Moderation of the Forums

If any member notices a post that contravenes the T&Cs or forum etiquette then please use the 'report post' icon (the red exclamation mark (!) at the lower right hand side of each post). This will highlight the post for forum moderators to look at. The onus is on the members to report posts, rather than posting their opinion on the topic itself or expecting a forum moderator to find the post.

A number of members have volunteered to moderate the forums to help deal with posts that contravene the terms & conditions and that a forum etiquette is maintained. Please note that posts or topics may be removed, moved (temporarily or permanently) or edited by Moderators when looking at or dealing with the reported issue (e.g. a post/topic may be moved out of sight without notice whilst discussions as to the appropriateness is discussed and restored if deemed suitable).

In order to deal with a small minority of members that don't respect the T&Cs and forum etiquette, there is a step method of action that will be taken against members who break these rules, starting with private messages, moving on to warnings and suspensions and finally deactivations, summarised as follows:

1. Polite PM reminder of forum rules/etiquette.
2. Official warning.
3. 1 day username ban.
4. 1 week username ban.
5. 1 month username ban.
6. Username Deactivation.

For minor breaches Moderators will liaise with the member to help point them in the right direction. Moderators may also issue short temporary 'cooling-off' bans as circumstances require. Other moderating solutions may be looked at in certain cases, such as removing a member's ability to post on selected forums. There is a mechanism in the Moderator forum such that official warnings and bans are issued after agreement of a reasonable number of Moderators within a reasonable time but immediate warnings/bans can be issued by Karrde or Admin as the circumstances warrant.

Notes:

a) If no warning or ban is received for a 3 month period then that user moves back one step.

b) If a person has 2 usernames deactivated then the Moderators and Admin will block that person from posting on the fiso forums again (i.e. you are allowed a second chance but after that you're out).

c) When a warning or ban is given then the member will also be given a link to this post so he/she is aware of what the further steps might be.

d) The volunteer moderators are asked by Admin to deal with all members fairly and objectivity and this will be kept under review by Karrde and Admin.

e) All members start at the bottom of the step warning/ban system as at 8 Jan 2010 i.e. no previous warnings/bans are taken into account.

f) There is no set time scale from a breach of T&Cs being noticed or reported to action being taken, it may take up to a few days for a variety of reasons although usually action will be taken quicker than that.

g) Moderators have a difficult (unpaid) job which they do in their own time. Please do not publicly criticise them on the forums. By all means send a PM to Karrde or one of the other Moderators (or Admin) if you want to highlight an issue. You can view which Moderators are currently online at the bottom of the Forum Index page, where there is also a link to a list of all Moderators.

These are rules Admin and the Moderators expect to fine-tune over time.