[Debate] Staff Abusing Powers

[banasbud]

Yeah that's the thing, some people get thrown off without even as so much as voiced a concern or something they feel they wanted to get out there. Also even if someone owns a forum those same people can be manipulated into believing that banning someone the other person in power don't like simply because they have an agenda and want to push it. Some other members here have told of how they got thrown and hadn't posted anything profane or even argumentitive and some even made the effort to try to talk to the admins but sometimes you can't reason with an admin who is, well, battynuts.

[lucylock]

where and who do i report an abusive admin to?

[lucylock]

i left a board due to being attacked on it by mods and admin, sometimes i think pro boards should be able to log into forums at times and check if they are being run correctly, it has put me off ever joining a forum from pro boards ever again. I will never tell anybody to open one either and there are lots of others they could use instead that seem to be able to keep a watch on a forum. when you have a forum you join in good faith , usually by a invite from a friend. If mods and owners dislike a person thats it for them, even if the person has asked for threads to be removed etc and its all ignored. pro boards seem very quick on handing out forums with never ever checking what goes on inside them and people have nowhere to go to report apart from a silly link, which by the time they can find to do that they may not have been able to keep the offending posts and abuse. Many forums are run by online friends that just want a power trip, look at me, i can delete your topic or look at me you say as i do etc and thats just how it is. i am saddened in my experience of pro board forums . Its a shamble.

[Andrea]

I believe that the same responsibilities should apply to the staff, if not more. The staff are expected to set a good example, and if they don't follow the rules, then why should anyone else? A staff member should feel privileged to have the power and not to over-use it when it isn't necessary. Only lock threads that need to be lock, only PM members that need to PMed, and absolutely no cyber-bullying should be permitted.

However, one of my biggest pet peeves about admins and roleplaying forums is when admins don't fill out an application for their character because they feel they don't have to or because they just don't want to. That's my biggest pet-peeve about other admins. I see it all the time.

[lucylock]

Jun 24, 2009 11:41:37 GMT -8 Andrea said:

I believe that the same responsibilities should apply to the staff, if not more. The staff are expected to set a good example, and if they don't follow the rules, then why should anyone else? A staff member should feel privileged to have the power and not to over-use it when it isn't necessary. Only lock threads that need to be lock, only PM members that need to PMed, and absolutely no cyber-bullying should be permitted.

However, one of my biggest pet peeves about admins and roleplaying forums is when admins don't fill out an application for their character because they feel they don't have to or because they just don't want to. That's my biggest pet-peeve about other admins. I see it all the time.

I replied to you in the other section also lol, i think so too, some admins and mods are trolls also in the one forum that try to get you onside against this so called troll when it is them already, i think a lot of the time it is bored people on a power trip and they can only get it this way. I do think pro boards should not hand out forums whenever asked and should be able to log into private forums at times as it does put people off ever joining one again, and nowadays it is word of mouth.

[Storm]

Jun 27, 2009 14:50:54 GMT -8 lucylock said:

Jun 24, 2009 11:41:37 GMT -8 Andrea said:

I believe that the same responsibilities should apply to the staff, if not more. The staff are expected to set a good example, and if they don't follow the rules, then why should anyone else? A staff member should feel privileged to have the power and not to over-use it when it isn't necessary. Only lock threads that need to be lock, only PM members that need to PMed, and absolutely no cyber-bullying should be permitted.

However, one of my biggest pet peeves about admins and roleplaying forums is when admins don't fill out an application for their character because they feel they don't have to or because they just don't want to. That's my biggest pet-peeve about other admins. I see it all the time.

I replied to you in the other section also lol, i think so too, some admins and mods are trolls also in the one forum that try to get you onside against this so called troll when it is them already, i think a lot of the time it is bored people on a power trip and they can only get it this way. I do think pro boards should not hand out forums whenever asked and should be able to log into private forums at times as it does put people off ever joining one again, and nowadays it is word of mouth.

Um proboards DOESN'T just hand out forums to whom ever asks. Craig goes through a security process by verifying things like the original forum password and the email used to register the board with. If a person can provide those creditials, then the forum is theirs.

Proboards admins also do have the ability to view private forums. It's hosted on their servers and it's well within their rights to view the forums to make certain they are within the Terms of Service.

[Rowan]

Hi,

I think this is a really big issue, because its hard to stop something like this. When i first ever found proboards it was though a rpg site. I loved it, i was only 13 at the time and didnt really think much of the fact i was being ignored by everyone. Anyway thats another story.

What happened for me was this, i went about making my own proboard site. I wanted to make a magic school, which was also what i was on at the time. Like you do, i posted up my advertisement. The next day i was banned, for two years. I couldnt do anything, they had banned me via my ip adress. So they also banned my sister. Luckily she had another site, so i thought id find out exactly what i had done wrong. She told me that i had stolen her site?!? When all i had done was make another magic rp site like the millions out there. She didnt even listen.

I think this is staff abusing power in my eyes, but how exactly do you stop it?

[annalene]

Reading all 9 pages, I can understand both sides - however I have had admins attacke me and as an admin now been attack telling me that I am abusing my powers.

