Form Letters

Happy Saturday, folks!

I posted a response to Wysper's "Open Discussion" debate thread, and I thought I should probably move it to suggestions (since it is, after all, suggesting something >.>).

In light of the somewhat recent discussion on how mods come off as mean in their warning messages, I thought it might be a good idea to have a series of "form letters" Mods can use when messaging users with warnings, bans, and whatever else they message users for. The use of form letters will prevent users from getting their feelings hurt by the mods' phrasing.

Some people on the other thread were concerned that form letters would come off as even harsher. I don't think this is the case, especially if it's widely known that they are, indeed, form letters. There won't be any personal motives behind the phrasing of them - they'll be standard things that all users get when they break a rule, or whatever.

Another concern was brought up about users replying back to the message with questions, and how there wouldn't be a form for the mods to use. I'm not sure exactly what kind of questions users would ask in response (maybe "Why?" or "I didn't do this!! Where's the proof that I did?"), but I don't think it would be too difficult to create a couple standard replies (or an example of a recommended reply).

I typed up a small example of a form letter for a warning. I'm not sure exactly what needs to be in these, but this will give you an idea of what I was thinking:

"Hello (Username),
This message is a reminder that it is against the rules of Alacrity to (do whatever thing they did). Please keep this in mind and do not (do whatever it was) again. If you repeatedly break this rule, you will (receive another warning, fine, punishment, etc)." (End with something kind of positive, like "Our goal is to keep Alacrity a fun and friendly place, and blah blah yackity yada").

J'aime suggested that mods institute the use of smiley faces in their letters, and I agree - a simple smiley can go a long way towards clarifying the tone of your message!

If a form letter seems a little too drastic, something else that might work is a list of "recommended words" and "words to avoid" (I'm not sure exactly what words are typically used in Mod messages, or how they come off, so if you've got suggestions on these, please share!). A list like this could also be great in addition to form letters, especially for the questions users ask in reply to warnings.

Mods, please don't take this suggestion the wrong way - I've never been on the receiving end of one of your messages, so I'm not in a place to judge. I'm just reacting to the posts I've seen from other users about the sometimes harsh tone in warning/banning/whatever messages. No offense intended to you guys :)