I received an Infraction

eagle eye

I received an infraction on the golf forum.
I will include the thread link. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055310994
I contacted the moderator by pm and he then gave me another warning in a pm.
I am not going to put up the pm here but you are welcome to have a look at it if you wish.
I am a regular here and have never received any sort of infraction/warning before and I don't think I posted anything wrong but this guy was hinting that my posts were off topic and I replied quoting his post giving my personal opinion on the thread.
I did not use bad language nor did I post any false information in any of my posts.
I really feel this is unfair.

Beruthiel

You were infracted for back seat modding.
Just after copacetic gave his warning you continued to go off topic.

eagle eye

Could I just ask you where I went off topic apart from answering his post this afternoon?

I replied to his post this afternoon because after reading his post it seemed to me that he was suggesting that I had made wild accusations. I have written proof of all of these things, and I am certain that I can also get video proof of them as well and they are well known by all regular golf fans and all occured on tv cameras in front of millions of viewers.
I did not make any accusations or insinuations, I was just pointing out facts.

Gordon

eagle eye wrote: »

Could I just ask you where I went off topic apart from answering his post this afternoon?

You went off topic when answering to the post he made about trying to keep people on topic. He said in effect "Please stay on topic" and you said (in essence) "I think I have been on topic, someone else was off topic". That there is called being off topic as you are further dragging the thread away from the topic.

eagle eye

Ok well if you say so. That was not my intention. I was saying that I did not go off topic.
I made the reply as part of his post included 'wild accusations' and from reading all the posts in the thread since his last post, it was quite clear that he was inferring to the factual comments I made.

Regardless of all that, I don't think I insulted anybody, I did not use bad language at any stage and I certainly had not went off topic before this post.

I actually felt that his posting 'wild accusations' was out of line.
But I digress. I think this system is all wrong for the following reasons.

It is quite clear that a number of people have went off topic in this thread but have not been handed out these 'infractions'

I don't post anything that is out of line and I am a bit old for 'schoolboy treatment', and for something so minor.

I really think that its time for me to move on from boards if I am going to be treated in this manner for something so trivial.

I feel that I have made good contributions to all the forums where I have made posts, including golf, where I have done my best to help others over the course of the past few months and also poker, boxing and american football.

I am a golfer myself and have served on my own clubs committees and as captain and president of a society. Anyone that knows me will tell you that I go out of my way to be nice to people.

I am well able to accept criticism and will stand up and say I'm wrong or mistaken when that occurs.

This just feels like its personal because I had the audacity to say my piece about how I felt about a certain golfer winning a golf tournament, and it is quite clear from the posts that this moderator has made in this particular thread that he defends this golfer against all comers, the problem with my post being that it was all real so he could not defend against it. I believe that this was abuse of his powers as a mod.

I mean with no history between two people, and I have never come across this person before this thread, would it not be fair to maybe let someone know that they are on the border line and not to cross it and maybe advise him to read the forum charter. I did not think he was a mod either at the time I answered his post. He has four orange stars, which lots of people have but there is no mention on the left hand side of his posts declaring that he is a moderator. All the mods that I have come across have silver stars not orange ones.

Then I sent him an email asking for an explanation on these infractions and I get a reply with a link to a thread and also another warning.
I don't know whether I should post this here or not, but at this stage I am unsure about a lot of things on here now, so here it is.


Re: Hi
Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle eye
Can you explain to me what an infraction is? Or at least point me to a thread that explains this sort of stuff. I have over 1200 posts on boards and have never received any sort of thing like this.

It is for actions that may not warrant a ban. 10 infractions in 10 days or so add up to a site ban. Otherwise they expire.

See here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...ght=infraction

It is debatable whether you should have just been banned having now totally ignored 2 mod requests on thread.

Consider this infraction like a final warning, next time you cross the line you will be banned from the golf froum.

Gordon

eagle eye wrote: »

Ok well if you say so. That was not my intention. I was saying that I did not go off topic.

You did, your post #182 was off topic. You should have pmd him after he publically warned EVERYONE.

I made the reply as part of his post included 'wild accusations' and from reading all the posts in the thread since his last post, it was quite clear that he was inferring to the factual comments I made.

