Here is my proposal for a partially new way of handling T&C violations. (T&C is Terms & Conditions.)

But first I ask you to react in a constructive way. In my opinion, that will be the case...

1. if your general reaction is on top,
   
2. if comments to isolated phrases are within the text,
   
3. if text you agree with or not/no longer want to discuss is cut out using [SNIP],
   
4. if you not merely focus on two or so items that should be ‘taken down’ in your opinion,
   
5. if you show respect at least to the mere attempt alone.

Frequently it happens that people only focus on a minor sub-theme and that the major theme is completely neglected. Please, don’t let this happen in this case.

It is my wish that the administration of the UT:

1. follows this thread with interest and ideally expresses this in an early stage,
   
2. eventually participates but only to a certain extent,
   
3. in time internally discusses the thread seriously,
   
4. gives feedback about the outcome of the discussion at least to the persons who participated in the thread,
   
5. recognizes that, although the UT is a business to the owner and employees, it is a community to its users.

Modifications in the T&C:

The T&C needs only some modifications:

1. The possibility to freeze a thread is already in the text. What needs to be added is the possibility to freeze a message.
   
2. A practical rewrite of the Rules list.
   
3. A rewrite to explain the new procedure.

Modification in the message taskbar, which is beneath each message:

1. Addition of a Complaint button.

The Complaint button:

This button enables someone to complain about some wordings in the message. The action triggers a Reply with some special features:

1. A Complaint-text is inserted on top. This text also includes the full list of the Rules section.
   
2. The complainant is asked to remove all items that do not apply.
   
3. The complainant is asked to remove all original text that is not relevant.
   
4. By default, the complaint is only sent to the accused and to the moderator. However, the complainant can choose to send it either only to the accused or to the moderator.

A reason for not sending it to the accused is a wish for anonymity. A reason for not sending it to the moderator is a wish to first try to make it clear to the accused that at least one other person has a negative feeling about the message.

It should be obvious that the moderator too has the possibility to complain about a message.

What happens when the complaint has been sent:

1. The complaint message is only sent to the accused and/or the moderator, so others will not see it on screen. Exception is the complainant, who will also see it on screen.
   
2. The complained-about message is initially automatically marked as sensitive. But rather than display the text ‘Sensitive message’, it will display ‘Violation Complaint’.
   
3. The violation text is/contains also a hyperlink to the T&C page.
   
4. The violation text also makes clear whether or not the moderator was informed and, if so, what the current status of investigation is.
   
5. The violation text contains no clue about who complained.
   
6. If, and only if, the moderator was also informed, then the Reply button will act differently. Rather than opening the text in editmode, it will show a message, informing the reader why it cannot be replied upon.
   
7. If the moderator was informed, then an investigation should be started. The moderator can decide that the complaint is inappropriate and mark the message back to normal. The moderator can also decide that the complaint holds grounds. This will permanently disable the possibility to reply. It will also change the ‘Violation Complaint’ text to something like ‘Violation: xxx’ where xxx is one or more items from the Rules list.
   
8. Any attempt to start a new thread, or use another branch in the thread tree, as an alternative way of replying to such a blocked message is also blocked as soon as it is observed.

The message has been blocked ‘permanently’. Then what?

Many folks will likely be glad that it happened. But it may also happen that many folks do not agree with the moderator and wish to act as advocate of the accused. An advocate can send a private message to the moderator expressing his/her view. Only reactions sent within 24 hours are taken into account. The moderator is bound to write one answer, but only after those 24 hours. The answer (so, only one message) is sent to all advocates, in private mode. The answer should address all arguments that the advocates brought to the attention. Any argument that is present in several messages can be addressed as if formulated by one advocate.

The advocates are bound to the condition that the content of the private message and the reply by the moderator are confidential and must not be placed - either in its entirety or in part - in any of the public forums.

The moderator must give the advocates a fair chance to influence the decision. Reconsideration is esspeccially of importance if many people act as advocate. Reconsideration implies that it may happen that the decision to block permanently is canceled and that the message is marked back to normal. There are several reasons to implement the advocate option seriously:

1. It will prevent some to get demotivated and perhaps even leave the forums forever.
   
2. It assures that the moderator is not perceived as choosing sides in a conflict between parties.
   
3. The feedback makes clear to the moderator the degree of support that the decision received.
   
4. The moderator thus gets a backdoor to undo the blocking, after hearing essential new details or insights.
   
5. The initial investigation therefore need not be very thorough and will be less time consuming.

The accused has regret or wants to elaborate. Then what?

The accused has the right to update or explain the message. However, the original text will be preserved. This is accomplished by offering a special Update mode. The Update mode opens an empty editbox. The text that is entered and saved will be inserted on top of the original message. The layout will make clear that it is an Update text and when it was made (date and time). The accused is free to choose to explain things or to say sorry. However, the length of the inserted text is limited to only ten or so lines. This will prevent that it is used to publish a ‘proclamation’.

The update should trigger the moderator to reconsider the status, but setting the status back to normal will not be the appropriate reaction in all cases.

Other ways to exclude a violator:

Other ways to tackle violations are the possibility to further exclude someone from actively participating in:

1. the thread at hand
   
2. the forum at hand
   
3. the UT

These possibilities are used only in really severe cases. Note that excluding active participation from the UT is not the same as blocking access to the UT entirely. A readonly status is the lowest status, but it is not likely to happen that even such a status should be denied. This status also gives the excluded person the opportunity to check what other people write about him/her, and eventually send a complaint about that to the moderator.