New SSMB Moderators! New COMMUNITY RULES!

[Dreadknux]

Hi gang! Hope you're all getting reasonably festive for the season. I still need to put up my Christmas decorations, should probably find time to do that tonight...

Today, I'd like to welcome two new additions to our Community Moderation team - as well as some other Moderation and Rules changes for your kind attention. But first, the new mods!

Moderation Team Update

Please offer a warm congratulations and celebrations towards @Ryannumber1gamer and @Ferno, who will help keep this community neat, tidy and safe as part of the Sonic Stadium Moderation Team. Long-time members will already know both of these established members of the SSMB Forums, and no doubt they will do an excellent job making sure Rules are adhered to and that everyone is treated fairly.

In addition to this, Ryan and Ferno are incredibly enthusiastic about helping the Sonic Community here grow and I'll be working with them and the rest of the Sonic Stadium staff to make the future of the site and forums a really cool and exciting place to visit every day! I plan to establish some more 'staff' groups in the near future that will specifically be tailored to work on community ideas, but for now I appreciate a lot of the energy coming from Ryan and Ferno on this.

As Moderators, Ryan and Ferno will be tasked with responding to user Reports, assessing posts in the approvals queue from newer members, doling out Warnings/Strikes to users who break our Rules, and engaging with the community / ensuring cohesion and good vibes.

The existing SSMB Moderation Team that you all know and love - @Strickerx5, @Tara, @Tornado, @Sean and @Zaysho - will continue to lead the community effort as they have done for many, many years. But I am proud to announce that these long-serving members of the community will be promoted to a new Moderation group I am calling Super Moderators. In addition to the standard day-to-day moderation duties mentioned above, Super Mods will be the ones who have the highest level of power and responsibility, taking on high-level infractions and urgent issues that require stronger actions to keep the peace. If a situation breaks out in the community, Moderators are tasked and trusted to handle it, but can escalate the matter to Super Mods under extra-ordinary circumstances.

Rules Update

With a change in the Mod Team, comes a change in the Sonic Stadium Rules and how we handle offensive users/infracting material. This has been a long time coming, but I've recently updated our Community Rules list and it covers most of everything we will and won't allow on the site. It also covers all nodes of the Sonic Stadium platform - forums, news comments, wiki pages, gallery, blogs, clubs, status updates, the works.

Please make sure you familiarise yourself with these new Rules - even if you were already familiar with the old Rules - because there may be elements you won't be aware of. Remember that use of your Sonic Stadium Account is dependant on you understanding and adhering to these Rules.

https://www.sonicstadium.org/guidelines/

I've even made it pretty with cool pictures to illustrate each thing so it doesn't look too boring. How nice am I?

The 5-Strike System

Perhaps the most dramatic change from the Rules is the switch-up in our punishment system. For around 23 years, we've worked to a "3 Strikes" system (sort of like baseball - three strikes and you're out!). Each rule infraction earned a user a Strike, and if you collected three you'd be banned permanently from the forums.

Because we are much more than a forum these days, and therefore so many things one can use a Sonic Stadium account for, we are adjusting this system for the first time ever and reworking it to a "5 Strikes" system. This time, rule-breaking accounts will be hit with one or more Strikes depending on the severity of the Rule they have broken.

Your Sonic Stadium Account will also be more restricted the more Strikes you rack up - from two Strikes onwards, you may find your account temporarily banned or restricted from posting in order to illustrate the severity of your account's status. Details of the 5-Strike breakdown can be found on the Rules Page - so go read it!

https://www.sonicstadium.org/guidelines/

Report! Report!

Finally, I'd like to remind everyone that, even though we've refreshed the Moderation team somewhat, we really would appreciate it if we had some help from the community if they see any rule-breaking activity. We have a robust 'Report' system that you can use to flag any content that you see to us.

We do often sweep the forums and site and will take action on anything nefarious that we see, but we sometimes miss things. For areas like Clubs as well, which can have their own dedicated forums/galleries/blogs, it's even more difficult for a small Mod team to constantly be across everything, so your help will be greatly appreciated.

If you want to learn more about how to file a Report (and, importantly, what shouldn't be considered a Report), please visit the Rules Page!

https://www.sonicstadium.org/guidelines/

Basically, The Rules Page.... you all got that? 

Join me again in welcoming and congratulating the new moderators!

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I have only one response to this momentous occasion.
 

 

Happy to be on board with the new team, and looking forwards to helping the community out! 

[Ferno]

Happy to be a part of the staff on a place that's always felt like a cozy little home to me, lol. I'll do my best!

 

[NegaMix]

Congrats to you both for the promotion!

[Lorekitten]

I'm just gonna guess that SOME of these rule changes were a result of the Like Wars. Which is entirely reasonable imo; they're starting to get kinda crazy.

