User selectable \"Word Censor\" option ...

[KoolBear]

The fine gentlemen at High Octane have made a suggestion and asked if I would run it buy the community.

With the recent events over adult content being posted in minors threads.

Zach and company believe they can easily modify the DBB to set a \"Censored Tag\". During the creation of a thread a user would be able to select an option setting the thread to sensitive content. This would make it a hidden discussion to anyone that has that configuration \"set\" to ignore censored threads. I think I got that right

This option would be configurable from within your profile page.

I would imagine that by default this option would be enabled?

Remember this is a concept and if you think this is a feature we should pursue then let's open a dialogue and decide how we would like to see it implemented.

ADDITION - This feature would benefit those that would prefer not being exposed to certain discussions. By no means does this imply that we need more moderation, hopefully this places some control back in your hands where it really belongs.

[Semi Mobius Compliant] KB 1/11/06

[Krom]

Don't need it, by being able to post a thread like that someone might think they can post more of whatever they want in the thread since it is \"hidden\". Keep it the way it is where it is obvious all posts are of equal viewing and thus require equal attention to detail on what you are posting.

A feature like that will lead to double standards and moderation problems, bad idea.

[fliptw]

Don't need it, by being able to post a thread like that someone might think they can post more of whatever they want in the thread since it is "hidden". Keep it the way it is where it is obvious all posts are of equal viewing and thus require equal attention to detail on what you are posting.

A feature like that will lead to double standards and moderation problems, bad idea.

[Behemoth]

Don't need it, by being able to post a thread like that someone might think they can post more of whatever they want in the thread since it is "hidden". Keep it the way it is where it is obvious all posts are of equal viewing and thus require equal attention to detail on what you are posting.

A feature like that will lead to double standards and moderation problems, bad idea.

word

[Bet51987]

I think its a good idea. I go to a photography forum for example that allows the posting of any photo for critiqes. You place a photo of something you took on the forum and other people comment on what your doing wrong for example. They help you improve your methods.

The photos of nude women and men are also put there because some use nude models. These are marked \"adult content\", and if your filter is set to that, all you see in that area is a grayed out photo.

This way minors can post without ever seeing the nude ones yet you could if you chose too. (I don't filter those. I'm not that much of prude) Here is the link in case your curious.


However, I have another problem with what I just described. I would not want to see censorship here if it is going to cause members to leave and go to the \"other\" dbb. I'm finding that this dbb is fine as it is right now. The moderating is up to par.

Bettina

[Lothar]

Zach and company beleive they can easily modify the DBB to set a "Sensored Tag". During the creation of a thread a user would be able to select an option setting the thread to sensitive content.

We already have this available. We call it "NHB".

This suggestion doesn't really change anything... people who would use this feature already post their sensitive content in NHB.

Remember, too, the recent controversy wasn't about someone starting a thread in the wrong place... it was about the appropriateness of a response (and of the admin's reaction). I don't see how this would help.

[KoolBear]

Excellent point Krom, I hadn't considered that aspect.

\"Let's say I start a thread and I would prefer not to have abusive language in my thread, at the point of creation I could check a box that would display an image/icon next to the Topic Title on the topics list page. People that saw the topic should see the \"icon\" and would know that the topic start would prefer no abusive content in that thread.

Ok one step further, the user could set that option in thier profile so that ANY time they start a topic that radio box would be checked by default.

The thought is to provide the users here a method to communiate preferences.

There's another option and that would be to have the buddy list mod I believe that's the MOD that also allows you to ignore users, I think that's pretty drastic but sometimes people just can't or won't get along.

Thoughts?

[Kilarin]

Let's say I start a thread and I would prefer not to have abusive language in my thread,

Forgive me for being a pessimist, but what I see happening here is Bettina and I open threads and check them as "No bad language", and instead of discussing our actual issue, each thread degenerates into arguments about whether or not we have censored the poor other members because now they can't curse.

I don't OBJECT to the idea, I just question the end results.

Kilarin

[KoolBear]

Remember nothing is set in stone and there are NO PLANS TO CHAANGE ANYTHING, man I am really slow two responses from the time I started my last post till I actually got it submitted

I agree the DBB is fine as it is, but by allowing users like Bettina to show an icon next to her topic it would at least let other users know that Bettina started the thread and has requested that responders take note that she would apprecaite it if you not use improper content in her thread. It is her thread, people have full freedom to join her conversation or not, but they will at least know that she has politely hung the no smoking sign on the door.

Lothar,

You also have posted a some good points, I really believe that if someone was AWARE the topic starter had a preference that they would respect it.

Thoughts?

[Lothar]

But, let me give an alternate suggestion. This is off the top of my head, so nobody get too mad at me for this if it turns out to be a horrible idea...

