The New and Improved General NBA Board Policy
Posted: Wed Mar 1, 2017 2:31 pm
Effective December 20, 2020, the General NBA Board has an updated policy which is outlined below. Major thanks goes out to the entire General NBA Board Moderator Team for helping revise this policy and to Moderator Dirk Nowitzki for formatting and helping write this post so it is easy for Users to understand.
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NEW USER WAITING PERIOD
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All newly-registered RealGM accounts will have read-only access to the General NBA Board for the first 30 days from account inception. The purpose is to discourage people from creating accounts for the purpose of trolling or spamming high-traffic boards on RealGM, as well as to give new users the opportunity to get the hang of RealGM's features and functions.
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NEW STRIKE SYSTEM
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The General NBA Board uses a strike system to moderate board activity. Its purpose is to keep user activity appropriate and on-topic.
For guidelines on what constitutes an infraction, see the RealGM Forum Rules and F.A.Q
- Strike 1 | First infraction
- Strike 2 | Second infraction
- Strike 3 | Third infraction
- Strike 4 | Fourth infraction
- Strike 5 | Fifth infraction
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Temporary Suspensions
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- A 12-hour suspension will not automatically result in a strike; however, a moderator can escalate it to a strike if they deem this action necessary or appropriate.
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GENERAL NBA ACCOUNT REVIEW
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Any user with one or more strikes, read-only access, or a full General NBA Board ban may send Howard Mass a PM requesting an Account Review.
In the PM, request to have your past infractions reviewed, state clearly what you want the review to accomplish (strike removal, lifting of a ban, reinstatement of full access, etc.), and include a plea briefly explaining why you feel your request should be honored-- e.g., 'I now realize that I was out of line in the past', 'I've learned that I shouldn't troll people', etc.
After Howard Mass receives your PM and submits it to the General NBA Board Review Committee, the committee will review your account. The committee is comprised of several members of the General NBA Board Moderation Team, so it will already be familiar with your account and posting history.
The committee will vote to do one or more of the following:
- Remove one or more strikes from your record
- Lift your read-only access or General NBA Board ban
- Give you a ‘Clean Slate’ on the General NBA Board
- Leave your account as-is
If the committee votes to leave an account as-is, it is likely for one of the following reasons:
- They don't feel enough time has passed since the last infraction
- The user incurred multiple penalties over a short period
- They recognize a troubling pattern of behavior, such as a tendency to attack people or make inappropriate jokes
- They don't feel a user's request demonstrates sufficient understanding of why the user has been disciplined (this is why a good written plea greatly increases a user's chances of a positive review outcome!)
You will be notified of the committee's review decision via direct PM from Howard Mass.
A user can request an account review once every six months; when a user receives their PM from Howard detailing the results of the review, they will be told the calendar date when they may next submit a review request, which will be six months from the date of that PM transmission.
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Differences between an account review and an appeal
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Although the processes are similar, there are differences in scope and timing.
An account review is intended for a user who has incurred penalties in the past and wants to have some or all of those penalties reconsidered in order to improve his/her standing on RealGM.
An appeal is intended for a user who has been restricted to read-only access as a result of incurring a fourth strike (or more) and wants this specific restriction lifted; As noted in the preceding section, appeals are permitted with greater frequency than account reviews, which are allowed once every six months.
As an example, if you were given read-only access a few months ago for your fourth strike, but the Finals are starting and you want to discuss them on RealGM, you should submit an appeal requesting to have your posting privileges reinstated; if you picked up a few strikes in the last few years and want the Review Committee to consider giving you a ‘clean slate’, you should request an account review instead.
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VIOLATIONS (STRIKES)
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Baiting, derailing, trolling, personal attacks
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Do not post with the purposeful intent of coercing a reaction from other users. Do not make posts intended to anger or offend other users in an attempt to incite retaliation or an emotional response. Do not make gratuitous generalizations about fanbases, populations of a city/state/nation, or any other collective category of people. Such behavior is called ‘trolling’ or ‘baiting’ and isn’t permitted on RealGM.
Another form of baiting, known as ‘derailing,’ is the act of posting comments with the specific intention of diverting the topic of a thread significantly from its main focus.
When replying to a post, your response must be about the post to which you are replying, not the person who posted it. Do not treat any other user with deliberate rudeness or contempt.
Intentionally misquoting another user (using the
function to quote someone, then altering what they wrote) may be judged as a trolling violation and penalized accordingly if a moderator concludes that the intent is to misrepresent or otherwise slander the user being misquoted.
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Backseat moderating
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Let the moderators do the moderating. Backseat moderating occurs when people who are not moderators try to enforce the forum rules. If you feel that a thread isn't relevant, bring it to our attention by reporting it or PMing a moderator (via PM
). If you disagree a thread shouldn't be locked, contact a mod to find out why, don't complain about it on other topics.
If you disagree with a moderator’s action, PM that moderator, a moderator you have a rapport with, or Howard Mass. Don’t derail the General Board or one of its threads by posting about your disagreement there.
