Hmmm... Maybe we could go a little easier on people on their first day.
Not a huge deal, and there are plenty of valid points to the contrary, but maybe a guiding hand would be more effective than a warning for first newbie mistakes. As much as there are guides there, maybe a quick pm to point out their mistake and link them to the rules (maybe even my guide if it would be suitable), with a stern direction that another misstep will earn them a 10% warning might more effectively encourage them to read these guides before posting, and do something for our "over-strict" image...
Of course, this is just a gentle suggestion and I understand the amount of work involved (amongst other things) may make it unfeasible.
When people receive an introductory private message telling them to read the rules, and that those rules keep repeating that, essentially, if you have nothing productive to say, do not post, I think those are enough verbal warnings.
Plus, I personally work more on terms of number of posts. If I see that the person is clearly at their first post, I would just erase their message, but when they have done a few already, I suspect that they must be ready for the board.
The WBO's a bit strict but not that much I mean They're here to keep this place In control. Kai-V and all the mods do a pretty good job. Though they don't want people yelling ''Hey this place needs better people!'' There was that InfernoGT dude.
~SB
I do not think we could really get away with being any more lenient than we are and still maintain an orderly organization, to be entirely honest about it.
People simply do not understand the amount of work that goes into keeping this place in line. A firm hand is necessary, and as we have repeated ad nauseum, a 10% warning is a slap on the fingernail.
I don't see anything too strict here but everything seems really structured (I am not complaining, just observing). The only mistakes I made was posting things in the wrong place but I don't think I ever got warned for it, just corrected by more experienced users and had things moved.
While we are on the topic of rules and such there is a topic I would like to address. What really bothered me when I first joined was is rude people. There still are some rude people on here but it is not as bad as it was. I think perhaps in a year's time people have matured a little. I will say that I don't think rudeness should be tolerated period. It makes this place less of a community, it makes users less likely to share their opinions and it leads to people quitting. I know the world isn't all nicey nice but we don't have to be nasty or curt to people who don't know things or make mistakes.
Friendly only works so far when reprimanding people.
It's not as far as you would like to think.
I agree with you 99%. 
We are a community, and should treat each other with kindness and respect. After all, we are all here to learn from one another and have a good time discussing the game we all love!
The 1% for me comes when there are difficult conversations to be had. From time to time the staff here have to be firm when the rules of the organization are being broken by a member repeatedly or purposefully. No one likes to do this, but sometimes it simply must be done (by staff) to maintain order.
I actually agree with PunkBlader, in a sense.
Everyone should be welcoming and kind, leave the "rudeness" to us if we have to use it. However, the rest of you are Members, of a community, so there is barely any reason to be so rude sometimes.
Well that's totally unfair to me... I wish the 'gentle first day' was already implanted when I joined. And... After reading the 2nd page, I really wish Kai-V was my lawyer. Anyway, I find that Kai-V and the rest have 'loosened up' a little bit, so I think the WBO is not strict, unless there is the neccesity to do so
Well,I do agree with that.Sarcasm is quite hard for me,although I am a sarcastic person.Sarcasms are also considered rude,no?I don't personally think the WBO is strict.Kai-V is friendly,but if you are an idiot,you'll face her dark side.
That's why she makes such a great lawyer.I find sarcasm awesome, although it may be hard to inteprete.
Even I agree with you, PunkBlader.
I have faced similar problems, but they were resolved soon after!
Most people around here, especially the more experienced ones, are not known to be quite rude. Being negative,another aspect of being 'rude'(according to some people), yes. Everyone does it, as even they have a right to share their views. If someone is wrong, they are meant to be corrected; which is sometimes considered as 'being negative'. Usually, you will be confronted by an extremely experienced member, when they disagree to what you said. I have also noticed that certain people hate to be proved wrong, and hence they take arguments to a whole new level where, every time one tries to prove them wrong, they take it as an an offense.
So people quitting with these reasons, should probably learn to accept that they were wrong.
Rudeness on this forum has been an issue from quite sometime, but as Kai-V said, there is hardly any reason to be rude, unless certain members are extremely oppressive(which again, is something they should learn to control).
Also Arupaeo, those 'difficult conversations' you referred to, may very well be handled politely.
Its just how one sees it. Breaking rules on purpose earns them a warning. Enforcing one(warning), doesn't even involve any conversation! So, rudeness can be controlled.
