Should probably add that its against the rules to "tell people to comply with the stickies" and that you will be infracted for doing so..

Personally I think its a bit ridiculous but owell, I received an infraction/temp ban for it so yeah.

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It was previously in there IIRC, called backseat modding.

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I do support on re-adding the backseat-modding rule, as it should be a standard rule in all communities in my opinion.

Unless there was a sufficient reason for why it was removed in the first place.

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Yeah I think if users are going to be infracted for posting comments like that or directing users to the right places, then it should be an official rule so it is clear to everyone that it isn't allowed. As of now, I don't infract people for doing that, nor do I mind.

The only time I may infract somebody for "backseat modding" is when it turns into spam. If one person posts "wrong section, try here: linkhere" or "read the stickies", you don't need 12 people after that to post the exact same thing. In that case it is just spam.

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That's ridiculous. Infracting people for letting other members know they are breaking the rules? I do that on alot of threads and what is the outcome?

I stop tonnes and tonnes of people being scammed, I point the few of these that are legitimate members in the right direction, whereas I know most are just vaders looking to scam.

Should it really be a crime to help out the mods that take far too long to do this sometimes, and even when they infract most of them don't explain how/why they were breaking the rules, so how does this help legitimate users that happen to infract?

Really to suggest that people are infracted for helping out the community, who gives a toss about post count? You guys really think people "back-seat mod" for their own gains? Ridiculous!

That's the only case this would even nearly be reasonable IMO ^

We removed the backseat moderating rule because it was stupid. The person is just trying to help.

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I don't think people should be infracted for "back-seat moderating." After all, they are only trying to help. But, if someone posts after plenty of people that have already stated what was wrong with the post, then that is just deliberate spam, and that should be infractable. Other than that, I have no problem with it.

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Personally, I believe that if someone goes around patrolling threads & posting things like "wrong section," they're spamming. However, if someone's doing it once or twice to actually help people out, then +1 to them.

Also, there's a private messaging feature on this forum that could be used if someone wanted to patrol threads to help out.

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Yeah I thought I was helping, but apparently not. I also agree, its like if someone has already stated its the wrong section or whatever, then someone else states it also, then that second post is spam, but I believe the original isn't.


Maybe I should adapt this approach as I still want to help out.

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i have seen and done this alot in the xbox market as almost every other thread you see where people are selling an account or MSP they do not have any picture proof at all or try to rip people off by selling an account that was modded and most likely will be banned soon. And when you pm someone telling them to post a picture proof of the account they basically tell you to F off and since DJ is usually the only mod hanging in there i know he is busy and cant close every thread that does not have proof. Dont get me wrong he does take care of alot of the threads in there and i have seen a few other mods here and there clean some up but most of the newcomers that post in the market section just overlook the stickies. I agree one person can be like hey refer to this sticky and add pictures, and anyone after that be spamming.

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I think for all of these things, common knowledge says that the first person to post such a message is posting legitimately, but anybody after that is spamming.

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Superman has a good point here about private messaging being just as effective. Sometimes it is actually MORE effective in getting a user's attention immediately. This all depends on the situation though.. It is kind of a hassle to PM somebody just to tell them "wrong section" or something like that, which is where I think the "backseat modding" or whatever you want to call it is perfectly fine if you are just genuinely wanting to offer help.

Personally, I try to communicate with users via PM as frequently as possible. If I see somebody who is repeatedly doing something, like posting short, unhelpful answers (spamming), I like to send them a friendly reminder so that they are aware of the rule rather than going around reporting, infracting, or creating a spammy post to tell them off.

Sometimes users just genuinely need a friendly reminder about certain things, or a gentle push in the right direction. This is why I think it should be entirely OK for users to help out in small ways like this when they see somebody who needs a reminder. With the backseat modding rule abolished, I think the forums function much better when we all help each other out a little bit, rather than relying solely on the moderators to pass along simple information, reminders, or point people to the right section.

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That was the exact instance in which I received an infraction for. I was the first person to comment on a few threads that had not bothered with the stickies and informed them that they needed to comply with the stickies, and I also reported the OP to bring it to moderators attention.
I thought by doing things like this I was helping out a poorly moderated section (dj can only do so much!).

Yeah that makes sense to me.

As isuckathalo pointed out, usually if I try to PM someone telling them to comply or what not they generally flame me. I also believe in the warning approach instead of instant infractions.

Also as you said, with no backseat modding rule my infraction/ban was unwarranted and it does make the forum run better, less work for Moderators who already have a busy job.

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Usually people don't flame you as long as you don't sound stuck up or like a know-it-all haha. At least from my experience.. but then again, most of my experience using the PM system as a way to hand out friendly reminders has been post-promotion, so you may be right.

Anyways, have you tried getting the infraction reversed? Most moderators will give you a chance to defend yourself and dispute your infraction, providing that you approach them respectfully and have a good point. If they still don't agree, you can always consult with an upper staff member for a second look.

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Not the infraction specifically but upon receiving the temp ban I made the appeal - Temporary Ban Appeal (I thought I showed you it). Cosrob said it was warranted, however from the content of this thread I'm keen to second guess that.

Also, yeah I approach them in a nice/professional manner, yet I still receive a flaming.

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Nobody's flaming you.

Essentially, it's up to the moderator's discretion and essentially falls under this clause of the rules:

My advice would just be to steer clear of making such posts & stick to reporting threads using the report feature that is made specifically for situations such as these.

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Denied. Its spamming if nothing else sometimes but mods should be lenient with it.