I just received a permanent infraction worth five points because of an avatar (link to the normal sized picture) I was using.
This personal message awaited me from Staff Member Overdrank:
So, not only did I get a nasty PM, get an infraction, and five points (out of how many possible?) that never go away, but Overdrank took it upon himself to delete my avatar.Code:Dear detroit/zero, You have received an infraction at Ubuntu Forums. Reason: Inappropriate material in avatar ------- The avatar is disgusting and contains material that is not for these forums. It has been removed. ------- This infraction is worth 5 point(s) and may result in restricted access until it expires. Serious infractions will never expire. All the best, Ubuntu Forums
Allow me to say that I've had this avatar for months and never heard anything about it before this message.
Reading the Code of Conduct, the word "avatar" appears only six times in two sections. Here they are:
No politics. Understandable.Code:13.Forum signatures are limited to three lines of text, 10pt maximum font size. Signatures are also not a place for inappropriate material such as attacks, slander, harassment, political or religious remarks. We regret that users are not allowed to use images in their signatures (see staff signature guidelines below in Section III for an exception to this policy). The use of political images in avatars is also prohibited.
But wait! There's more:
Since staff has the ability to check certain things, I assume somebody can see that I've never been contacted by anyone about my avatar, much less asked to change or remove it.Code:User signatures, avatars and custom user titles: No images or advertising in the signatures unless the advertising is directly related to linux in some way or is a user's personal site which does not violate the guidelines stated above. If you see a signature that needs moderating, contact an administrator so they can edit it and contact the user via private message. Avatars should be kept clean and inclusive of all people. No porn, racist images, or rtfm types of images. If the user has one of these, send them a private message and ask them to remove the avatar. If the user does not voluntarily remove their avatar contact an administrator to have the avatar removed and possibly issue an infraction. There are a select, small group of users on the forums who have been given the special privilege of creating for themselves a custom user title. This is to thank them for their long-standing commitment to the community and for their consistent, positive contributions. Users receiving this privilege are requested to keep their custom user title light-hearted, advertising-free, and clean...although those who have received this privilege are probably the sort of users who don't need to be told this.
Methinks Overdrank has an itchy trigger finger.
While the avatar is certainly tasteless, it is not "porn, racist, or [a] rtfm type image". Overdrank says it is "disgusting" and contains "material not suitable for these forums", but I fail to see where "disgusting" is mentioned in the CoC. Who decides what's disgusting? Personally, I think that image is kind of funny. Pictures of kittens I find disgusting.
I don't think I deserve five points. I don't think I deserve a permanent infraction (my first of any type of infraction in over a year and a half of being on these forums).
Since the avatar has been changed, what I do think I deserve is an apology from Overdrank for being so heavyhanded with me without ever even contacting me prior to that.
Thanks.
Adv Reply
Originally Posted by KiwiNZ
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