The points system makes it easier to enforce and keep track of...thats all. It also lets people know where they stand. Previous to this we had to gauge how bad they had been from our memory. This lead to much more inconsistency. You want consistency and more fair treatment...this is the way to do it. And IMO it works quite well. Users get progressively more points and progressively longer bans at certain point levels. There is nothing ambiguous about it. If you are a problem person, its never an issue. I takes a lot of messing up to get to 50 points. The people that do get up in that range know what they are doing wrong, know they are breaking the rules, and choose to continue doing so.

Much better than a whole lots of warnings saying to behave or one day they are going to get it. Then one day comes and they get some arbitrary ban from 1 day to a year based on how the moderator is feeling at that specific point about the violator. The points take a number of variables out of the equation.

 

Ludikraut,

As you stated and I agree whole heartily, this is a community. And I believe the members dictate the content, the civility and the value of the information. The moderator's can only clip the lows that are either reported or they find. My hunch is the moderator's review less than 10% of the new posts on a daily basis. That's why there are bazillions (Avogadro's number X 10.3 ) of threads where the swear filter was bypassed. We would like to keep Evom off net nanny data bases and try to keep our forums work and family friendly. It really is up to the members to police themselves or ask us to help via the reported post function.

As Charles said, the application of the Off Topic rule is arbitrary. In fact all the moderator actions are arbitrary and subjective. There are always grey areas even wrong decisions. There is no other way to do it as long as "humonz" are involved. The point system added a historical record and a yardstick. That record provides a history of behaviour of both members and moderator's. I review the infractions and warnings daily. I feel the point system has added consistency for moderating. It also provides a record of past problems that help access problem members. The warnings and infractions can be (and have been) reversed.

I believe you posted your concerns based upon your enthusiasm and commitment to this community, I appreciate the dialog.

To all others reading this thread. The moderator's engage less that .05% of the membership on a daily basis concerning infractions and warning. Threads such as these tend to amplify the issue beyond the reality of what is occurring across the site. There are thousands of high quality technical discussions occurring simultaneously here every day; right now. There are thousands of questions ask and answered by the most knowledgeable people on the subjects. I'm awed on a daily basis by both the breadth and depth of this community and the dedication of the moderator staff. Enjoy the site.

Speedlimit..