So, the thing about that rule, in particular, is that it's as much for the FR community's integrity as it is for the staff team's. It's a rule that, again, is applied to a lot of other websites too and it's not something that people really think much of beyond 'Oh well that website just doesn't like complaints' when it really isn't the case.
Critique is good for a website or community to a degree, but when a website specifically has a route for you to submit those critiques through tickets or to reach out to a team, it's done that way for a reason. It means that any complaint or question goes directly to who it's intended for without getting muddied on the way down or possibly causing issues with other users.
One big one is fearmongering with bans and stuff. It's so easy for a user who has been temp-banned or on a fresh account post-ban to spread misinformation about why they got banned in the first place or bring up things about staff that aren't entirely true. A user could say that they got unfairly banned because of XYZ when, in reality, they got banned for an alternate reason that was handled privately by a mod. Users only see the upset person's side and it begins to spread that FR is unfairly banning people because of X situation when the reality is that the user harassed someone or actually had a multi-ring and got caught. The user that got banned isn't likely to be honest about that though and that information is far more likely to get spread because ~drama~ rather than the reality of the situation.
It's also extremely easy for people to end up ganging up on other users or feeling like they have the rights/power to attack others over ToS stuff rather than going through the proper hoops to flag an account or notify staff, which in turn can end up with the user back-seat modding to end up with a ban too. That then turns into 'FR is unfairly banning people who are only trying to help' when the user was harassing or stalking the other to try and 'out' them. If you find a multi, kids, just report it to FR. Don't take matters into your own hand, not your job, is2g. Report and move on, don't let yourself get caught in the salt.
Reasonable discussions about rules and ToS can also get out of hand very easily, which means that the thread needs to be monitored closely to ensure that it doesn't get that far. Given the fact that most of FR's moderation team seem to be community volunteers though, it isn't realistic to expect that from them or for them to be able to monitor it 24/7 without actual pay. Websites that allow critique on their rules and whatnot in public posts/discussions tend to have paid moderation teams that are on the ball with shit like that because it's a legit career and not a hobby site for them. That isn't to say that FR's moderation team isn't good, it just has its limits for what it is.
I will agree that some mods have power-tripped and gone a bit too far, but again, that's the issue with volunteer moderators in general where it's not a career thing for them but a volunteering thing. I find that paid moderation teams are more likely to properly follow ToS stuff and monitor as needed since their livelihoods often depend on it. A good moderation team tends to need to be able to be unbiased and detach themselves from the situation at hand and look at it from a logical standpoint rather than an emotional one. It's not a bad thing to be unable to do that or to be passionate about something, it's just human!
FR's ToS in terms of critique for the site in general works with how FR is set up, but it's very easy to see it as them wanting to squash out any and all criticism from the userbase. I've personally had mixed feelings when dealing with FR's team via tickets and have some preferences when it comes to who I'm talking to for sure, but I also get where they're coming from with stuff like that.
no subject
So, the thing about that rule, in particular, is that it's as much for the FR community's integrity as it is for the staff team's. It's a rule that, again, is applied to a lot of other websites too and it's not something that people really think much of beyond 'Oh well that website just doesn't like complaints' when it really isn't the case.
Critique is good for a website or community to a degree, but when a website specifically has a route for you to submit those critiques through tickets or to reach out to a team, it's done that way for a reason. It means that any complaint or question goes directly to who it's intended for without getting muddied on the way down or possibly causing issues with other users.
One big one is fearmongering with bans and stuff. It's so easy for a user who has been temp-banned or on a fresh account post-ban to spread misinformation about why they got banned in the first place or bring up things about staff that aren't entirely true. A user could say that they got unfairly banned because of XYZ when, in reality, they got banned for an alternate reason that was handled privately by a mod. Users only see the upset person's side and it begins to spread that FR is unfairly banning people because of X situation when the reality is that the user harassed someone or actually had a multi-ring and got caught. The user that got banned isn't likely to be honest about that though and that information is far more likely to get spread because ~drama~ rather than the reality of the situation.
It's also extremely easy for people to end up ganging up on other users or feeling like they have the rights/power to attack others over ToS stuff rather than going through the proper hoops to flag an account or notify staff, which in turn can end up with the user back-seat modding to end up with a ban too. That then turns into 'FR is unfairly banning people who are only trying to help' when the user was harassing or stalking the other to try and 'out' them. If you find a multi, kids, just report it to FR. Don't take matters into your own hand, not your job, is2g. Report and move on, don't let yourself get caught in the salt.
Reasonable discussions about rules and ToS can also get out of hand very easily, which means that the thread needs to be monitored closely to ensure that it doesn't get that far. Given the fact that most of FR's moderation team seem to be community volunteers though, it isn't realistic to expect that from them or for them to be able to monitor it 24/7 without actual pay. Websites that allow critique on their rules and whatnot in public posts/discussions tend to have paid moderation teams that are on the ball with shit like that because it's a legit career and not a hobby site for them. That isn't to say that FR's moderation team isn't good, it just has its limits for what it is.
I will agree that some mods have power-tripped and gone a bit too far, but again, that's the issue with volunteer moderators in general where it's not a career thing for them but a volunteering thing. I find that paid moderation teams are more likely to properly follow ToS stuff and monitor as needed since their livelihoods often depend on it. A good moderation team tends to need to be able to be unbiased and detach themselves from the situation at hand and look at it from a logical standpoint rather than an emotional one. It's not a bad thing to be unable to do that or to be passionate about something, it's just human!
FR's ToS in terms of critique for the site in general works with how FR is set up, but it's very easy to see it as them wanting to squash out any and all criticism from the userbase. I've personally had mixed feelings when dealing with FR's team via tickets and have some preferences when it comes to who I'm talking to for sure, but I also get where they're coming from with stuff like that.