Moderation FAQ
That being said, here are the most common questions asked of us about moderation on the forums:
How do I contact a moderator or admin?
Please click on the report button located in the lower left corner of the post and fill in the box that comes up with an explanation of what the problem is. This will inform the moderators of the problem. You can do this in PMs, reviews, and comments as well. The moderators respond to reported posts first. PM'ing a moderator will always be slower. The best and fastest way to contact us is always the report button.
Important: Moderation Team members are either tagged as "Moderator" or "Administrator". Please make sure a member has one of those tags before assuming that any message from a member, private or public, is from the moderators.
Why was my post removed?
In most cases, where a post breaks our Posting Guidelines, it will be removed and you will be contacted. If your post quoted a post that was deleted, your post will likely be deleted (or edited) as well, as deleting an offensive post is pointless if a post quoting it remains. That is why we ask you not to quote spam or offensive posts, as it makes more work for us.
Thousands of posts are made on Head-Fi each day. Of those, only a handful are ever deleted that aren't blatant spam, so in the rare case your post is deleted, we appreciate your patience and consideration if you don't get notified of the reason.
Deletion isn't permanent, and can be reversed. It is not unusual for posts to be reinstated, sometimes after being edited, following a major thread clean-up upon further review.
Important: Some sponsors, who have their own forum or blog can moderate that forum or blog. If your post was removed from a sponsor's forum or blog, it was very likely NOT done by the moderators.
Will I be banned?
The only thing we (the moderators) wish of the forum is the same thing that the majority of members do: To be able to enjoy our hobby in a fun way with other people. The only reason we do what we do is that we want to continue seeing Head-Fi as a great place to do that, for everyone. So while breaking any of the rules once is unlikely to get you banned, if members are repeatedly reporting your posts and we repeatedly have to give you warnings, then at some point you may find your account restricted or banned for some period of time, if not permanently. We don't like banning people and it is relatively rare, but we're human and we only have so much patience.
However, the following will almost certainly result in a permanent and irrevocable ban:
Excepting spammers, the vast majority of the time, members end up banned for repeatedly being abusive, having multiple accounts to cause trouble and evade bans, fraudulent Head-Fi Classifieds activity, or - very rarely - breaking Member of the Trade rules. Since posts of that nature are usually deleted, it may not be obvious why a person was banned. We don't discuss bans publicly, with rare exception.
However, since it is frequently misrepresented by others, the reason NwAvGuy was banned has been posted here.
I disagree with a moderation decision. Who do I contact?
If you received a PM about a post or thread you have made that was edited or deleted, please reply to it and politely ask for clarification or a review. While we are usually happy to explain a decision, we wont enter into protracted discussion about it, simply because we'd rather be participating as normal members and not arguing about moderation decisions.
If your content has been removed from a sponsor's forum or blog, please contact the representative(s) from that company about it.
We don't allow discussion of moderation on the forums. Nothing productive can possibly come from it. While 99.99%+ of the thousands of posts made here daily are fine, sometimes we occasionally have to delete as much as a page or more of a thread to get it back on topic, so please understand if occasionally a post of yours is deleted and you aren't told why. In those (rare) cases, it would take more time than there is in a day for us to notify every person of the reason and we'd rather be participating as members than arguing with people who don't understand or refuse to accept the rules. The moderators aren't dragons trying to make it hard for people. We are ordinary enthusiasts like you who wish to share our enjoyment of the hobby and have volunteered to help keep the forums in order.
Deleting posts is not a personal thing. Don't make it one. Moderators and Administrators are NOT connected with the management or organization of sponsors and, excepting the site owner, do not benefit financially from their presence.
Remember that it is only the internet and if your post is deleted, it wont kill you. However, if you really think it is so important that it needs to be addressed, there is a feedback form available through the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of every page.
Moderator and Administrator Impartiality
All sponsorship of the site is managed directly by Head-Fi. The moderators are not paid to moderate the site, and, excepting the site owner, do not have any involvement in or receive any financial benefit from sponsors. In fact, moderators become aware of a new sponsor at the same time members do: when they post or advertise on the site.
