cugila said:
There are already Terms and CondItions which have to be agreed when you initially join the site. These are also repeated in the forum Éthos and Policy which is at the head of each section.
Nobody seems to take much notice of them though .....
Gotta agree with you there mate.
I'm going to expand on my idea a bit and ask you, as an ex-cop, what you think of it, and invite everyone else to do likewise.
Again, as I said before, if you like it say so. If you don't say so.
If youdon't/think it bonkers/it offends you, yup, you got it,say so.......................
As usual just don't call me names in the process....................
Why not introduce a warning status, a bit like a yellow card in football or the sin-bin as in other sports. Perhaps along lines of penalty points on your driving licence.
Let's say a debate on here starts to degenerate a bit, those with views on a subject are involved and a bit of name calling starts. Let's say it's over my idea, some people like the general gist of it while some others are mortified. Someone calls my idea idiotic & stupid and it degenerates to the point where they call me a idiot for suggesting it & that I must be stupid if this is all I can come up with etc.
I contact someone in "authority" on the site, saying that while I welcome the debate and don't mind someone saying the idea is daft/stupid/idiotic etc; I am upset at myself being labelled idiot/stupid on a public forum & ask them to look into it.
The mods/admins peeps agree that the person who called me names was in the wrong and they contact the name caller & invite him/her to apologise. If it is resolved where the complainant is happy then end of. If it's not resolved and at least 3 mods/admin types are in agreement then they could issue a yellow card or put 1 point on the name callers "forum licence". The yellow card or point is (like on a driving licence) valid for a given length of time say 6 months or a year.
If someone gets 3 yellow cards or 3 points in a year then, like in a sports game, they get sent off, or as in a driving licence situation they have a period of disqualification. The abusive member is then given a time period where they cannot post.
I don't know if this has been suggested before or even tried before. I am a member of another forum which is specifically for Police related issues, and from looking at the topics by & large those on there are either cops, or cops support staff or wanna-be cops who are aplying to join etc. On this forum each member has a warn status & the bit below is copied from the site: -
Only mods/admin and the account holder can see the warn status if the small brackets are empty between the 0 and the 3 then no warning is in place.
If for whatever reason there is a warning we apply it on a panel and always give a reason viewable to the member with option of also sending a PM.
The sanctions can be a straight ban, temporary ban, moderated posts permanent or temporary.Then some negotiation usually follows and whoever either leaves or tones it down etc.
Don't worry over 98% of bans are for spammers.However I am getting a bit sick of people coming on with an anti police agenda. Personally I dislike chavs and I don't go on their sites bateing them I simply choose to stay away and not ransack my dignity.
While I don't want to instigate some form of Big Brother is watching/Police state here on our diabetes site, I do feel strongly that people have a right to express themselves and/or their views free from personal insults. I'm merely offering up these suggestions in the hope that it will provoke debate (positive debate!!!) that will take the site forward and encouarge those need help or can offer it to speak up while discouraging those that just want act like children.