About the warn button...

[Dr Unne]

If the staff didn't try to force everyone to get along, at least a little, we'd soon have another FFWA here. Or even worse, GameFAQs. Take a look at that, if you want some non-modding freedom. Or mostly any other MB. You just have to find the balance between anarchy and total lack of freedom. I've always viewed running this place as a constant battle. There are millions upon millions of morons out there who would be willing to come here and muck up the place if they were allowed. The staff controls the floodgates.

Parenting the MB 24 hours a day isn't necessary. Sometimes all it takes is showing that there ARE rules, and people will live by them without actually having to enforce the rules. Sometimes just a threat of discipline is enough, and then you don't have to discipline anyone at all. That's mostly what we have here. We have rules, but for the vast majority of people here, they never need to be enforced, either because people abide by them maturely because they agree with the rules, or because they see the people who ARE disciplined, and realize that the staff is willing to do that same to them, and so they do the right thing. The willingness of the staff to enforce the rules is the most important thing.

I do live with the reality of things. This place is as good as I want it to be, for the most part.

[The Man]

I kind of think a balance is necessary, yeah. On the one hand, care too much about the rules and everyone becomes a rules lawyer, and there's nothing even remotely fun about going to a place anymore. People lose their sense of humour, and no one really has a reason to keep coming to post. On the other hand, care too little and you have FFWA.

Generally speaking, I'm more with Unne than WesLY on this one. One very important reason I stopped going here for awhile is that the rules just weren't being enforced consistently anymore. Or at all.

That whole drama with Akuma happened because people were making snide comments about him intended to take the piss out of him, and no one bothered to do anything about it, causing it to snowball into a huge attention fest with Akuma at the center of it where he gained a huge ego because he thought they were actually SINCERE and suddenly started attention whoring himself to hell. Granted, I didn't really handle the situtation that well myself; I put more blame on him than he probably deserved.

Anyway. That's the sort of crap that happens when people have disagreements and the staff don't do anything to sort them out: DRAMA. It's better to do something about something BEFORE it becomes a huge problem. FFWA's an example where no one bothered to do anything for awhile, and suddenly they had a whole host of problems on themselves that no one can even solve because of past history. Just look in their General Chat these days; flaming is rampant, and no one really gives a trout because giving a trout just causes more backlash. The staff certainly don't care, and they'll jump down on your throat if you try to make them care. Everyone pretty much hates everyone else there, it's no wonder the place is falling apart.

You guys did a step in the right direction by combining World Events and Eyes on Each Other, in my opinion. Now don't hesitate to continue doing that sort of thing. You're staff for a reason, and how well you do that job is up to you, but when people come to the board and have difficulties, they'll want you to solve their problems. How well or how poorly you do it could, and probably will, make or break how well the board does in the future.

[Raistlin]

Originally posted by Dr Unne
If the staff didn't try to force everyone to get along, at least a little, we'd soon have another FFWA here. Or even worse, GameFAQs.

I'm not saying staff should let everyone have a free reign. From what you said earlier, it sounded like you wanted staff to handle every little incident(no matter how mild) that happened. That's all I was disagreeing with. If that's not what you meant, then I apologize.

[Dr Unne]

I just realize how dumb I sound. *wanders off*

[Peegee]

I have to agree with Unne, and personally, if I were admin I would do some serious Nazi/gestapo type of handling. Flaming people should only be done in jest (eg: my "Spuuky, you jerk " responses). Snide comments, ad hominem premises, and prejudicial language should not be allowed, no matter what.

The staff has the freedom to do whatever it feels like. I'm not going to demand that they go about warning people left and right, editing posts and banning those who are still unrully. I know they have lives too, and it's a big job trying to moderate a forum with probably fifty to a hundred active posters.

What I guess I'm getting at is that the 'deal with problems yourself' type of approach to squabbles is the moderators trying to say that if they fixed every tiny problem here, they would go crazy. I know I would...

[Big D]

If anyone is bothered by anything (within reason), the Warn button is but a mouse-click away. All Warn messages will be investigated, and action taken if necessary.

Anyone who deserves bannign will get banned; unfortunately we can't go with just one person's opinion on this. We'd lose members pretty fast if we tried.

EoFF is still far more civil than most other MBs and fora.