bans are not a punishment, and only make behaviour worse

[Psymon²]

the fault lies in the woefully inconsistent moderation.
which is of course a result of report abuse.

moderators do not actively visit threads, or investigate reported posts to establish context.
nor do support (mostly) when contesting a ban.

the result is, someone will get "trolled" and antagonised into retaliation, then banned, they'll see all the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ others get away with, then either return with a vengeance, or write the forums off as the dumpster fire they are.

therefore, getting a ban is more like doing someone a favour, letting them get away from the farce of so called "discussion".

the tools that the moderators have to utilise are archaic at best, and utterly misused at worst.

valve have no reason to care about these forums, because there's no return on any investment.

as such, all that's left is the fanbois, doing what fanbois do best.

the suggestion?
perform due diligence to ensure the ♥♥♥♥ stirring few aren't dominating the forums, and provide some genuinely helpful guidance instead of just vague and inconsistent reasoning that seems entirely at the whim of nobodies.

in fact, replace the whole forums with something that's not a outdated mess of barely 90s level technology.
and employ a proper team of moderation and support who care about keeping the forums how they're supposed to be:

"for everyone, new and advanced user alike" - literally on the front page of the forums
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/

"please make sure you are being relevant, constructive, and polite" - literally at the top of the rules
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6862-8119-C23E-EA7B

[The Commendatore]

The fault lies with users who refuse to learn and own up to breaking the rules.

[Leonardo Da Pinchi]

Originally posted by The Commendatore:

The fault lies with users who refuse to learn and own up to breaking the rules.

Especially users with clear axes to grind against Steam.

[The Commendatore]

Originally posted by Leonardo Da Pinchi:

Originally posted by The Commendatore:

The fault lies with users who refuse to learn and own up to breaking the rules.

Especially users with clear axes to grind against Steam.

Yeah.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by Psymon²:

the result is, someone will get "trolled" and antagonised into retaliation, then banned,...

I found your issue.

Next time, report, block, ignore, do not engage and move on.

[Brian9824]

I mean honestly I see the same people repeatedly get banned and they have one thing in common. They refuse to accept their fault and blame everyone else for their own actions.

The first step in fixing bans is to fix yourself

[Boblin the Goblin]

For most users, bans improve behavior because they do not want to get banned again. There will always be some where bans are not really a punishment and in turn, they will not correct their behavior repeating the same process.

But, for a majority, bans do correct behavior.

[Strike-Team]

Originally posted by Psymon²:

the fault lies in the woefully inconsistent moderation.
which is of course a result of report abuse.

moderators do not actively visit threads, or investigate reported posts to establish context.
nor do support (mostly) when contesting a ban.

the result is, someone will get "trolled" and antagonised into retaliation, then banned, they'll see all the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ others get away with, then either return with a vengeance, or write the forums off as the dumpster fire they are.

therefore, getting a ban is more like doing someone a favour, letting them get away from the farce of so called "discussion".

the tools that the moderators have to utilise are archaic at best, and utterly misused at worst.

valve have no reason to care about these forums, because there's no return on any investment.

as such, all that's left is the fanbois, doing what fanbois do best.

the suggestion?
perform due diligence to ensure the ♥♥♥♥ stirring few aren't dominating the forums, and provide some genuinely helpful guidance instead of just vague and inconsistent reasoning that seems entirely at the whim of nobodies.

in fact, replace the whole forums with something that's not a outdated mess of barely 90s level technology.
and employ a proper team of moderation and support who care about keeping the forums how they're supposed to be:

"for everyone, new and advanced user alike" - literally on the front page of the forums
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/

"please make sure you are being relevant, constructive, and polite" - literally at the top of the rules
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6862-8119-C23E-EA7B

you may be right about some things but unfortunately your post will not be considered by valve so try to have fun

[Maria]

Originally posted by SlowMango:

For most users, bans improve behavior because they do not want to get banned again. There will always be some where bans are not really a punishment and in turn, they will not correct their behavior repeating the same process.

