Someone just got banned for a rule we didnt know existed

[V]

Rysabi

Hopefully, this gets seen. Someone posted a screenshot of the known rules regarding the new avatar chat feature in one of the posts above. This rule that they got banned for is NOT listed for that feature. How were they supposed to know that it was a rule and not a new glitch? This is unfair and needs to be discussed. Permabans are for super serious offences. This does not scream super serious especially when it isn't even listed in the rules in the first place. Not trying to be ugly or rude, but... This is concerning.

Obviously we want to follow rules but it is hard to do that when we don't know about them. sweatdrop
If this rule is posted elsewhere do you think it would be possible to add it to the list for this feature so others can be made aware?
Also, moving forward, for other features, if there are any obscure rules that may apply can they be added to rule lists for that specific feature if there are any? This way this scenario can be prevented.

The person in question will need to either contact a moderator on an alt account, or even write into Live Chat, if they haven't already; in doing so, they can get more details about why the ban was determined necessary, and create/update their ban appeal based on the information they've received. Third parties hashing it out in the forums on the other user's behalf, especially when they either have or are choosing to present only a partial view or understanding of the circumstances, is not an appropriate way to get this matter resolved.


To address the general concerns about a lack of warning: some violations are severe enough to warrant an immediate permanent ban. Everyone accepts the same Terms of Service when they register their account and continue to use Gaia Online, whether they actually took the time to read them before stating that they accepted these rules, or whether they personally agree with each rule or not. If those reading this post haven't actually sat down and taken the time to go through our ToS and all of the attached documents, I recommend doing so.

https://www.gaiaonline.com/info/legal/tos

Quote:

Prohibited Conduct -- THE FOLLOWING CONDUCT IS PROHIBITED ON GAIAONLINE OR ANY ATTENDANT WEBSITES, FORUMS, GROUPS, GUILDS ETC, AND BY USING GAIA ONLINE YOU AGREE TO REFRAIN FROM ENGAGING IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING. YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT IF YOU ENGAGE IN THE BELOW PROHIBITED CONDUCT OR VIOLATE THESE TERMS AND YOUR ACCOUNT IS THEREFORE TERMINATED YOU FORFEIT ANY AND ALL GAIA GOLD/PLATINUM, GAIA CASH, VIRTUAL ITEMS AND ANY OTHER ITEMS OR RECORDS CONTAINED IN YOUR INVENTORY OR UNDER YOUR ACCOUNT:

i. use site features for anything other than their intended purpose, including exploiting site glitches for personal gain;

https://www.gaiaonline.com/info/legal/rules

Quote:

Repercussions:
Failure to follow the rules above may result in your account being banned from Gaia Online. In some cases, the ban will be temporary, with repeat offenders receiving a permanent ban, and some cases may result in a permanent ban immediately. The following offenses are also grounds for an immediate permanent ban:

Exploiting site glitches for personal gain. No site is perfect, and you will (rarely) run into a glitch while using Gaia Online. When you do, please report it by posting to our Bug Reports and Technical Support forum. However, intentionally exploiting obvious glitches in order to gain more items, Gold/Platinum, or other benefits can result in your account being banned.

These rules apply to the entire site, including new features like AviChat.

Having more than one instance within a space on its own isn't a violation. I'd actually checked with the developers that morning upon seeing multiple versions of a person in AviChat, and they'd indicated that the feature was intended to work that way to benefit those who needed to switch between multiple devices (such as their home computer, work computer, and mobile device) during their day. We do not issue bans to people for simply discovering a glitch (and, as stated, having more than once instance in AviChat wasn't a glitch). We do issue bans when glitches are exploited or even intended mechanisms of features themselves are used outside of the ways they're intended, and either for personal gain (such as running two or more instances in zOMG/Lake Kindred to earn gold/drops twice as fast) or with intent to negatively impact other users' experiences.


Again, the user in question can reach out for more information about their ban if they haven't done so already, either via an alt or in Live Chat. A list of our current moderators can be found here. This thread isn't an appropriate way to address the concerns about their ban and has been locked.