"Avoid copy-paste" rule in PB should be removed

KFCeytron·8/27/2019, 2:14:39 PM·2 votes·6,629 views

90% of those threads make the exact same claims and ask the exact same questions. There's even a "Player Behavior bingo" card floating around that people sometimes fill out and post as a response. Actually providing answers to those questions is a ton better, and if there's nothing really unique to say in response to a thread, it shouldn't require any. Pure copy-paste should be perfectly acceptable wherever it suffices. If Boards software had some Stack Exchange-like features (e.g. close votes) to clean up common questions that would be better, but copy-paste is all we've got and there's no reason to penalize people just for already knowing an answer to a common question.

18 Comments

ModThe Djinn8/27/2019, 2:18:53 PM4 votes

That was a rule we carefully considered. It has several pros/cons, but the overriding concern that players were responding to frustrated individuals with generic copy/paste rather than actually taking the time to address the individual in question finally won out. If you don't feel it's important to at least modify your standard template a bit to address the specific situation, simply don't respond, as that's a good sign you're not really interested in putting in the time anyway.

It's not an especially hard rule (I wouldn't object to a copy/paste response on Riot's unban experiment or why Riot doesn't like prisoner's islands), but when frustrated players feel like the board is a bunch of bots it makes the environment worse for everyone.

Kanzler8/27/2019, 4:55:10 PM1 votes

I feel like "post chat logs" is an acceptable form of copy paste.

ModUlanopo8/27/2019, 9:37:08 PM1 votes

It's worth noting that this rule descends from my efforts in the TBI. I was the one who included it in the revised PB rules. Back when we were developing the Arbiters, Keyru brought up how she felt about copy/paste responses, specifically that the whole point of people from the community responding to people was that we NOT sound cold and distant

Over time, that was just something we all got away from. I still use scripts in moderation actions, but not on the Boards themselves.