Bring back rep comments!

are you sure about this?

Would simply having banned everybody who used a simple profane or vulgar word in a negative rep comment accomplished anything? Would simply banning everybody who creatively insulted another player without being profane or vulgare accomplished anything?

I think Mr. No Pants asked a very valid question back in post #56. We don't know the scale of the problem of people abusing the rep system. We can tell from anecdotal evidence that the abusers were numerous,. but that's the extent of the information we have.

Then we have to define what a manageable level is. Are we, the forum attendees, really that bold as to define what we think the moderators work-load should be? Are we really that wise? that All-knowing? I somewhat doubt this. I'd be extremely hesitant to suggest that we know more than TheOcho.

Then there's the fact that in post $57, you, Blood Specter, immediatly brushed the question off with a Pshhhh and stated that it just has to be done to the most visible? Well, while I can name some people I'd like to see banned and gone because I believe that they were profane and vulgar but I have no proof, that's really the stopping point. We really don't know who the most visible people could be. The only way we would know is if TheOcho set up a page, listed all of the uncensored rep comments a particular player made, named the player, then announced Your Banned. Well. Nice idea, but that sort of defeats the purpose of having a censored and private system.

Don't get me wrong. I'm in favor of griefers being hung out to dry in front of some 2,000 Watt Search Lights. I really do think that once you've violated the Terms of Service you've forfeited any rights to be unknown or have some sheltered privacy concerning what you did.

I don't, however, think a public ban board would be possible for something where the actions taken are taken anonymously. There's a difference between what the likes of Rikti Commando and Simon Adebisi do in the game where they can be screen-capped and log-filed, versus a system where you can only suspect somebody based on the timing of a rep comment and the phrasing of the words.

Here's some rep but only cuz I want my EU brothers and sisters to have access to our servers.

Maybe we ought to disable posting so the mods don't have to sort out the abuse of a small portion of the userbases comments?

Since it's the same job.

Obvious comments on the usability of a forum where posting is disabled and the acknowledgement of the quoted posts sarcasm aside, people are less likely to post derogatory, vulger etc. comments on the boards if the person they are aiming them at knows who wrote it and everyone else can see it.

je_saist,

I apreciate you taking the time to carefully and thoughtfully adress my points, even when I am basically just being a stubborn a-hole. I'm aware that my position is not a popular one, and that I am not exactly being open minded in my defense of it either. That would be the "stubborn a-hole" thing I mentioned earlier rearing up. So, to your points;

Mr No Pants may have been right, that the number of truly guilty parties would have been too many to really censure. But, as I said, it's not really neccissary to punish every infraction. If the mods can see who is leaving what comments, then it is a simple matter to find the violations that are left by some of the most prolific posters. You make an announcement that personal attacks will not be tolerated, and that several posters have been sanctioned for this, but you don't have to name names. The word Banned after their name in their user profile should get the message across. Once people know for sure that there are consequences, then the remaining number of infractions can easily be handled by use of the report post option already baked into the forums.

People are only brazen in their attacks because they believe that there are no consequences for doing so. Anonymity is only partly to blame here. The other half of the blamesicle is pure frozen failure to act on the part of our mods. I know I have been attacked through reputation several times. Twice in this very thread. So far anyway. And this thread is full of accounts from users who have had flagrant violations of the terms of service leveled against them. Yet none of these violators has ever been punished, as far as I can tell. And that, more than anonymity by far, is the real source of these sorts of comments. By refusing to punish them, as the EULA promises, the mods are in essence, giving the attacks their blessings. And they will continue under the current botching of the system.

The same flaws the rep haters are railing against are still very much present for those of us who LIKE the rep system. It can still be used to say hateful, degrading things with perfect anonymity. And that's why you guys think the change is good right? So you don't have to see the attacks people launch at you if you don't even like the rep system anyway. Only now, the same attacks are still occuring, and they are only seen by the people who care enough about their rep to look after it. Or, from another perspective, the only posters who can see the attacks are the ones most likely to be bothered by them. I think a reasonable mind would see why that might not be an ideal solution.

I think the whole "omg awful, terrible things in my rep comments nobody would ever say in public!" hysteria is comically inflated.

I'm as polarizing a figure as you're likely to find, and the most insulting rep comment I got was my stalker who commented "jerk" as often as they could for a few weeks.