If you observe a violation of the rules, take advantage of the Report (
) button or simply ignore the offensive post(s) or thread.
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Political and current affairs discussion
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As its name alludes, the General NBA Board is intended for the discussion of topics and issues directly pertaining to the NBA, not for the discussion of politics or current affairs. Starting a thread focusing on politics or non-NBA current affairs will be treated as an infraction, as will any attempt to derail a thread toward such topics.
If you wish to discuss those topics on RealGM, please do so on our Current Affairs forum: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewforum.php?f=69
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Minor Violations
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Minor violations are things such as derailing GIFs, memes, and ‘IBTL’ (‘In before the lock’) posts; evading the language filter and post-padding will also be treated as minor violations. Minor violations will not incur strikes unless a user commits these violations repeatedly or habitually and the General NBA Board Moderator Appeals Committee deems this conduct a problem.
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Language filter
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If a word will be censored by the language filter, do not evade it by using asterisks, alternate spellings, or other workarounds. Write normally and let the filter do its job.
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Player comparisons
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There has been confusion over what kinds of threads are better-suited to the Player Comparison (PC) board than to the General Board.
The PC board is for in depth player vs. player discussions in the current season or any past season, comparing two players of different eras, all-time player rankings, and comparing two teams from different eras. Anything relating to current NBA news regarding comparing two players, whether it be for all star decisions, trades, all nba, roty, mvp, multiple player comparisons, current year team comparisions, rookies, and team comparisons within the same era are more appropriate for the General Board.
Examples of topics that belong on the PC forum:
- A Breakdown of Embiid vs Jokic stats, season by season, and who will be better long term
- Can Giannis be better than Oscar?
- Rank the 20 best players of all time
A topic posted on the wrong forum won't be locked unless it’s inappropriate for another reason, but it may be moved to the correct forum; if a thread is moved from the GB to the PC board, a ‘shadow topic’ will be left on the GB.
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FEEDBACK AND SUGGESTIONS
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- Feedback and Suggestions | Use this board to ask a question or make a suggestion
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NEW USER WAITING PERIOD
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
All newly-registered RealGM accounts will have read-only access to the General NBA Board for the first 30 days from account inception. The purpose is to discourage people from creating accounts for the purpose of trolling or spamming high-traffic boards on RealGM, as well as to give new users the opportunity to get the hang of RealGM's features and functions.
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
NEW STRIKE SYSTEM
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
The General NBA Board uses a strike system to moderate board activity. Its purpose is to keep user activity appropriate and on-topic.
For guidelines on what constitutes an infraction, see the RealGM Forum Rules and F.A.Q
- Strike 1 | First infraction
- Strike 2 | Second infraction
- Strike 3 | Third infraction
Read-only access for 30 days. After 30 days, you will need to PM Howard Mass and inform him that you have re-read the General NBA Board policy and that you understand that your next strike will result in a minimum of 60 days of read-only access. Your PM must state this explicitly.
- Strike 4 | Fourth infraction
Read-only access (ROA) for a minimum of 60 days. To regain full access after the 60-day period, you must request a General NBA Board ROA Appeal by sending Howard Mass a PM with the subject line 'General Board ROA appeal.’
In the PM, include a brief explanation of why you feel your request should be granted (e.g., 'I now realize that I was out of line in the past', 'I've learned that I shouldn't troll people', etc.). The result of this appeal will determine whether full access is reinstated.
If the General NBA Board Review Committee denies reinstatement, an additional 30 days of read-only access will be imposed, after which time you will need to repeat the process by requesting another appeal. The purpose of this cycle is for the Review Committee to determine whether the imposed penalties have had the intended effect of helping you understand why you were penalized and how to conduct yourself appropriately on RealGM forums.
- Strike 5 | Fifth infraction
Read-only access status that cannot be appealed for a minimum of six months. The General NBA Board Review Committee will convene and set the first appeal date. The appeal process is the same as that outlined for strike 4.
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Temporary Suspensions
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
- A 12-hour suspension will not automatically result in a strike; however, a moderator can escalate it to a strike if they deem this action necessary or appropriate.
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
GENERAL NBA ACCOUNT REVIEW
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Any user with one or more strikes, read-only access, or a full General NBA Board ban may send Howard Mass a PM requesting an Account Review.
In the PM, request to have your past infractions reviewed, state clearly what you want the review to accomplish (strike removal, lifting of a ban, reinstatement of full access, etc.), and include a plea briefly explaining why you feel your request should be honored-- e.g., 'I now realize that I was out of line in the past', 'I've learned that I shouldn't troll people', etc.
After Howard Mass receives your PM and submits it to the General NBA Board Review Committee, the committee will review your account. The committee is comprised of several members of the General NBA Board Moderation Team, so it will already be familiar with your account and posting history.
