Please read the UPDATE to the guideline for Video Forum Participation ----- Rules Updated 5-4-20

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esquared

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 8, 2000
23,586
4,805
146
The moderators have added a guideline update for those participating in the Video Card subforum. Please take to time to read these short additions under the area:

Emphasis on the following:

Following these guidelines will make for a better place for debating video card issues without members having to throw down the gauntlet when faced with opposing viewpoints.

Please help us to keep this subforum, as one that will encourage new members as well as having established members come and participate and grow with us
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WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,337
7,987
136
Cool, can we get a general frowning upon on terms like Nvidiot, zoner, fanATIc and the like.

They add nothing to any discussion and just lead to a load of bickering.

Also can I just get a bit sycophantic for a bit (its ok I'll go shower afterwards) and say what a great job IDC is doing at moderating the forum.
 

esquared

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 8, 2000
23,586
4,805
146
Cool, can we get a general frowning upon on terms like Nvidiot, zoner, fanATIc and the like.

They add nothing to any discussion and just lead to a load of bickering.

Also can I just get a bit sycophantic for a bit (its ok I'll go shower afterwards) and say what a great job IDC is doing at moderating the forum.

Yes you can. We mods notice those things too.

Take a look at his new title. ;)
 

ronnn

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
3,918
0
71
Just to clarify the new guidelines... in this thread http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2128012, the moderators write "If you simply must express your negativity then do so by pm."

I have received 2 very ugly pms and am just wondering what the limits to this form of silent harassment are?

edit: edited out the identifying details as they are not the point.
 
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Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
Just to clarify the new guidelines... in this thread http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2128012, the moderators write "If you simply must express your negativity then do so by pm."

I have received 2 very ugly pms and am just wondering what the limits to this form of silent harassment are?

edit: edited out the identifying details as they are not the point.


You are not expected to endure negative pm's.

You have a very useful tool at your disposal to avoid undesired pm's - the ignore list.

Place the member(s) in question on your ignore list. This will prevent them from being able to send you pm.

Moderator Idontcare
 

ronnn

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
3,918
0
71
Perhaps I am being obtuse. Just questioning the suggestion that sending a negative pm is okay. They are not fun to get. Not having put the person on an ignore list does not make me at fault for sending them.
 

MrK6

Diamond Member
Aug 9, 2004
4,458
4
81
Can't you report the user and then put them on ignore? I feel that if someone is blatantly spamming malevolent PM's, that's just as much of a nuisance as spamming malevolent posts on the forum. Reporting them makes the issue known to moderators, and can be addressed if it is indeed an issue.
 

Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
Perhaps I am being obtuse. Just questioning the suggestion that sending a negative pm is okay. They are not fun to get. Not having put the person on an ignore list does not make me at fault for sending them.

Can't you report the user and then put them on ignore? I feel that if someone is blatantly spamming malevolent PM's, that's just as much of a nuisance as spamming malevolent posts on the forum. Reporting them makes the issue known to moderators, and can be addressed if it is indeed an issue.

I can't disagree with either one of you on moral grounds, but if you read the AnandTech Forum Guidelines you'll notice pm's are not explicitly covered as an area that is moderated.

For example I have no authority to moderate (take action) any poster based on the contents of any pm they may send to another member.

We do take action in two situations though, if it is a spammer pm'ing people we like the pm's to be reported (the red triangle is in the upper-right corner of the pm) so we can ban the spammer.

The second is if the poster is harassing a mod because mods cannot put members on an ignore list by virtue of the fact that they need to be able to see the members post in the forums in order to effect their duties as a mod. (and vice-versa, if a mod is harassing a member since members can't put mods on the ignore list, report it and we do our best to resolve the situation via arbitration)

We mods can't bubble-wrap the online world and provide protection in every respect. We have a charter that tasks us with moderating public posts for the good of the community, we do not have a charter that enables us to moderate bad behavior that transpires in private or outside the purview of this forum. We can only point you to the tool that does prevent repeat occurrence.

Sorry, that's the best I can do with the powers that the community has entrusted in me.

You could always pull together a sensible guideline amendment proposal and pitch it to the mods in Moderator Discussions, we are open-minded regarding such proposals as the presence of the community polls can attest.

Moderator Idontcare
 

Axon

Platinum Member
Sep 25, 2003
2,541
1
76
I always find it sad that stuff like this post needs to be said.
 

ronnn

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
3,918
0
71
No big deal. I have been called worse than an enemy that is malignant inside and will certainly survive. I was just questioning the suggestion that something that was not ok by forum guidelines would be ok in a pm. Hidden harassment tends to be more ugly.