But, for a majority, bans do correct behavior.

Basically this. Is it possible for Valve to consider a permanent community ban?

Like a week ago we had someone openly sending death threats in public but since there isn't a perma punishment, they could always do it again.

[Boblin the Goblin]

Originally posted by Maria:

Originally posted by SlowMango:

For most users, bans improve behavior because they do not want to get banned again. There will always be some where bans are not really a punishment and in turn, they will not correct their behavior repeating the same process.

But, for a majority, bans do correct behavior.

Basically this. Is it possible for Valve to consider a permanent community ban?

Like a week ago we had someone openly sending death threats in public but since there isn't a perma punishment, they could always do it again.

There is a permanent punishment. Most community bans are auto-triggered from multiple bans across multiple forums. They usually don't manually hand them out unless it's extreme repeat offenders.

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by Maria:

Originally posted by SlowMango:

For most users, bans improve behavior because they do not want to get banned again. There will always be some where bans are not really a punishment and in turn, they will not correct their behavior repeating the same process.

But, for a majority, bans do correct behavior.

Basically this. Is it possible for Valve to consider a permanent community ban?

Yes.
Very few people have been given them, but they are usually given far too many chances before it's used. Also, a preset number of bans being reached will automatically trigger it, according to a previous moderator.

Originally posted by The Commendatore:

The fault lies with users who refuse to learn and own up to breaking the rules.

This is the ultimate source of ones own problems a majority of the time.
All people have to do is follow a really easily understood set of rules. Users are responsible for their own behavior, trying to provoke users, moderators & staff members for example is most definitely an active choice.

[🍋 Lemonfed 🍋]

moderation still work to a certain extent and will make most peoples be more careful with their behaviors even if not everyone get the proper punishement when they break the rules.

if you feel that someone is trolling and baiting you into reacting and getting mad at them just block them if the situation get too much annoying , report if what they said break the rules but don't engage in a agressive behaviors.

In the end if you rage as someone trolling at you you're the one that is possibly making yourself look like a worst offender then him.

[76561198407601200]

Originally posted by Psymon²:

the result is, someone will get "trolled" and antagonised into retaliation, then banned, they'll see all the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ others get away with, then either return with a vengeance, or write the forums off as the dumpster fire they are.

Shall I suggest you follow your own advice as posted here.

[Maria]

Originally posted by SlowMango:

There is a permanent punishment.

Originally posted by Mad Scientist:

Yes.

Good to know
Thank you for the information.

Also rip, their account is already unbanned wtf

[BJWyler]

As always, after years of being a Forum Warrior, Mod, and Host, I have found that those who complain about moderation are those who needed to be moderated 100% of the time.

Report, Block, and Move On.

(Generic use of "you" incoming)
Nobody forces you to engage with any reply on any forum. No one forces you into making off topic backseat moderating replies in threads. If you are so compelled to make a reply, and break the rules while doing so, that is 100% a you problem, and something you should seriously consider taking care of in real life.

While moderation is not perfect in any forum, it has slowly gotten better in recent years here. Users, of course, are the bulk of the reason why forums are good and bad. Engaging with toxic users does not help or solve the problem.

Bans absolutely do work. They have for years, and continue to serve a much needed purpose on these forums, along with the block and reporting tools, as well as Common Forum Etiquette.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by Psymon²:

the fault lies in the woefully inconsistent moderation.
which is of course a result of report abuse.

moderators do not actively visit threads, or investigate reported posts to establish context.
nor do support (mostly) when contesting a ban.

That's an assumption on your part. Can you prove it? Prove that no mod ever justr happened to browse through the forums? Of course you can't. You wouldn't be you if you could.

And yeah. My view is that bans need to carry a bit more 'biote'. There was a thread about this. Basically that repeat offenders should get progressively longer penalties. WHich more or less solves the problem whether or not they learn their lesson because after a while the ban length will be measured in months.