Profanity/Vulgarity/Word Filter/Circumvention Guideline

[Jami]

I know I can speak for everyone else on the moderation team when I say that suggestions like yours are certainly welcomed and appreciated. :)

[BariEuph]

if profanity isn't allowed (which it states it is not), then why have the filters in place? members use profanity, boom, they're suspended. having the filters enables users to type words that "aren't allowed" because the members know they'll just be number-signed out.... if you're really going to start enforcing this rule, i'd have to absolutely call inconsistency -- why wasn't it enforced this way to begin with? anyone who'd ever had a word automatically filtered, including moderators, i am SURE, should fall to the same punishments. why the sudden crackdown? why the sudden change in consistency of enforcing this rule? why the ambiguous wording of the rule?

"speeding isn't allowed. should you go over a certain speed, your car will beep at you and not go any faster." doesn't make much sense to me.

and yeah, the self governed thing? :lolhit: what a hasselhoffing joke, especially with this new crackdown.

i can absolutely understand moderators cracking down on filter circumvention -- defined as GOING AROUND THE FILTERS, typing words in ways that the filters won't catch them, adding letters, misspelling words, using two colons ( :: ) instead of a U in certain words, etc. THAT is filter circumvention. but out of nowhere being punished for USING the filters as they were INTENDED TO BE USED? like i said earlier -- if we're being punished for using them, why do we have them?

the phrasing of the guideline -- filters are in place for the more vulgar terms -- so we can curse as long as it's not a filtered word? hmm... and we just got rid of hell from the list of filtered words... my inconsistency dinger is going off big time.

work calls now.... more later. this reeks of idiocy. (and please note that wasn't a personal attack. i said THIS not HE or SHE.)

[MikeM]

Precident was set LONG before the current bossman ever set foot here.

If the filters were allowed to do their job, then the user was left alone. Sure, in the past users were spoken to asking them to tone it down a bit, but, it was always allowed that if the filters did their job, no action was taken.

Circumvent the filters, that was another story.

Suspending someone because the filters filtered their posts is just stupid.

But it's not the first stupid thing done around here lately.

[lisard5]

Let the filters to their jobs and get over it!!!! Whats the point of even having them if using the filters gets you banded / suspended?!

[sburstall]

Great idea ... I think we should try that. Since consistency is important, we should agree.

I propose that, henceforth, all possibly-offensive terms should be replaced with the word "Hasselhoff" as in:

What the Hasselhoff?

That was Hasselhoffing funny.

I don't give a rat's Hasselhoff about woodwinds.

That Hasselhoffs rocks, dude.

Oh, my Hasselhoff ...

Electronics my Hasselhoff!

I laughed my Hasselhoffing Hasselhoff off!

Now, in addition to the solving the issue, my proposed solution is guaranteed to make the DCP Community even more popular in Germany.

Except many people are offended by Hasselhoff (both the word and actor?). :P

[BariEuph]

my ex boyfriend's jersey nickname in his fraternity is hasselhoff, so it works for me just fine :P

[Jimisback]

This particular guideline has been in-place since I joined in May '03, and while this is not the "Official Announcement", this will clarify what the guideline does equate to.

The misconception is............."well, I can use vulgarity as long as the word filter is in place".

That's a huge misconception. It's like saying..........."well, I can drive over the speed limit, as long as the police don't see me."

Both instances are violations.

Fact of the matter is.............

Some members of the community have been asked by the staff to refrain from using vulgarity. Some laughed it off. Some continued to "push the envelope".

I have members contacting me asking, "Why didn't so and so get suspended for using profanity?", and when someone does, I have members asking "why did so and so get suspended for using profanity?, it was word filtered."

"Well your honor, I was speeding because I was late to work, so it's ok?"

"Well, I was calling him/her an ########, but it was word filtered, so it's ok?"

Would you all feel better if we only reprimanded repeat offenders? WAIT!...........that's inconsistent.

Lastly, the FST only follows what they've been asked to do, by me..........so it would be appreciated if you could direct your anger, questions, concerns, and whatever to me. The FST does a tremendous job for you, the member. They don't deserve the abuse they get.

We could go on forever, but it would prove to be redundant.

And yes.........comment away.

But the driver was still speeding. The words were never shown on the board to be read. So I think that is a bad analogy.

[Jimisback]

See the post in Stef's thread.

I understand your rationale, but:

1) What brought this to a head?

2) If we depend on members (CE especially) to be "self-policing", why can't the profanity filters do the same "self policing"?

#### can mean a variety of four letter words...I'd say this place is at least equivalent to a "PG-13" rating system in its setup...why, if preset barriers are in place...should we change this instance of "cursing" to a "G" rating?

Realistically, if you're going to do that...you need to start curbing the sexual and drug use innuendo here, along with any other "negative" behaviors. If you don't apply those same guidelines to other areas...yes, you're going to be considered "inconsistent".

Finally, there seems to be a feeling here with this post...one that the FSTM's are being picked on by the community. How so? Have their been discussions concerning this within the FSTM?

I don't want to see folks "leave" or "drama" take place about this, but these issues are of paramount importance with the guidelines as they stand now.

Basically DCP cuts out ones own interpretation(sp) of #### ?

[Jimisback]

Consistency is a joke around here.

You say you're enforcing the guidelines by this (stupid) enforcement of cursing, which is all ready filtered out.

Yet, real violations, personal attacks, et. al, go unpunished, except for those for whom you have a personal agenda against.

Pretty sad, if you ask me.

You tie the hands of the FST's, telling them they can ONLY do what they tell you, instead of allowing them to be people, to use their best judgment when it comes to a violation.

Your job as Community Administrator, IMO, sucks. But you're the boss.

So, why don't you enforce the rules evenly, instead of either picking on those you don't like or going after the petty little stuff, like you usually do?

Oh, this self-policing of CE? That's a joke.

Have a nice day.

[Galen]

if profanity isn't allowed (which it states it is not), then why have the filters in place? members use profanity, boom, they're suspended. having the filters enables users to type words that "aren't allowed" because the members know they'll just be number-signed out....

I have to agree with Emma's point here- currently, most profanity is filtered out. In a way, those filters act like the cops in the "breaking the speed limit" analogy, and your "ticket" is a bunch of ###### signs.

So why is that "ticket" no longer sufficient?