The ban appeal template

[iwishforducks]

Heya heya headmin candidates. Here's a quick and easy relevant question for you:

Recently, the ban appeal template was changed to this template

► Show Spoiler

BYOND account:

Ban/note type (Check what applies):
() - Server Ban
() - Note
() - Forum Ban
() - Discord Ban

Ban/note length:
Ban/note reason:
Time ban was placed:
Server you were playing on when banned:
Round ID in which ban was placed:

And before that change, it was changed to this template (though I think it was changed while it was being tested? Nobody ever documented the changes if so)

► Show Spoiler

Ban Details
BYOND account: BYOND account
Character name: Character name at time of ban
Ban type: Server/Role(s)/OOC/Note/etc
Ban length: Permanent, 5 days, etc
Ban reason: Copy this from the server. If this is a server ban, attempt to connect. If it is not a server ban, view your notes with "View Admin Remarks" button under OOC tab in-game. An image is suitable, but do **not** paraphrase or otherwise modify the reason.
Time ban was placed: Try to get this from the server when you get the ban reason. If it was a note, the note has a timestamp. If it was a server ban, it will also have a timestamp. Both of these times are in UTC.
Server you were playing on when banned: Server name, eg, Bagil/Sybil/Terry/Event Hall
Round ID in which ban was placed: Round ID, should be present in ban reason from server. Can be excluded if it cannot be found. Example: 101235

Reasons for Appealing - Delete irrelevant sections
Are you appealing a validly placed permaban and would like another chance to be unbanned?: Yes/No - **If not relevant, please delete this section**
If yes, please explain why you believe it should be accepted: Vouches or playtime from other servers go here, as well as examples of good behaviour that could be taken into account or just a genuine and honest request to the admin that whatever you got banned for will never happen again. The more you can support this with evidence, the more likely it will be accepted.

Is the reason/note factually accurate and fair?: Yes/No - **If not relevant, please delete this section**
If no, please provide more details: Did you not do what the ban reason or note says and want it removed entirely? Do you feel a different wording would be more fair and accurate? Do you have a suggested rewording that would satisfy you for this appeal?
Supporting logs: It can speed up appeals greatly to provide evidence from the logs to support your side of this. See viewtopic.php?f=7&t=32334 for advice on how to do this.

Do you disagree with the admin's interpretation of rules or policy?: Yes/No - **If not relevant, please delete this section**
If no, please provide more details: If you don't understand how or why what you did broke any of our rules, please explain here.

Do you feel the ban length or decision to note was unjustifiably harsh?: Yes/No - **If not relevant, please delete this section**
If no, please provide more details: Explain why to the best of your ability. Do you believe this wasn't even a rule break and you shouldn't have been noted? Do you agree with the decision to note or ban, but feel the duration is too harsh? What do you feel would have been proportionate instead and why?

Aaaand before that, it was this

► Show Spoiler

BYOND account:
Character name:
Ban type:
Ban length:
Ban reason:
Time ban was placed:
Server you were playing on when banned:
Round ID in which ban was placed:
Your side of the story:
Why you think you should be unbanned:
Anything else we should know:

Do you have any opinions on the current ban template? The old templates? Would you change the current template drastically, maybe just tweak the template a little bit, or keep the template as it currently is? Why?

(Note: I don't have the carbon copy of the old old template. So the formatting is a bit off. Sorry. They're just there for reference anyhow.)

Relevant policy threads for reference:
viewtopic.php?f=85&t=35346
viewtopic.php?f=85&t=35070

[kinnebian]

stand by what ive said in the policy threads- i would like to revert it to the original one

[Tegun]

The new one's very readable, and the thing with forms and questionnaires is that providing a limited set of options to choose from instead of just having free space can be good. For example, the "why are you making this appeal" having options is good because we have a limited set of acceptable reasons for reviewing a ban/note and with this players don't have to guess what those reasons are or how to word those reasons. They can move on to just telling why those reasons apply to the ban in question, and admins know immediately which perspective they need take on it. The template's also short enough that there shouldn't be too much fatigue for a person filling it, but they should be fairly motivated in any case. Biggest issue is probably that people are not actually used to using phpBB forums nowadays and this would work much better as a physical piece of paper. Also it's possible this kind of solution won't apply to every situation in its current form: one fairly simple example is that a role ban is NOT within the list of ban/note types. Creating a good form is a science and takes many iterations.

The old version is better if we also offer complementary cognac and cigars while we debate on the meaning of life for a week or two in the appeal.

[TheRex9001]

The OG is pretty good, but the new one is really good. I like the questionnaire because it makes appealing more approachable and easy. The one before this one was really bad though, especially if you were ESL. The OG template had these: Your side of the story:
Why you think you should be unbanned:
Anything else we should know:
That can just sorta be rolled into the "Why you think you should be unbanned" but besides that its a really solid template, though I still like the new one more.

[iwishforducks]

stand by what ive said in the policy threads- i would like to revert it to the original one

You've only given your piece on the one before the newest one (the long one) on the policy threads, so...

Why would you like to revert it to the original one?

[kinnebian]

stand by what ive said in the policy threads- i would like to revert it to the original one

You've only given your piece on the one before the newest one (the long one) on the policy threads, so...

Why would you like to revert it to the original one?

While the newer one is an improvement, the "Check what applies" isnt the easiest to understand given the nature of forums and the inability to "check" stuff in forums.
For example;
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=35820
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=35788
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=35786
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=35791
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=35765
Each one of these appeals, they use the template a different way. Do we delete the ones that arent right? Do we keep them and check the others? Do we point arrows to them?
I'd be happy to work on improving the template to be more clear -
Also, A sidebar? Bolding stuff or using size changes, fonts etc almost always leads to tens of ban appeals where ALL of the text becomes fucked up. Just keep it simple, man.
The old one was simple and worked well- sure it could use some changes, but this just hurts legibility of appeals where it is now.

[TheBibleMelts]

who you:
you get ban? why:
you get note? why:
what happen:
it fair? y/n:
what you want???:

my template in a world where i've been given unchecked power

[Timberpoes]

I don't care how well people tick the boxes in the new template.

I do not give a single and remote fuck at all if the player doesn't complete the template to ISO requirements.

I care about how it guides the appeal towards resolution from the first post and maximises the chances for the player to have a successful or at least productive appeal ASAP.

An appeal template that takes days to figure out what the player is appealing and why the admin should care means all bans shorter than that imaginary length of time will stick whether the appeal is successful or not.

I like the latest one because it succinctly guides players into more effective appeals by giving them options admins consider when making decisions.

That players don't all fill it out the same doesn't matter as long as it's more likely to to pry that information out of them

[dendydoom]

i know it feels good from a player perspective to fill us in on every possible detail imaginable about a scenario (literally what i did when i went through the appeal process years ago) but it just holds you back in the end. it slows down the process because an admin has to comb through it searching for details that will satisfy their requirements. every admin has a different tolerance for this before they just throw their hands up in the air and go "this is not worth my time." the scant few members of the essayposter's guild just power up, but some admins don't like to read more than a couple paragraphs.

if you want a productive and efficient process then it needs some give and take. players need to be guided to giving the information an admin needs, and admins need to put some effort into verifying the information they're given and assessing if there's any more questions they need to ask to resolve something with a player, rather than a binary gave enough info, approved/didn't give enough info, denied in their first response.

the appeals process would be a lot less agonizing for everyone involved this way.