The Good, The Bad, and Bannable Content.

Forum guidelines are posted in the Etsy rules as a way to create a forum standard for communication. The guidelines are simple, straightforward, and common sense. But what has Estyians up in arms lately is the way in which certain posters are dealt with. There are no guidelines as to what exactly constitutes a permanent ban from the forums. This, readers, is how the drama started for clear communication regarding the outline of who is banned, who is muted, and how the length of either punishment is cast.

Two threads, one of which has since been closed refer to this incident.

1. Banned forever?
2. I am really confused now.

In the first post the question was more directed at the admin choosing to ban certain members from the forums for life. Can it be done? Was it being done? And had anyone ever been life banned, and come back to tell about it. The answer seemed to be yes, yes, and yes*. When the first post was shut down, it was closed with an eye opening view as to how deep communication can actually run between Etsy admin and it's community.

Currently, we do have an internal policy that consists of a series of warnings for repeat abuse before considering something like an indefinite suspension of forum privileges. Something as serious as a decision like this is considered for review by the entire Community team and must be approved. As of yet the details of this policy aren't something we have decided to publicly publish anywhere on the site.

Again, as long as you can participate in the Etsy forums within the guidelines, you will be A OK.

This sparked questions about the actual forum guidelines and caused confusion about their existence. They do exist. And they are a fast and easy read.

• Above all, treat one another with respect. There is a real person behind each username.
• Keep your posts on-topic and in the appropriate section of the forums.
• Harassing, insulting or abusing other members is unacceptable.
• Discussing a specific member, shop or item (either by name or with identifiable hints) in a negative way is not allowed. This is referred to as "calling out."
• Do not use the community spaces to facilitate or arrange any sort of auction or transaction.
• Specific transactions and/or feedback should not be discussed in public community spaces. Instead, contact Support privately if you need help with a transaction.
• You may not use an undisclosed alternate account (also called a "sock puppet") in community spaces.
• Do not publicly post any kind of private information, such as: email, Conversations, letters, phone numbers, addresses, full names or business transactions.
• Solicitation for direct donations or other fund-raising is not allowed in community spaces. (Etsy shop promotions that entail donating proceeds to charity are fine.)
• Etsy does not allow spam in the community space and for this reason, promotion or advertisement from representatives or affiliates of outside services, websites or other products is not allowed.

Forum threads in the wrong section will be moved, without notice, to the appropriate place. Etsy reserves the right to close any thread for any reason. In rare circumstances, Etsy may delete information from the forums. Violating community policies may result in suspension of community privileges and/or account termination.

What wasn't made clear, is the system by which mods choose to elevate the punishment. This caused a lot of panic in a time where questions and communication are a major issue in the current state of the community. If there is a system by which admins and mods follow to decide the degree of suspension, why isn't the community aware? Does the community deserve to know? Some people say no. They think that it's a private matter for Etsy to decide all on it's own, leaving Etsyians to question how viable they are in the community should they choose to speak up more than usual one day, and simmer down the next.

Some people even argued that most forums do not inform their community of what offenses would cause the swift swing of the bannable hammer. I thought I'd take a minute to confirm or dispel this myth.


Forum Guidelines from the SIDC Message Board.
[excerpted for relevant content]

Violation of these guidelines will result in a warning being issued, persistent warnings will result in either a permanent or temporary ban. The action that is taken will depend on the severity of the violation.

Explicit and Pornographic Images
This includes, but is not limited to any distasteful photographs or images containing explicit imagery. Furthermore, this includes those of a graphic or vulgar nature, which would be deemed unsuitable for a community forum for all ages. First offence will bring a warning to the member; second offence will result in a temporary ban.

Offence towards groups
Any racist, sexist and other remarks towards a minority or specific group of people, will be deleted and the member shall be warned or banned.

Trolling, fishing or baiting
Posting comments designed to deliberately start an argument with someone can be considered to be trolling and is against the forum rules. Users guilty of trolling will be issued a formal warning. Subsequent warnings may lead to the removal of posting rights either temporarily or permanently.

General Disclaimer
The SIDC Moderation team, and administrators reserve the right to edit or delete any message that does not adhere to or comply with these guidelines. We also reserve the right to ban individuals who repeatedly violate them. If your thread is moved to a moderator forum or deleted, you will be contacted via a Private Message if necessary.

Forum Guidelines from the EA Message Boards
[also edited for relevant content]

Racial, religious or sexual slurs may result in immediate banning.

Bumping threads may cause them to be locked, and can result in persistent offenders losing their ability to post.

Sending offensive personal messages to someone through our boards system can be considered harassment or a personal attack, and will be subject to the same discipline as posts made on the regular forums.

Users who create secondary accounts to get around a temporary ban will be banned permanently.

As you can see giving people a clear answer as to what kind of action will be taken in the event of violations of forum guidelines won't cut the precious threads of the moderator code. It gives users consequences for certain actions. It doesn't allow for a jury of mods to decide the fate of a user based on biases, or other factors. Warnings are easy. Warning a forum poster that they are crossing a line is a great way to put a stop to their unwanted behavior. How many warnings?

That's what remains to be seen.



*for more about "The Etsy 5" click here.


(post edited to reflect bans of the past)