Hello players. Today we will be discussing a hot topic. The chat filter. The chat filter has been causing a lot of confusion. As an ex-moderator I will happily discuss the rules surrounding this, and what to do if you think you have been unfairly punished. I have also spoken to current staff so my information is correct. For reference the rules state that bypassing the filter is a punishable chat offense. This means if a word is filtered you should not try to say the uncensored version (version without stars). If a word is caught by the filter, mods should NOT warn nor punish for it UNLESS: - The person is being obviously racist or offensive - Spamming However there are words that are in the filter that are INNOCENT. They are words that may have a swear word in them but are not bad. In this case staff should not punish you. Words such as Grape are completely fine to bypass. The word Gay and Lesbian are also filtered. This has been debated however it wasn't by choice of the owners, just default in the filter. Remember above: You can use the word censored as long as you are not being rude or offensive and since they are not swear words, bypassing the filter is acceptable as long as you are following every other rule. Staff can see what you were trying to say therefore know the difference between you swearing or saying an innocent word that is filtered. However it is still advised you never try to uncensor the word. Staff can point to the rules and tell you that you technically broke them if you bypass the filter. But if you are punished for using an innocent word (remember, staff can see what you said so they cannot use the excuse that they thought it was swearing) then you should report it as this behaviour would be considered abuse of permissions and failure to follow proper moderator procedure. If you are not swearing excessively and everything is being filter and its not directed to anyone but you still get punished then again, it is considered abuse of power and the staff needs to be held accountable. If you ever are treated unfairly and you need some assistance and a professional opinion, drop me an inbox. Staff included, i'll be happy to advocate for anyone. Krissy.
I agree completely. As staff, we try to keep our server g-rated and family friendly. I allow people to filter evade words such as “stuffs and grape”, and “gay & lesbian” as long as it’s being used appropriately. The only time it starts to be a problem is when people are doing it to be purposely filter evading, it’s still not really an issue when people do this, but it does become one when it starts to be spammed. I do think that overall, our chat rules need to be redone so everything has a set punishment and our rules regarding filter evading are more clear. And until then, this guide is extremely useful. Thank you, Krissy!!
As Talia mentioned the grape problem becomes trickier when you consider its propensity to cause spam. Much like the spamming of 'Ebola' in late 2014, though the word may not overtly break the rules, it does generally cause people to parrot the word and cause spam. I suppose the situation is slightly different, grape being an innocent berry that is appropriate to joke about and discuss, and Ebola being a fatal virus that recently killed 11,000 people in West Africa: less of a joking topic. Anyway, aside from this everything you mentioned is correct according to our rules as they currently stand. I'm glad you made this to clear up the rules for staff members and players alike. To be honest, everything would be easier if people actually knew the rules, as imperfect as they are. Just so we were all on the same page.
What you mention is the reason some staff may decide to punish for just using the word. But that isn't right. Handle the spam that comes from it instead, if it occurs. There will always be people who will complain the innocent word is filtered and people will try using it. Theres nothing wrong with that. Gotta let the users have their fun. But when it gets too spammy, warn the server to stop and punish those who don't. A good mod will respect the rules and not invent reasons for punishments as a way to solve the issue such as to stop players from using the innocent filtered word all together. Rather they will ensure use of the word does not create too much spam and handle the spam according to the rules. If players are expected to follow the rules then staff need to follow the guidelines better. This is just one part of the big picture. Talia is willing to handle the spam so people aren't being punished for an innocent word. That is what a true moderator would do. Good members of this community are tired of this nonsense. Tired of the "every staff for themselves." Tired of these made up punishment rules. Good members want this fixed.
Mods are humans and not robots for a reason - they are expected to be able to appreciate the context of a word and distinguish between words used innocently vs words used to insult/annoy/curse. Frequently, overenthusiastic (often new) staff can be a bit hypervigilant with their newfound abilities and aren't sure exactly when to use them and when to let things slide. It is all with good intentions, and usually with a little nudging everyone gets on the same page. This is just speaking in general of course, you do get stubborn ones here and there that might require more than a little nudge. Over the years I've often talked to staff about toning down their kicks for little things like using too many of the same letter, or too many caps, or too many colors. I address them as I see them, but often I'm not online at the same time as other mods and will need to rely on the players to bring it to my attention. Please let me know! I will be happy to talk to any staff who you feel are being a little too excessive in their moderation of chat. An example being the large number of 31 day bans for "death threats" recently; I've addressed that at a staff meeting and we should be seeing much fewer of these now. Feel free to contact me at any time!
Yes, you are right. Moderators can distinguish something by context. It is what I did frequently to avoid over-punishing people and to give some humanity to staff since the consensus within the community is moderators are nothing but perms (essentially that there is little skill and more permissions). Players are less inclined to talk to staff about other staff in fear or just because they lack faith that any staff will believe that they were treated unfairly. At least 3 staff members and a group of players have expressed this fear and won't speak out. They believe staff are protected. Perhaps not as many staff are aware players feel that way. Whatever the case is there is a lot to fix and this is just one case where the behaviour of certain staff has gone from a once off to abuse.
i've gotten kicked so much for saying s*** like "im g ay" and people getting upset that i bypassed the filter lke yall calm down i like p**** but can u stop acting like one
