[Debate] Staff Abusing Powers

[Enchant]

Staff Abusing Powers, This seems to be a huge issue for many members.

There seems to be a continuous struggle regarding what the rights of a member are and the responsibilities of a staff member. When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum? Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning? What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs? What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff. Please keep in mind, that this isn't cyber bullying I am talking about, that is a whole different issue. This is about staff stepping over the line.

I also want to note, that while this does go on is some forums, it doesn't reflect all forums.

[kelendria]

Again I've been on a forum where staff have definitely abused their powers.
Locking things without reasoning, changing posts to suit them, shifting their weight around & even cyber-bullying.
I think banning should also be used with caution, some 'newbies' aren't familiar with forums for example, & posting in a wrong section or asking a question doesn't always deserve immediate dismissal.
My own staff thankfully have never gone power mad, but as said in other threads, give out powers that only you feel they are capable of dealing with.
All in all, set some boundaries, look for trouble & don't always be so quick to side with your staff!

[Candice]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?
» I believe that a staff member has over-stepped their boundaries, when they're becoming more power hungry. For example, say John ran the forum, and he had Mary help him as the co-administrator. Mary would be over-stepping her boundaries, if she went and started doing everything without or against John's words. Then, John would have to spend extra time returning everything back to how it was before.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?
» That, in my mind, would depend on who the disagreement is with, and how large of a disagreement is it. If its over whether or not to accept someone, then I don't think either of those options would be best. If it was something more severe like how to run the forum, then I would see that as a warning. If they continued, then I would see where the ban would be needed. Other than that, those two options shouldn't be used unless its necessary.

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?
» A staff member would never, ever, force someone to agree with their beliefs. Everyone, has their own viewpoints, and should be allowed to share that as well. Even if a staff member doesn't have the same, say religious beliefs, it's not their duty to call the person out with either a warning, or a ban, both of those options are just ridiculous.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?
» Again, a staff member shouldn't delete/ban/give warnings against someone that doesn't have the same opinion as them. If they honestly disagree with something the person has posted, then they should at least debate it with them in a calm and reasonable matter. If its something far worse than that, there's a PM system for a reason, take care of it there, or have another staff member deal with it.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?
» I've experienced this to some degree in a way. I don't believe I was necessarily abusing my powers, but the person did call me power hungry. Mainly, because I took control of the board in their absence, and added rules that I saw fit. Apparently, they didn't like that, and instead of telling that to me, they closed down the site. In my opinion, they shouldn't go and ruin the fun for everyone else because of one person.

[HoudiniDerek]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?

Whenever they break the rules they are supposed to uphold for one. When you are part of a forum and you break the rule that you are supposed to enforce, it shows a potential for further abuse. Granted, accidents do happen, but not consistently.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?

It depends. If someone disagrees with the TOS and flaunts it, then yes, that is grounds for a warning or ban because they are breaking the law. If I say that the A-TEAM rocks and you hate the show, then no. Everyone is allowed their own opinions on things.


What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?

If I saw a staff member do that, they would be gone. Everyone is unique and has different experiences. They have a right to have their own beliefs even if they run contrary to the rest of the forum.

Granted, if I make a site about how much I love a certain TV show and a member just comes to bash it and whatnot, I would tell them to go somewhere else so they could enjoy what is being talked about. The old adage about saying something nice comes to mind. I would not publicly threaten them nor privately. I would politely tell them that this site is for "fans" of the show. If the member continued to be disruptive, I would act in accordance with the rules.


What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?

I have had that happen. It's sad, but people do it. It could be because of a controversial topic, the staff member doesn't like you, anything. I think that deletions should not really happen unless they are against the TOS per se. Even then, I think they should be locked and archived so people know that there is a record of the flagrant behavior. Just a disagreement in general though, no.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff

I have been a victim of it, but I do not think I can be accused of it. If I have been, no one has brought it to my attention. I think that is because I hold myself to the same rules. If I have made a mistake when something has changed, someone points it out and I admit I made a mistake. Humility and recognition that you are no perfect as a staff member can go a long way.

I also want to note, that while this does go on is some forums, it doesn't reflect all forums.

