Request for policy clarification: Re; Chat

I feel somewhat like I've created a monster. Please allow me to clarify things...

Being unfamiliar with chat, as I was a few days back, having only been in the room once before, for ATS live, I mentioned that I was enjoying my beer. This caused other, seemingly well intentioned members to warm me that such talk was a violation of T&C.

I re-read the T&C, worried that I had inadvertently violated it and couldn't find anything to lead me to believe I had done so.

Apparently something had caused chat to be shut down that same day and people were walking on eggshells.

No mod has taken any action or threatened any action against me. My only intent in mentioning the episode was so that I, and others, could verify what is and is not acceptable. And that question appears to have been answered. I said "beer" in this thread and am not banned. Though, to be honest, my personal choice is to simply avoid mentioning my beverage habits as it's not an important topic anyway.

Again, other members voiced concern... Not a mod or site owner or admin. I felt that should be pointed out.

I do apologize for any trouble or misunderstandings I may have caused.

reply to post by neformore


Neformore.....

I think the impression that has been given to some is that "Chat" is now much stricter than the forums.

I think perhaps the "instant ban" warnings really have people worried.

I offer this commentary only in an effort to be helpful because apart from the ATS Live chatroom, I never use "Chat".

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

reply to post by Hefficide


that's ridiculous.

saying your drinking a beer, and having members make you regret posting that. HOW does that offend any normal person? I was on chat Saturday night, and everything seemed pretty normal, I was not chatting much I was doing other things, but I did not see any stupid arguing or anything else like that.

I see both sides of the coin on this one, but this is getting ridiculous.
With some of the threads that are on the top of the list being offensive, chat gets closed for a stupid remark?

We need to boot the autoban and get some Chat only mods, some people who can act like grown ups and are reasonable.
And some people need to take themselves a lot less serious and grow the hell up.
I don't want to lose chat and i don't want babysitters.

I really don't see what's so hard to understand about this.

Say you are at a formal party...

Ask yourself, how do you behave? Do you tell people you really don't know off color jokes? Do you swear uncontrollably? Do you defecate in the punch bowel?

Chat is the same way. If you wouldn't do it at a formal party, you probably shouldn't do it in the chat room.

Nothing much has changed in chat except members are now being held accountable more for their behavior/words in chat. The ATS T&C always applied, but some members either did not realize this or ignored it. Now it is being enforced JUST as it is enforced on the boards. Follow the T&C and you have nothing to worry about. You can still have fun and still talk about "off topic" things.

For example....things NOT tolerated (from the T&C that every member agreed to):

1). Posting: You will not post any material that is knowingly false, misleading, or inaccurate. You will not solicit personal information from any member. You will not use information gathered form this website to harass, abuse or harm other people.

1a) Offensive Content: You will not post links to images or use avatars and signatures that are offensive, abusive, distruptive and/or hateful. You will not use images, avatars or link to images or domains that contain gore, mutilation, pornography or illegal(2e) content. Doing so will result in removal of your post(s) and immediate termination of your account.

1b.) Profanity: You will not use profanity in our forums, and will neither post with language or content that is obscene, sexually oriented, or sexually suggestive nor link to sites that contain such content. You will also not use common alternative spellings or net-speak alternative for profane words.

2e.) Illicit Activity: Discussion of illicit activities; specifically the use of mind-altering drugs & substances, engaging in computer hacking, promoting criminal hate, dicussing sexual relations with minors, and furtherance of financial schemes and scams are strictly forbidden. You will also not link to sites or online content that contains discussion or advocacy of such material. Any post mentioning or advocating personal use of illicit mind-altering drugs will result in immediate account termination.

2e.i) Narcotics and illicit mind-altering substances: Due to abuse of the subject matter by some (promoting various aspects of personal use, and discussing actual personal use), no new topics on this subject are allowed in any form.

2) Behavior: You will not behave in an abusive, hateful, intolerant, bigoted and/or racist manner, and will not harass, threaten, nor attack anyone.

....to name a few.

I really do not understand why people are walking on egg shells or not understand. These are the VERY rules you agreed to abide by when you registered. Not only that, these are the same rules you must abide by when posting on the forums.

It is so very simple to have fun in chat and abide by the T&C.

