Not606 QPR - GROUND RULES and GUIDELINES

QPR BOARD RULES and GUIDELINES

Originated 30 August 2011
Guidelines added 11 October 2012 (93% poll)
Reviewed 24 April 2018

Current QPR Board Moderators

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  • QPR999
  • qprbeth
  • Tramore Ranger

Contents

INTRODUCTION

1. Moderation, Self-Moderation and Moderators
2. Background to Not606 Rules and Standards
3. General Pointers (for New Members)

PART 1: THE RULES

1. Basic Standards
2. Acceptable Content
2a. Definitions of Acceptable Content
3. Standard Offences
3a. Definitions of Standard Offences
4. Serious Offences
5. Making a Complaint
6. Dealing with Complaints Received

PART 2: GUIDELINES

1. Mod Standards
2. Mod Interventions
3. Standard Sanctions
4. General (Board Level) Consultations and Notifications
5. How to Challenge / Dismiss a Mod
5a. Procedure
6. Unfair / Disrespectful Treatment of Mods



INTRODUCTION

1. Moderation, Self-Moderation and Moderators

Moderation

Both the Not606 website itself and the vast majority of the users of this QPR message board, have long asserted that only moderate (inoffensive) content is acceptable.

Self-Moderation

As such, users are expected to self-moderate.

This entails the need to avoid abusive and/or disrespectful content, including negative provocation; and to double check (proof read) and edit immoderate text before 'sending.'

Moderators

Users who fail to self-moderate and post content that can be construed as offensive in some way, can expect complaints from other users and/or intervention by site or board moderators. Such intervention may involve:

• 
  
  
  • threads or posts being edited, closed or deleted; and/or
  • words of advice, warnings or banning actions issued against the offender(s).

However, in the interests of fluency and to avoid over-modding mods are not expected to monitor every thread looking for problematic content. Instead they will normally await signals such as complaints from users before getting involved.


2. Background to Not606 Rules and Standards

A general understanding is that Not606 initially came about as an alternative to 'over-moderation' on the BBC's 606 forum; hence the predominance of its controversial 'General Chat' (GC) forum.

However, as the BBC site approached closure and Not606's football boards began to attract members, our former Super Moderator, Cyprus Syd, posted an introduction on each board. In this he set out the site's need for basic standards and requirement that active boards agree a set of house rules&; with its members, taking care to avoid too many rules for obvious reasons.

Syd's basic standards acknowledged a place for light-hearted banter between fans, but underlined the need for levels of respect (including the avoidance of personal insults etc.) with particular regard to our human differences on gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation; and religious and/or political beliefs (aka 'the isms').

These standards formed the basis for our board's original ground rules. However, practical experience has since highlighted the need for further definition of both offences and appropriate sanctions. Consequently this document has been duly amended twice in line with the wishes of a visible majority of users.

3. General Pointers (for New Members)

Private Messages (PMs)

In order to communicate with each other without posting on public threads, the site has an internal messaging system. The Private Message button is situated at the top right of every page, immediately below your personal name and avatar or logo.

The content of PMs between users is not subject to the moderate standards required by the rules set out below.

PMs are the main means of communicating complaints to the mods.


Posting Threads

Original Posts: OPs must be free from content likely to cause offence or that provokes immoderate reactions.

Repeated (Duplicate) Topics: users starting new threads must ensure a thread containing identical or similar material hasn't already been posted. Moderators reserve the right to edit / merge threads dealing with the same topics.


PART 1: THE RULES

1. Basic Standards

Users must show due respect for others, avoid causing offence (see item 3 below) and keep in mind the possibility that children or adults of a sensitive disposition may be looking in.

Users must self-moderate by controlling content and take the time to double check (proof read) and edit out immoderate text before 'sending'. Red Mist, whilst occasionally understandable, will not be considered a defence against the failure to self-moderate.


2. Acceptable Content

• Football Related Thread Topics
• Moderate Non-Football (Off Topic) Threads
• Moderate Images
• General Banter

2a. Definitions of Acceptable Content

Football Related Thread Topics

Our primary purpose. Within reason, anything related to football is acceptable (not just Rangers).


Moderate Non-Football (Off Topic) Threads

Off-topic threads are welcome. They must be distinguishable from football threads by adding the 'Green Prefix Off Topic' at the beginning of the thread title, e.g. Off Topic - Summer Holidays.


