NationStates Jolt Archive


Suggested guidelines for soft/hard ignores

Sarzonia
29-03-2005, 22:00
Standard disclaimer "borrowed" in part from Treznor: I am not a moderator and the opinions expressed here do not reflect those of Max Barry, the administration or moderators therein or the prevailing opinion of the people who choose to post in these fora. These are solely my opinions and suggestions based on playing this game for approximately one year.

This thread was originally created in Moderation and is being reposted here at the suggestion of one of the moderators.

I created an earlier thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=367424) in which I explained the differences between a soft ignore and a hard ignore of a player. I also added the partial ignore, or the specific ignore, of a player's technology, thread, etc. I've seen people announce ignores of certain people that has drawn a warning for flamebaiting and has resulted in the thread being locked. However, I have also seen an ignore announcement that was not viewed by a moderator as flamebait because of the way it was done. What's the difference? Let's look.

1. To tell or not to tell, that is the question.
First of all, my example of an ignore announcement that was not locked or considered flamebaiting notwithstanding, moderators generally frown upon making public announcements of ignores. They also look unkindly upon certain specific announcements of ignores because of the way the ignore was worded.

2. If your ignore statement is intended to inflame your ignoree, do not announce it.
Trust me, it's more trouble than it's worth. Your best bet is to quietly click on the profile of the country you want to ignore and select the option to place the country on your Jolt ignore list. Then, you will not be able to read the country's messages unless you click on a link to allow you to read them. If someone is looking for drama and you don't give them drama, they will most likely go elsewhere looking for it.

Going back to my earlier example of an ignore statement that wasn't given the mod smackdown, I typed one OOC sentence: I object to this country joining this alliance because I have a hard ignore on him. That's all. The reason I did it was because it was a RP thread and having both him and me in the same alliance would likely lead to an attempt at IC interaction. Kahta once typed this statement (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8207935&postcount=541) as an announcement of an ignore. If it's done courteously, it stands a better chance of surviving mod scrutiny.

3. If you explain your reason for ignoring another RPer with FACTS and not opinions, you have a better chance of withstanding scrutiny.
Explaining that you're ignoring someone for a specific reason without resorting to insults is more likely to pass muster than calling someone an asshat. That may very well be your opinion and the opinion of other people who saw the incident in question, but it's not for you to say that on these fora or in TGs. They all can get reported to the moderators and you can get into huge trouble.

4. Remember that if you have a HARD ignore on a country, they don't exist.
An ignore does not mean that you come out to "play" with someone because you can knock their country into next week or you can annex territory. It means they do not exist in your RP'd world. Period. Does that mean you ever unignore them? That's up to you to decide, but I wouldn't do it just so you can have a go at someone. I'd only do it if I saw a demonstrated change in the way someone RPs (for instance, someone goes from one sentence "RPs" of invading and destroying [insert random country's name here] to detail that rivals the best work of AMF or Pantera). In an extreme case, I've even been known to RP as if a particular country never existed.

Remember, this isn't a First Amendment issue. This is Max Barry's board and his rules are in effect. You explicitly agreed to follow all the rules of this board by signing up for it and posting here. Respect for others, even those you dislike, is crucial to your privilege of using these fora and playing this game. Remember, I said it's a privilege, not a right.
Sarzonia
29-03-2005, 22:31
*Example of an ignore statement added.*
Sarzonia
01-04-2005, 05:03
bump
Sarzonia
04-04-2005, 15:36
bump