Thoughts?

[lazerman]

When a user is lucky enough to be awarded VIP, they gain themselves a number of features. One of these features is the ability to close their own threads. This has been a long standing VIP feature that a number of VIPs appreciate and use regularly. However, we have recently noticed that a number of users have been closing their threads in a way that violates the following rule:

Why change the rules when it only to do with certain members of this forum? Im sorry but wouldn't it be better to have PM'ed them and made it easier for the rest of us? Because now we cant open threads, oh and if someone being argumentive in a thread and it gets closed by a VIP, is considered bad..





Quote:
A13. Leave moderating to the moderators – If you see someone breaking a rule, click the report post icon on that post with a brief description. Also, you may not discuss bans on the forum. If you wish to dispute a ban use the Support System. Also, you should never ignore a moderators warning, change their warnings, or open a thread they have closed.

VIPs are reminded that they should not be closing their threads in a way that acts as a Moderator - i.e. closing a thread for a 'cooling off period' or closing it due to arguments. Doing this seriously interferes with Moderation - if a situation arises where members are rule breaking in a thread you should use the report post button, or PM a Moderator. Please do not take the rule breaking into your own hands.

Im sorry, but when you have VIP, you are allowed to close your thread whenever you want, and if it because there is hatred or whatever arguments going on in that thread, why should you not be allowed to close it?

Thats like saying someone swears in a thread and then I suddenly close it because I dont want arguments to start is going to get me in trouble by 'abusing' VIP :rolleyes:

In addition to this, VIPs are reminded that the feature they are given is the ability to close threads. In giving you this ability, vBulletin requires that you also have the ability to open threads, however, you should not be doing this. The feature is to close threads only. If you reopen closed threads, it will be considered abuse of VIP features and could result in that feature being removed.


Basically, once you close it, it cant be open? :rolleyes:
Im sorry, but I never seen this 'rule' before, mind someone quoting the rule please? Oh and if someone wants to make a thread just completely full with there own post, how is this meant to happen when you cant open your own thread :S?

Sorry to sound all strict with the essay guys! Just need to get the message across, have a nice weekend !

You too!


All in the quote.

[Suspective]

It doesn't even apply to you? If you have a problem with this announcement contact the Forum Management Team.

The point basically is, you shouldn't take control of the moderation of your threads. If you close your thread just because someone swore in the thread its your choice. As long as you don't start commenting on it stating ''its a cooling off period'' or ''stop swearing''

[Nixt]

In reference to your first point, we posted the thread so then everyone is aware of it. Yes it is only a select few members currently, so we could PM them and they might stop, great! However, there are plenty of VIPs who might not be aware and as a rule people start to imitate the behaviour of others. We would be sending PM after PM with replies such as "well no one told me!" etc. It's better just to post a thread letting everyone know.

If you want to just close your thread, that's fine. Go for it! Your reasoning for it has nothing to do with me. Perhaps I didn't word that bit properly, I'll change it slightly in a sec. If lots of people are arguing in your thread then feel free to close it. HOWEVER you should not post something saying "CLOSING DUE TO ARGUMENTS / SWEARING / RULE BREAKING" or "CLOSING FOR A COOLING OFF PERIOD ;l" because this is acting as a Moderator and such behaviour is not allowed. The reason we're being strict on that is because it is interfering with Moderation and our ability to deal with the members causing trouble that lead to the closure of those threads. Members should be reporting posts, not taking matters into their own hands.

The reason you haven't seen this rule before is because I have only just created it, in that announcement? I don't get the second half of your third point - could you please explain?

[lazerman]

I editted the post due to garion clearing it up.


Fair enough, the what really pee'd me off was that why cant VIP open and close threads at anytime? Surely for example, I wanted to create a thread just full of my graphic work but I didn't want anybody to comment on it, so I close it and only open it when I wished to update it or to put a new post.

[Titch]

In reference to your first point, we posted the thread so then everyone is aware of it. Yes it is only a select few members currently, so we could PM them and they might stop, great! However, there are plenty of VIPs who might not be aware and as a rule people start to imitate the behaviour of others. We would be sending PM after PM with replies such as "well no one told me!" etc. It's better just to post a thread letting everyone know.

If you want to just close your thread, that's fine. Go for it! Your reasoning for it has nothing to do with me. Perhaps I didn't word that bit properly, I'll change it slightly in a sec. If lots of people are arguing in your thread then feel free to close it. HOWEVER you should not post something saying "CLOSING DUE TO ARGUMENTS / SWEARING / RULE BREAKING" or "CLOSING FOR A COOLING OFF PERIOD ;l" because this is acting as a Moderator and such behaviour is not allowed. The reason we're being strict on that is because it is interfering with Moderation and our ability to deal with the members causing trouble that lead to the closure of those threads. Members should be reporting posts, not taking matters into their own hands.

The reason you haven't seen this rule before is because I have only just created it, in that announcement? I don't get the second half of your third point - could you please explain?

to back garion up here, i never knew you were not aloud to re-open threads and iv been here like 5 years, and im one of the main culprits, i was pmed by rosie earlier explaining it as well as being shown the thread, so they have been pming people too!

