If you've noticed, most people who get an Idiot of the Week or Grammatical Moron of the Week avatar don't tend to stick much longer around here after they've gotten the "shame" avatars. I'm wondering if we can reprimand those who repeatedly break the SP rules, but still keep people on the Boards should they break rules.

Current Form
-Poster is an idiot/grammatical moron.
-Poster is reprimanded by Taluntain or BTA.
-Poster continues to be an idiot/grammatical moron.
-Poster receives "shame" avatar.
-Poster usually is not seen around for some time anymore

My beef with this is that people who've been "shamed" seem to get scared off because they've been reprimanded over and over for their errors; other posters keep criticizing them over and over again. I'm not saying the "shame" avatar system is wrong; people who get those deserve to, but maybe there can be less humiliation of getting that avatar.

Proposed Sytem
-Poster is an idiot/grammatical moron
-Poster is reprimanded by Taluntain or BTA.
-Poster continues to be an idiot/grammatical moron.
-An administrator or moderator "locks down" the poster so he/she can't speak for a few days. (Number of days judged by degree of idiocy) The administrator/moderator PMs or e-mails the poster why he/she has been "locked down".
-On his profile, it says, "This person has been locked down for breaking SP Rules repeatedly."
-Person may stay, because no one knows he's been "shamed", unless his/her profile is checked.

I'm thinking that less people might get embarrassed by this proposed system, and they might not start getting things against the administrators or moderators. Maybe this will just confine the "shame" from open humiliation to just knowing that one should reform his/her ways.

So jail cells, where only the idiot is directly aware of his/her "shame", may have an advantage over pillories, where the offender is openly shamed. People may investigate to see whether he/she has gotten a reprimand, but the idiot is not forced to present to the world while he/she posts, "I am the Idiot of the Week, look at me!"

[ September 04, 2002, 02:55: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

I dunno. I rather enjoy the humiliation of others. Maybe we could make the shame even deeper...it's too bad we don't know everyone's personal details, that way we could really rub their nose in it. We could ridicule their physical appearance or social status or some such.

We should really mess them up emotionally. As long as I am above this rule, of course. :hahaerr:

C'Jakob:

You have a good idea. Increasing member useage == more cash for Tal == pays for server costs.

But, there's a fine line. And that line SUCKS!

Granted, there are some arabs (doubtful, but I'll give them the benefit), Croatians, Hebrews, Russkies, and Mexicans for whom English is a second/third language. This people need a push in the right direction, without stiffling them. This makes them happy.

But then, you've got 13 year olds who are either bored with school, or do not receive enough parental supervision. Some of these 13yrolds are actually 29, but their appearance modifer gives them the necessary -16.

Tal made the call a while back when it was getting bad. Nuke'em and forget about it. I can't really blame him; there's a good chance I'd have done the same.

Your idea is good but some might be annoyed by this and leave!

Hmmmmmmm, we need to figure out a action against idiocity but without annoying anyone.

You're forgetting something... Only people in English-speaking countries can get the GMOTW plaque. Others just get told off. I certainly can't blame people whose native tongue is not English for not knowing it very well.

Anyway, the proposed lockdown would be even worse IMO. They'd think they're permanently banned and wouldn't come back. At least as it is now, they're free to still post if they want to. It's been proven over the months that hardly any IOTW or GMOTW is able to change their ways enough to be allowed to stay, so there's really no point. If they didn't leave (since in 99% of cases, the plaques don't help their behaviour), they'd be removed anyway. The end result is the same in both cases.

I love the plaques. When I see one, I usually look for the offending post. It is great fun.
It also seems pretty fair. You get fair warning before being crowned, so if it happens, whose to blame?

Hmm from personal experience (having got the IOTW nearly a year ago) the plaques still give you the chance to post and then so long as you're not an idiot again then you can stay and post normally. When i got it i knew i'd gone too far and at that point i tried to 180 and stop being an idiot and actually post with some point. If i'd been banned or as you say locked-down for a period of days i would pobably have just left and not come back. The system as it is at least gives the chance to change and learn the errors of your ways.

In retrospect, the current system is best as it is.

People who get the IOTW and get banned deserve to get so. Locking them down would probably just encourage them to a greater extent. However, I would think that IOTW does "scare" some people off, but then again, people can reform, as was the case with Lazy Bonzo.

So screw my system.