I'm sure some over the line things were said. But that happens 'out here' too. And they don't shut the forums down over it, they police the offenders and move on.

Once again, the Goat is the voice of reason. I'd up rep you for it, but you wouldn't be able to see it, so what would be the point?

He's usually the blunt force trauma of reason. Gruff, but factually correct.

I thought he was a she.

I had some quite harsh negative comments imo but you just take no notice of it correct? If you are that emotional about negative remarks from strangers who arent leaving their names then a forum isnt the right place for them in my opinion. I agree though that it is a good idea they are trying to do improve the system for the better, however i do want my comments back now!

Yes i am that fickle

Cant they just have a button which blocks a person from leaving comments if you dont like a certain comment? Still would be unable to see their names but helps out a bit.

The same punishment should be applied to the snowflakes that repeatedly file petitions on neg reps that aren't a violation of the forum rules and guidelines.

Yes, that is the sort of thing that I would expect a moderator to do. Not merely severely curtail forum use for everyone, because that is easier than punishing individual infractions.

Possibly. That's not really the discussion at hand, however.

I think they go hand in hand. Some people were abusing the system, and others were overly sensitive. It's not like we haven't had examples of people abusing the petition feature in the past. Shiverwraith, and KittyKrusader were banned for doing just that.

When the modstick comes out I want it used fairly against all parties involved.

Every petition filed by an overly sensitive snowflake is time wasted by a mod.

I would have expressed my admiration of this via rep, but alas I am forced to muddy up a thread with a public salute.

Ohnoes? The horror?

I have no idea who those people are, so I'll have to trust you on that.

Ok. Because there are totally so many people complaining about being frivolously reported for no good reason. Sounds to me like you're worried that you might be guilty of something, and are looking for a way out of getting reported, by suggesting that anyone notifying a moderator is wasting their time. I just calls em as I sees em.

If that's the case, genuine time wasters will get punished as well. As you already said, there is precedent. Meanwhile, let's let the mods decide who is wasting their time, not you know, you.

Nail meet head.

Hell, I should have been banned like a year ago!

Stop.

Hammertime

I like Hammerman better. He's my hero.

Over the line things were and ARE said. And you're exactly right. It does happen 'out here' too. Except that, 'out here' in real life, I can plant my fist firmly in someone's face who--say for instance--insults my family.

When someone can do that while hiding behind anonymity (because they're obviously the type of person who can't handle the "reprocussions" of saying it to your face), I don't have that 'luxury.'

On another note, I daresay you haven't received anything worse than "jerk" in your rep comments, because people who don't like you (such as myself) would rather say it to your face or just straight up ignore you. I don't personally feel a need to use some sort of 'smoke screen' to anonymously put you down or insult you, when I can just as easily say it straight to your face.

Then again, I haven't insulted you or put you down. I may completely disagree with your approach to other players when posting (whether you're factually correct or not) or just plain out not like you, but that doesn't give me a "right" to insult you, your family, your intelligence, or anything else I don't know anything about.

"Alien"

Originally Posted by Infernus_Hades The way you play changes your IO slotting..

You go through life decking out everyone who insults you, and let me know how that works out for you. Just make sure you behave in prison, so that you're allowed to have visitors, and I will come see you and you can tell me all about how that played out.

Now, Goat aside, I have personally been attacked with things worse than "jerk", (because I am a raging rectum of a man) both anonymously and directly. Or, I assume, directly. I suppose it's possible that someone could have lied and signed someone else's name to their comments. It's not as if I would be able to tell the difference. Even so, I still like the system. I got far more affirmations than I did insults, and I would very much like it if it were easy for people to pat me on the back once again.

So far, so good.




It's called "developing a reputation" in real life as well, in case you missed it.

Once you get one, people pretty much leave you alone, if they've got nothing constructive to say to you.

Some people have their mothers teach them "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."

Others.... Well, they have to learn the hard way.



"Alien"

*EDIT*
As a side note, I've never personally met someone that wasn't loyal enough to their immediate family to protect their mother, father, brother, and sister's good name.

Then again, I suppose there's a first time for everything.... Nice to meet you, Blood Spectre!

Originally Posted by Infernus_Hades The way you play changes your IO slotting..