Announcing temporary bans to enforce forum guidelines

[Brian]

The Problem

For many years, we have disciplined uncivil behavior on GMG by removing offending posts and PMing requests to adhere by the rules. But this consequence-free approach has enabled a few users to repeat their offenses at will. Over the years, other, milder-mannered users have lurked, quietly withdrawn, or loudly quit over the repeat offenses of a small number who make GMG a less friendly place.

As you can see from the guidelines quoted below, we have long had ample guidelines to address these issues. We certainly do not need more guidelines. We need a new enforcement mechanism. Every member is expected to read and follow these guidelines as their commitment to our community.

The Forum Guidelines

(...these are direct quotes; link)

Please treat other members of this forum with courtesy and respect. By all means, discuss and argue the topic at hand, but do not make personal attacks, belittle, make fun of, or insult another member.

A forum troll is someone who intentionally posts derogatory or inflammatory messages about sensitive topics in an online discussion forum with the deliberate intent to bait users into responding. This can range from very subtle jibes to outright personal attacks. Do not try to deliberately provoke another member into an ill-natured argument. Trolls will not be tolerated, and any trolling activity will be dealt with.

We all understand that every now and again, we get a little hot under the collar, and post something in haste that we regret in hindsight.  We, as moderators, will often overlook these.

It is the repeat offenders that cause us more concern. Any member who develops a pattern of abusive behaviour will at first get a polite message from the moderators reminding them of the Guidelines and the standards of behaviour expected on the forum. Members who repeatedly ignore such warnings will be dealt with more harshly, which may include restricted privileges on the forum or a complete ban. Such decisions will not be made lightly, and only after extensive discussion and consultation between all moderators and the forum administrator.

Moderators do NOT have the power to ban members. Only the forum administrator has that power.

The Temp Ban Mechanism

As listed above, moderators cannot issue full bans. However, a mechanism exists to "watch" users, and when a user is watched to a certain level, all of their posts must be approved by moderators before they appear on GMG.

When temp bans will be implemented:
For first-time offenders or people who "get a little hot under the collar", we will continue our normal procedure of scrubbing offending posts and sending a warning by PM.

For repeat offenders who have already had plenty of PMs from us and know they are misbehaving, we will institute two-day "timeouts." For two days, your warning level will be such that moderators must approve all new posts. And, quite simply, we won't approve new posts until the time is up.

Who will know about them:
The mods will NOT publicly announce when someone has been placed on timeout. If you attack someone personally and they report your attack, we may tell them privately so they feel reassured that this forum continues to be a safe place to visit.

When bans will be lifted:
There is no automatic two-day timer. The time may vary, 46-50 hours etc., based on when mods are online since we are all busy people with full-time jobs, social calendars, etc. If you are in "timeout" for less or more time, that does not mean we like you more or less, only that we were busy. If you don't like the unpredictability, follow the forum guidelines!

Repeat offenses:
Should we ever need to permanently ban a user, a long rap sheet of temporary timeouts will serve as evidence. We don't yet have a plan to introduce steeper consequences for repeat offenses, like a weeklong timeout for a repeat violation, but we will consider it. Don't make us do it.

The Name

Although most other forums simply call them temporary bans, I unofficially like TOCCATA: Time Out Censuring Childishness And Terrible Attitude. The other mods are not all on board with this nickname 

The Goal

GMG is one of the least moderated forums of its type. This relative lack of moderation has been great for free discussion, but a small number of troublemakers have used that freedom to attack others and make the community less welcoming. We hope to reverse that trend and welcome a new generation of voices who will be happy to talk about classical music in all its forms, and in a respectful fashion.