[Failinhearts]

I want to give a firm congratulations to the members of staff, Ryan and Ferno, you certainly deserve this position more than anyone and its promotions that are long overdue!

Talking in specifics about Ryan, as I have been working with him for over seven years on numerous community projects. From the original RPs, to becoming a staff member on the current incarnation of Skylanders Dimensions, the countless Motobug streams, Game Night, Musical Spectacular and so much more, his unwavering commitment to this site and this community is a testament that SSMB is in safe hands. Never once does he falter in his duties, and he is always beaming with ambition and big ideas for the future.

There isn't anyone else in the world I could imagine more deserving of this position than him.

[Winston]

Congratulations to the both of you! I’ve enjoyed both of your presences on the forum for the many years on and off I’ve been here, and look forward to both of your time as mods.

[Morganoire]

I know I literally never say anything outside the Skylanders Dimensions club, but congratulations to the new mods!  I’m sure this’ll mean good things for the site and community. You both totally deserve it, and I can’t wait to see what you do! Hope the community can be a welcoming place where everyone can feel comfortable and that things will only get better. Shoutout to @Ryannumber1gamerfor being a friend and a welcoming guy who has so much passion for everything he does, I’m sure you’ll do great!

[Dreadknux]

1 hour ago, Lorekitten said:

I'm just gonna guess that SOME of these rule changes were a result of the Like Wars. Which is entirely reasonable imo; they're starting to get kinda crazy.

Actually not really (except for one line I hastily added today!), a lot of it is down to simply keeping up with changes in broader social attitudes/cultural shifts over the last 7-8 years, changes in the forum itself and just generally making existing rules more organised and easier to understand. Numbering these Rules means, when we're warning a user, we can point to a specific number and say "you've done this" and it hasn't always been as simple as that before. 

Also the last time I even looked at the Rules was like, 2015 or something? So yeah, definitely needed an update.

The recent Like/React spam DID spur me to add an extra line to the 'No Spam' (Rule 4) section though covering this.

[ShadowForever]

Congratulations!!! Good luck, and do your best!

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Massive congratulations are in order for @Fernoand @Ryannumber1gamer. Known both of these guys for over a decade now. The former for great art and great conversation. And the latter, I've had the pleasure of getting to know and collaborating on Game Night with.

Well done on mixing things up @Dreadknux. Particularly excited about the announcement of certain staff groups and what that could entail as well.

[Danj86]

Huh. Um... I'm happy for the people involved but I am troubled by some of the language used in those rules.

But past trauma suggests I'd fail to properly explain my point and just anger everyone. I do get frustrated when my intentions are misread or I'm accused of something I'm not.

Before I say anything, I want to make clear that I loath politics. Calling me left or right will both result in me reacting as if insulted. I'm incredibly indecisive and rarely pick a side.

But I am worried that the progressive rule, which is also covered by being respectful of others, directly mentions right wing politics only as an example of what not to do. Makes it sound like certain opinions aren't welcome here. Maybe that is the intention, I don't know. I just like to treat everyone the same, unless they're mean.

I just thought I should mention that. I could easily be making wild assumptions and worrying over nothing, but experience tells me that nothing will get people nasty, as quicky as politics. Makes me want to go crawl in a hole. Which is why I'm so hesitant to even mention this.

I'm going to click Submit Reply and regret it later, I know I will. I'm also rambling which is another sign of nervousness. Lol

[Tornado]

If your understanding of "right wing politics" is synonymous with inability to be respectful of others, be it their sexual orientation or gender identity or anything like that, then yes: Your politics are not allowed on this forum. It's entirely possible to not be left leaning and still not be a shit.

[JezMM]

Best wishes to the new mods and congratulations to the existing ones on gathering all the emeralds and obtaining their Super forms!

[Zaysho]

Just now, JezMM said:

Best wishes to the new mods and congratulations to the existing ones on gathering all the emeralds and obtaining their Super forms!

To appease Sega and respect their deeply thought out lore of the Sonic the Hedgehog™ franchise, we have to be clear they are just super powers, not super forms.

 

 

Anyway, congrats and welcome Ryan and Ferno!

[Spin Attaxx]

I've been friends with Ryan for many years and a longtime follower of Ferno's art over on Tumblr, and I couldn't be prouder to see them both get this position, even if my presence on SSMB isn't exactly what it used to be. (Looking at those new rules, though, at least now I don't have to feel bad about making a new art topic if I feel like having one of those again, instead of dredging up my ancient one lmao.)

Congratulations to the both of you; you've got this in the bag!

[Emperor Robrainiac]

Congrats to both of you! Man, I've been here for a long while and I never would I have thought I've seen either of you become mods!

Ryan, you've been a great friend of mine for a long time, and I'm very happy for you! Interacting with you on many projects on the forums, including the stuff on Motobug, I have a feeling think you're gonna do great as a mod!

It's been a long while since we've talked Ferno, but we've been here for a long while and the times we did talk were great interactions. Really happy for you as well!