Moderate Images

Images enhance the quality of and general interest in content. However images must be moderate and fit for public consumption.

Images depicting the body whilst considered non-sexist in our February 2013 review, must not be posted. This means that any picture displaying nipple(s) will be removed and the poster attempting to do so will be banned from this site. This was decided by the Supermod's and Site owner in October 2014 and worded thus...
All nudity is to be removed from the publicly available boards with immediate effect. Yes including nipples.

General Banter

The site considers banter between football fans to be an acceptable norm provided it remains in keeping with the following definition:

• 
  
  
  • good-humoured, playful conversation;
  • to speak to in a playful or teasing way; and/or
  • to exchange mildly teasing remarks.

NOTE: banter will not be accepted as a defence for what mods judge as 'Wumming' (see below).

3. Standard Offences

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  • personal disrespect / abuse
  • the 'isms'
  • wumming
  • baiting
  • trolling
  • thread hijacking

Extremes such as bigotry and sectarianism are by their nature immoderate and must therefore also be considered unacceptable.

Similarly extreme forms of expression relating to the following non-exhaustive list may equally be considered unacceptable:

• 
  
  
  • politics
  • religion
  • regionalism
  • nationalism

In order to maintain board harmony, best to avoid all such content.


3a. Definitions of Standard Offences

Personal disrespect and personal abuse are self-evident.

Accepted definitions for related offences are as follows:

The 'Isms': Ignorance / bigotry relating to our human differences as regards gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation; and religious and/or political beliefs.

Wumming (Wind-Up Merchant): Vexatious banter. Comments made with the intention to cause disruption by goading others. (Goad means to provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate actions or reactions.)

Baiting: Selectively challenging a named user / poster into a direct response. Considered over-personal and a form of bullying.

Trolling: Practice of posting a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.

Thread Hijacking: Purposeful and/or repeated deviation from thread topic, title or OP.
(continued below)

QPR BOARD RULES and GUIDELINES

Originated 30 August 2011
Guidelines added 11 October 2012 (93% poll)
Reviewed 24 April 2018

Current QPR Board Moderators

QPR999

qprbeth

Tramore Ranger

PART 1: THE RULES (continued)

4. Serious Offences

Users committing serious offences can expect to be permanently banned from the site. Such offences include:

• 
  
  
  • anything that threatens or causes computer viruses or similar damage to the site; and
  • things like arranging meets with threatened violent, criminal or similarly negative intent.

5. Making a Complaint

Users who consider the content of threads / posts to be offensive, whether to themselves, others or these rules and standards, have two options for lodging a complaint. These are:

• 
  
  
  • (open challenging) politely posting their concerns on the thread in question in the hope that the offender will take notice, apologise and/or desist.
  • PM the mods with details of their precise concerns, the link (copy and paste from the browser bar) to the thread(s) in question; and the post numbers involved (i.e. #26, #42 etc.).

6. Dealing with Complaints Received

Please see also - PART 2: Guidelines' below.

Provided a complaint has included the necessary concerns, thread link(s) and post number(s) involved, the mods will:

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  • check the evidence supporting the allegations;
  • check the rules to confirm the offence(s); and if the complaint appears valid
  • take what the mod team considers the appropriate action.

PART 2: GUIDELINES

1. Mod Standards

In general mods will work together to ensure a level of fairness and consistency in decisions made and appropriate actions taken to ensure moderation in the best interests of this board as a whole.

However, there are cases where standards will vary as a matter of course.

Differences in Standards

Different standards will be applied to the following:

'insiders' (QPR fans / regular board users) and & 'outsiders' (non-QPR fans / irregular board users); and

- first time / rare offenders and regular offenders.

Moderating 'Outsiders'

Visitors to the QPR board are expected to show due respect for our board. Light-hearted banter between fans is normally considered acceptable, whilst anything more vexatious or negatively provocative including direct abuse is not.

Outsiders causing outrage, conflict or similar are likely to be banned from the QPR board for either a period of time or permanently dependent upon severity of offence.

Moderating 'Insiders'

Insiders, especially regulars, who breach our rules and standards may, in view of the entertainment their antics provide, create a following of cronies or independent thinkers which makes them more difficult to mod than outsiders are.*

However, with the clearer boundaries in terms of precise standards, offences and definitions of terms, mods responding to complaints and similar will incline more towards the rule of law than to the whims of 'popular' opinion.