Allow thread starters to set a flag on their thread that strengthens the language filter for the whole thread, and puts up some sort of icon so members will know to keep their content extra-clean. For example, if my little sister came on here, she could start a \"G-rated\" thread, and words like damn, hell, sex, or drugs would be automatically bleeped out. Her thread would show up with a \"G-rated\" icon, and then everyone would know, if you want to talk about not-G-rated stuff, go to a different thread. Or, Bettina or anyone else who doesn't like swearing could start a \"no swearing\" thread (even about a sensitive issue) and we'd all know not to swear in that thread.

One difference between this and the original suggestion is the assumption that most threads will be marked normal. It's expected that, since we're mostly adults, it's OK for us to mention things like sex, drugs, or violence in most threads. But it allows for those who want to stay away from such topics to make threads that will stay safe for them.

I like this better than posting ages (which has been suggested before.) Posting a minor's age for everyone to see is generally a bad idea. Letting people specify that their thread should be extra-clean without having to explain why seems like a much better idea.

[KoolBear]

and instead of discussing our actually issue, each thread degenerates into arguments about whether or not we have censored the poor other members because now they can't curse.

Very interesting thought, I can see where a user with an attitude could troll those threads with malicious intent.

Remember the thought isn't to change anything on how the DBB is handled if anything the end result should be less moderation because users reconize and respect others preferences.

Thoughts?

[KoolBear]

Allow thread starters to set a flag on their thread that strengthens the language filter for the whole thread, and puts up some sort of icon so members will know to keep their content extra-clean. For example, if my little sister came on here, she could start a "G-rated" thread, and words like damn, hell, sex, or drugs would be automatically bleeped out. Her thread would show up with a "G-rated" icon, and then everyone would know, if you want to talk about not-G-rated stuff, go to a different thread. Or, Bettina or anyone else who doesn't like swearing could start a "no swearing" thread (even about a sensitive issue) and we'd all know not to swear in that thread.

Good, very good, but as Kilarin pointed it out just setting that flag for all to see could be an invitation to harrass.

KB

[Lothar]

what I see happening here is Bettina and I open threads and check them as "No bad language", and instead of discussing our actually issue, each thread degenerates into arguments about whether or not we have censored the poor other members because now they can't curse.

I don't think that would happen.

I think all of us on this board, and those who recently left, are mature enough to understand and respect others' preferences. When Bettina asks people not to swear in her thread, people generally honor that request. When someone shows up in a game and says "hi, I'm 10 years old" everyone else tones their language down.

I don't see any problem with, essentially, automating the "please don't swear" request or the "keep it clean, I'm just a kid" request. I think that would save a lot of trouble, really, because it would keep people from accidentally saying things they wouldn't say if they realized who they were talking to, or had been asked not to.

[CDN_Merlin]

Why not use a rating like the movies? PG-13, R, A, 14+ etc. Have different censors for each one????

[Krom]

That is about the biggest problem I see with an idea like this, no matter what the intention was, all it will lead to is discrimination.

[Kilarin]

Is there any way to do this the other way around?
Could those of us who prefer not to see the foul language set a personal flag in our ACCOUNT that would turn on a filter for US, for all forums. I'm not talking about some all inclusive adult content filter, I don't LIKE those, just something that would bleep out the standard foul language?

That way, everyone gets the content they want without less inconvieniance to anyone else.

Kilarin

[Bet51987]

I want to scrap my idea...It won't work.

I also want to make a correction to some of the comments in this thread. My only \"real\" problems about swearing were in a game....not here. Yeah, al little bit maybe, but the dbb was pretty much clean compared to the games because it was moderated. And the comment of players adhering to the wishes of a 10 year old playing a game was not true. Rarely it was honored. Ask Koolbear or Roadkill when his daughter was playing.

I will say that many have respected me in a game and held back the swearing and I love them for that, and lately I've noticed little audio taunt swearing at all.

I didn't vote in the poll because I'm not sure what is the right answer. The NHB solves it for me because I don't go there.

Again, don't do anything that will make members leave. I would hate that.

Bettina

[Kilarin]

the dbb was pretty much clean compared to the games because it was moderated.

Very good point. And I should clarify on my position as well, I was trying to address HOW to deal with this issue if you are going to deal with it. I feel no urgent need for any filtering mechanisim.

Kilarin

[Ferno]

I've never known zach to make a dumb decision. I say go for it.

[fliptw]

how bout we table this idea until after things get settled, like say sometime in February.

on an aside: I thought we were removing that silly quote mod?

[DCrazy]

flip, you're gonna be thankful for that mod after this.

