Hello,
Marin and BB Administration,
I am writing a suggestion, to urgently request a critical update to the official BuzzerBeater Rules of Conduct.
Currently, the public rules contain no explicit guidelines regarding user harassment, unwanted contact, or standards of conduct for staff members. Furthermore, there is currently no formal report-harassment function on the site, which leaves users with no proper channel to address these issues. Relying on unwritten policies leaves too much room for interpretation and speculation, creating a vulnerable environment where boundary violations and staff favoritism can go unchecked.
To ensure a fair and safe community for everyone, words and policies must be clearly documented. Unspoken rules do not provide adequate protection.
I strongly urge the administration to update the public Rules of Conduct to include the following additions:
* **Explicit Anti-Harassment Policy & Reporting System:** Establish a dedicated reporting function for harassment, and state clearly that if a user explicitly requests no communication or places another individual on ignore, any attempt to bypass those boundaries—including tagging, provoking, gaslighting, making hidden snark remarks or quips, attempting to demean or belittle, telling a user how to feel when addressed, or using curse words directed or indirectly in speech—must be formally classified as a rule violation.
* **Staff Accountability & Objective Standard:** Staff members, GMs, and BBs must be explicitly prohibited from using administrative tools or public mentions to target users, initiate unwanted contact, or shield fellow staff from standard community guidelines. While staff have the right to monitor the site, they do not have the right to target individuals who have requested distance and no communication. Staff should never make a user feel as though their feelings do not matter, nor should they impose personal opinions or dismiss situations with excuses like "that is not what they meant" based on staff bias, personal titles, or their own feelings about a situation.
* **Technical Improvements for Civility:** I would also strongly recommend improving the block and ignore features between all parties (users and staff alike) to completely prevent boundary bypassing and foster genuine civility across the platform.
* **Documented Penalties:** Clear, written penalties for harassment and staff misconduct must be publicly documented in the Rules of Conduct in **bold lettering**, ensuring there is zero wiggle room, zero subjective bias, and zero excuses among anyone.
Please take the time to review these current gaps in the platform's safety policies and features, and update the rules so they are clearly visible for the entire community on the help pages..
Thank you for your time and all you do,
Big City