So you read about a guy who said his posts were deleted by the moderators or he was banned for criticizing a sponsor? Really? In every case someone has done that, they were banned for being rude and offensive on the forums, yet don't want to take responsibility for their actions.
Seriously, even despite that, there is no way a handful of moderators can go through the 2000+ posts made daily and delete all those that say negative stuff about the 60-70 companies that sponsor the site. It is not possible and we'd quickly lose most of our membership if thousands of posts were regularly disappearing.
So, there is no problem with criticizing a company, or its products, sponsor or not, within reason. Posting about an issue you have with a company is fine, but even if you are annoyed, please don't go about spamming it in every thread (or on every page of a thread) that discusses the company, especially in the Sponsor Announcements and Deals forum. Trying to trash a company's reputation over a personal disagreement or vendetta is not OK. Just because you're talking about a company doesn't mean that it is OK to be rude and disrespectful to them. Create your own thread to discuss your issues or concerns. Remember that while you may be displeased, other people are not, and wish to discuss the company and products without pissed-off customers trying to shout them down at every turn.
Very often, in our observation, the accusation that we are just shilling for sponsors is made when someone disagrees with an opinion enough that they are willing to make personal attacks, and then, when those attacks are removed and/or they are banned for it, it is easier to throw mud than take accept that they simply have a different opinion.
Note that as per the Terms of Service, libel is not permitted here. If a libelous statement is made, we will remove the offending post and/or thread. This is not "protection" of sponsors, advertisers or members of the trade.
Here are a couple of posts from Jude about it:
- How do I contact a moderator?
- Why was my post removed?
- Will I be banned?
- Why was a person banned?
- Who should I contact if I disagree with a moderation decision?
- Moderator and Administrator Impartiality
That being said, here are the most common questions asked of us about moderation on the forums:
How do I contact a moderator or admin?
Please click on the report button located in the lower left corner of the post and fill in the box that comes up with an explanation of what the problem is. This will inform the moderators of the problem. You can do this in PMs, reviews, and comments as well. The moderators respond to reported posts first. PM'ing a moderator will always be slower. The best and fastest way to contact us is always the report button.
Important: Moderation Team members are either tagged as "Moderator" or "Administrator". Please make sure a member has one of those tags before assuming that any message from a member, private or public, is from the moderators.
Why was my post removed?
In most cases, where a post breaks our Posting Guidelines, it will be removed and you will be contacted. If your post quoted a post that was deleted, your post will likely be deleted (or edited) as well, as deleting an offensive post is pointless if a post quoting it remains. That is why we ask you not to quote spam or offensive posts, as it makes more work for us.
Thousands of posts are made on Head-Fi each day. Of those, only a handful are ever deleted that aren't blatant spam, so in the rare case your post is deleted, we appreciate your patience and consideration if you don't get notified of the reason.
Deletion isn't permanent, and can be reversed. It is not unusual for posts to be reinstated, sometimes after being edited, following a major thread clean-up upon further review.
Important: Some sponsors, who have their own forum or blog can moderate that forum or blog. If your post was removed from a sponsor's forum or blog, it was very likely NOT done by the moderators.
Will I be banned?
The only thing we (the moderators) wish of the forum is the same thing that the majority of members do: To be able to enjoy our hobby in a fun way with other people. The only reason we do what we do is that we want to continue seeing Head-Fi as a great place to do that, for everyone. So while breaking any of the rules once is unlikely to get you banned, if members are repeatedly reporting your posts and we repeatedly have to give you warnings, then at some point you may find your account restricted or banned for some period of time, if not permanently. We don't like banning people and it is relatively rare, but we're human and we only have so much patience.
However, the following will almost certainly result in a permanent and irrevocable ban:
- Spamming, eg: Posting the same thing many times in many threads.