The committee will vote to do one or more of the following:
- Remove one or more strikes from your record
- Lift your read-only access or General NBA Board ban
- Give you a ‘Clean Slate’ on the General NBA Board
- Leave your account as-is
If the committee votes to leave an account as-is, it is likely for one of the following reasons:
- They don't feel enough time has passed since the last infraction
- The user incurred multiple penalties over a short period
- They recognize a troubling pattern of behavior, such as a tendency to attack people or make inappropriate jokes
- They don't feel a user's request demonstrates sufficient understanding of why the user has been disciplined (this is why a good written plea greatly increases a user's chances of a positive review outcome!)
You will be notified of the committee's review decision via direct PM from Howard Mass.
A user can request an account review once every six months; when a user receives their PM from Howard detailing the results of the review, they will be told the calendar date when they may next submit a review request, which will be six months from the date of that PM transmission.
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Differences between an account review and an appeal
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Although the processes are similar, there are differences in scope and timing.
An account review is intended for a user who has incurred penalties in the past and wants to have some or all of those penalties reconsidered in order to improve his/her standing on RealGM.
An appeal is intended for a user who has been restricted to read-only access as a result of incurring a fourth strike (or more) and wants this specific restriction lifted; As noted in the preceding section, appeals are permitted with greater frequency than account reviews, which are allowed once every six months.
As an example, if you were given read-only access a few months ago for your fourth strike, but the Finals are starting and you want to discuss them on RealGM, you should submit an appeal requesting to have your posting privileges reinstated; if you picked up a few strikes in the last few years and want the Review Committee to consider giving you a ‘clean slate’, you should request an account review instead.
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
VIOLATIONS (STRIKES)
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Baiting, derailing, trolling, personal attacks
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Do not post with the purposeful intent of coercing a reaction from other users. Do not make posts intended to anger or offend other users in an attempt to incite retaliation or an emotional response. Do not make gratuitous generalizations about fanbases, populations of a city/state/nation, or any other collective category of people. Such behavior is called ‘trolling’ or ‘baiting’ and isn’t permitted on RealGM.
Another form of baiting, known as ‘derailing,’ is the act of posting comments with the specific intention of diverting the topic of a thread significantly from its main focus.
When replying to a post, your response must be about the post to which you are replying, not the person who posted it. Do not treat any other user with deliberate rudeness or contempt.
Intentionally misquoting another user (using the
function to quote someone, then altering what they wrote) may be judged as a trolling violation and penalized accordingly if a moderator concludes that the intent is to misrepresent or otherwise slander the user being misquoted.--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Backseat moderating
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Let the moderators do the moderating. Backseat moderating occurs when people who are not moderators try to enforce the forum rules. If you feel that a thread isn't relevant, bring it to our attention by reporting it or PMing a moderator (via PM
). If you disagree a thread shouldn't be locked, contact a mod to find out why, don't complain about it on other topics.If you disagree with a moderator’s action, PM that moderator, a moderator you have a rapport with, or Howard Mass. Don’t derail the General Board or one of its threads by posting about your disagreement there.
If you observe a violation of the rules, take advantage of the Report (
) button or simply ignore the offensive post(s) or thread.--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Political and current affairs discussion
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
As its name alludes, the General NBA Board is intended for the discussion of topics and issues directly pertaining to the NBA, not for the discussion of politics or current affairs. Starting a thread focusing on politics or non-NBA current affairs will be treated as an infraction, as will any attempt to derail a thread toward such topics.
If you wish to discuss those topics on RealGM, please do so on our Current Affairs forum: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewforum.php?f=69
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Minor Violations
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Minor violations are things such as derailing GIFs, memes, and ‘IBTL’ (‘In before the lock’) posts; evading the language filter and post-padding will also be treated as minor violations. Minor violations will not incur strikes unless a user commits these violations repeatedly or habitually and the General NBA Board Moderator Appeals Committee deems this conduct a problem.
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Language filter
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
If a word will be censored by the language filter, do not evade it by using asterisks, alternate spellings, or other workarounds. Write normally and let the filter do its job.
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
Player comparisons
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
There has been confusion over what kinds of threads are better-suited to the Player Comparison (PC) board than to the General Board.
The PC board is for in depth player vs. player discussions in the current season or any past season, comparing two players of different eras, all-time player rankings, and comparing two teams from different eras. Anything relating to current NBA news regarding comparing two players, whether it be for all star decisions, trades, all nba, roty, mvp, multiple player comparisons, current year team comparisions, rookies, and team comparisons within the same era are more appropriate for the General Board.
Examples of topics that belong on the PC forum:
- A Breakdown of Embiid vs Jokic stats, season by season, and who will be better long term
- Can Giannis be better than Oscar?
- Rank the 20 best players of all time
A topic posted on the wrong forum won't be locked unless it’s inappropriate for another reason, but it may be moved to the correct forum; if a thread is moved from the GB to the PC board, a ‘shadow topic’ will be left on the GB.
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
FEEDBACK AND SUGGESTIONS
--- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- - --- -- --- --- - --- -- -
- Feedback and Suggestions | Use this board to ask a question or make a suggestion