As an admin now, I try and be as fair as I can - only human but if I see a potential problem. I'll PM the person, if it's a thread or post that I find is not appropriate - I will delete and PM the person involved as to why or else post on the board why and lock it.

If my moderators step out of line, I will discuss it with them first and then watch it carefully.

Trial and error and not everyone is going to like what you say and do - just try be fair as much as possible.

[queenlucy]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?

When they don't agree with the other members and start banning them, deleting their accounts without telling them why. The list can go on and on.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?

It depends on certain matters. Not everyone runs their sites the same way so you're bound to get someone who disagrees with you. Try to reason.

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?

Everyone is different with different beliefs. If you disagree with it then keep your mouth shut and let them say what they have to say. I think that admins shouldn't force members to believe what they believe.


What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?

It depends on the post. If it offends people on the site in general and massive swearing/spamming, then yes it should have been deleted.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?

I was abused by staff often when I first joined an rp site(don't remember what it was at the time). I was new to proboards and everything. But this small bit happened recently: A small story. An ex friend of mine was running a Narnia rp site. I was on there for a while when family problems rose. And not to mention my boyfriend is overseas for army duty so I'm a bit edgy about that situation. After posting that I might come back within a few weeks she deleted both my accounts and banned me from the forum. I did not do anything wrong. She also let someone playing a canon's sister take up her brother, which I think is also wrong because what if someone is interested in playing him?

My staff and I have known each other for a year and a half now. I highly doubt there would be anyone accusing them of abusing their powers. But I would need both sides of the story and weigh them.

[~Sarzah~]

Jun 24, 2009 11:41:37 GMT -8 Andrea said:

I believe that the same responsibilities should apply to the staff, if not more. The staff are expected to set a good example, and if they don't follow the rules, then why should anyone else? A staff member should feel privileged to have the power and not to over-use it when it isn't necessary. Only lock threads that need to be lock, only PM members that need to PMed, and absolutely no cyber-bullying should be permitted.

However, one of my biggest pet peeves about admins and roleplaying forums is when admins don't fill out an application for their character because they feel they don't have to or because they just don't want to. That's my biggest pet-peeve about other admins. I see it all the time.

Gosh, that really annoys me when staff think they're so much better than everyone else. I always make a point of encouraging my staff to RP with non-staff, too. If a staff member doesn't fill out a character application, I'm usually fairly strict on them. I think that setting a good example should be their number one priority.



When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?

A staff member should always follow the rules of the forum, and should enforce these rules as strongly as they follow them. If a staff member is breaking rules, then they are clearly not fit for the job, I believe. Gosh, there are so many ways staff can overstep, though. Rebel staff are very creative...

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?

It really depends on what type of disagreement it was. Generally, no, but there are rare cases when banning or warnings are perfectly justifiable.

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?

I've been a victim of this one too. On a forum I was on when I started RP, I got threatened so many times by one staff member who hadn't learned not to abuse her power. This is never okay. Staff should never threaten banning, warnings or the like for such trivial, petty matters.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?

Gosh, yes I've had that. Fortunately, the admin understood and removed that staff member's powers.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?

[Andrea]

Jun 29, 2009 19:20:20 GMT -8 ~Sarzah~ said:

Jun 24, 2009 11:41:37 GMT -8 Andrea said:

I believe that the same responsibilities should apply to the staff, if not more. The staff are expected to set a good example, and if they don't follow the rules, then why should anyone else? A staff member should feel privileged to have the power and not to over-use it when it isn't necessary. Only lock threads that need to be lock, only PM members that need to PMed, and absolutely no cyber-bullying should be permitted.

However, one of my biggest pet peeves about admins and roleplaying forums is when admins don't fill out an application for their character because they feel they don't have to or because they just don't want to. That's my biggest pet-peeve about other admins. I see it all the time.

Gosh, that really annoys me when staff think they're so much better than everyone else. I always make a point of encouraging my staff to RP with non-staff, too. If a staff member doesn't fill out a character application, I'm usually fairly strict on them. I think that setting a good example should be their number one priority.

I had to be strict on one of my staff members as well. It's not something I would just let them get away with... and staff members should open themselves up to their members. They may have the power, but they should make members feel welcome, and one of the best ways of doing that is roleplaying with members.

[LLlover]

Jun 28, 2009 7:18:47 GMT -8 Rowan said:

Hi,

I think this is a really big issue, because its hard to stop something like this. When i first ever found proboards it was though a rpg site. I loved it, i was only 13 at the time and didnt really think much of the fact i was being ignored by everyone. Anyway thats another story.

What happened for me was this, i went about making my own proboard site. I wanted to make a magic school, which was also what i was on at the time. Like you do, i posted up my advertisement. The next day i was banned, for two years. I couldnt do anything, they had banned me via my ip adress. So they also banned my sister. Luckily she had another site, so i thought id find out exactly what i had done wrong. She told me that i had stolen her site?!? When all i had done was make another magic rp site like the millions out there. She didnt even listen.

I think this is staff abusing power in my eyes, but how exactly do you stop it?

