A Weird Rule That Should Be Modified

[wackyracer]

I have just about had it with this one stupid rule that I had no idea about.

I was posting around the Xbox Modding Tutorials section, and yes, that section tends to be dead and I thought I'd give it some liveliness, seeing there were some good threads on the *first page*. The threads I replied to were definitely in the Top 5 going down from the first page, so I did NOT suspect anything wrong with posting in these threads, but apparently if a thread has not been posted in for 1 month-ish, then the person who bumps it gets an infraction. This rule is understandable, BUT, what I do not understand is that my bump did not cause any grief to the section, as it's already pretty dead, and the post that I "bumped" was still on the first page, last 5 threads in action! So it's not like it's a serious bump as if I dug it up from 5 pages into the section! Not to mention, I had no clue that this was against the rules, I thought since it was on the first page all would be okay.

I want to suggest that this rule be removed or modified to suit this forum better, like, if the thread is still on the first page then this rule does not apply. If it was not on the first page and it was 1 month+ old, then this rule does apply. I find it absolutely SILLY if a thread is clearly on the first page and is one of the first few threads and IS NOT CLOSED, someone will receive an infraction for just posting in there. If it's so against the rules, have the damn Moderator CLOSE the thread, simple!

If you still don't like my suggestion, then how about this one?--I suggest that Dan implements an auto-closing function for threads. It will detect if it gets too old for posting and it will lock the thread up. If you want to keep the rule as it is, then I say do this to prevent possible accidents like mine from happening.

Thanks for reading!

 

[bobsobol]

If mods are going to infract people for bumping threads then they can take the half second to close old threads by double clicking the thread icon. I did that in RF and never had any problems.

Makes more sense, don't feel bad for you getting infracted though. The time it takes to close a thread is the same amount of time it takes to check the last reply date.

Ron, you know we are advised not to close a thread which has not gone out of control, specifically because there may be reason to take exception to the "bumping" rule.

Now I don't know if these bumps would qualify for such an exception, and would personally rather see new threads which [thread=] link to the ones they are replying to, and I will Merge them and thank the poster rather than have to infract them and close an otherwise acceptable thread.

I'm more likely to give an infraction if you have repeatedly [highlight]ignored[/highlight] the warning this site gives you when you try to reply to a thread which is too old. (I believe the cut-off is actually about 2 weeks, not 1 month, but you do get a very clear warning)

Now... having said that, I also take issue with this "general" rule in certain situations, and on sub-sections, we explicitly exclude that rule from the general one provided your contribution is a direct bug report, update or other piece of information which should generally be found within the thread and not hunted down in another which seems unrelated until you find the [thread=] link in it.

If such a reversal is not posted in a sections sub-rules, then it is safest to assume that you will at least be given a warning, and may want to PM the section moderator before bumping an old thread, rather than simply assuming that your information is so damned useful that it simply has to be right to bump.

In that order, you actions may well have been valid, and in any event, the lack of consideration is disrespectful. Not only to the staff, but also to other users. What gives you the right to disagree with the rules which make up our common decency and etiquette?

Short: In general, this rule is good. If you feel that your situation is exceptional, I advise you to take that up privately with the section supervisor. (as normal) I'm not hostile to your bumps, (didn't examine them in detail) or other reasonable bumps beyond the norm, but do not agree with the argument against the basic rule.

What qualifies as "exceptional bumping" which may be acceptable in certain sections, will vary from section to section. Therefore, if it is to be allowed in any particular section, the situations in which it is permissible must be clearly defined.

 

[El Jamie]

Hi wackyracer,

I understand that you may have a problem with me after this stuff, but I'm only trying to fulfil my rank as Moderator for the section. YOU must understand that I want to keep it strict so if it does ever become active again (which hopefully one day it may happen) they'll understand that I want to keep it in order. Bumping old threads does not help in any way and that's the only reason why I warned/infracted you after you had done it.

If you have a problem with me or any other moderator then it's also recommended that you contact a higher-up (preferably a super moderator, Exy or MentaL)

Thank you and sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused to you.