blizzard's games. Simply agreeing to disagree in many instances would be more productive than a personal attack, a derailment attempt, flame war baiting, or more severe responses such as discriminatory remarks. Honest hate speech is still hate speech and should not be allowed to persist and poison the forums/community. Lastly, I am NOT looking for the player to be banned from the forums. A swift (under 1 to 2 hours) deletion of the player's post would have been sufficient in my eyes. Although many might view the severity of the player's infraction warranting a harsher response considering Blizzard's warning of zero tolerance. | ||
 | A request for fair treatment and decorum in the forums(22) | July-1-2013 3:46 PM PDT (9 years ago) |
While reading the code of conduct (CoC) page I noticed that no warning/explanation is given and the user is left to figure out what they did wrong so that they don't repeat the offense. When a forum account is penalized it should receive a note that is visible during the suspension period. When you log into the forum account you'll be informed that the account is suspended/banned. If you click the Learn More option you should see any related notes to that action. This usually includes details on the action taken, sometimes quoting the offending post and how long the suspension is for. 1) One will NOT be penalized or CoC enforcement will be slow, if one creates posts/threads that are inflammatory, peppered with discriminatory remarks, and/or littered with personal attacks, with the expressed intent to cause trouble, derail topics, and start flame wars. No, reported posts are processed mostly in the order they are received though depending on the volume of those reports we have, a report may take awhile to get to. 2) One will be censored or penalized rather swiftly if one creates posts/threads that might strongly criticize and/or may cause doubt/uncertainty/distrust toward Blizzard (the company), its products, or its business practices. We, members of the Moderation Team, primarily respond to reports submit through the forum reporting option. However, we also may spot check random forums, keeping an eye out for threads that may stand out as in need of moderation. Members of Community may also actively moderate threads while they are reviewing active posts. For example, I made a thread titled "New Self-found ONLY server Please" and it was deleted. This one? On the EU forum? http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/7714092228 Or this one, that quotes the entire post and links to the EU forum? http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/9377488104 If you had another one, I wasn't able to immediately find it but I'd say it would have been deleted as spam at that point. Also, as noted, you can't compare moderation of your own thread to moderation of other threads, especially on the weekends! It all depends on if others report the posts/threads and if there are any mods at work. Weekends do have moderation, but it can be very sporadic. Well said, MissCheetah. As noted we do have moderation on the weekends, but currently that coverage may be lighter than during the week. Obviously it may may take a bit longer to get to a report but each report submit to us is reviewed for possible Code of Conduct/Forum Guideline violations. Forum mods need only to lock the thread. In some situations we may, but most often in the case of duplicate threads or when there are already multiple threads on the same subject we may opt to simply remove the thread. As noted if you wish to inquire about the moderation of a particular thread you'll need to write the us, however, the wowreportpost@blizzard.com email is primarily for the Warcraft forums. It will still work but Diablo III and StarCraft II forums should go to forum@blizzard.com. For feedback on forum moderators, the community team or MVP's, wowcmfeedback@blizzard.com. | ||
