How forum moderation works - requesting a GM response please

[Elamys]

I got a ban for swearing once, it was not directed at any person, I was just joking around. You would have assumed if they are so against swearing it would be automatically filtered, but no, and instead of a warning or anything, I was handed a several day ban.

While I admittedly DID break the rules with this, it seems harsh. Especially since enough action on your forum account can cause you to not only be able to participate in community events like the recent interior design contest, it can also cause you to lose access to your in game account, even if your record of behavior in that game is spotless.

It doesn't.

Someone posted a picture on this forum in a long conversation that, I asked them to remove it because it plain and simple was disgusting(it was also against the ToS.) It was even against the law in certain places because of it's nature.

The fun part is that I got a week ban for that, while the picture stayed up. Even though it was violating the TOS. I avoided the OF forums for months after that. Even now I avoid it and I conduct my business elsewhere. If I get banned, so be it. I've already established multiple areas where I can communicate with other players without fear of a moderator banning me for nonsense.

Not to start an argument but I remember this picture and I don't think that's what got you banned.

[Awha]

I got hit with a week ban just because I either told another player to shut up because all they were doing was talking circles and getting people railed up or it was because I out right called out SE on not following their own Terms of Service over banning a person for openly admitting on the OF they were buying houses and owned half a ward. Even had a lovely signature of a screen shot with all the houses they owned just to taunt people.

Honestly, the OF is garbage. It like walking on egg shells. *waits to get the ban hammer again for saying that*

Telling a poster to shut up because you got tilted does not solve much of anything. Though a week is a tad harsh I will admit. My issue is I do not think one has to even report a comment for action, which does seem silly.

On a side not I did receive a suspension before for simply mentioning the in-game name of a character in a joking manner, was during the surge necro threads and someone I was friends with in game happened to be one of the forum users that took part in the trend. So joked with him, but got being as it was preserved as hostile I recieved a 240 hour suspension. Granted it was my second offense first was for foul language.

[Nalfein]

I earned a 14 days ban for reporting bots about 2 years ago, that one was great....

[Cylla]

Telling a poster to shut up because you got tilted does not solve much of anything. Though a week is a tad harsh I will admit. My issue is I do not think one has to even report a comment for action, which does seem silly.

On a side not I did receive a suspension before for simply mentioning the in-game name of a character in a joking manner, was during the surge necro threads and someone I was friends with in game happened to be one of the forum users that took part in the trend. So joked with him, but got being as it was preserved as hostile I recieved a 240 hour suspension. Granted it was my second offense first was for foul language.

Neither was in the right but telling someone to "shut up" isn't grounds for banning imho. There are far worse things said here and ToS that are actually being broken with no action taken, even when those people are reported.

[Canadane]

Not to start an argument but I remember this picture and I don't think that's what got you banned.

I think this is why so many people think poorly if the fourm moderation here.
Yes, it's heavy handed when needed. But at the same time, it's peopls not quite understanding what isn't allowed. Even if they're told what it is, they don't realize it. They focus on something completely unrelated and then bash the mods when things aren't going their way.

Being clearer about what is and isn't allowed would be genuinely helpful.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

This is what you're most likely going to receive from them. Regarding the ban appeal. The moderation here is really not good, to put it nicely.



The mail didn't state that I shouldn't share this info, so don't even go there, mods. -.-


PS: /r/s*postXIV is a better sub than /r/ffxiv honestly. Great community btw.

I'll be blunt. This "review" process appears to be little more than a PR stunt because of two threads here and another on reddit were getting enough attention it looked bad. I doubt a single ban gets lifted nor did they ever intend for it. This is simply something they can now point to and claim they're doing something.

[MoroMurasaki]

Being clearer about what is and isn't allowed would be genuinely helpful.

To be fair that's exactly what I'm asking for.

I bet within half an hour I could find ten or more posts with links to fflogs in them, they aren't exactly uncommon, and yet there are people who have been permanently banned for only posting a cropped screenshot of an fflogs page that had nothing to do with any other players.