Agreed. Some forums never have the problem at all because they choose quality staff and have clear rules to follow with good members. I have been at sites where I have seen it, but I think that it is on the decline overall from the forums I have been too.

Good topic, Enchant.

[Captain Janeway]

I'm pretty happy to say that nobody on my forum has abused there powers. It's quite surprising since I have about thirteen or fourteen staff members. I have however been accused of abusing my powers. It's quite absurd actually. I don't see how enforcing rules can be an abuse of power on my part. Espeically if someone was talking about compromising the security and well beaning of my forum. Anyways, none of my staff members has stepped over the line when it comes to there powers, but If they ever do, I will consider a proper punishment for what they have done. It may not be a ban or a suspension, but more of taking away there powers or not having them be apart of my staff till they can get back on track.

[veggiegirl]

Nobody on my forum has abused their powers either-if anything, they do too little.

I recently posted a thread in General Talk about the problem I was having.

A Global and a member disliked each other and had continuous confrontations.

We banned the member but, after much thought, she was unbanned and put on a 50% warning, as was the Global, since we found both to be equally culpable for the discourse.

When my Global realized he was on probation, he deleted his account and took two top posters with him who were also mods.

However, we have no regrets because we realized it is more important to treat everyone fairly.

I have often told my staff that I want moderation to be discreet and there is not to be any admonishing of members on the open board. If a member does something wrong, modify his post and notify him by private message.

None of the staff has ever or would ever do anything without speaking to me about it first.

I make each member feel as though they are special because they are. I intend to treat them that way.

[rosebud]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?Here are some examples I have witnessed staff abusing their power.

• Spreading rumors about a member.
  
• Lying about a member just to get your members to respect you.
  
• Banning someone just because they're inactive. The staff lost what was possibly the chance of having an active member for the future.
  
• Banning without warning. The only time I think that's being abused is when you don't see the rule "you will be banned if you do this or that."
  
• Announcing who and why they banned a member or keep records of member's wrong doings publicly.
  
• Banning a member for saying they're leaving the forum.
  
• Warning a member for spelling/grammar mistakes.
  
• Using the staff only forum to talk behind a member's back instead of actual forum issues. I can understand to do this if you're doing it to resolve an issue, but this is unacceptable if you're doing this just because you don't like a member.
  
• Allowing other staff members to publicly bash a member.
  
• Banning a new member just because you saw them break the rules on another forum. They didn't break any rules on your forum. Why ban them? Let the staff take care of that member on the forum they're breaking the rules. It's not your job to try to do their's just because you're staff on your own.
  
• Stalking aka following your member on other forums and pestering them about what they wrote just because you don't like them.
  
• Not taking action against a member just because the staff is their friend.
  
• Not considering another member's feelings who is against the friend of a staff just because they want to be protective of their friend.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?
If it's done civily, otherwise than no. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. They won't be the same as yours. You can't force your mentality upon someone else. If it gets to bashing, focing your mentality on someone else, calling names, etc. than the it's uncalled for.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?
Deleting a thread for the sake of disagreeing is not a valid reason. That will intimidate members from becoming active and the purpose of a message board is to draw members, not turn them away if you can help it. If the members are breaking the rules, calling each other names, won't listen to the staff, etc. then it's the time to delete the thread.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?
No, I've never abused my power because I've learned so much by observation. I have been a victim of this, though.

[wwrdevil]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?
I believe a staff member has pushed the boundaries of their power when they engage another member in an argument on an open forum. By doing so they have not only lowered themselves to that person's level but also just interrupted the entire discussion when an entirely off topic post. What I've always liked my staff to do is to civilly reprimand the member through a PM, which they also MUST send to me or my Co-Admin so we know it was civil.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?
Almost never is a disagreement grounds for a ban. However, a disagreement with an Administrator over a matter on how the forum is run is grounds for a warning ,usually 10%. This goes for not only members but Mods as well. Me nor my Co-Admin ever hesitated to warn a Mod if it was warranted.


