The Warning and Infraction System
The Warning and Infraction system on SnitchSeeker allows members to see any warnings and infractions that have been issued to them by a moderator, and allows site staff to easily track if members are continuously causing problems or repeatedly breaking the site rules. Members can only view their own warnings and infractions, so if you have infractions please note that only site staff are able to view these. Site staff will never discuss your warnings or infractions with other members.

A warning is a reminder we give to members who break a rule. If you ignore the warning, the next time you commit that same offence, you will get an infraction. An infraction is an actual consequence to rule breaking that accumulates points. Warnings don’t count for points toward suspension but infractions do. Whether or not you receive a warning or an infraction is left up to the discretion of the mods and admins, and depends on the severity of the offense.

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How do I know if I have a warning or an infraction?
Whenever you are given a warning or an infraction a PM will be sent to you. This PM will have a description of the offence, the number of points, and any comments the moderator may have made.

You can also view your infractions by going to your User CP. Your warnings and infractions will appear below your subscribed threads in the main window of the User CP. Warnings have yellow cards next to them while infractions have red cards. You can see when/if the they expire, who gave them, and how many points they are worth. If the infraction/warning was for a particular post, there will be a link to it.

Remember that other members can not view your warnings or infractions, they remain private between you and the SnitchSeeker Site Staff.

Photos!: warnings and infractions in the user CP

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What can I be warned or infracted for?
Any misconduct on site or rule-breaking may warrant a warning to remind you of the rules. The most important rules to follow are found in the site rules and FAQ, which you can access either by the button next to your user cp, or from the drop down menu under 'Site', as shown below.

Photos!: where can I access the site rules and FAQ?

The most relevant areas to take note of are listed below, as these are the sections of the rules were the most warnings and infractions are given, however you are expected to follow all site rules - claimed ignorance is not an excuse for persistent rule-breaking.
Common Courtesy
Inappropriate Topics
Lewd and Sexual Behavior
Profanity
Harassment
Graphics rules
Multiple Accounts
Site advertising

Usually a warning will happen first except in the more rare serious cases such as when a member's safety is put at risk due to harassment or abuse, or at the discretion of the site admins. It is the responsibility of each member to stay up to date with the SnitchSeeker Rules.

Please note that the rules are subject to change without warning, but in general we will give notice of any major changes or clarifications through our news or site announcements. Members can and will be warned for breaking rules even if the rule is newly changed. Claiming ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for rule breaking.

If you have a question about the rules or are in need of clarification, you are welcome to PM an administrator and they will do their best to address any concerns or questions you may have.

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Consequences of Infractions
Each infraction is associated with a certain number of points and an expiration date according to the severity of the infraction. Once a member reaches 10 points, they will be suspended until their infraction level drops under this threshold. While suspended, the member will be placed in a special 'suspended' usergroup. When their infraction points drop below ten points they will be returned to their original usergroup.

Suspended - People who are suspended (banned) temporarily from the site.

If a member proves themselves to be a threat to the site and other members with their behavior, we reserve the right to permanently ban them. Serious offenses such as posting of pornography or sexual predation will result in an immediate and permanent ban. Spam bots are always banned.

Banned - Members who have broken the rules repeatedly and then have had their posting abilities permanently removed.

There are some conditions where the Infraction System will automatically ban a person: The number of points they have accumulated reaches 30 (the ban will be reversed should the points drop below this) OR the number of infractions they have reaches 25.

Expired infractions remain on the user's profile. So (for example), while a Spam infraction point only lasts 30 days, it will become obvious when a person is a persistent spammer when their list of infractions starts getting rather lengthy with relatively recent spam infractions. We know that people learn from their mistakes, so don’t worry about any old minor infractions which may remain on your profile, as they will not count against you unless you continue to break rules and persist to make the same offences.

Please do not ask about why a member has been banned or suspended - just as your own warnings and infractions are kept between you and the site staff, information about other members is kept private and we will not share details just to sate curiosity.

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Other Consequences
Other than warnings and infractions, other consequences of rule breaking includes editing or deletion of posts, removal of offending graphics, and in the case of the School RPG, In Character detention or expulsion.

Newbies will never be warned for breaking posting rules (such as posting more than once in a row, spamming, or not following the instructions given in the first post of a thread), the newbie process requiring ten posts to graduate to member status is designed to help understand how our rules work, posts will simply be deleted until the newbie manages ten legitimate posts to graduate.