I think that these kinds of tweaks (ratings icons et al.) won't really address the problem. They pick away at it, but eventually you need to stop poking and get the cavity filled, so to speak. I think that we need a clear redefinition of policy. I spent the last hour and a half assembling a new set of Rules and Regulations that I think would provide a good starting point. Edit at will, criticize all you like. It's not meant to be final and I'm not expecting it to go anywhere. I'm just offering my solution to the problem I see.

DESCENTBB RULES AND REGULATIONS
REV. A - 11 JAN 2006

0. PREAMBLE

The DescentBB is a bulletin board that houses a Community with strong roots in the Descent series of video games. Discussion on the Board is not limited to the games, but all Members of the Community, including its Administrators and Moderators, are expected to adhere to certain standards of courtesy and respect, as set forth in these Rules and Regulations.


1. STRUCTURE

The Board, run by the Administrator(s), consists of multiple Forums, each monitored by one or multiple Moderator(s). The Forums fall under a few general Categories:
a. Descent Community - For general discussion amongst Members
b. Descent Gaming - Restricted to discussion of Descent gameplay
c. Descent Developers - Restricted to discussion of development for any of the Descent games
d. Creative Corner - For creative output of the community (N.B. : I think the Coders' Corner can be merged into the Tech Forum, and that the Gallery can be moved into the Descent Community category, but that's up for consensus)
e. 360* Discussions - Restricted to discussion of other games which share Descent's 360*-range-of-motion style
f. DBB Support - For discussion regarding the workings of the Board itself

These Categories and Forums exist to direct discussion, not to impede or hinder it. If a Member is in doubt as to which Forum in which to post, he or she should not feel intimidated to post anywhere; if necessary, off-topic discussion will be dealt with in accordance with these Rules and Regulations.


2. MEMBERSHIP

Membership at the Board is a privilege. Failure to follow these established Rules and Regulations may result in a temporary or permanent revocation of that privilege. That said, it is hoped that every Member of the Community does his or her best to follow these Rules and Regulations while partaking in discussion on the DescentBB. The following rules apply to all Members of the Board, including its senior members described below:
a. No Personal Attacks - No Member may post an inflammatory remark about another Member in any Forum whatsoever. Facilities exist both within the board (Private Messaging) and outside of the board (i.e. instant messaging services) to settle personal disputes.
b. No \"Spam\" - \"Spam\" is considered the posting of unsolicited advertisement, distracting formatting (e.g. overly sized or incredibly small text, unnecessary capitalization or use of non-alphanumeric characters especially in threat titles, etc.), large quantities of trivial content, or complete nonsense in any Forum, often repeatedly and in blatant disregard of prior warnings. It is not tolerated and will usually result in an immediate revocation of Membership.
c. No \"Sockpuppets\" - A \"Sockpuppet\" is an alternate user account registered to an existing Member of the Community. Sockpuppets are deceiving and unnecessary, except in cases of lost/forgotten password or account takeover. In those situations it may be considered preferable to contact an Administrator directly to resolve the issue. If a Member wishes to change his or her account, he or she is asked to publicly state such a change and cease use of the old account. Since the Board's software stores the IP address of posters, and such information is made available to Moderators and Administrators, evidence is easily accessible to either confirm or deny the existence of a Sockpuppet. By becoming a Member, one accepts that this information is stored and may be accessed by Moderators and Administrators.
d. Appropriateness of Discussion - In most forums, Members are requested to maintain a certain level of appropriateness in their topics and methods of discussion. The Board has a built-in filter that turns certain words into strings of asterisks (*). Some Forums may allow more mature content than others; such a decision is solely that of the Moderator(s) of that Forum and the Administrator(s).


3. MODERATION

Moderators are Members placed in charge of ensuring that these Rules and Regulations are upheld on the Board. A Moderator is assigned one or multiple Forum(s), and tasked with fostering conversation among Members, not stifling or restricting it. Moderators are given certain powers for use in achieving this goal:
a. Moderators may move topics to another Forum if they determine that the discussion is more appropriate in that Forum.
b. Moderators may edit posts that do not follow these Rules and Regulations, provided that clear indication is given that such action has been taken. In certain limited situations, Moderators may edit posts to periodically update information; this power is not to be abused. Moderators should not edit posts to correct spelling or grammar, and under no circumstances may a Moderator edit a post in an effort to change its meaning.
c. Moderators may split certain posts from one topic into a new discussion if they have deviated far enough from the original topic that they will function better in their own separate thread.
d. Moderators may close (lock) topics that have progressed to a state where positive, worthwhile discussion is unlikely to begin or resume. Locked topics may be unlocked at a future time. Splitting posts (above) and/or deleting individual posts (below) is sometimes preferred.
e. Moderators may delete topics or posts which are in direct violation of these Rules and Regulations. This is a severe action to be taken only when there is no doubt whatsoever of the poster's intention to violate the Rules and Regulations. Editing individual posts is almost always preferable to deleting them, and deletion of a thread is almost never preferred.