What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?
I never gave my Mods the ability to do either any warning levels or bans were handled by me personally. They knew that however I had one Mod who did once threaten to ban a member for simply voicing an opposite opinion in a thread on politics. The member handled the situation very smartly by PMing me the contents of their post, and I stripped the Mod of their powers and banned them for a week. Didn't have another problem after that the Mod did eventually earn back VERY few of his powers.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?
Once again my Mods didn't have the ability to delete posts or threads. If there was a post they found inappropriate the copied it and PMed it to me, if I agreed that it was inappropriate I deleted the post and sent the offending member a PM explaining the reason it was deleted. In the case of a thread that got a little heated they were told to lock it, and every day I went through and checked out locked threads if I found that the thread had some relevant content I unlocked it but disabled post counting, if I found the thread meaningless I deleted it.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?
Never was accused of abusing my power, and any allegations of power abuse on the part of my staff was throughly investigated. If me and the Co-Admin agreed that power abuse had occurred the Mod was temporarily stripped of their powers, and if they did it again I stripped them of their powers permanently and banned them for a week. I have in the past been a short victim of staff abuse and after it occurred I simply didn't visit the forum again.

[Harlequinn]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?
Breaking their own rules, showing favoritism, punishing members for things that don't deserve it.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?
Warning unless it becomes a big issue. If the member becomes upset and persists I will warn them that they will be banned and, after that, they will be banned.

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?
I (jokingly) threaten to ban my friends all the time, but as for other members? They have the right to their own opinions and, unless they are putting down another member by arguing their ideals, there should be no problem.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?
I've never done it, or had it done to me. But two members of mine did it. One member got upset with the thread and deleted all his posts.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?
I was accused of showing favoritism by an irate staff member and I was a victim of a staff member who abused her powers. It made me a little (VERY) mad because she, and other members, know she was wrong and still nothing happened. No protests, no inquires, nada.

[disaster]

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?

This is the only thing I've had a problem with (of the topics provided). I typed up the rules the admin had created with a font that matched the skin and posted them without asking the administrator. I didn't think it was a huge deal, as if she decided she didn't want them up, I would've been happy to change them. But instead of confronting me, a member noticed I had misspelled a word and pointed it out. She said 'Yeah, its because [my name] typed up the rules without asking me'.

[Lugubrious]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?
When a member comes whining to me that they are being unfair. Usually, they don't complain unless it is something bad. I will look into it in a very detailed manner, and then send a message to every other

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?
I go for a 'three strikes, you're out'. They ARE allowed to disagree, but they have to sort of peacefully agree to disagree. Meaning, we both have different opinion, bbbuuuuutt since it is my site, they follow my rules. Now if it is a simple opinion, like who should be president or something, I would NEVER ban or warn them if their opinion was different. But their opinions on the rules of my sites must be told to me politely and they must accept it if I don't want to use their ideas. If they pester me three times or more, while being rude, I give them an official warning. Then if they get mad at me for the warning, they are not staff anymore. They get mad about that? Banned for a day. If it gets worse, it can go on and on until they are banned for good...

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?
No staff should ever force them to believe in what they do, no matter how big it is. I would instantly un-staff them if a person was being forced down by their behavior.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?
If my members had their posts unfairly deleted, I would get about 50 PMs and the staff member would be in big trouble. The consequences would be the same as if they abused power, because that is abuse of power.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?
I've been told I was abusive by a rude member who called me an idiot. I gave them a 50% warning for telling me that I was an idiot, and they flipped out and ran off to all my mods saying I was crazy. We all agreed to ban her. That was the end of her.



Now, none of the staff I have ever chosen has ever been abusive. Most of my sites are relatively small and peaceful. Nobody who even gets to be staff are the kind of people who would delete posts they didn't agree with. I think that before you even think about how you punish staff, you should think about why you would ever punish such good members...

[orper]

Yep, I have had this happen before. It is a sad thing, to have a staff tell you that what you did was wrong, when you didn't actually do anything, but... I have no clue.

