User discipline

The forums discipline users who violate the rules using warnings, exclusions, and in severe or habitual cases — bans.

Warnings​

Whenever staff find a user guilty of violating a rule, they issue them a warning. Each warning adds a certain number of warning points to the offender's account for a definite or indefinite period. Some violations have a statute of limitations (i.e. generally only punished if committed and observable within the last X number of days) to discourage "grave-digging" past misdeeds.

Violation	Relevant rule	Warning points	Expiration	Statute of limitations
Failed to communicate in English	3. Communicate in English	1	90 days	30 days
Failed to stay on topic	9. Stay on topic	3	90 days	30 days
Failed to respect intellectual property rights	7. Respect intellectual property rights	5	180 days	90 days
Failed to obey staff's instructions	10. Obey instructions from staff	5	365 days	30 days
Failed to use common sense	1. Use common sense	5	365 days	90 days
Failed to be civilized	5. Refrain from anti-social behaviour	5	365 days	180 days
Failed to stay appropriate	8. Keep pornography off the forums	10	Indefinite	None
Failed to be at least 16 years old	2. You must be at least 16 years old to register	10	Indefinite	None
Failed to be honest	4. Present yourself honestly	10	Indefinite	None
Failed to respect privacy	6. Defend others' privacy and your account's security	10	Indefinite	None

Exclusions​

Excluded users cannot participate in the forums (i.e. cannot post, upload attachments, change their profile, vote on polls, edit posts, etc.). The forums exclude any user with at least ten warning points. Unlike a ban, an exclusion does not prevent the user from accessing the forums using their account.

Bans​

When the forums ban a user, it prohibits them from participation and access. The forums reserve this punishment only for severe or habitual offenders. Summarily, the forums will also ban suspected bots or ban evaders.

Appeals​

Users may appeal warnings, exclusions, and bans through the contact form. Please do this if you believe an administrator or moderator has made a mistake in judgement or you are genuinely sorry for the violation. Except in extreme cases, I am generally inclined to forgive past transgressions provided the offender demonstrates they understand what they did wrong and are committed to not making the same mistake.