While I suppose it's possible for someone to create bots that spam harassment reports, I'm not sure what the profit would be. There's a clear motive for trying to sell gold/credits for cash, but this seems a little more tenuous. Also, my post stated explicitly that I didn't believe harassment usually consisted of single-line interactions, but rather than the report would likely have to flag a portion of the chat log (as in, more than one line). It seems like it would be just as much work to read a few lines of chat log to verify whether the harassment is ongoing as it is to read a few lines of chat log to verify someone is spamming. I just don't see this as being that much more work than verifying spam reports, and it's for a purpose that is much more compelling, at least in my mind.

If the complaints are legitimate, they should be addressed regardless of subscription status, and I have no reason to believe ftpers are any more likely to spam or misuse the harassment tool than anyone else. If that is BW's stance on it, I'd like to hear it from them. If I knew more about the mechanics behind the spam report it would be easier to determine whether this is viable or not. But I figure a spam report has to flag that portion of a chat log, and somebody has to verify whether it was indeed spamming or just a one-time line of someone trying to trade. If that's true, the same would apply to sexual harassment reports. It's unlikely someone has sent you a single line of harassment; it's probably been an ongoing thing and being able to mark that portion of the chat would help them ID whether this is a problem or not. In my mind, most cases of genuine harassment are pretty easy to identify and don't necessarily need a long-winded explanation. But if they do, there's always the option of a ticket. Of course, it's possible that's not the process with spam reporting, but using common sense, it seems the most likely option. If so, it seems to me that it would be faster and *less* labor-intensive for the BW team to verify a few lines of chat log rather than read through a long ticket and have to manually dig up the logs for the ticket.

Citation needed. No seriously man, we're all entitled to our opinion, but please don't frame your opinion as undisputed fact. "I disagree" is not a strong debate tactic. I've supported my suggestion through logic and reason (including why the expense is justified), and all I've seen in return are knee-jerk reactions telling me to get over it, not one of which is well-supported. That's what this entire thread is about. It's not about policing genchat, or changing standards, or altering how devs respond to harassment, merely simplifying the means of reporting it. Right now, if someone is spamming, you can right click their name and report spam. But if someone is targeting you with sexually explicit insults/language, you can't do that. You either need to be in close proximity to their character (which is problematic), or you need to fill out a ticket (which I don't think ftps and possibly preferred players can do). I'm just asking that they allow us the tools to report sexual harassment that already exist for what is in my opinion, a smaller problem.

I'm asking specifically to alter the reporting method. That's it. So if you're alright with me making a ticket regarding direct harassment, why does the simpler method bother you? Where are you getting this information? I'm not complaining that my tickets are being ignored or that the devs have different standards than I do, I'm just requesting that they make the reporting process easier. If they disagree on what is or is not harassment, let *them* make that call.

It's called an analogy. I guess my problem with this is the people opposed to the idea currently have no argument to support their stance. The closest I've seen is that it's not important enough to take up time and resources from the company. But if the company is willing to deal with harassment filed through close proximity to a character, I don't understand why they wouldn't be willing to deal with it if you're not in close proximity. Nobody has really given an answer to that question, and it seems like many are relying purely on the implication that I'm childish to defend their point of view. I'm not talking about changing what is or is not acceptable. I'm not talking about policing other people's conversations. I'm talking about being able to do something when somebody targets me with aggressively sexual language, which is a problem the devs have seen fit to recognize by having a tool to report it; just one that has weird limitations.

I'm not sure why so many people are under the impression that I'm talking about regular conversations of a sexual nature. I'm talking about when someone specifically directs a sexual insult at me, being able to report it as easily as we currently can report spam. The current system requires you to be in close proximity to the harasser to report it, unless you open a ticket, but our spam system can report from anywhere in the same channel/location. Harassers don't need to be near me to make aggressively sexual insults, so why should I have to be near them to report it?

Please read the thread before jumping in. The issue is not about fictional characters doing fictional things, but real people harassing real people. EDIT: Smuglebunny later edited in a statement that he posted before reading, so please don't assume I'm cropping the post to be annoying. But this goes to everybody; posting without reading the thread is highly unlikely to enhance the discussion.

I did read it, and while I appreciate your contribution, I would still request that we be able to report sexual harassment as easily as spam.

In no way am I mistaking them for one another. I said in an earlier post how many times I've said something harmless in genchat, only to receive a bunch of sexual slurs back. This isn't about me trying to press my moral stance on others who are willingly engaging in discussion, it's about being able to do something when others specifically target me. The problem seems to be that I can't give specific examples, since they would be breaking ToU. >_< That aside, the devs still have final say on what is or is not sexual harassment, and I have no reason to believe that this would change their stance on that.

Isn't rep legacy-wide anyway?

But our concern as business owners is not just physical pain. We eject people long before it gets there for constantly hitting on someone after being told to stop, or for insulting the race/sexuality of clients. If you're going to tell me with a straight face that these things don't make an environment less enjoyable, I really have no idea where to go with this conversation.

I understand what you're saying, but this isn't just "the internet." Many of these people are paying for a product and virtual environment in which to enjoy it. My better half and I own a few bars. There's no way to totally prevent people from fighting, or harassing one another, but we take it seriously, and we react appropriately. Does it take resources to enforce it? Yes, we spend money on security guards that might otherwise be spent on other positions, or reducing prices. But it makes the environment more enjoyable for the vast majority of our customers. This isn't some random corner of 4chan, it's an experience that people are paying for.

...That in no way addresses the thrust of that argument. I'm aware of Ignore as an option, and my previous statement indicates why I believe they should either make it easier to report or get rid of the ability to report at all. Do you have a counterpoint to that or are you just responding for the sake of responding?

How about you let them make the decision on what is or is not important? By having rules about sexual harassment at all, they've said that they believe the topic is important. Either it's worth enforcing, in which case they should make reporting easier, or it's not, in which case they should get rid of any option to report. Great strawman btw.

I guess the question I would pose to those who oppose this is why does the idea of making reporting easier bother you? If you're fine with using Ignore, keep using Ignore. If you aren't bothered by other people's aggressively sexual speech, keep on not being bothered. The devs have already determined what is or is not acceptable, and I'm not asking them to change that standard, just to make it easier to report. I'm not sure why others feel so strongly against it, and I'm honestly curious.