Can I get a yes/ no answer?

Is talking about beer drinking allowed?

Is it really this complicated?

will I have to sign a form every time I enter new text?

Originally posted by Fett Pinkus
Is talking about beer drinking allowed?

If it's gratuitous disruption of chat by waxing poetic on your state of inebriation, no.

If it's discussing the merits of different brands of beer, or similar, yes.

Chat is back online with a new welcome-screen that should clarify everything.

great

I don't see the T&C being crystal clear at all. Because it highly depends on what mod is in chat...and if they feel like being a mod at the time.

For example...just in chat right now...someone used a racial slur with a mod present..and nothing was done. I asked why nothing was done...and was told that the mod wasn't being a mod right then...just chatting. But I could u2u a mod if I wanted to.
Well sorry...I'm not gonna be a snitch on everything...but I do expect mods to enforce the rules equally among all members. There are 17 members in chat...so they all saw this racial slur used with no enforcement by a mod. But if one of them use it while another mod is present...and they get banned....how is that fair?

Another mod entered chat...and I asked if they could clarify about racial slurs being used in chat...no response. So what are we to think...are racial slurs ok in chat or not?

You would think that on the day these new "rules" go into place for chat that any mod in there would enforce the rules and not let things slide. But that is what is happening...and then someone is going to repeat something they have seen other members say in front of a mod and get banned...it makes no sense.

And yet, a different regular chat member who isn't a trouble maker apparently got their whole ATS account terminated because they were talking about beer...and that was before all the new "rules" and "warnings".

If you guys want strict rules...fine...but please just enforce them consistently.

To clarify,

I did not say i was not modding in the chat room, I did say i was in there to chat..

I asked you to u2u me the issue that you had so i could then look at the logs and then i could take any appropriate action needed,

I will not however act without all the details,

1, I had not seen everything that was written in chat, ( I was doing other things too)
2, I asked for a u2u in order to look in to claims that upset you, YOU declined.

If i am to act on a situation i shall do that with knowing the full details.

Bringing another members account in to question is a separate issue,

I am a fair moderator and i will never act on a "he said she said" basis, So i will always ask for details in order for me to make a fair judgment.

Again you declined my offer to do such.

I urge you to 1, Make a complaint, 2 u2u a mod of your own choice, 3, an Admin,

I offered you all,

reply to post by OutKast Searcher

I don't see the T&C being crystal clear at all.

The T&C I posted earlier are VERY CLEAR

Please go back and read it and tell us where it is not clear.

Maybe the MODs in chat did not see the racial slur. Chat moves VERY fast. And if you look away or go do something for a min...things pass by.

There is complaint form for a reason.

Also, any member who is banned - most members will not know why. Please do not assume.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
Chat is back online with a new welcome-screen that should clarify everything.

I had been offline the past few days, wanted to say: Dig the chat splash screen.

Separately, seems like I wasn't too clear on my concern in the thread-at least my original concern before some of the digressions: given that a whole bunch of people said the equivalent of "isn't it obvious.." well.. No, no it isn't obvious. The ToC says a lot of things that at face value are obvious such as: One would expect repercussions if someone is being abusive... Only given this medium has content that is very much contentious for a variety of reasons.. "Abusive" and what constitutes "abuse" is something judged on the fly. The ToC really boils down to "You can be banned for any reason mods/admin feel." The rest is just boiled down to somewhat of a guideline of what can trigger said bans-which we as a community need in order to not accidentally cause shockwaves of disctruction

The ToC is full of ambiguous things-when it comes to practical application anyway, that in combination with the greeting that was up in the chat room: made it sound like mods went to war against all the chat users-especially in light of the bans that had happened. Given that from my perspective the chat content had not changed aside from a couple new faces that had appeared the other night. Same people talking about the same things with and without mods present.. So, chat hadn't changed; yet some long time users were banned and that greeting which was not phrased in near the diplomatic way as the current suddenly appeared...

Well: Things had seriously NOT been obvious

That being said, I am on during the hours of 10pm-8am MST. So I might have been seeing a different crowd than the problem group-maybe not.. Guess it doesn't matter at the current juncture.


Either way, I suppose my concern is placated a bit. Thanks to all those who gave me some info and or feedback.