On 19 September 2019 18:18:40 BST, Dan Ackroyd <dan...@basereality.com> wrote:
>Here is an RFC to "Prevent disruptions of conversations"
>https://wiki.php.net/rfc/prevent_disruptions_of_conversations


Looking at this RFC purely from the stated motivation, I think that there are 
two key things that need improving before it is considered for a vote.


Firstly, it doesn't define things clearly enough. It is certainly easier to 
define general principles than it is to codify every possible scenario in 
advance; however, the looser those definitions, the more trust needs to be 
placed in whoever has the task of interpreting them. As it stands, this 
proposal carefully avoids appointing anyone to have that authority, meaning 
that every application of the process would be subject to open-ended debate.

If the intention is to put a short-term rule in place without opening too many 
additional questions, it would perhaps be clearer to propose a small set of 
specific rules, which don't cover everything, but can be applied clearly and 
immediately.


Secondly, it only handles the most extreme cases; there is no halfway between 
asking nicely and an indefinite ban. Not only does that leave a lot of grey 
areas that are not addressed at all, but it reduces the deterrence power - all 
that's needed to avoid punishment is to be not quite bad enough for the 
harshest penalty. 

A simple approach that I've seen work well is to have a short ban - say a week, 
or a month - for a first offence, scaling to a year (or indefinite) after three 
or more. That gives warnings more "teeth", and punishments more flexibility.


I would be interested to hear your thoughts on these suggestions.


Regards,
Hi Dan,
-- 
Rowan Tommins
[IMSoP]

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