So which is it, mods? Is there some kind of zero tolerance policy in relation to fflogs? If there is why is that not openly communicated to us and why can some users link there with no consequence? If there is not a zero tolerance policy how come several users have been banned for no other reason?

There is no consistancy here and don't try to tell me that the lack of consistancy is based entirely on whether or not a post is reported. I've reported people directly insulting me several times and seen them keep posting with no interruptions.

It seems like forum moderation has some sort of casual bias to me. When people attempt to use data and evidence in an argument about job balance or optimization they will quite often see a temp ban for involving fflogs and yet notorious forum trolls who will remain nameless only for the sake of my account remaining active can disparage entire servers and communities with little to no apparent consequences. But its okay because they're fighting on the side of "mash buttons, play however you want!" which is apparently the 'correct' narrative.

I'll be blunt. This "review" process appears to be little more than a PR stunt because of two threads here and another on reddit getting enough attention it looked bad. I doubt a single ban gets lifted nor did they ever intend for it. This is simply something they can now point to and claim they're doing something.

Very much agreed. Still haven't heard of anyone not getting the same copy/paste response.

[SaitoHikari]

I'll be blunt. This "review" process appears to be little more than a PR stunt because of two threads here and another on reddit getting enough attention it looked bad. I doubt a single ban gets lifted nor did they ever intend for it. This is simply something they can now point to and claim they're doing something.

I mean... Probably the most open and shut case in existence (Selli's ban) ended up being upheld, so...

To be fair that's exactly what I'm asking for.

I bet within half an hour I could find ten or more posts with links to fflogs in them, they aren't exactly uncommon, and yet there are people who have been permanently banned for only posting a cropped screenshot of an fflogs page that had nothing to do with any other players.

So which is it, mods? Is there some kind of zero tolerance policy in relation to fflogs? If there is why is that not openly communicated to us and why can some users link there with no consequence? If there is not a zero tolerance policy how come several users have been banned for no other reason?

There is no consistancy here and don't try to tell me that the lack of consistancy is based entirely on whether or not a post is reported. I've reported people directly insulting me several times and seen them keep posting with no interruptions.

It seems like forum moderation has some sort of casual bias to me. When people attempt to use data and evidence in an argument about job balance or optimization they will quite often see a temp ban for involving fflogs and yet notorious forum trolls who will remain nameless only for the sake of my account remaining active can disparage entire servers and communities with little to no apparent consequences. But its okay because they're fighting on the side of "mash buttons, play however you want!" which is apparently the 'correct' narrative.

I'm pretty sure if I looked back far enough, I might find a post of mine where I ended up linking to my own parses, or openly admitting that I do. Not sure how I never caught any fire from just about everything when all logic states I should have been banned like three times over like most of the other pro-parser people have been by now.

I don't even know anymore. It's like I have this weird diplomatic immunity for some unknown reason, as long as I don't devolve into total idiocy.

[Crystal_Raven]

Not to start an argument but I remember this picture and I don't think that's what got you banned.

Actually, that's exactly what got me banned. Asking to remove it. I had the exact reason told to me in the ban message. Something against the law in some places is A-OK but asking to remove it because it's disgusting is a bannable offense worth of a 1 week ban or so for the FIRST offense.

You can't seriously tell me you don't see anything wrong with that.

I've never seen staff hand out 1 week bans for the FIRST offense on something that isn't even offensive but rather telling someone to get rid OF something offensive. That is until I joined this game anyway.

Edit: Since then I don't actually report anything. RMT users, people harassing in game, yelling obscenities at each other etc. Simply because I do not want to have anything to do with the staff in this game anymore. God knows if I report someone insulting everyone and i tell them to shut it, instead of them being banned I'll be the one to get banned like it happened before.

[Awha]

Neither was in the right but telling someone to "shut up" isn't grounds for banning imho. There are far worse things said here and ToS that are actually being broken with no action taken, even when those people are reported.

I agree a suspension was harsh, a warning / edited post with said warning would have been enough. Disagreements happen all the time on forums, but telling another poster to shut up on a forum over a disagreement / being tilted was also silly in itself. Warning is all you should have gotten in my opinion.