# What's the meaning of a moderator non-warning? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 5, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457 "2011-01-05T04:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/61 "2011-01-06T00:59:24Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > It appears to me that you may truly be stupid,. . . . You are out of line in this forum. Don’t do this again. [/Modding] (Mod note, no official Warning handed out–mild rebuke issued, nothing recorded on permanent record.) ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/62 "2011-01-06T01:19:17Z")
It seems to me that certain people just like to argue for the sake of arguing; the distinction between mod notes and warnings seems excruciatingly painfully obvious to me. However, just to make certain people feel better, maybe Mod Notes should be accompanied by “No warning **recorded** ” rather than “No warning **issued** ” just to make the difference agonizingly obvious. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/63 "2011-01-06T05:30:43Z")
i have a really hard time comprehending how this practice is not crystal clear in its intent. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/64 "2011-01-06T05:58:29Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > You are out of line in this forum. > > Don’t do this again. > > [/Modding] > > (Mod note, no official Warning handed out–mild rebuke issued, nothing recorded on permanent record.) Now, I’m not sure - are you warning warning him, or Warning warning him? Is this a police citation or a marker buoy on the water? Is this just a suggestion for behaviour modification, or do you plan to come to his house and make him rue the day he was born? ---
**Author:** ![BunnyTVS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BunnyTVS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyTVS)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/65 "2011-01-06T10:45:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I used to be a manager. And I learned you have to be clear about these things in order to be fair to people. Surely if you were a manager this should be clear to you. In my work we have an official list of warning levels starting with an “Official Verbal Warning” and moving up to “Final Written Warning”. Thing is I can still take someone aside and tell them that part of their behaviour is unacceptable _without_ it being an official warning. The main difference being that an “official” warning is kept in their personnell record (usually for a limited time) where-as taking them aside means “I know and you know, so knock it off” ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/66 "2011-01-06T12:18:03Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > You are out of line in this forum. > > Don’t do this again. > > [/Modding] > > (Mod note, no official Warning handed out–mild rebuke issued, nothing recorded on permanent record.) I apologize, I was out of line, and I am not confused at all by your action. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/67 "2011-01-06T13:32:20Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > I did nothing of the sort, merely pointed out an example, in a thread on the topic and one well populated by mods, of something the mods might simply give a mod note on. Well then I apologize. It struck me differently. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/68 "2011-01-06T13:54:06Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Now, I’m not sure - are you warning warning him, or Warning warning him? Is this a police citation or a marker buoy on the water? Is this just a suggestion for behaviour modification, or do you plan to come to his house and make him rue the day he was born? THat was a joke, by the way, not questioning a moderator’s actions. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/69 "2011-01-06T15:04:19Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s a hypothetical, **BigT**. It’s not a real mod note. Sarcastic and critical comments about public figures are definitely allowed (although in some threads they might get moderated for being off-topic). > [@Colibri](#): > > In GQ I frequently give “Moderator Notes” for first offenses for rules violations (mild insults, political jabs, or other remarks that that are close to the line) Maybe this was covered earlier (when the same stuff kept getting repeated I tended to go into tl;dr mode), but **Marley** and **Colibri** seem to be contradicting themselves here. Is “Barry O’Bama” a political jab? Calling the President “Barack HUSSEIN Obama” every time (like I’ve seen some Republicans / Tea Partiers do) seems to be similar in vein, but more pointed. Might not pass **Marley** ’s test for warning, but it seems to pass **Colibri** ’s. And of course, if I called Israel “the Zionist entity” that would also be altering a political name to make a point, but I imagine that would get me a capital W Warning post-haste from any mod (rest assured, that’s the only time you’d see me do that - I’d be cheering on any Mod issuing a Warning to someone who does that For Real). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/70 "2011-01-06T15:06:10Z")
> [@](#): > > THat was a joke, by the way, not questioning a moderator’s actions. I really hate when jokes have to be pointed out because some people are so tone deaf (or whatever is the equivalent when reading the written word). Some things are obvious, and some people work really hard to miss the obvious. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/71 "2011-01-06T15:14:48Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > Maybe this was covered earlier (when the same stuff kept getting repeated I tended to go into tl;dr mode), but **Marley** and **Colibri** seem to be contradicting themselves here. Is “Barry O’Bama” a political jab? Calling the President “Barack HUSSEIN Obama” every time (like I’ve seen some Republicans / Tea Partiers do) seems to be similar in vein, but more pointed. Might not pass **Marley** ’s test for warning, but it seems to pass **Colibri** ’s. And of course, if I called Israel “the Zionist entity” that would also be altering a political name to make a point, but I imagine that would get me a capital W Warning post-haste from any mod (rest assured, that’s the only time you’d see me do that - I’d be cheering on any Mod issuing a Warning to someone who does that For Real). I suspect **Colibri** ’s statement was about politicking in GQ. I would suspect Barry Obama would get a pass, as would/did(?) Shrub. I don’t know if your pejorative would cloud a question so much that the question fails in GQ, but it _might_ not cause a ripple in GD, depending on the rest of the post. