Official Ruling
After reviewing the posts above and the referenced posts in the "Things Fall Apart" topic, I have noted the following facts:
- The first instance of rule-breaking was made by Gordonel, under the unregistered name "Gordy" (IP addresses confirm identity). He flamed Apollo-Industria, calling his posts "stupid... no thought put into [them] whatsoever". Shortly after this, Flemingovia issued a caution, presumably to Gordonel, to stop flaming.
- About an hour and a half later, Avenging Angels made a post, presumably in A-I's defense, to the effect of Gordonel being a traitor that had lost all credibility. According to Administration records, Flemingovia closed the topic from post form at 5:40 PM Eastern Time on the 14th. No warnings were issued.
- Afterward and continuing to the next day, Gordonel and AA exchanged a series of abusive PM's to each other. AA publicly complained, listing the PM's as evidence, and blocked further communication with Gordonel. Gordonel then objected to the public posting of the Personal Messages.
- Global Moderator Grosseschnauzer closed the complaint topic, reserving judgement on the grounds of a lack of defined rules.
After looking through the Moderation Forum, the rules posted above by Grosseschnauzer were indeed discussed, but elections and the change in moderation unfortunately cast the topic into oblivion. I cannot and will not persecute members of this forum for a rule that was not officially put into place.
However, messages sent on this board are still part of this board. Therefore, abusive content sent through the messaging system can be acted against if a complaint is raised. Flemingovia did issue a caution in the "Things Fall Apart" topic to stop flaming. Avenging Angels and Gordonel both continued this action both within and outside of the topic. It is standard procedure on this board to issue official warnings and appropriate moderation to those members who choose to ignore cautions. While I do commend Avenging Angels for taking on the responsibility of blocking messages and thus ending the tirade, the exchange went too far to be waived off.
Therefore, as Forum Administrator, I hereby issue a 20% warning to both Avenging Angels and Gordonel for flaming and flamebait. Normally, under the forum rules, this warning would be accompianied by a five-hour moderator preview; however, as the incident took place several days ago, and was mainly conducted via the Personal Message system, I believe that such a punishment at this time would be unfair and unneccessary. However, should either member recieve another warning (to be raised to 40%), they will recieve the appropriate moderation for that warning level. I would also encourage Avenging Angels and Gordonel to please settle their differences to prevent something like this from happening in the future, however that step is up to them.
If anyone would like to appeal this ruling, I have re-opened this topic. You may do so either by posting here or by sending me a PM. I realize that I was not present for this incident, and that I may not have all the information in relation to it. I apologize to anyone who feels they have been unjustly punished by this or any other oversight caused by my absence.
