Staff PSA/Rules refinement

[Elcark 288]

Two minor changes to take note of

 

Due to the previous issues that have occurred and strong disagreement in when bans should and should not be disregarded, an actual "decay" is going to be implemented for server bans.

Any bans that occurred one year prior should be considered out dated and not effective on the length of new bans issued to players (Unless the ban itself was of a greater length of time).

This also doesn't change that staff should highly consider the reasons for previous bans and not base current action off just a time frame.

 

Another small change is for the wording of the rule on custom images. This is to make part of it less vague and more clear where the line is held.

• Sprays, avatars and items that are able to be customized cannot contain the following: explicit nudity/genitalia, racism, hate symbols, gore, derogatory content and images of sexualized minors (this includes drawn images).
  

So hopefully these serve to make things more defined both for staff members as well as new comers.

[Tatost 604]

nice

[Elcark 288]

There has been a subtle, but notable issue for some time now and it has become regrettable our staff needs to act more self aware in regards to. To clarify, I'll borrow a page from the Staff Manual;

 

 

Staff should remain unbiased and try to not show any favoritism

Staff should be something like a third unbiased opinion on things. Showing favoritism to certain players will result in a removal of your powers.

 

 

Staff are fully expected to remain as neutral as possible in all matters regarding the servers and we pride ourselves as a community for the equal and welcoming way all players are treated. This becomes an issue for the community as a whole when individuals are given the impression they are not treated as fairly as certain others. There has been an alarming number of cases not only brought to attention from people who feel this way but sometimes so common place it is done openly and not even given a second thought. These issues range from being more lenient towards friends when it comes to behavior and "edging" rules, giving higher priority to the concerns of certain people, purposefully targeting and being harsher on those you find less favorable, to flat out ignoring others breaking rules while turning a blind eye.

 

This cannot be tolerated at this point. Staff are presented with a significant amount of trust and independence, making it much more severe when they break this trust. This is true even when it isn't always intentional, which is why it is going to be much more important for staff to more attentively moderate themselves to avoid any such issues from continuing. If it is found they do, action will be taken at this point.

 

 

 

All current staff members will be tagged and expected to take note of this- @Vexx @mrnutty12 @Elcark @Vargas @Vacindak @Kypari @Natsu @Caleb956 @Tekage @Matteomax @Krampus @LAN_Megalodon @Frusty @Skeletal @Ms.Spooks @axtinpyrothe2nd @Segal @Osiris @Vaporeon

Edited February 19, 2018 by Guest (see edit history)

[Elcark 288]

On Extended Mutes

Due to many recent complaints about not being sure when it is appropriate to use longer mute/gag times on someone, i'll explain when staff should be trying to or not to make one in favor of a harsher punishment. Beforehand though, it is important to explain that the purpose of being able to do this is give staff more flexibility in responding to a situation so they may find a solution that best addresses it. The whole of this is rather open ended, but hopefully will give clarity about it and allow our staff to be more confident. 

 

• An extended mute/gag can be used when someone is breaking chat related rules but is not doing so in purposeful manner. This would revolve around situations such as where someone may have a poor quality microphone, unintentionally spamming, or causing trouble due to a lack of understanding on their part (such as if they are notably younger, but in the end not trying to make the server worse).
• An extended mute/gag should not be used when someone is breaking rules intentionally and or maliciously. If someone is mic spamming music, being toxic, or trying to incite issues there is no good in being lenient to them  and it sets a better example for the server to make it clear such behavior is not tolerated.
• Further more, an extended mute should never be made for longer then one full day. If the problem persists afterwards, it is far more suitable to move on to other punishment. While it may not seem favorable to have to ban someone who's intentions were not overall malicious to anyone or the server as a whole, people do need to take responsibility for their own actions and learn to exercise greater caution on their own end. For instance, if someone has a terrible mic and needs to be constantly muted for it then they need to eventually either fix it or refrain from using it. 

Edited April 29, 2018 by Elcark (see edit history)

[Elcark 288]

Since messages can get lost easily on discord, i'm going to announce this here for everyone's convenience. 

 

So it is out in the open yes, there is a vacant DM spot still. It is absolutely ideal to have it filled as soon as possible but the fact that it wasn't right away should be a testament that there is no single individual right now that stands out above everyone else to an extent that would guarantee them that spot. As ideal as it would have been to settle for someone already, it is not ideal for us to settle for "good enough".

With that in mind then, this should be seen as an opportunity for ANYONE to show that they can step up, go above and beyond, and, not to downtrot on anyone by any means, but show that they are all around more suitable for it then anyone else. Hopefully this will be an opportunity for improvements for everyone and no one ends up being discouraged by not receiving anything out of it, I hope it's understandable that an attitude like that by itself shows me that you aren't deserving of it at that rate.

If you are unsure of ways to try and better yourself, by all means ask! I or any other individual may not have answers for everyone, but never be afraid to poke around as that in itself is a first step to self improvement.

[Elcark 288]

Here's a quick clarification to part of one of our rules since there is confusion among staff where to draw the line.

• We do not allow advertising of any kind within our servers. (This includes Twitch channels)

When dealing with a player who has an advert to a site in their name, any that are for common trade sites (trade.tf, scrap.tf, Outpost.tf, etc) are acceptable and don't require action. On the other hand, any that are for gambling or malicious sites (hellcase.com, csgolive,  skinhub.com, etc) are not allowed and should be enforced under the rule laid out here in the motd.

[Kypari 579]

Spray rule has been very slightly re-worded:

• Sprays, avatars and items that are able to be customized cannot contain the following: genitalia/explicit nudity whatsoever, racism, hate symbols, gore, derogatory content and images of sexualized minors (this includes drawn images)

There is also a section in the staff manual that will specify points of sprays that are controversial.