Regardless of all that, I don't think I insulted anybody, I did not use bad language at any stage and I certainly had not went off topic before this post.

I actually felt that his posting 'wild accusations' was out of line.
But I digress. I think this system is all wrong for the following reasons.

It is quite clear that a number of people have went off topic in this thread but have not been handed out these 'infractions'

I don't post anything that is out of line and I am a bit old for 'schoolboy treatment', and for something so minor.

I really think that its time for me to move on from boards if I am going to be treated in this manner for something so trivial.

I feel that I have made good contributions to all the forums where I have made posts, including golf, where I have done my best to help others over the course of the past few months and also poker, boxing and american football.

I am a golfer myself and have served on my own clubs committees and as captain and president of a society. Anyone that knows me will tell you that I go out of my way to be nice to people.

I am well able to accept criticism and will stand up and say I'm wrong or mistaken when that occurs.

This just feels like its personal because I had the audacity to say my piece about how I felt about a certain golfer winning a golf tournament, and it is quite clear from the posts that this moderator has made in this particular thread that he defends this golfer against all comers, the problem with my post being that it was all real so he could not defend against it. I believe that this was abuse of his powers as a mod.

Not relevant to the point. You got warned along with everyone else but only you replied to the warning by being off topic.

I mean with no history between two people, and I have never come across this person before this thread, would it not be fair to maybe let someone know that they are on the border line and not to cross it and maybe advise him to read the forum charter.

You mean like a warning? Would you have preferred to have been told "Please stick to the topic, and read the charter"?. Everyone was warned, ie: they are borderline.

I did not think he was a mod either at the time I answered his post. He has four orange stars, which lots of people have but there is no mention on the left hand side of his posts declaring that he is a moderator. All the mods that I have come across have silver stars not orange ones.

copacetic Mod: Golf, Lifehacking - that's what I see.

Then I sent him an email asking for an explanation on these infractions and I get a reply with a link to a thread and also another warning.
I don't know whether I should post this here or not, but at this stage I am unsure about a lot of things on here now, so here it is.


Re: Hi
Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle eye
Can you explain to me what an infraction is? Or at least point me to a thread that explains this sort of stuff. I have over 1200 posts on boards and have never received any sort of thing like this.

It is for actions that may not warrant a ban. 10 infractions in 10 days or so add up to a site ban. Otherwise they expire.

See here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...ght=infraction

It is debatable whether you should have just been banned having now totally ignored 2 mod requests on thread.

Consider this infraction like a final warning, next time you cross the line you will be banned from the golf froum.

No, it's not generally good to post private correspondances from another user into the public. Some people think that mods pms should be public, some don't. I'll remove it if copacetic wishes.

eagle eye

Sorry Gordon, I don't mean to harp on.

The point I am trying to put across is that I don't believe that I was off topic before post 182 which you include in your reply.

At the end of the day it seems that he can just put something like this on without any further ado.

And with same gusto I can leave boards.

Could you please tell me how do I completely shut down my membership of boards?

Gordon

eagle eye, you aren't listening to what Im saying - I'm saying that it doesn't matter if you were on topic or not before post 182 - the fact is that post 182 was off topic. That's what you were infracted for. Thanks for completely ignoring what I said.

To shut down your membership of boards.ie simply don't return. Or you can change your password to something that you won't remember.

eagle eye

Ok, I understand what you are saying about post 182.
You said in your post that I continued to go off topic. And the mod said in the pm that I had ignored two mod requests.
This is where I am getting lost, I am accepting that I went off topic in post 182.
My question is regarding my earlier posts in the thread. Where did I go off topic before post 182?
Also I don't know where I disregarded two mod requests on thread. Post 182 is one, but where was the other one?

Beruthiel

Jeez eagle eye, it's an infraction, it'll be gone in a few days.
You weren't banned, you can still post there, it's not the end of the world.
Relax.

Gordon

eagle eye wrote: »

Ok, I understand what you are saying about post 182.
You said in your post that I continued to go off topic.

I didn't say you continued, I said you were off topic.

And the mod said in the pm that I had ignored two mod requests.
This is where I am getting lost, I am accepting that I went off topic in post 182.