A Moderator is considered an Active Moderator if he or she has made a post anywhere on the forum within the past two months, and/or has exercised his or her Moderator abilities within the past three months.


4. ADMINISTRATION

The board is run by its Administrator(s). The Administrator(s) ensure(s) the board functions on a day-to-day basis, and is/are responsible for its technical upkeep. Administrators, in an effort to ensure smooth interation with the Community but respectful of their position as benefactors of the Board, must follow a few rules:
a. Administrators may make technological changes as necessary without consulting the Moderators or the Community at large. These changes include software upgrades, new styles, and minor enhancements to the functionality of the Board. No technological modification may be made that affects the presentation or visibility (i.e. apparent or actual existence) of content without consultation with the Community at large. \"Spoiler\" tags and \"quote-contraction\" features are specifically exempted from this regulation since they do not in fact make content inaccessible, but rather hide it for convenience, allowing it to be shown at will.
b. Administrators are discouraged from moderating individual Forums unless the Forum has no Active Moderator (definition given explicitly above). In cases of flagrant abuse, Administrators are free to use their powers at their discretion.
c. Administrators may not make any changes to the Board's structure without consulting the Moderators of the Forum(s) involved in the change.
d. Administrators are strongly asked to seek consensus from the Moderators at large on granting and revocation of Moderator positions.

Administrators have the final say in all disputes, but are cautioned that failure to involve others as advised in this section of the Rules and Regulations may result in distrust and malcontent among the Community.


ENJOY THE RIDE.
- DESCENTBB COMMUNITY

[Diedel]

Imo that would be useless feature, because it would rather attract ppl to read that stuff.

Keep such stuff in NHB, that's good enough.

My $0.02.

[roid]

koolbear my suggestion was mostly in jest. i wrote it in hope you would question whether the censorship route was really about what's good for the community, or if it was about something more personal to you.

i think an attitude shift and accompanying DBB policy modernisation is the real answer.

i don't recommend you impliment the censorship idea without REALLY thinking over the subtle social influences, i thought it up knowing an implimentation of it would end up being a disaster in a community such as ours (because of it's higher age average).

basically this social experiment has broken outof it's intended lab.

[Top Wop]

Why complicate the simple task of discussion? If people want to post racy stuff it goes in the NHB section. If its not there the mods have the discretion to move it there. I really dont see why we have to impliment another feature to automatically do what a simple task a human moderator can do.

[dissent]

I agree with those who don't see a need for a fix. NHB covers it.
(mes deux centimes)

[Mobius]

Please KB, for love of the English language!

Oh the humanity!

THERE IS NO SUCH WORD AS \"DEFINATELY\". There never was, never has been, and never will be an \"a\" in that word!

It is DEFINITELY. As in FINITE. As in DEFINITE.

AAARGH!

Even WORSE:

A \"Sensor\" is a device to detect things, like temperature, humidity, weight, pressure, etc.

A \"Censor\" is a person who removes, or hides certain words, phrases and or images from something in order to \"protect\" people.

SENSORS are good.
CENSORS are bad.

Dear sweet baby Jebus. We're being administered by an illiterate.

Do yourself a HUGE favour, buy a copy of \"The Concise Oxford Dictionary\" (even a Websters is acceptable, for you American-type spellers) and keep it RIGHT THERE NEXT TO YOUR MONITOR.

If you have the SLIGHTEST SUSPICION that a word is not spelled correctly: LOOK IT UP.

Words looked up will stick in your mind. I guarantee it.

[DCrazy]

I'll be sure to add a Mobius clause to my draft.

[KoolBear]

I'll be sure to add a Mobius clause to my draft.

LOL, good one.

Mobius, man if you follow me around you and I are going to have fun

[Bet51987]

Hahaha...Oh, leave Koolbear alone, but I am getting to like Mobius

Bettina

[KoolBear]

I think I'll beeter look into that spell cheker mod for the phpbb if people would like it. I know Mobius wouldn't mind. I am sure spelling Jebus hurts him

Mobius is that Websters or Webster's
[spoiler]better and checker - Mobius you are OK in my book[/spoiler]

[Krom]

ROFL XD @ Mobius.

[19:02:32] MD-2389: Must....resist....urge....to....post....stfumobius.jpg
[19:02:49] [D3k]Krom: word

[Ferno]

Every time you post a STFU.jpg,
God creates another Mobius.