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/72 "2011-01-06T16:09:40Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > Maybe this was covered earlier (when the same stuff kept getting repeated I tended to go into tl;dr mode), but **Marley** and **Colibri** seem to be contradicting themselves here. Is “Barry O’Bama” a political jab? Calling the President “Barack HUSSEIN Obama” every time (like I’ve seen some Republicans / Tea Partiers do) seems to be similar in vein, but more pointed. Might not pass **Marley** ’s test for warning, but it seems to pass **Colibri** ’s. And of course, if I called Israel “the Zionist entity” that would also be altering a political name to make a point, but I imagine that would get me a capital W Warning post-haste from any mod (rest assured, that’s the only time you’d see me do that - I’d be cheering on any Mod issuing a Warning to someone who does that For Real). We do have a rule against political jabs in GQ (in order to forestall derailing threads by other posters who might respond in kind). Personally, I wouldn’t consider “Barry O’Bama” by itself to be over the line; whether the post as a whole got a note would depend on how dismissive or derogatory it was. “Shrub,” as a mildly derisive nickname, would be in the same category. “Barack HUSSEIN Obama” would probably get a note, especially if it were done repeatedly, since it is clearly intended to make an issue of the president’s middle name. I probably wouldn’t say anything about a reference to “Zionist entity” as long as the remark was made in passing without other adverse commentary. If it led to a squabble, the most likely result would be a move to GD (where most questions about the Middle East seem to end up anyway). In practice, I rarely issue Official Warnings for political comments in GQ, especially for a first offense. I normally just give moderator notes to remind people of the rule. However, if the comments are over the top (an obscene rant, for example), or if a particular poster has made a habit of them, they may receive an official warning. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/73 "2011-01-06T16:57:18Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Well then I apologize. It struck me differently. Apology accepted. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/74 "2011-01-06T18:59:47Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I don’t ever remember 3 Warnings = Ban. Okay, I’m not entirely certain that was ever official policy - but it was certainly a strong rumor for the early days of the board (circa 1999) - especially given there were no “suspensions” available, though there were a few non-permanent bannings. > [@SoulFrost](#): > > There is only one penalty that any poster here ever faces–banning. That’s the only punishment currently available to the Mods, since they don’t edit posts or consign posters to Coventry. First, not true - suspension is also used. Second, it’s a semantic debate. Because an official Warning results in an official record of the event that is used to evaluate continued posting, it is possible to consider the act of putting the name in a list as a form of punishment. Technically, getting told “knock that off” is not in itself a punishment, but keeping a list of your infractions like a check off sheet does make it a penalty - if a mild one compared to suspension or banning. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/75 "2011-01-06T20:23:29Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > First, not true - suspension is also used. Second, it’s a semantic debate. Because an official Warning results in an official record of the event that is used to evaluate continued posting, it is possible to consider the act of putting the name in a list as a form of punishment. Technically, getting told “knock that off” is not in itself a punishment, but keeping a list of your infractions like a check off sheet does make it a penalty - if a mild one compared to suspension or banning. Suspension? You mean a temporary ban? Nah, keeping a list of infractions isn’t a punishment; it’s a record of second- and third-chances. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/76 "2011-01-06T21:56:24Z")
Hey, if we’re going to parse the difference between a “warning” and a “Warning”, we can certainly parse the difference between a “temporary ban” (suspension) and a “permanent ban” (banning). ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/77 "2011-01-06T22:27:48Z")
For what it’s worth, I’ve used “friendly reminder” and “Official Warning.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/78 "2011-01-06T23:02:33Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > For what it’s worth, I’ve used “friendly reminder” and “Official Warning.” For situations that call for a less-friendly reminder, there’s also “Make My Day.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ExVoxMachina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@ExVoxMachina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExVoxMachina)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/79 "2011-01-07T00:07:07Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I apologize, I was out of line, and I am not confused at all by your action. Very smooth, sir. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457/80 "2011-01-11T21:36:54Z")
Count me in as someone else who’s seriously baffled that anyone would find this system confusing. It’s always been explicitly clear to me that any instruction from a moderator acting as a moderator is meant to be taken seriously, whether a note or a warning (in fact, that’s why I make a point of questioning even notes that I feel don’t make sense under our current rules–because I do take them so seriously). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meaning-of-a-moderator-non-warning/566457.md?page=5)