- Posting highly offensive material, such as pornography.
- Saying "I'm contacting my lawyer!" or similar legal suggestions or threats. We take such threats with the utmost seriousness (due to the huge costs involved) and have zero tolerance for them.
- Creating a second account to evade a suspension or ban, avoid negative feedback from the classifieds, shill, or otherwise break the rules.
Excepting spammers, the vast majority of the time, members end up banned for repeatedly being abusive, having multiple accounts to cause trouble and evade bans, fraudulent Head-Fi Classifieds activity, or - very rarely - breaking Member of the Trade rules. Since posts of that nature are usually deleted, it may not be obvious why a person was banned. We don't discuss bans publicly, with rare exception.
However, since it is frequently misrepresented by others, the reason NwAvGuy was banned has been posted here.
I disagree with a moderation decision. Who do I contact?
If you received a PM about a post or thread you have made that was edited or deleted, please reply to it and politely ask for clarification or a review. While we are usually happy to explain a decision, we wont enter into protracted discussion about it, simply because we'd rather be participating as normal members and not arguing about moderation decisions.
If your content has been removed from a sponsor's forum or blog, please contact the representative(s) from that company about it.
We don't allow discussion of moderation on the forums. Nothing productive can possibly come from it. While 99.99%+ of the thousands of posts made here daily are fine, sometimes we occasionally have to delete as much as a page or more of a thread to get it back on topic, so please understand if occasionally a post of yours is deleted and you aren't told why. In those (rare) cases, it would take more time than there is in a day for us to notify every person of the reason and we'd rather be participating as members than arguing with people who don't understand or refuse to accept the rules. The moderators aren't dragons trying to make it hard for people. We are ordinary enthusiasts like you who wish to share our enjoyment of the hobby and have volunteered to help keep the forums in order.
Deleting posts is not a personal thing. Don't make it one. Moderators and Administrators are NOT connected with the management or organization of sponsors and, excepting the site owner, do not benefit financially from their presence.
Remember that it is only the internet and if your post is deleted, it wont kill you. However, if you really think it is so important that it needs to be addressed, there is a feedback form available through the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of every page.
Moderator and Administrator Impartiality
All sponsorship of the site is managed directly by Head-Fi. The moderators are not paid to moderate the site, and, excepting the site owner, do not have any involvement in or receive any financial benefit from sponsors. In fact, moderators become aware of a new sponsor at the same time members do: when they post or advertise on the site.
So you read about a guy who said his posts were deleted by the moderators or he was banned for criticizing a sponsor? Really? In every case someone has done that, they were banned for being rude and offensive on the forums, yet don't want to take responsibility for their actions.
Seriously, even despite that, there is no way a handful of moderators can go through the 2000+ posts made daily and delete all those that say negative stuff about the 60-70 companies that sponsor the site. It is not possible and we'd quickly lose most of our membership if thousands of posts were regularly disappearing.
So, there is no problem with criticizing a company, or its products, sponsor or not, within reason. Posting about an issue you have with a company is fine, but even if you are annoyed, please don't go about spamming it in every thread (or on every page of a thread) that discusses the company, especially in the Sponsor Announcements and Deals forum. Trying to trash a company's reputation over a personal disagreement or vendetta is not OK. Just because you're talking about a company doesn't mean that it is OK to be rude and disrespectful to them. Create your own thread to discuss your issues or concerns. Remember that while you may be displeased, other people are not, and wish to discuss the company and products without pissed-off customers trying to shout them down at every turn.
Very often, in our observation, the accusation that we are just shilling for sponsors is made when someone disagrees with an opinion enough that they are willing to make personal attacks, and then, when those attacks are removed and/or they are banned for it, it is easier to throw mud than take accept that they simply have a different opinion.
Note that as per the Terms of Service, libel is not permitted here. If a libelous statement is made, we will remove the offending post and/or thread. This is not "protection" of sponsors, advertisers or members of the trade.
Here are a couple of posts from Jude about it:
