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MacNut

macrumors Core
Jan 4, 2002
22,998
9,976
CT
Better that than a free for all. I mean have you visited such free for all's recently, e.g. Joe My God on the left and Breitbart on the right?

Scary places...
Either run the place with an iron fist and have strict rules that won't even allow you to sneeze or back off on the rules a bit.

Personally I like the way other sites do it. Make it a paid forum. That will cut down on the trolls and insults.
 

annk

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 18, 2004
15,211
9,660
Somewhere over the rainbow
There seem to be a lot of minutia rules now. Way more grey area that makes the rule book far too complicated. If those in charge cannot decide what is a violation maybe the rules have become too complex.

I don't think it's a matter of not being able to decide, but rather that now and then something will come up that isn't as cut and dried as we'd like. In that case we discuss, and if we can't reach a consensus, we don't moderate (as mentioned earlier, and as per the discussion @TiggrToo linked to in her post just above).

This site has stricter rules than some - that's a choice. And the rules have become somewhat more complex as the site has grown and we've gained experience of nuance. We know that some users will decide that they prefer to post on sites with fewer rules, and that's fine. Choice is a good thing.

At the end of the day, users will generally be fine if they post polite comments and don't make negative, sweeping generalizations about groups.
 
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TiggrToo

macrumors 601
Aug 24, 2017
4,205
8,838
Either run the place with an iron fist and have strict rules that won't even allow you to sneeze or back off on the rules a bit.

Personally I like the way other sites do it. Make it a paid forum. That will cut down on the trolls and insults.

And members. Unsure if that's really sustainable for a tech specific site.

Then what? Annoy folk even more for getting kicked out even after paying?

I've always wondered that actually: has anyone (no names, no numbers) ever been suspended from MacRumors who's been a paid up member?

Unsure if @annk woukd be ok in answering that or not, but it has interested me.
 

RichardMZhlubb

macrumors regular
Nov 26, 2010
214
18,310
Washington, DC
There seem to be a lot of minutia rules now. Way more grey area that makes the rule book far too complicated. If those in charge cannot decide what is a violation maybe the rules have become too complex.

The inherent subjectivity in the rules, coupled with selective enforcement, is the real problem. I think the moderators have noted repeatedly that they are not monitoring every post and generally review posts only in response to complaints. But, I also think that a poster claiming to have been insulted or offended by a given post can influence the moderators into finding the post to be a rules violation. So, clearly, if a poster gets into a dispute with others and generates complaints, they can end up sanctioned or banned for content that is ignored when posted by others.

I come back to my earlier complaints about the use of term TDS and the apparent refusal of the moderators to find that the use of that term violates the individual insult or group slur rules. I'm not arguing for the banning or sanctioning of posters who use that term to deride those opposed to Trump, but I am complaining about the banning and sanctioning of posters who make far less insulting posts about Trump supporters.
 

Septembersrain

Cancelled
Dec 14, 2013
4,347
5,451
I've just learned to ignore. As a Trump voter, I've seen many broad statements that lump all of the GOP, including the voters, together.

It's far more productive for me to move along as debating anyone who sees me in that light would prove fruitless.

I do feel sad at the way people talk about our President but I'm an avid supporter of freedom of speech. So people can say and feel how they want. Moderators here will do whatever they think is best.
 
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Plutonius

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2003
9,231
8,893
New Hampshire, USA
I've always wondered that actually: has anyone (no names, no numbers) ever been suspended from MacRumors who's been a paid up member?

I haven't seen any paid members get banned from the MacRumors forums but I have seen paid members getting banned from PRSI.

If you have to have the last word in a discussion, it's more probable than not that you will eventually get banned from PRSI (paying or not) :).
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The inherent subjectivity in the rules, coupled with selective enforcement, is the real problem.

The moderation of all the forums including PRSI is done by unpaid volunteers.

I don't think that it should be expected that they will catch much more than a portion of the violations without people reporting the violations.
 
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S.B.G

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 8, 2010
26,698
10,485
Detroit
I've always wondered that actually: has anyone (no names, no numbers) ever been suspended from MacRumors who's been a paid up member?
I haven't seen any paid members get banned from the MacRumors forums but I have seen paid members getting banned from PRSI.
I can tell you that the forum rules apply to all members regardless if they're paid or not. No preference is given to paid members when it comes to applying the rules or being banned when/if it comes to that.
 
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LizKat

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2004
6,770
36,283
Catskill Mountains
Wow I didn't even realize an assertion that one has TDS was ever an insult, I just assumed it was a condition anyone exposed to all the gas lighting could end up with from time to time. If someone ever said "you must have TDS to post that way" I'd probably think (or may even have posted) that yeah I should take a break from news and politics for a couple days. I need to pay more attention. ?! Or, not...
 

yaxomoxay

macrumors 604
Mar 3, 2010
7,439
34,276
Texas
Wow I didn't even realize an assertion that one has TDS was ever an insult, I just assumed it was a condition anyone exposed to all the gas lighting could end up with from time to time. If someone ever said "you must have TDS to post that way" I'd probably think (or may even have posted) that yeah I should take a break from news and politics for a couple days. I need to pay more attention. ?! Or, not...

No, they obviously mean the TDS oscilloscopes by Tektronix.
 
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I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
35,165
25,328
Gotta be in it to win it
Wow I didn't even realize an assertion that one has TDS was ever an insult, I just assumed it was a condition anyone exposed to all the gas lighting could end up with from time to time. If someone ever said "you must have TDS to post that way" I'd probably think (or may even have posted) that yeah I should take a break from news and politics for a couple days. I need to pay more attention. ?! Or, not...
I never heard of TDS, I must be way out of the loop...but I do have CRS.:oops: (okay a little levity here for those who want to venture a guess)
 
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LizKat

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2004
6,770
36,283
Catskill Mountains
I never heard of TDS, I must be way out of the loop...but I do have CRS.:oops: (okay a little levity here for those who want to venture a guess)

I don't have to guess about CRS, my generation supposedly specializes in it! So far I don't have to write that down to remember to give it all due deference as I go about my days. ?
 
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