Noob-bashing has become an extremely popular expression now! This in itself is a wrong thing. Newer people learn from these issues, and start their career in 'Noob-Bashing' so as to 'maintain law and order' and be respected(for no real reason at times...)
I do not mean to say that you are rude, though!
You have always been so good!
Oh yes, the two of you who posted above me, also introduced the concept of sarcasm on this site.
Well, it may 'sound' rude, but sarcasm is usually meant to be a 'twisted answer to someone's question'; so its usually quite tricky and funny. Taking it as rudeness, it depends how sarcasm was used in the post.
Now I'm worried if you're being sarcastic, haha .jk. But anyway, sarcasm should not be over used as it can be really annoying sometimes
You should stop th!nk and his sarcasm,mine too.No offence,th!nk.Jan,when you meant noob-bashing,did you mean this situation?:-
Let's say a new comer made a thread in the Introduce yourself forum,and he asked a few questions about the WBO.
Then,a noob-basher replied:-Go to the Ask a question get an answer thread.Reported.Then,he himself got the warning.
Well, I find that pretty fair. There is nothing wrong in asking that in your intro thread as you are simply just helping yourself and others so there should be nothing wrong to report. And....such more serious and detailed questions should be posted in the 'Questions about the WBO' thread or forum
Nope. That is not what I referred to.
As you know, we usually get weird questions in Ask Q Get A and Build Me a Combo.
Instead of politely requesting them to search, sometimes this is what happens-
How do I make Lightning L Drago 100HF?
Just shut up and get out of here. How will you make it you ask? Grab the carp tool you got with your bey, put it on your beyblade and screw it up! Then get your stickers, stick them on your bey, and stick the extra face sticker on your head. It might make you smarter.
Don't you ask such dumb questions in the future.
Disclaimer- This is just an example. There is no reference to anyone. Should this resemble any incident of the past, it is purely co-incidental.
Even though all of this has reduced now, its still a matter of concern, should it prevail in some threads.
Whatzzer, I suspect this is merely a reaction to my corrections of your sometimes less-than-desirable quality posts. I do it in the best interests of everyone, to prevent the spread of misinformation and general ignorance.
I realise I am over-harsh sometimes and I generally make an effort to apologise and help out in that case, though I do not make such things public, because it is a waste of space in threads. Admittedly I am blunt, and maybe this comes across as being mean, but I do not intend to be.
I am somewhat irked by your public naming of me though, if you had an actual issue with me or how I behaved, you should have PM'd me. My PM's are enabled for a reason, and I've said time and time again to people to do so.
As for actually trying to "stop" me from being sarcastic, that is not up for discussion, at all.
I don't hate you,k?I was just referring to other people who got bashed up with your sarcasm.I respect sarcasm,but only from those who are using it wisely.Plus,If I'm not mistaken,you only used sarcasm on me once.I myself uses sarcasm regularly.I just thought of something.How come someone makes a funny/stupid post,and didn't got warned?For example:-
I want a launcher.th!nk,I just noticed something.You are the only un-comittee member that spelled my name correctly.Apart from DeX,I guess.
Then,a guy replied,first you need to get to the bottom of Tartarus to get it.Haha.I think I've seen this type of answer more than once.
This is getting way off-topic soooo..., do you think we should go easy on first timers?
The reason proper humour doesn't attract warnings is a little something called common sense, instead of being pointlessly disciplinarian and stifling users.
Same thing as not trying to micro-manage how people post.
Yes, we could go easier on newbies. We've discussed this at length in "State of the WBO". That said, there is a reason not much has changed, despite basically everyone being aware of it. Reading some of these terrible posts and ideas day after day grinds everyone's spin gears, and eventually, they will resort to more sarcastic/strongly worded posts in an attempt to prevent it in future. This happened to me, and I've noticed it happen to quite a few members.
If someone goes over-board, yes, they should be warned, I am not sure if this already happens, but various people have advocated it (Arupaeo, for example), and rightly so. That said, with a community as large as ours, with a steady flow of newbies due to it being the "big thing" at the moment, and honestly, compared to the alternative results I've seen on more "loosely controlled" communities, we have it extremely good here in terms of being able to carry on cohesive, sensible discussions.
