How to Communicate with the Forums Team (Appeals, PMs, E-mails)

There seems to be a misunderstanding that has led a few forum members to jump to unfortunate, negative conclusions about forum moderation and appeals based on--how to say this?--user error.

So here are a few things you should know about forum moderation and how we handle incidents and appeals:

• Members always should read the notes from the moderator so that they understand what took place in relation to a removed post or thread.

  • The mods try to provide detailed information about why a post was removed or a notice or warning was given.
  • Sometimes we remove a post and a forum member is upset until they realize that the removal was made because their post included objectionable material in what it quoted. We don't edit, and we don't refine posts, so take care with quotes, and again, read the mod's notes to figure out what took place.
  • It is possible to respond to a comment without directly quoting material, in cases where you perceive it might be objectionable. You can synopsize the comments and leave out the objectionable portions, so that your post following it is clearer in its intentions.

• Appeals must be sent to Forums@Arena.Net.

  • If after reading the explanation you feel you must appeal or ask questions regarding a moderator decision, e-mail is the only way to discuss it with our team.

• Moderators will not respond to PM's.

  • This allows them to focus at the job at hand, rather than dealing with the outcome of past decisions. When you send us an e-mail, you will receive an objective review by a second party, not the same moderator, and that truly is the better way to handle situations of this nature.

• I will not answer PMs on the subject of moderation.

  • However, I will review and respond to or assign every e-mailed appeal that comes in.

• Let's talk about the game.

  • We do not allow forum posts, threads, polls, images, or signatures that impugn our developers or that question moderation policies or demean our moderation team.
  • We do want to help you with your concerns, but an open forum is not the best place to do that. Each person's situation is unique and a private e-mail conversation allows maximum frankness and disclosure in both directions.
  • Policy questions likewise can best be addressed through e-mail.

• Please send appeals only for matters of consequence.

  • Each reasoned appeal will be given a careful and respectful review.
  • In order to conserve bandwidth and foster efficiency, trivial or unfounded appeals will be rejected. (For instance, if someone explodes into a kitten-fest of profanity and name-calling, it's unlikely that they will later ponder, "why in the world was my post removed?" Hopefully we're all mature enough to face up to our own shortcomings and not waste time in fake or fated-to-fail protests. :dizzy:
  • Please submit an appeal only for moderation that resulted in a suspension, not for one-point warnings that do not impact your forum privileges.
  • In order for us to review your concerns, please be sure you include your Guild Wars 2 Display Name when you contact us. We do not retain your e-mail address on the forums, and therefore need your Display Name in order to address an issue.

• Please know that it will take us time to respond.

  • There's a lot going on, on the forums: some visible, some behind the scenes. So if you send an appeal, as I said above, please take a moment to make sure it's worthwhile, and understand that it may take a few days for us to get back to you.

Why did I mention all this? Well, lately I've seen some posts that have said, "I've been sending appeals for hours/days" or "ArenaNet refuses to answer me" yet I discover we haven't had any communications through the proper channels. If you're PMing, well, you can wait until the cows come home but you're not going to get a response. :) So please keep the process in mind, and know we'll give legitimate appeals our attention and let you know the outcome, whether that is upholding the original decision or noting an error and reversing any consequences. (Yes, we do that when it's the right thing to do!)

Thanks for reading.

ABOUT APPEALS: Forum infraction appeals can take a significant amount of time to review and resolve. We're happy to review an appeal about any infraction that blocks or limits your ability to participate on the forums.

But please keep this in mind: A single, one-point warning has no impact on your account. it neither blocks your ability to post nor limits your feature set in any way. A point is given simply as a record-keeping measure. In the unlikely event someone amasses several one-point warnings in a short period of time, they will experience a temporary forum suspension or loss of features. But again, the occasional one-point warning does not limit a member's ability to participate here at all.

If you receive a one-point warning, please review the message from the moderator and take their recommendations to heart. Please do not submit an appeal for something that doesn't impact your forum participation. If you have questions about a moderator decision that resulted in an actual limitation on your ability to participate, please e-mail us at Forums@Arena.Net.