Before beginning, I would like to say that I have no ban history on Skyblock so this is an unbiased opinion on how bans should be handled on the server. For the past few weeks I have been watching chat as users have been banned for things like staff impersonation, chatting inappropriate things, etc. Interestingly enough, every single ban I have seen in chat has been for 31 days, regardless of what rule was broken. I'm sure there are other bans that take place that don't appear in chat, but it looks fishy when every ban length is the same in global messages. My question is how many warnings are users getting before they are banned for an entire month? I am getting the sense that many first-time offenders are automatically getting banned for a month rather than for a few days and I am not sure if this is fair punishment. If a staff member could maybe fill me in on what the actual protocol is (if there is any) or if ban lengths are just determined on the spot according to the feelings of the mod that dealt with it? If there is no current benchmark for ban lengths, I think that one should be implemented. I think people who say a single inappropriate word in PM's (not naming names) should be given a ban that is significantly less long than a month. I am not arguing for the unbanning of anyone, but I am arguing for more fair punishment. It seems unjust to simply kick specific users committing similar offenses as others, and giving others an entire month. There should be some more consistency and thought put into ban lengths. I feel like simple offenses should be given bans that are less long, such as a week or a few days.
Racism & Homophobia are 31d bans. Any other chat infractions we consider the players history and severity of the message. We have rough durations we stick to as a team but on the whole each case tends to be very different. There is a few factors that contribute towards the end punishment. To an extent we already do work like this but we just don’t have it public. We do work behind the scenes and sometimes all you see is the end ban or mute message. It’s easy to suggest one way when you don’t see the bigger picture. I 100% agree there should be some sense of formality and groundwork on the way we work for it to be the same across the team but I also know we already do do this. We all consider the same things. Hope this makes sense.
Yes it would be nice to have a clear layout of what constitutes a ban and the length of time the ban may be. If there is framework that is being followed currently, it's not being followed very well as I have seen varying lengths of punishment for just about everything that is bannable. Some people get off with no punishment and all I can put that down to is some "under the table" moderating.
This is something we can pick up as a team but like I’ve said in my message above I do believe we all follow the same procedures in the way we work. I will be sure to make sure this thread is seen by the staff and will get their thoughts on it.