Hell, I'm really happy for both of you! Seriously, I cannot find the words to describe it, this is very exciting! Congrats!  

[Dreadknux]

1 hour ago, Danj86 said:

Huh. Um... I'm happy for the people involved but I am troubled by some of the language used in those rules.

With the greatest of respect, this is a severe overreaction. There's nothing to worry about here.

Firstly, if you loathe politics, then you would be able to happily ignore this rule as you're unlikely to trip it (and I'm not entirely sure why you're bringing any of this up in the first place).

Secondly, I must be clear, that while "not all right wing" views involve damaging and disrespectful opinions and thoughts towards social minorities, the sad truth is that almost all such opinions/thoughts are of a right wing nature. Especially considering the changes in socio-political attitudes over the last ten years, and considering the culture of people that follow and fight such causes, who always align themselves with these kinds of political parties. Someone who may consider themselves aligned with a certain political group today is absolutely not the same kind of person who did the same ten years ago.

The bottom line is that, I simply cannot allow any mean-spirited, anti-progressive views that aim to cause harm to minority groups. And a lot of that kind of attitude/behaviour now comes from a slow process of desensitising people into believing that kind of thing is okay. Unfortunately, the whole "debate me in the forum of ideas" thing has only really amplified that - as well-intentioned as that whole concept is, sadly the "marketplace of ideas" approach has never ever worked. It's like Alien vs Predator: whoever wins, we all lose.

It is nice to think of a perfect world where everyone can voice wildly different views as if they are equal and debate them at face value, but the sad reality is that not all views are equal. It is absurd to consider that an 'opinion' that seeks to diminish, restrict the rights of (and in some cases, even threaten the lives of) minority groups can exist on the same plan as the opposing view, which is simply a request to exist (or be represented).

With all of this in mind, I hope you can understand that I really do not want to attract further attention by even discussing this in greater detail. All I have to say to wrap this up is, if you have anti-progressive views - whatever side of the spectrum you may politically (or non-politically) lean - you will not be welcome to share/spread ideas on my community.

EDIT: I have tweaked the wording of Rule 2 for clarification, but the spirit of the text will be unchanged. I will not be taking/allowing any further questions or discussions on this, for sensitivity/security reasons. So consider this my one and only comment on it. Please move on to the real point of the topic - celebrating the new mods!

[Cuz]

Congrats. I'm honestly surprised with how many game nights and motobugs community events he's been a part of that ryan wasn't already a mod. 

[Danj86]

It is certainly true that I frequently worry too much.

I hope @Ryannumber1gamerand @Fernoenjoy their new roles.

...I am worried about something else. Some of you guys seem to do an awful lot. We don't want any of you to overexert yourselves. Burnout is not just a video game series we don't see much of these days.

Anyway, back to whatever I was doing earlier. Oh yeah, sleeping.

[Dreadknux]

Haha, you only need to worry about me. I definitely burn the candle at both ends! XD

But yeah, we've definitely rolled with the same mod team, the same news team, the same everybody for a very long time, and I'd like to expand things in that area and help accelerate the growth of our lovely community! :) The great thing about Ryan and Ferno is that they're full of energy and ideas, and I'd love to work with not just them but all of you to help evolve TSS/SSMB in the way you all want it to be!

Sing it with me...

TOGETHER WE CAN SHOW THE WORLD WHAT WE CAN DO
somethingsomethingsomething NEXT TO YOU~

[Ryannumber1gamer]

1 hour ago, JezMM said:

Best wishes to the new mods and congratulations to the existing ones on gathering all the emeralds and obtaining their Super forms!

As the new mods, me and @Fernoactually turn into golden dragons when we get the Chaos Emeralds.

also a lot of spikes spawn around us for some reason 

[Maple Syrup]

Congrats @Fernoand @Ryannumber1gamer! I hope you have a good time taking care of Sonic Stadium!

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Wow, congrats you two! Been a while since we had new mods.

Ryan’s been clogging my updates with activities that I’m honestly not surprised he’s been promoted. And I bet Ferno’s not going to be missing any events anymore, right?

…RIGHT?!

Anyway. The 5-strikes. Now, I was actually going to contest the 5-strike system as I immediately thought it was a bad idea—if there’s one thing I enjoy about the SSMB over almost every site, it was the strictness. But reading how the 5-strike system works, it still puts people on notice. It’s actually not that big a change nor is it too lenient—basically the 3-strikes, but Strikes 2 and 3 have different levels.

Can’t wait to see how things change for this place come 2024!

[Polkadi~☆]

Congratulations to @Ryannumber1gamer and @Ferno! Feels wild to see you two as moderators now.

ryan already knows i'm going to tease him for being a moderator more often than not lol
And though he may threaten to delete me from the face of the Earth for teasing him... he'll always know i'm right >:3