Usernotes

[Jamesy]

I would agree with all this except for the time period. To my knowledge the period of 6 months is new. As warnings and infractions expire after two months I would say that the user notes for direct consultation to decide on whether a warning/infraction should be given should be two months also. This is what I always used to do otherwise it could make user notes more punitive than the actual warnings/infractions. The only exception I feel is that members who come back from banned accounts to new accounts should have less chances as it can be seen as playing the system which in fact has happened on occasions.

When I was a Moderator and I asked how far back to take into account I was told 6 months. Although I agree that anything that old should not really be used and in all honesty I doubt the moderators take into account anything that old, it's simply the final cutoff point in my opinion.

[Catzsy]

No, usernotes are kept on record and don't expire. There are some very old ones floating around.

We do however only take into consideration recentish usernotes, since it's quite clear that people have the capacity to change, and improve on their behaviour etc.

Usernotes really are a useful tool for moderation purposes, and it helps us gain a better idea of what kinds of trouble members have gotten into etc. I would like to stress the point that we would only use recentish usenotes when deciding on whether to take the action of a warning/infraction however. This period is normally around 6 months.



Just to add on, after seeing Jakes post, in the majority of cases, moderators only take action based on recent usernotes, as stated. It is purely a record of the history of rulebreaks, to gain an overall 'bigger picture' I guess. There are many types of usernotes, and some things more serious than others, are sometimes useful for further offences.

I also don't think it's a good idea for them to be viewable to members, they are mostly exact copies of Pm's sent to you anyway.

As Martin said they are simply copies of PMs sent to you, which once received are your responsibility. The only other thing Usernotes contain are links to ban reports if the account is cautioned / banned.

It is entirely at the moderator's discretion when to judge using usernotes, but the maximum they will look at 6 months and if there is only one that old they are not likely to go full on into the harshest possible action.

I should also point out that user notes are an extremely useful resource for me when doing staff background checks before they are hiring - this is particularly important in the hiring of Moderators but is applicable to other members of staff too. Without user notes, I would be posed with quite a task when it comes to keeping track of staff discipline.

When I was a Moderator and I asked how far back to take into account I was told 6 months. Although I agree that anything that old should not really be used and in all honesty I doubt the moderators take into account anything that old, it's simply the final cutoff point in my opinion.

Yes well in practice if you use a user note over 2 months it is possible that somebody could in effect be punished twice on the same one which cannot be fair. Just my point of view though.

[Tintinnabulate]

Oli did a poll to scrap usernotes and have only warnings. So instead of usernote > warning > infraction, it would be warning > warning > infraction - thus allowing users to see their record in full.
What happened to it?

Yay forum management replied and totally blanked my question.

[Nixt]

Yay forum management replied and totally blanked my question.

If I recall correctly no one liked the idea.

[flatface]

Haven't read the entire thread but taking into account a usernote that is 6 months old is way too old in my opinion, should be 2 months like the warning/infraction system. I always ignored usernotes that were 2+ months old

[Grig]

Haven't read the entire thread but taking into account a usernote that is 6 months old is way too old in my opinion, should be 2 months like the warning/infraction system. I always ignored usernotes that were 2+ months old

I think they should make it a standard rule for moderators to use them 2 months back at maximum because we can't have this 'discretion' crap going on when some may use them to 6 months back, whilst other to 2. Makes it unfair to some etc.

[Richie]

Saurav that'd be dumb because then you wouldn't have any other 'lifelines', it would be an auto infraction.

[Sarah]

I think they should make it a standard rule for moderators to use them 2 months back at maximum because we can't have this 'discretion' crap going on when some may use them to 6 months back, whilst other to 2. Makes it unfair to some etc.

I believe the current rule is 6 months - the discretion bit is if we feel (and can see) that you haven't broke any other rules in the past six months then you can send them a PM rather than a warning/infraction - believe it or not we don't want to give out infractions. I'm sure the rule will be more clearly established by forum/general management.

[Pyroka]

Moral of this thread:

Don't be a daft ****, you won't have any problems with usernotes.

[Nixt]

I think they should make it a standard rule for moderators to use them 2 months back at maximum because we can't have this 'discretion' crap going on when some may use them to 6 months back, whilst other to 2. Makes it unfair to some etc.

The current system is fine and this 'discretion crap' works a lot better than how things used to be where there were strict, unwavering guidelines which led to robotic moderation and repeatedly harsh and unfair decisions. Allowing Moderators an element of discretion was a key part of myself and Oli's rewrite of the rules and revamped Moderator guide which whilst making things quite clear, encouraged Moderators to use an element of common sense in their application of the rules and guidelines which they are expected to follow. Discretion is good, and I think this is reflected in the quality of the Moderation at Habbox Forum today which receives considerably less complaints than in the past.

Regarding user notes specifically, I am confident that all Moderators have an idea that user notes posted months ago do not necessarily reflect the current behaviour of that user and they will consider this when moderating rule breaking posts. All the same, there will inevitably be some situations where older (than two months) user notes will be used and this is down to the discretion of the individual moderator. A case in point - a user bullies someone repeatedly six months ago, and narrowly manages to avoid a ban. They take a six month 'break' and behave perfectly. Then, all of a sudden, bullying of that member resumes with the user being fully aware they have been punished for it in the past. The older user notes will be taken into consideration here to deal with serial offenders or offenders who like to think they can beat the system and go through quiet periods.

The Moderators and Administrators of this forum aren't stupid, and are not going to take into account a pointless post six months ago when dealing with the here and now. Nevertheless, user notes provide a valuable 'bigger picture' and will continue to be used in both their long and short term capacities.