An open letter to the ZDoom community regarding drama

[Matt]

Having a set number is also asking for needless mercilessness in borderline cases (or mercy that gets excoriated by the accuser) and even more drama.

I trust the mods to have the discretion and empathy to know when someone is going to continue to be disruptive.

[DoomRater]

I just realized that the FightTips forum has that in the firm of a clown face. Pretty funny but then people wanted to wear it even though it was meant to be a badge of shame.

[wildweasel]

I sort of wonder if there's any merit in a user-driven reputation system where there is only an "upvote" button, and no downvote button to go with it. Granted, we're probably still going to see the sort of upvote-whoring that comes with a reputation system...but when the power to downvote is given only to moderators (warns either drop a user's reputation, zero it out, or lower it into negatives for repeat offenders), maybe that visible change to reputation is enough of a deterrent.

Alternatively, and more than likely to piss someone off, is to have warns show up on the user sidebar (probably as dead Doomguy faces), and each one shows text declaring what the warning is for. Maybe also have some way to differentiate between Minor and Major warnings, to cut back on the ambiguity.

[Big C]

The mark-of-shame option sounds harsh, but at least it wouldn't accidentally give power to roving user cliques.

Hmmmmmm. Maybe a sort of WAD book club where users vote on a project for everyone to look at together for a weekend? It's still popularity-based but arguably much more harmless than any of the above options.

[Trooper 077]

So, uh...You want me to just ban more people on sight?

[Big C]

BANS FOR THE BAN GOD

BANS FOR THE BAN GOD

BANS FOR THE BAN GOEUHDHDFUDUD

[Matt]

Fwiw, I myself am perfectly OK with the current status quo - compared to plenty of things I've seen online and off, the drama that started this thread is embarrassingly mild.

[Big C]

Fwiw, I myself am perfectly OK with the current status quo - compared to plenty of things I've seen online and off, the drama that started this thread is embarrassingly mild.

Yeah, like I said earlier---after witnessing the recent Reddit revolt, this place is a paradise among paradises.

[ibm5155]

I was on my final tests moment, I actually should have stayed away from the keyboard that week...
Hell, I actually was getting crazy D:
Sorry duds if someone feels bad

[phantombeta]

I sort of wonder if there's any merit in a user-driven reputation system where there is only an "upvote" button, and no downvote button to go with it. Granted, we're probably still going to see the sort of upvote-whoring that comes with a reputation system...but when the power to downvote is given only to moderators (warns either drop a user's reputation, zero it out, or lower it into negatives for repeat offenders), maybe that visible change to reputation is enough of a deterrent.

Alternatively, and more than likely to piss someone off, is to have warns show up on the user sidebar (probably as dead Doomguy faces), and each one shows text declaring what the warning is for. Maybe also have some way to differentiate between Minor and Major warnings, to cut back on the ambiguity.

If that was done, the warns should be at max 3~5 and the warns would be randomly chosen the user has more than the max that can be shown...
Mostly because some people would break the layout with their dozens of warnings.

[Average]

...People who get warnings need to have consequences. If there are no consequences, nothing is discouraging them to keep on posting things that make other people angry or upset. For example, on the Bethesda forum, if you get warned, it just glares beside your user avatar that you have been warned before. A stain you can't remove...

I agree with this sentiment. I've been around the Doom scene since around 2000 and have been turned off from the community a number of times (hence my relatively new account). I don't tend to hang around on other 'geeky' forums so I have little reference but I am often staggered by the smugness, aloofness, pedantry and, often, meanness dressed up as 'honesty'. Perhaps I'm just too old for these so called discussions... nowadays I just avoid them. That doesn't change the fact that something should change. Over the years I've seen far too many good and talented people chased off with this 'small-town' mentality.

This forum and Doomworld often have the same issues and arguments come up again and again and it's a shame. These are forums that are for a game and that should be fun. Too often it's not...

I'm not a huge fan of reputation systems but at least it's better than nothing. A black mark against one's name would also be a good thing to shame some into at least a semblance of decorum and understanding and maybe even teach others that it's often better to just bite one's tongue...

[ETTiNGRiNDER]

Instead of showing on the user profile, have a "user was warned for this post" notice on the offending post itself. That shows A) moderators are actually doing something and B) "don't do this, kids".

[leileilol]

I got a "flamebait" warning over an eye renderer video once (a video about eyes that turn by clever uv calculation) in the WIP thread since it was something I just coded at the time. I don't know what really happened, but someone apparently got banned and my post was removed.

I posted the same post on other, different forums and there was nothing of the drama sort :S

[Dancso]

I'm wondering if it would be a bad idea to have a permanent mark shown in every post made by an offending person.. They might lose their sh*t over the first one and go out in a "blaze of glory", so to speak.

Instead of showing on the user profile, have a "user was warned for this post" notice on the offending post itself. That shows A) moderators are actually doing something and B) "don't do this, kids".

This I like.

[phantombeta]

That used to be done... I dunno why ww and the other mods haven't been doing it lately.