I can see how this happened. Too many people think their ideas are original when they're really not. What is original or stealing a site anymore? That's a completely other topic though. It's sad when people especially admins are that way and it is truly staff abusing power and not taking the time to realize what else is out there.

The problem is that there's enough boards that have this kind of staff material. It's like hey that was our idea, but if they looked around and really searched they would find that it wasn't only their idea but many other people's ideas before it was theirs. Overall this falls under staff not taking the time to think and realize that there's not only a reason that there's such a thing as remake or even just many people having similar ideas.

Plus, why would they IP ban you? That's abusive right there if you were the only one they had a problem with. Banning your account should be enough. At least they didn't come attack your board at the time I suppose like some do.

[grieves and squick]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?
»

When they start doing anything against the rules, or imposing new rules, for their own benefit{or their best buddy's, etc benefit} over the well-being of the forum.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?
»

No. You "agree to disagree." Continued arguing and complaining over a disagreement when you've already been given your answer is grounds for such however.

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?
»

Something only a bad staffer does.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?
»

Something only a bad staffer does.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?

>> I've had plenty of experience with bad forum politics, way too much to get into here. Suffice it to say I've pretty much seen it all, mainly a large incident taking place over several years that was extremely ugly and destroyed one large board.

I've been accused of abuse of power on the forum I currently run. However it was always as a result of them thinking I alone made an executive decision to ban them when in fact, every time it was a gross staff decision--we run the forum council-style. I however dealt out the punishments so naturally I took the flak for it.

Most recently, the issue was plagiarism. This player had two prior counts of partial {paraphrased/closely semi-cloned} plagiarism against her already, brought up by other members. When she did it a third time, I was the victim. I locked the thread, posted my original up in it and linked it to the staff board and asked them what they all thought. The decision was unanimous. Nonetheless, when someone's unhappy with being banned, they're going to bitch about it.

We had another member constantly complaining about how the game was run until he was finally banned{he was a banned member returned, but we didn't ban him again till we had proof and until he was 1 step away from a fresh ban}. The rest of our players seem to have no issue with us. If they have major issues, they would usually just leave and find another game more suited to them.

We ban for things like this:

Joining only to PM spam ads on our game. It's in our rules you can't do this, and our frontboard states clearly you must read them before getting started. If the member has not posted at all but only spammed, they're a troll, we ban them.

Posting obscenities, etc. inappropriate material in spite of being warned. {We have a 3 strikes policy for stuff like this--3rd time's the ban}.

Insisting on arguing after they've been given an answer already. I don't mean debating religion and politics, we have a passworded board where you can do that. I mean if they say they don't like something and we say we aren't changing that rule, if they continue to raise hell about it, we warn and then ban.

Posting large, long rants against the site and its staff/members. You all know what I mean: Those long, angry posts detailing how horrible your board is and every awful thing wrong with it--in their opinion, practically everything. These rants are toxic, they are locked and removed to our private rulebreaks to be kept on file, and the member is banned. clearly, they didn't want to be here in the first place.

Doing anything like harassing or threatening someone, cyberbullying, fighting, arguing, if two warnings don't work a ban will.

Plagiarism. 0 tolerance. In cases of "partial" plagiarism we may or may not, it depends, but full plagiarism, lifted character bios and stuff? A ban.

We warn about all the above in our rules and say what the results will be if they try them, so they should know already.

[grieves and squick]

That is one of the things that I dislike about some admins, they make you staff but obviously don't trust you because they either give you hardly any staff powers or responsibilities to carry out your duties or they do give you many powers but dislike it when you use your initiative and use them.

We limit the powers of most of our staff on my main site, giving them only what they absolutely need to do their job. I've seen too many disasters result from mods being given powers that they didn't really need in the first place. Over time, that has changed, and the board has stabilised and suffered far less damage. {The last time we suffered damage it was due to an honest to god hacker--a disgruntled member who knew how to use hidden links to cause an administrator to delete their own boards. So as I see it, the fewer powers staff have the safer it is for all of us. As one of very few staff on my board with deletion powers at all, I double check every link on the site and never click on one from a user I don't know well.}

If you're hired by an administrator on another board and don't like what you're given and feel it's poorly run, I would express to the administrator why the powers you have aren't allowing you to do what you're expected to do and if the admin is reasonable something should be worked out--either the impossible part of the job would be given to a higher staffer or you would get the powers you need.

If neither happens, it's a poorly run board.

[Pandora]

I have this one RP Mod on my staff, and i was glad to be getting members and all as we ended up getting 22 members in 2 weeks, so i was overly proud... On another site we were both affiliated with there was this one guy who was a mod who would insult members, and we didn't like him as much.

But when he wanted to join our site i was all for it, i didn't mind. However my RP Mod started insulting him in the cbox which i am strongly against. The guy didn't start insulting he just joined, and when i broke off the fight the member said he was going to leave, so basicaly begged him to stay and said to make his next account anonymous, so he did. And next time my RP Mod does something like that i have to take him off...

To begin with i didn't even know how to let him go off without him yelling at me, i think i'm just abit too soft...