Now, I know I sound negative and grouchy here, but quite the opposite is true. I am very, very happy with how things are at the moment. This is why I do not think any drastic changes are sensible or necessary. It does sound like one of my horrid rants, and I guess in a way it is, but it is motivated quite differently.
In short: Don't try to fix what ain't broke.
You may now commence rage/flame/reasoned argument (the latter would be preferable).
Yes, th!nk. I don't understand why people would get mad at you. I myself like the way things are now myself. It is strict at times, because they require that degree of it, depending on the offense of the member.
We can go easier on newbies, seeing as they might not even know where the rules are, or possibly can't speak English, etc. But we cannot just let their mistakes go. The WBO has to enforce their rules, or else, the WBO would be all chaos. The reason the WBO is still around is because the rules were enforced, and since the rules are being very well enforced, it is ensured the WBO will be around for a while.
(Nov. 29, 2011 6:10 PM)Ryu13 Wrote: [ -> ]We can go easier on newbies, seeing as they might not even know where the rules are, or possibly can't speak English, etc. But we cannot just let their mistakes go. The WBO has to enforce their rules, or else, the WBO would be all chaos. The reason the WBO is still around is because the rules were enforced, and since the rules are being very well enforced, it is ensured the WBO will be around for a while.
First thing when you sign up, you get a PM directing you to them. PM notices are huge.
Whatzzer, do not drag your personal garbage with other people out into public just because you cannot take a sarcastic joke or two. It's not only extremely poor form, but makes a bad showing of you and drastically exaggerates the problem.
Sarcastic jokes and little jabs are a common part of conversation with anyone - if I actually met anyone who was 100% sunshine and flowers with no jokes or funny comments, I don't think I'd be capable of spending more than a minute with them before either just walking away or finding an unsafe use for a plastic bag that fit the situation.
Sarcastic and rude comments do have a place. Rude is for the Committee, Sarcasm is for people who can use it tactfully. General satirical commentary is amusing and fun for anyone who gets it - as long as they're actually capable of taking jokes. If you wildly misinterpret a joke and get offended by it, when to most people it was clearly not intended to be offensive, that is
your problem.
(Nov. 29, 2011 9:20 PM)Hazel Wrote: [ -> ] (Nov. 29, 2011 6:10 PM)Ryu13 Wrote: [ -> ]We can go easier on newbies, seeing as they might not even know where the rules are, or possibly can't speak English, etc. But we cannot just let their mistakes go. The WBO has to enforce their rules, or else, the WBO would be all chaos. The reason the WBO is still around is because the rules were enforced, and since the rules are being very well enforced, it is ensured the WBO will be around for a while.
First thing when you sign up, you get a PM directing you to them. PM notices are huge.
Whatzzer, do not drag your personal garbage with other people out into public just because you cannot take a sarcastic joke or two. It's not only extremely poor form, but makes a bad showing of you and drastically exaggerates the problem.
Sarcastic jokes and little jabs are a common part of conversation with anyone - if I actually met anyone who was 100% sunshine and flowers with no jokes or funny comments, I don't think I'd be capable of spending more than a minute with them before either just walking away or finding an unsafe use for a plastic bag that fit the situation.
Sarcastic and rude comments do have a place. Rude is for the Committee, Sarcasm is for people who can use it tactfully. General satirical commentary is amusing and fun for anyone who gets it - as long as they're actually capable of taking jokes. If you wildly misinterpret a joke and get offended by it, when to most people it was clearly not intended to be offensive, that is your problem.
There are some people though on the WBO who for some reason don't even notice that PM. I've met one guy who didn't know about it at all, nor about the PMing system.
But yes, that would actually display them as quite irresponsible people. That is the main problem, isn't it. Irresponsibility. And that's what makes the jobs of the Committee members a lot harder. So it is perfectly understandable that they should be strict at times.
I think it is 'cause this guy who had the blue user name told me I could get warned If I don't listed to some kids advice.
(Nov. 30, 2011 2:37 AM)Kai800 Wrote: [ -> ]I think it is 'cause this guy who had the blue user name told me I could get warned If I don't listed to some kids advice.
The "guy who had the blue user name" is blah a moderator who you should respect and he said that for your own good because you were being ignorant and slightly rude. Also your thread wasn't needed so your opinion is pretty much based on anger. The WBO is fair but don't think it's not because your thread got closed. Sorry if I come off mean but I'm just telling you the facts.