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?
When the staff starts controlling the what powers they may have on the site. For example, if someone has the right to edit posts and make changes, they make start making changes on posts because of something someone said, and maybe they didn't like it, I'm not sure, but whatever reason, they completely changed another member's post for their own benefit.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?
It honestly depends. Some things that members disagree are so serious that someone may have to bann or warn them, like for example like sexual posting, etc. Other simple things however, like a signature that is too big, should not go to that extend.

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?
A staff member should never ever, force someone to obey to their own beliefs. While the staff member may have powers to control the site and can do what they feel is best, they should never threaten another member to ban or warn them just to get them on their side.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?
That has happens, and it does go back to what the staff member believes. It is a matter of opinion and expressing yourself, so staff member so not delete the post just becuase they disagree with it.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?
Yes, actually, it was my sister. I gave her the power of the admin and she abused it. I told her there was no cussing on my site, and she ended up doing it anyway. When some of the members kindly told her to stop, she threatened to ban them and did. It was horrible.
Actually I think this poor girl, Lacey has had this happen to her : read the post here.

[Shinigami Deception]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?
i know because sometimes when im throughtly mad ive done it before, but going around banning people becuase they seem to add to the flames of your rage.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?

Warning to stop yes, banning- only if you ask them to either stop the disagreement or take it to a pm and they refuse to do so. a full never ending ban is a little harsh maybe a day or so for both would work but most times people end up getting mad and quiting.

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?
no, i feel that you can believe in what ever you want how every you want when ever you want but i know that most people feel that way about lots of things and i hate to have discussions which makes people start fighting.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted? i have never had anyone delete my post or thread becuase they didnt like it.

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?

i used to be a member and co admin of about 5 sites with this girl, she started talking bad about me on her site adn then banned me for the chatter box so that i couldnt defend myself. after i got made and deleted everythign i had created for her and quit she sent people to childishly spam my sites.

[Aqua]

This member of this role play board made fun of my skills and when I asked for help the mods banned me..

[Troxy]

When do you think a staff member has pushed the boundaries of power on a forum?

When they are being strict and harsh beyond reason, simply for the sake of it. I understand that severely disobediant members sometimes need harsher handling, but even for them there is a limit as to how nasty you should get. If the staff member is taking liberties that aren't theirs to take, disregarding the admin's wishes, and breaking the rules that they agreed to enforce, that is when they have crossed the line.

Is a disagreement grounds for a warning or banning?
It all depends on what the disagreement is on. If it is on obeying the rules, I wouldn't harass my staff for giving the rebelious member a warning, or if it is a more serious rule, banning whether permanently or temporarily. If it is on something like, sexuality, religion, politics etc. when the main admin has allowed such things to be discussed, for staff to ban or warn someone for simply expressing their opinion on those topics that have been alotted them, it is unforgivable. If any of my staff were to do such a thing, they would be immediately stripped of their powers and I would have half a mind to ban them completely. Who wants power-hungry filth like that on their site in the first place, let alone on their staff team.

What about idle threats to warn or ban a member in order to forced them into submission with their own beliefs?

Again, unforgivable. What right does anyone have to try and force another into a certain way of thinking? Our thoughts, our opinions are a sacred as anything comes no-a-days. To have those stripped of you, to have anothers forced apon you... a modern day sin, to say the least. If I were to be a victim of this, I would report it to the main admin immediately, and then simply leave the forum all together. Nobody has to stay and take that from anyone. If I were to have one of my own staff do that, I would strip their power and ban them. Probably give them a good earful to straighten their rear end out as well.

What about deletion of your post and threads because they disagreed with what was posted?

I refer you to my previous statements. Opinions, thoughts and belief are, in my opinion, sacred and to be respected no matter who they are coming from. If this was reported to me, the person would be stripped, banned, and lectured. easy as that. Again I say it, who would want that kind of disrespectful filth on their site anyway?

Have you had experience with this? Were you ever accused of abusing your powers or a member who was a victim of an abusive staff?

I am very fortunate to say that whil on proboards, no, I have not been a victim to such abuse, none of my staff members have been accused of this abuse, and neither have I. On other sites not of proboards however....I've had some cases of difficulties. But as I said before, I know what my rights are, and I left the moment it became apparant to me that my rights were being violated.

~Troxy Roxy ¢¾