A (not really) new rule/infraction - "Spam: Cross-Posting"

[ChamberedRound]

Hey all,

Recently, a user made multiple posts of the same topic, i.e. cross-posting, for which infractions were issued. That user filed a complaint, as a cross-posting rule wasn't officially defined in the Forum Rules. While cross-posting has always been communicated by the staff to be a no-no, and typically covered under the "Spam: Related" rule/infraction, a review of the complaint by staff agreed with the user that there was too much ambiguity. As such, the infraction was reversed.

Although the review resulted in a reversal, the staff and I still believe that cross-posting is tantamount to spam, and should continue to not be allowed. As such, and to remove any ambiguity in the situation, we've created a new rule/infraction, "Spam: Cross-Posting". The description in the Forum Rules is as follows:

Cross-Posting (5 points, Expires in 1 month)
We ask that no one post the same thread, topic, classified ad, etc. in multiple locations on the site, as all that does is create clutter, confusion, and divergent discussions on the same topic. In the past this was considered a spam infraction, but in the interests of clarification we've decided to create a separate infraction for this. Note that while this is only a 5 point infraction, the more you cross-post a topic, the more infractions you will receive. For example, if you post a topic twice, you will receive one infraction for the duplicate; if you post a topic 5 times, you will receive 4 infractions. If you feel it absolutely necessary or important to cross-post for some reason, please contact the staff in advance of posting, so that the request can be reviewed.

We hope that the introduction of this rule, to enforce a policy which was already in place, eliminates any ambiguity that might have been present previously.

Any comments/questions, let us know.

Thanks!

[beefcakeb0]

Thank you, whoever whined about spamming not being in the rules is full of it. Most people by now understand that posting the same thing all over the board is spamming. I understand the need to be diplomatic about it, but I think the warning should have stuck.