- Joined
- Dec 18, 2014
- Messages
- 155,554
- Reaction score
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- Location
- Suwanee, Georgia 30024 United States
Good evening.
For a while now I've had some ideas for some changes that I felt could improve the atmosphere of the forum and I think it's about time to try some of them out. I'm sure there will be some unforeseen issues with some of these and we'll deal with those as they pop up.
Warnings & Bans
As most of you probably know, we have a points based warning system here, and if you accumulate too many points your account will be banned. The ban periods increase in length as the points build up, and if you turn it up to 11 you get banned forever. This system was implemented a few years ago and the levels were set and it’s been left pretty much alone since.
Fast forward a few years and now we have users that have received their final nails in the coffin for very minor offenses. The mods spend half their time tracking down old members under new names who aren’t actually causing any trouble, they just want to sell some of their stuff and we’re the best place to do it. There’s a strange cloud of mistrust around any new member as folks interrogate them to figure out “who they really are.” The whole thing has just gotten way too serious for a site that was started just so I had a place to trade guns after GON shut down their “swap n sell” many years ago.
Maybe it’s just me, but this system seems flawed. It feels like we’re giving out life sentences for speeding tickets, and I’m ready to try some changes and see what happens.
As it is now, most of the warnings given out have expiration dates, and when they expire your total points go down, and this works very well as long as the points never reach 11. When that happens it gets locked in and the account is banned forever.
Starting today this is going to change. Instead of being a permanent ban at 11 points, it will become a temporary ban that lasts until enough points expire to bring the total below 11. Think of it as points on a license, when some expire you get your ODT license back. Under the new rules an 11-point ban could last anywhere from a day to a couple of years depending on when points will expire, and points will be added to your account if you attempt to create new accounts to come back before your ban ends. We will be enforcing these bans much more harshly than before since people still have a chance to come back later.
The system will not release any accounts that have been banned in the past so if you’d like for me to check your points status to see if you’re eligible to come back please use the “Contact Us” link at the bottom right corner of the page.
Your Listings in The Classifieds
Starting now, you have the ability to remove posts from anyone in your classifieds ad. My thinking is your ad is yours, you should be able to manage all of it. If there are any unforeseen consequences of this we may go back on it.
Brackish Waters
Due to my amazing leadership, Brackish Waters has become quite a mess where no one is quite sure what you can post, including myself and the mods. It’s just been a “know it when you see it” kind of thing, and some people know and see a lot of different things apparently.
So let’s clear this up, here’s what you can post in BRACKISH WATERS, not anywhere else:
Language/Censor - Pictures can have cursing in them, and the censor can be bypassed.
Nudity - No private parts visible. Nothing going into anything, clothes on or not.
Gore- I don’t want to throw up so no gore threads. Gore type pictures that are on topic can be posted as long as the content of the picture is clearly spelled out and the picture is enclosed in spoiler tags. Here’s a tutorial: Spoiler Tags
If you violate these rules you will get a rules reminder. If you do it again you lose the ability to post in Brackish Waters for 24 hours every time you violate the rule. You can still see everything, you just can’t post, so everyone can make fun of you and you can’t reply.Just to be clear: No points will be given out for these offenses in Brackish Waters, just temporary posting bans. (You can still get points for other offenses.)
New Options for Mods
In addition to the Brackish Waters ban I’ve added a couple other options for mods to use instead of points or full bans.
If the boiler room gets too hot for you they can ban you from it for 1 day with no points if the offense is minor.
If you can’t keep your mouth shut in my listing for a sweet ass $900 Gen 2 Glock that I ran over with my lawn mower then the mods can remove you from posting comments in the classifieds.
Well, I think about covers it. I don't feel like anyone will have much of an opinion about it but we'll see
Sounds, GREAT to me because it lets some the older guys who where here when ODT first started, get back in the Mix of trading and selling. I bet, allot of guy's will be happy with YOUR decision, thanks.
