Thanks for your question.
The easiest way to find the most recent and important Forum Guidelines is to look at the link to Announcements that appears at the top of each main forum page.
Right now, the Image Guideline I posted on January 1, 2019 are at the top. If you click there or on the Forum Guidelines link at the left Main Menu, you will go to these and also Announcements about Guideline in general.
Announcements and Guidelines
Regarding specific point penalties for various violations, we do not publicize those, but a few searches may give you more specifics because members are more than welcome to comment on their own points.
I will say, infractions range from 1 point to 10 points and it takes a considerable amount to reach the ban thresh hold. Different thresh holds result in bans for different lengths of bans.
Some violations may result in immediate bans. I don't think it is a secret that image violations can result in a short immediate ban. Outing will resulting in a long ban. Actual physical threats to a member will also result in a harsh penalty, while saying "You better watch your back" might result in points. Bullying and harassment are also cause for increased penalties.
It is virtually impossible to be perma banned from the site. When you see a member that has be perma banned, it is probably because it was a multiple or fake handle. OR, they did something that posed such a real and credible threat to the site and community, they were not welcome here per upper management/ownership. I can guarantee, those decisions are not made by one person or easily made.
"Supreme Directives" are rare and handled on a case by case basis. If you search, you will find members describing their own. Staff does not comment on them.
Your own infractions, if you have them, are on an Infractions Tab on your profile.
Let me make one more comment that I have never seen addressed here.
Many members complain that nothing is done to serial offenders. This is not the case. The issue is that people, like you, who follow the rules and don't get infractions, have no clue how they work or how they are applied. People who break the rules repeatedly, know EXACTLY how many points certain behavior merits and how many points it takes to get banned and when their points expire, allowing them to get more.
This is problematic because they can walk the line and it is also why you see them behave at times and be belligerent at others. They KNOW how they will be punished ahead of time. This is a good reason for staff not to publicize the point schedule.
To the critics who think nothing is done. The argument that should be made is that the point thresh hold should be lowered, not that staff does nothing. Staff are volunteers who spend an inordinate time "policing" grown people who can't seem to behave or follow rules. There is nothing worse than to spend 20, 30 40 hours of time over the course of a few days trying to "police" the forums only to be met with personal attacks and unwarranted insults.
The lack of transparency is not to protect wrongdoers, it is to keep other people from deciding that walking the line is their best course of action when it is not.
Thanks again for your questions. I am sure many people are curious as well.
Points, Bans & Supreme Directives?