Good, because that's what I would have banned you for in PI, on Golf you got infracted for it.

My question is regarding my earlier posts in the thread. Where did I go off topic before post 182?
Also I don't know where I disregarded two mod requests on thread. Post 182 is one, but where was the other one?

Don't know, and I'm not looking - in my opinion the fact that you were off topic after being asked to be on topic is good enough for an infraction. It doesn't matter what happened beforehand - when a mod says "Stick to the topic" you stick to the topic, if you don't you get banned. Lucky for you you were only infacted

eagle eye

Fair enough, I see you edited an earlier post and I understand that a lot better now.
Apologies also over my attributing the comment 'continued to go off topic' to you. It was Beruthiel who said that.

My final words on the matter.
I find in other forums that I have visited and posted in, that a clearer warning is given to posters about going off topic. For instance if he had included the names of those he felt were off topic, I would not have answered his post on the forum. It would have been clear to me that he was a moderator and I would have pm'd him if my sn was one of those mentioned and asked him how I had went off topic.

I just think that this was abuse of power by a moderator. I think thats clear from the pm he sent me. I am not posting on the golf forum every again or at least as long as he is a moderator in that forum. I enjoyed posting in the forum up to this but when something like this occurs over something so innocent I am not going back there again.

The golf forum is not very busy in general and I have made a number of posts in the forum during the quieter times. I really think this moderator is not going to assist the forum to grow. I don't remember seeing his name as a moderator there before. Maybe it was but I always thought there were only two mods on the forum, Ruggie Bear and someone else but not this guy.
Oh and Beruthiel, I am annoyed and upset by this. I am a person who likes a good chat and I like to learn and help others, I have over 1300 posts up to now which is quite a lot over the period I have been here, and I have never received any sort of warning for anything before. I think fairness should come into the equation in things like this and I don't think this is fair treatment having not had any sort of problem in over 1300 posts previously.

Beruthiel

eagle eye wrote: »

Oh and Beruthiel, I am annoyed and upset by this.

Some perspective is needed here eagle eye. The sky didn't fall in, nobody died and if something this minor upsets and annoys you, then life must be hell for you.
Breath deep and let it go.
It's the internet and not ment to be taken so seriously.
If you have enjoyed using the forum, something this small should not prevent you from doing so.

Gordon

eagle eye wrote: »

Fair enough, I see you edited an earlier post and I understand that a lot better now.

Yeah, sorry! I was thinking about pointing that out but I thought the error would have been noticable. sorry, I should have pointed that out, it was giving off wrong signals the way I posted it earlier!

Apologies also over my attributing the comment 'continued to go off topic' to you. It was Beruthiel who said that.

My final words on the matter.
I find in other forums that I have visited and posted in, that a clearer warning is given to posters about going off topic. For instance if he had included the names of those he felt were off topic, I would not have answered his post on the forum. It would have been clear to me that he was a moderator and I would have pm'd him if my sn was one of those mentioned and asked him how I had went off topic.

I just think that this was abuse of power by a moderator. I think thats clear from the pm he sent me. I am not posting on the golf forum every again or at least as long as he is a moderator in that forum. I enjoyed posting in the forum up to this but when something like this occurs over something so innocent I am not going back there again.

The golf forum is not very busy in general and I have made a number of posts in the forum during the quieter times. I really think this moderator is not going to assist the forum to grow. I don't remember seeing his name as a moderator there before. Maybe it was but I always thought there were only two mods on the forum, Ruggie Bear and someone else but not this guy.
Oh and Beruthiel, I am annoyed and upset by this. I am a person who likes a good chat and I like to learn and help others, I have over 1300 posts up to now which is quite a lot over the period I have been here, and I have never received any sort of warning for anything before. I think fairness should come into the equation in things like this and I don't think this is fair treatment having not had any sort of problem in over 1300 posts previously.

It's cool if you feel that way, unfortunate but understandable. However, the mod in question was being fair on you in my opinion, and as I said in other fora you could have easily been banned for what happened.

If you don't want to post then fair enough, but before you do, try and feel how it is being a mod for a night, see how in some situations a mod has to lay down the law hard. It's up to you, but I don't think that such a matter should inhibit your enjoyment.

Have fun