I appreciate that the personal call outs are much more rare these days and the current mods are working hard on this.
 

Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
No big deal. I have been called worse than an enemy that is malignant inside and will certainly survive. I was just questioning the suggestion that something that was not ok by forum guidelines would be ok in a pm. Hidden harassment tends to be more ugly.

I appreciate that the personal call outs are much more rare these days and the current mods are working hard on this.

(apologies in advance for the bold text like I am shouting, forum rules require all mod posts to be bolded)

ronnn,

The suggestion made in the mod comments regarding communicating critical feedback by way of pm is not intended to be conflated with communicating harassing or hateful feedback.

My directions are intended to assist presumably well-meaning members in understanding the appropriate venue for providing their critical feedback to the intended recipient.

Those members who wish to be abusive in pm's are not doing so because I asked them to or because I in any way condone, promote or encourage such behavior.

Examples of what I would consider to be reasonable and helpful, albeit negative and critical, feedback delivered in a pm is something along the lines of "hey ronnn, saw your thread, aren't you basically posting basically the same damn thread over and over again? what gives?"...or "hey ronnn, whats up with the argumentative tone lately?".

Those kinds of pm's are intended to provide critical feedback of a personal nature (relating to the poster and not necessarily the contents of the post) which has no place being posted publicly in a technical forum.

However I would not find it ok to receive vile and hateful worded pm's, nor do I expect you to find it ok, nor do I expect anyone here who is in good-standing with the community to take what I communicate in my mod-edits as a directive to send vile or intentionally hurtful pm's.

Can I climbs off me soapbox now and has charburgerz yet? :) ;)

Moderator Idontcare
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,337
7,987
136
Maybe we should have a hall of shame, where the PM's get reviewed by some mods and if deemed worthy get posted in a sticked thread. Might stop people being idiots if the know they aren't guaranteed anonymity.
 

Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
Maybe we should have a hall of shame, where the PM's get reviewed by some mods and if deemed worthy get posted in a sticked thread. Might stop people being idiots if the know they aren't guaranteed anonymity.

Not disagreeing with your sentiment, but Guidelines Rule #9 states:
9) Respect other users' privacy and do not post personal or private information of any other user without their express permission, regardless of the source. This also includes PMs between two or more members. The contents of those PMs cannot be posted in the forum unless all parties agree to it.

PM's are considered to be sacrosanct territory. We intentionally do not monitor them.

Moderator Idontcare
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,337
7,987
136
Yeah it would need a slight policy change, although I have seen some PM's posted in the old fusetalk forum issues forum. I think they were from that nutter who randomly PM's members with abusive, violent PM's.
 

ronnn

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
3,918
0
71
Negative feedback or in my business they manage to call it positive feedback, is a risky thing. Word it slightly wrong and you just start a fight. Anyways I am done, thanks for the clarification.
 

Destiny

Platinum Member
Jul 6, 2010
2,309
1
0
I just want to say all the MODs and Idontcare are doing an awesome job... I was out of forum participation for nearly 6 years from other tech forms because of the bashing and kiddy funny stuff going around back then... My experience on AnandTech forums have been overwhelming positive...
 
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Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
Cool, can we get a general frowning upon on terms like Nvidiot, zoner, fanATIc and the like.

They add nothing to any discussion and just lead to a load of bickering.

Also can I just get a bit sycophantic for a bit (its ok I'll go shower afterwards) and say what a great job IDC is doing at moderating the forum.

I just want to say all the MODs and Idontcare are doing an awesome job... I was out of forum participation for nearly 6 years from other tech forms because of the bashing and kiddy funny stuff going around back then... My experience on AnandTech forums have been overwhelming positive...

:$ thanks for the kind words guys :)

- Mod IDC
 

Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
Adding Amendment requiring thread-title citations per community poll results:

Thread-Title Citation Expectations
Per community voting, thread titles containing information based on 3rd party sources must include a citation of the source in the thread-title.

For example, if a member wishes to start a new thread based on information from an article published on Semi-Accurate, the VC&G community expects the thread-starter to incorporate some manner of reference to Semi-Accurate in their thread's title.

"S/A: 580GTX's are not manufacturable"
or
"580GTX's are not manufacturable, per Semi-Accurate"

This guideline amendment is effective Monday Dec 20, 2010 and expires Mar 20, 2011. The guideline will be put to a re-vote thereafter for possible permanent adoption by the community vote if so desired.
\

Moderator Idontcare
 

Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
Updating the posting guidelines in the OP to reflect the fact that the thread-citation guideline was approved for permanent adoption by VC&G community vote effective Sunday Mar 27, 2011.

Idontcare
Super Mod