Recently CypriotMerks has posted a thread (Rate Abuse Defined + 25 posts to use post ratings | Skyblock Forums) where he set the borderline for both staff and regular users regarding the rate abuse rule. The new definition of the rule doesn't only solve majority of problems, connected with rate abuse, but also opens the new loopholes for staff members to punish forum members. This regards the following points: I) Rating someone negatively without reason would also be abuse. (Bad spelling with no errors for example) II) Rating specifically only one person repeatedly could also be seen as farming/abuse. The first (I) point seems vague, since the opinions are subjective and may differentiate towards different topics. Example: Player X: *rates post about how American soldiers killed thousand of people during the war in Iraq as rude* Staff Member Z: that post is not rude, rate abuse!!1!!1 *adds warning points/bans* The second (II) point is simply stupid. Forum members can be inactive, during that period new awesome content by one member could be created. If the %username% rates all that content, it can be considered as a rate abuse. Example: >Player Z - inactive for 1 week >Comes back >Notices 5 new interesting threads by Player X >Reads them, rates them >Gets banned for rate abuse I believe there should be more detailed description on those two points, otherwise, staff members can use these loopholes and ban players. I'm not criticizing the entire Cyp's thread, I am only discontented by the points above.
Good points raised. We are not so petty as to ban or warn people for rating 3 posts like or something to that affect. Usually we start warming when people start overusing ratings to the point we are certain it is to boost the ratings of a particular individual. Such that is a person who was gone for a week rates 5 people a positive rating each it is not abuse but if they were to rate the same person 5 times in a short space of time then that would be where we give a small warning to chill on the ratings. I believe the rules on rates abuse were written by mineverse staff which, no offense if it wasn't done by mv staff, but it is not really relevant to our forums and how staff here see rates abuse. The most I can see doing is posting a thread that actually defines the rules better but the thread is just a guide on the "safe levels" where staff may find an issue. Usually there isn't. While I won't explain how those rules opens players to loophole too and generally staff here are reasonable enough to just remove a rating rather than make a big deal over it. This thread you might want to post over at mv where it is probably needed most
Pretty much what krissy said. But also they arent there to define every single specific case- if they were there would be many pages of that thread. Its just to provide a general and current definition of rate abuse.
I'm not accusing anyone in abuse or in performing what you just stated, but it is always better to re-insure yourself. I simply want to make sure this server doesn't turn into one where one or more staff members abuse their permissions and spread the toxicity around the players. That is all. There are not many specific cases, it is only necesarry to quote parts from original server rules and a little from yourself to be sure.
You seem to think that staff is generally searching for loopholes to ban people illegitimately, which is in my eyes quite a perverted point of view. But feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. In that case, may I suggest that you Review your phrasing, as such expressions as "staff members abuse their permissions and spread the toxicity around the Players" are quite ambiguous. Staff members committed themselves to keep the Server a nice and peaceful place to stay, not to "spread toxicity" on every occasion when they find a "loophole" in the rules.
Funny that a guy who calls himself Satan would post this. Anyways... Good message, I'm going to bump so more players can have an opinion on this.