[Hecktix]

VIPs have never been supposed to open their own threads.

VIPs taking moderating into their own hands is a terrible thing because this means moderation may not be aware of these threads.

This has been the tacit rule for a while however General Management along with Features Management and Forum Management (Garion and I) thought it was about time it was cleared up in announcements because it's becoming a nuisance for our moderators and other members.

[The Professor]

VIPs have never been supposed to open their own threads.

VIPs taking moderating into their own hands is a terrible thing because this means moderation may not be aware of these threads.

This has been the tacit rule for a while however General Management along with Features Management and Forum Management (Garion and I) thought it was about time it was cleared up in announcements because it's becoming a nuisance for our moderators and other members.

Lies, we didn't have a problem with it last year but that's besides the point :P

I don't have a problem with what Garion said in the announcement but it'd be nice if it was actually written into the rules :)

[jackass]

Yeah, i'm not very happy about this either. It almost seems like we can't really use the 'close' function anymore, in case of getting in trouble.

[Hecktix]

Yeah, i'm not very happy about this either. It almost seems like we can't really use the 'close' function anymore, in case of getting in trouble.

Never have we said VIPs are able to open threads, the feature was always "Ability to close threads" however we never said they couldnt either :P

Biohazard, just don't act as a mod? If you feel a thread of yours has gone too far you are welcome to close it, just don't close it due to rule breaking as that is the job of a moderator.

[jackass]

Never have we said VIPs are able to open threads, the feature was always "Ability to close threads" however we never said they couldnt either :P

Biohazard, just don't act as a mod? If you feel a thread of yours has gone too far you are welcome to close it, just don't close it due to rule breaking as that is the job of a moderator.

What if lots of people are arguing in your thread, and you don't want it ruined by their arguments so you close it... that's not allowed?

[lazerman]

What the point, it would be closed by a MOD anyways...

[Nixt]

Report it to a Moderator and they will clear it up for you? No need to close it then? If you just close a thread without posting anything you could be closing it for any reason, so we're not going to punish you for that. The basic gist of it is, don't close it and start all this posting saying "CLOSING DUE TO ARGUMENTS" etc. Preferably, if you do close a thread and there is trouble going on within it, you will report it anyway.

[Hecktix]

What if lots of people are arguing in your thread, and you don't want it ruined by their arguments so you close it... that's not allowed?

Report it to a moderator like you would if you didn't have VIP?

[AgnesIO]

I read this thread yesterday, but never got round to asking.. How does closing your own thread when things get 'angry' etc, make liffe hard for MOD's? Surely that is making it easier? I don't get how closing your own thread to stop fights, is harming the MOD's? :P

Thread Merged by Jamesy (Forum Super Moderator): Similar topic :)

[Dinosaurawrr]

i think what managment are trying to say is moderators mod the forum its there 'job' and by us closing threads makes less work for the mods which they need for reports etc :)
if all the vips did the mod job there wouldent b many mods needed :O ( thats fine tho well just fire oli )
Joking

[Catzsy]

I read this thread yesterday, but never got round to asking.. How does closing your own thread when things get 'angry' etc, make liffe hard for MOD's? Surely that is making it easier? I don't get how closing your own thread to stop fights, is harming the MOD's? :P

There is nothing wrong with a VIP closing their own thread as they have the right to do it but problems have arisen when VIPs say they are closing it for say '15 minutes' for a cooling off period and then re-opening which there is no right to do. That's the issue and is something that should be left to the moderators. A VIP has never had the right to re-open a thread on Habbox Forum but in the recent past some members just seem to have started this practise which on occasions has been used negatively to provoke or upset another member/ members.

[Catzsy]

Lies, we didn't have a problem with it last year but that's besides the point :P

I don't have a problem with what Garion said in the announcement but it'd be nice if it was actually written into the rules :)

It doesn't need to be written into the rules because it is already in th FAQ under Habbox VIP. What rule exactly? The list if what a VIP can do is there and hasn't been changed in years. Also how do you know it wasn't a problem during the last year? :P @Biohazard - a VIP can close his thread at anytime just not re-open it. Simple as that. =]

[Black_Apalachi]

I haven't read the announcement myself but my thoughts on this thread are that I've got a headache from reading that OP :P


VIPs have never been supposed to open their own threads. ...

I've never thought about this issue before and am really unclear on it now. Does Oli's quote mean that under no circumstances, a VIP can reopen their thread? Even for completely innocent purposes, say for example you accidentally closed it or there was some sort of game in Spam or something that required you to?

As for closing a thread for a 'cooling off period', I've only ever seen one person doing that and not only was it disrupting moderation, but it was being done to annoy or torment other members. Anyway that person is banned.

I've only closed my own threads when certain people have started trolling in it because I find that if I make an interesting thread, if people see the first page is full of rubbish, they are less likely to bother responding to the original topic which I find really frustrating and causes me to just close the thread. Occasionally if I've asked for information on something, once I have my answer I might close the thread and say, 'Thanks for the help everyone :)'. I assume that's OK?