2. Mod Interventions

Whilst mods will maintain a watchful eye, valid complaints will be the usual trigger for action to ensure moderation.

Complaints must cite the offence types mentioned above or something similar. Where complaints are made by users (i.e. not the mods themselves) they must be PM'd copying in all QPR board mods.

As stated above, complaints must include the browser bar link(s) to the thread(s) and the number(s) of the offending post(s) e.g. #26, #42 etc..

For anyone who doesn't know, a browser bar link looks like this:
http://www.not606.com/showthread.php...la-v-Liverpool

Without all this information to hand, it can be difficult for mods to find what a complaint is all about. Consequently such unspecific complaints may go ignored.


Processes of Moderation

Mods cannot be expected to read every post on every thread or intervene in immoderate content automatically. In any case moderation will be effected by means of the following:

- essential self-moderation (proofing or re-reading your post to ensure acceptable standards before pressing reply (send));

- open challenges (posters pointing out immoderate comments in the threads in question in the hope that 'offenders' see the error of their ways, apologise and move on);

- formal complaints (PMs to both mods copied in giving the link(s) to the thread(s) and the number(s) of the offending post(s) e.g. #23, #27 etc.); and

- mod rulings (actions to close / delete threads / posts or and/or sanction offenders based on verified* complaints received or unsolicited mod interventions).


* Verification will be made by with reference to offence definitions as shown below.


3. Standard Sanctions
These are guidelines only. Dependent upon the severity / number of offences involved, the mods will, at their discretion, decide at which point of the procedure as set out below, to commence an action against an offender.

[It should be noted that club board mods do not have the power to ban posters. They can only recommend bans to the site's Super-Mod, who then decides whether to go with recommendations or not.]

1. Informal Words of Advice (normally first offence against rules on due respect)

2. Formal Warning (normally second offence)

3. One week site ban recommended (normally third offence)

4. Two week site ban recommended (normally fourth offence)

5. Four week site ban recommended (normally fifth offence)

6. Permanent site ban recommended (normally sixth offence)



4. General (Board Level) Consultations and Notifications

Mods are not obliged to consult with or notify board members on matters relating to decisions.

However, in order to maintain board harmony, mods may consider general consultations and/or notifications helpful in certain cases.

Where general notifications are issued, they will normally take the form of a 'Board or Mod Notice', a closed thread with a single original post (OP) containing the relevant information.

Notifications to Offenders

Except in the cases of words of advice and formal warnings, mods are not obliged to communicate with or notify offenders of decisions or actions against them.

Where mods choose to communicate with offenders, open posting on appropriate threads and/or PMs are both acceptable as the only means available.

5. How to Challenge / Dismiss a Mod

Any such challenge is legitimate provided the originator, in both making and maintaining their case, uses language that is respectful and free from abuse; and follows the procedure set out below.

5a. Procedure

a) PM the Mods

PM the mod(s) in question (copying in the other mod(s)) starting your concerns and asking for their acknowledgement and agreement to improve on their performance relating to your expressed concerns.

b) Seek Support from the Members

If such agreement fails to materialise or you are simply not satisfied with the response received or lack of it, open a thread entitled, 'No Confidence' stating your concerns and see if you have enough support to move to the next stage.

c) Confirm the Support

Time for a Poll asking the following questions:
For the reasons given in my thread, I propose that [mod name(s) here] should resign as mod(s) with immediate effect.

a) Agree?
b) Disagree?
c) Don't care?

d) Await the Outcome

The mod(s) in question will soon see from the Poll the extent to which users have lost confidence the them.

It shouldn't take a majority vote to confirm whether it's time to step down, even a small number of detractors can fragment board harmony.

Where a mod resigns their position, a replacement will be selected by the remaining mod(s).

Where all existing mods appear to have lost the confidence of the board, one will have to notify the SuperMod.

The SuperMod will then arrange for the appointment of replacements.


6. Unfair / Disrespectful Treatment of Mods

Any disrespectful / abusive threads, posts or PMs aimed at one or more existing mods, may be regarded as subversive and treated as an offence against the rules to the extent that it warrants a permanent site ban.

This does not include a genuine challenge of the type outlined at items 5 and 5a above.

 

In light of recent events I felt that a review of our forum's rules and guidelines could do with a revisit. These guidelines were written by our former moderator BrixtonR in 2012 and have been updated today by me.