How about timeouts for constantly disruptive folks?

I can tell you, this forum DOES need to shape up a bit more well before the M3 crowd comes online. I was a member of another car forum when the cars were new, and when they stopped being sold and the used market prices for them tanked (around $2000 or less) the scum of the earth found their way to our forums. The MX is going to bring a slightly different demographic here, too. I'm not saying mods/admins need to rule with an iron fist, but habitual offenders need to be dealt with. One bad apple spoils the whole barrel. I also call on us non-mods to judiciously use the "Report Post" button.

scottf200 said:

"timeout" means a short ban like 1 day first offense, then 3 days second offence, then 7 days third offense then 1 month ban.

This was done at another forum I helped admin and it was very effective. There are a few people that are constantly being making personal attacks, negatively disrupting and sidetracking threads.

REALLY getting tiresome coming to this forum. I may stop after actually getting my Model X or come occasionally. Too negative and off topic.

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I agree things are going to change with Model X launch and then Model 3. (Roadster owners watched this forum change when Model S reservation holders started to arrive.) Temp bans or timeouts do happen on a regular basis. Before that there are warnings & negative reputation handed out. The moderators don't announce sanctions when they happen, but they do happen.

I'm more annoyed at the more subtle 'gaslighting' techniques that some members have been using - constantly casting those who disagree with them as part of a larger 'Tesla can do no wrong' contingent' & twisting things to fit that view. One person disagrees with another & they're right there, saying 'oh good luck, you're fighting the fanboys', when it was simply two people disagreeing. New members have no way to understand the whole history, so some members feel a need to clarify and clarify again ... which looks like petty argument at that point. There is no TOS violation, so pretty much goes unchecked.

As some have noticed, I'm here less and less. That's why.

Ironically, just today I received another PM from someone who felt the place is so full of fanboys I would be better to just shut up, not waste my time and let it be.

It can be discouraging from many perspectives if a common tone is hard to find. I guess it goes for all extremes and everything in between.

Personally I would prefer to avoid all extremes and get along with a diverse set of people in some level of mutual understanding, not necessarily agreement - that would be boring anyway.

So, keep rocking bonnie. Seriously.

Gave out a couple temp bans within the last few days. Will likely be giving out more.

Appreciate all the moderators hard work, it is also good to be reminded that a lot of the hard work is behind the scenes that we never even know! I would love to have a friendlier forum, as it seemed when I first joined, but don't know how to get there, or even if it is possible! Sorry for the run on last sentence.

Apologies to anyone who reads this who it does not apply to, but my sense is the forum started going downhill with the introduction of the P85D. This may be an over generalization, but it seems that brought a group of car people who were attracted to Tesla primarily for the performance or the pending autopilot rather than it being a long range battery EV.

I appreciate all that the volunteer moderators do to keep it civil.

I got a temporary ban with no warning for drawing a lewd picture on a Supercharger map. No one besides me figured out that the OP did the same thing -- he was just more subtle about it. When I pointed it out, ban. Oh well, moving on.

I oppose this, because it would prevent me from posting outrageous things for fun.

I just want the option to block threads I don't want to see - for example the incessant whining thread about my Model S isn't 691 HP and my P85D isn't a P90DL and the constant environmental banter, Elon should give me free stuff because I don't test drive stuff before I buy it.

I just want the option to block all those threads and I would really enjoy this site more. I do this with my cable box - block all the wasted airspace channels - why can't I do this on a forum?

My wife and I call this voting people off the island - your service sucks - don't say anything just don't ever go back- by not providing them anymore $$ you vote them off, you are a left or right wing radical that is trying to convert everybody - you don't get invited to the next party, your kid is a complete jerk - you get voted off the island etc...

Survivor just isn't a TV show - it works well in real life too. I like debating, but when you debate with someone who has an agenda or doesn't listen it gets old fast. I'm already old and don't need any more help with the aging process. :wink:

Brevity is key - thanks for the summary scottf200.

AnxietyRanger said:

Ironically, just today I received another PM from someone who felt the place is so full of fanboys I would be better to just shut up, not waste my time and let it be.

It can be discouraging from many perspectives if a common tone is hard to find. I guess it goes for all extremes and everything in between.

Personally I would prefer to avoid all extremes and get along with a diverse set of people in some level of mutual understanding, not necessarily agreement - that would be boring anyway.

So, keep rocking bonnie. Seriously.

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This has been such an interesting read (thru 9:27 PDT 9/22). So many good points made that I wanted to acknowledge it.

I joined in July '14. Delivered as below. I too, agree that the site has become more snippy. Very unfortunate. But going so far as to PM somebody with something so dismissive...That it completely unacceptable. I find it very sad that our culture has reached a point where the only way some people feel OK is to denigrate another.

A sad state of affairs my friends.

I wish I knew how we could change it.

MrJones390 said:

I got a temporary ban with no warning for drawing a lewd picture on a Supercharger map. No one besides me figured out that the OP did the same thing -- he was just more subtle about it. When I pointed it out, ban. Oh well, moving on.

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Dude, sorry. In reality, I didn't realize that I had drawn a lewd picture until it was pointed out to me and then I went along with the joke (actually kind of continued to instigate the joke) until at some point half the tread disappeared. The picture really was a boomerang shaped arc and the posting was about the "arc of doom" where there are superchargers that really need to be added to finish out the network in the south.

The jokes were fun while they lasted.

I think the mods do the best they can under the circumstances. I also agree it's only going to get worse.

Here's my analogy: When I first joined, it was a small town that had struck gold. Originally, the gold claim was small (Roadsters) and practically everyone was helpful and considerate. The old gold claim was recently exhausted but I came not for the old claim, but a new one just discovered over a hill close by (Model S). I was surrounded at that time by many old timers, and really enjoyed it here and learned a lot from them about panning for gold. It was always hoped the new gold claim would be big, but it turned out to be huge. As such, the small friendly town grew rapidly and with that rapid growth came growing pains. Crimes that were once rare or non-existent became commonplace and now there were fights at the local beer parlor almost nightly. The jail that in the past was only used infrequently (snippiness thread) had to be expanded to make room for more offenders. And those who tried to protect the old town's heritage, and in particular it cherished town square icon, were called "fanboys".

That's about where we are now so I don't know how the story ends but I guess we're going to find out.

I agree with the OP. I am under moderation for life and I would have preferred a short ban.

FYI I only started a thread in the Off Topic Section that was considered too much Off Topic for the Off Topic Section of TMC.
I didn't even realize that I was doing a thing causing a restriction for me so a short ban of one day given as warning would have certainly avoided a worse consequence like the state of moderation for life.