RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to RPoL Announcements

12:27, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Problem Posts: What to do if you see one.

Posted by cruinne
cruinne
moderator, 4205 posts
dude, my name
is a killing word.
Sat 6 Oct 2007
at 15:43
  • msg #1

Problem Posts: What to do if you see one.

Here on RPoL, the Moderators work pretty hard to keep threads on topic, and to ensure that any thread posted is in a forum where it should be.  We do this to keep the "noise" in the forums down; we do it so that the forums remain helpful to the largest number of Users on the site.

Occasionally, however, Users notice a thread which doesn't belong where it is before we do.  Sometimes the thread is a troll, obviously baiting others to reply to it; other times it's abuse, targeted at some other User.  Most often, however, it's simply in the incorrect forum for its content -- a player looking for a GM posting in some forum other than Wanted - GMs, or chat conversation being posted to the General RPoL forum.

Users noticing one of these misplaced or rule-breaking threads should not reply to it.

We request that RPoL users ignore rule-breaking and misplaced posts.  We ask this because it creates more work for the Moderators if Users instead reply to these threads, even when the intention is to be helpful.

Keep in mind:
  • Moderators can move any thread which is in the wrong forum.  If we do that, but there are replies to it saying "This is in the wrong forum," we must then go back and remove those replies as well because not only are they off-topic to the thread, but once the thread is moved they become confusing to other Users.  If the original poster has taken this advice, and re-posted in another forum as well, that's simply more for us to clean up, and they're likely to get talked to about why they should not cross-post.

  • Users aren't always correct in their replies.  Frequently, we've had to remove replies telling a user to put their thread in another forum where the advice about where to post the thread was, while well intentioned, incorrect.  This is very confusing to new users, and creates problems as well as mess for the Moderators to tidy up.

  • If a thread is a troll or spam, or is otherwise abusive, we must not only remove it, but then must also remove each and every reply to it, addressing messages to each poster.  This can be time consuming and frustrating, and shouldn't ever be necessary.


If we have missed a problem post or thread, and more than 24 hours have passed since it was made, feel free to contact us using rMail and give us a link to the problem.  Do not reply to the offending post in any way.


Finally, I wanted to address something which has cropped up recently: IBTL.

IBTL stands for "in before the lock".  It's a popular reply on some forums as a way of saying, "I know this thread breaks the rules and I wanted to reply to it before it was closed."  On RPoL, this is considered to be extraordinarily rude, as well as very inconsiderate of those who must come along and clean up after it.  Posting privileges will be immediately revoked for such replies.
Sign In