Contest/report unfair Infractions

If you feel that a moderator has imposed an infraction on you unfairly, then I urge you to click on the Report Post--state your case. All moderators and administrators receive notice of a report post. Administrators can reverse infractions if there are mitigating circumstances. No one is perfect and your scenario sounds like it may be a case of timing and therefore could be reversible. If you do nothing, the infraction will stand. We are not ogres and sometimes we, too will err.

Alan

Sorry, Leon.

I didnt realise there were barely 11 minutes between our replies. I have reversed your infraction.

Based on the shortness of the answer, and how long that may have taken to formulate, 11 minutes may be a long time. However, I have been in similar situations when answering a thread, and have got distracted for a few minutes...and when I posted, I found that a member had said/done something that made my post redundant/wrong. Should I press F5 every time before I post - maybe so. Should this member have done so? again, maybe so, but I hardly ever do (unless I have not posted for a considerable time), nor will I. It is easy to take back an errant post, if it can be seen as necessary

I always try and take the view that we are here to help, and people are human and make mistakes. If is appears that the error was a timing issue, as is the case here, then I give them the benefit of the doubt. If the post had been hours later, thats a different story, but we are not here to beat members up over such a small oversight

Originally Posted by HaHoBe

...this software features a preview function which will show all answers delivered if used - sadly under the preview and the actual extended post window (not the quick reply window). Maybe change the way you are used to answer?

@Arlette:

..barely 11 minutes

Ages in this time of computing - even if the forum should have been slow on response.

Holger

Agree with that and also even if anyone post without to refresh the page, then can self deletes the contents of her(his) post if exists a Mod request in the meantime.

Originally Posted by alansidman

If you feel that a moderator has imposed an infraction on you unfairly, then I urge you to click on the Report Post--state your case.

I think that in itself is an issue. Is it really necessary when giving someone an infraction to post the reason publically on the forum rather than sending a PM? If you received a disciplinary at work your boss doesn't tell you in front of everyone they take you aside and tell you in private (thus giving you the opportunity to defend yourself before being publically embarrassed).

Edit: The system has an air of "Guilty until proven inocent" about it.

There's no reasonable argument for giving 'infractions' to helpers that post helpful posts merely on procedural grounds.
The mod's intervention in the thread is primarily aimed at the OP.

Is it possible for a moderator to immediately lock a thread from further posts if the Moderator has asked for changes to be made to a question and that no further posts be made? Even when refreshing a page before posting doesn't guarantee that there hasn't been some action before the post is made. This can result in having infractions that you don't have a possibility to avoid.

In addition, if a moderator can immediately put a lock on a thread in violation, that thread would not waste people's time in opening the thread only to find that a moderator has requested a change before new posts be made.

Here we go again.....

Originally Posted by newdoverman

Is it possible for a moderator to immediately lock a thread from further posts if the Moderator has asked for changes to be made to a question and that no further posts be made?.....

Good suggestion for the TT......The point here is that OP has to have the ability to make any change needs to do and no one else to be able to post a reply. Until now if we lock a thread no one(except us) is able to modify anything!

I'm not going to go into a round of pointing fingers, but traditionally the system has been that the moderators do what they think is right (or fair... or whatever) and there is no system of checks and balances. I hope that this atmosphere of 'big brother' will change, but so far I'm not seeing any signs of this happening anytime soon.

@Fotis.....good point!

As far as I'm concerned, the moderators are doing a fine job. My question was about the system "tools" available to them in the hope of making their jobs easier and to help the rest of us from unnecessarily compounding a problem.

there have been times when I have had to give a "warning" to a member for not complying with a previously made request from a mod/senior member. A few of those times, the "warned" member has replied with a valid reason, and I have removed the warning.

I still maintain though, that if it is a timing issue...you submit your post - only to see a mod request a few minutes before your post...it is a really simple matter to edit your post and replace your comment with something like "deleted, awaiting tite change" (or whatever). If it is a lengthy post, copy it back into an excel file for now, and then paste back later

The moderators are quite reasonable in this regard.

Your suggestion to edit the post as deleted is well worth remembering and using.

Been there, done that. That would be a useful function, I normally review (or add an edit) to my post when that happens - if it is warranted

There is something "screwy" with the way I interact with the forum. I can check for messages before posting and there is nothing, make a post and there are several posts before mine and by quite a few minutes. This is intermittent but when it happens, it is way off.

I do however think that this is a good idea.

blah blah blah..it is only a forum..infractions happen..i really don't give a ..........

I agree with Martin. I have half a dozen infractions/warnings from my early days on the forum when I was new and unfamiliar with the rules and etiquette ... mostly for ignoring moderators requests and probably all down to timing. At least, it hadn't been my intention to flout the rules. As Martin says, it happens, get over it.

It occasionally happens even now. If it does, I apologise to the moderator and take whatever action is necessary or indicated ... usually, none. Long time since I had an infraction

Thats a good suggestion. Lets see if the tech team can do something about it.

By the way, is it posibly that I (or someone not a Moderator) give a notice to others like this:

Your post does not comply with Rule 1 of our Forum RULES. Your post title should accurately and concisely describe your problem, not your anticipated solution.

Use terms appropriate to a Google search. Poor thread titles, like Please Help, Urgent, Need Help, Formula Problem, Code Problem, and Need Advice will be addressed according to the OP's experience in the forum: If you have less than 10 posts, expect (and respond to) a request to change your thread title. If you have 10 or more posts, expect your post to be locked, so you can start a new thread with an appropriate title.

To change a Title on your post, click EDIT then Go Advanced and change your title, if 2 days have passed ask a moderator to do it for you.

(This thread should receive no further responses until this moderation request is fulfilled, as per Forum Rule 7)

This words can be found in Canned Replies Box.

Does it have a value of Legal Infraction Notice? Will other helpers take a fine on ignoring this?

If you see the canned replies box above your post quick reply box, then you have access and can use it.

However, if you find users with high post count and you need to use this canned message, then its better if you report it, so that the moderators / admin can give a warning / infraction. You dont have the access to give the infraction yourself, so its better to report.