As of today, I think that it's absolutely necessary. In fact, I'd assumed up until now that there already was one, and am surprised to see there apparently isn't. 

I'm a little curious--hasn't this issue ever come up before? I understand it probably would require more coding, and would help curb a problem that this site rarely has to deal with, but I feel the damage done by not having it outweighs the work necessary to implement it. 

I know the user you are referring to as being a problem as of today and I can assure you that I reported them at once and messaged Nightingale directly about it since she has the power to delete threads. I think she's already gone to bed for the night though so unless someone else takes care of the issue the threads in question will be here a while longer. The particular user who has been causing trouble in the forums also has an avatar image that is inappropriate and should be dealt with if/when it's possible.

I've seen pets with inappropriate names in the past and it's struck me as odd that they could get through the system. However, as this is the internet, it makes sense. Oversights happen sometimes and unfortunately I don't think a filter will be able to curb the ingenuity some people put into their swearing alternatives. Using symbols as replacements for similar letters is one example as well as adding extra letters to extend the word which a filter may not be able to pick up on.

For now the only way to deal with this problem that I know of is for us to rely on the community and hope that each of us has the decency and common sense to not break the rules in such a blatant and rude manner. When someone crosses the line they need to be reported and dealt with.

If it does become enough of an issue - perhaps, say, 3 different people reporting a post,  thread or name can mark it for review, and it becomes invisible until a mod can approve or delete it?
A filter is not very smart about dealing with trolls.

Sylvii, while it's true that a filter isn't the perfect answer, I feel that it would at least reduce the amount of inappropriate language coming through. Using symbols as replacements for letters might get past a filter, but it also decreases the intensity of what the user is communicating, and hopefully discourages them from bothering to say it in the first place. Dealing with the problem after it happens means that the offensive posts are sitting on the site for at least several hours, gaining exposure and affecting the site's reputation. Even after the posts are removed, the damage can't be undone for those who have seen it. I for one am uncomfortable knowing this could happen at any time, and it would only get cleaned up after the fact. 

It's also clear that this user doesn't even care whether they are reported or banned for their actions; they just want to cause trouble while they have the power to do so. So even the threat of being removed from the community isn't enough to stop this kind of behavior. 

Saccharissa, that actually sounds like a much better idea; it would be far more flexible than a filter. I support this. 

I'm sorry to all. I was asleep when this happened. We had 10 people report this user. Clearly what they were doing was abusive and a complete disregard for forum rules and general human decency. I am very sorry that I did not get to this sooner.

I have since deleted all of the posts and banned them from making forum posts. Warnings have been applied to the account and I will seek further action to stop this user. Obviously, they are not looking to play the game, just troll and be vile. Angel will remove the pet's name and change the avatar. They are removed from the community. I know that the user could care less as they were here to troll. Angel will be fixing those damages from the inside I'm sure. 

This has been a bit of an eye opener and I am grateful and proud of the members that submitted a report that allowed me to easily clear those actions. Many thanks to Sylviianel who emailed me this morning! 

--

There is no filter. Angel and I actually recently discussed something similar to this actually. Some words I agree that a filter may be useful. However, some words obviously have a cultural or age component that define whether or not they are offensive or not. For instance the F-Bomb is one that we can block. I can't even think where that would be used -inside- of another word. That word does not have an OK context in -any- language (that I can think of). Context is also a very important way in judging whether or not something is offensive. Obviously, a computer sequence of code cannot determine context. As Sylviianel mentioned having a filter does not stop special characters or Unicode from being a swear (I think they act more like an image than actual text, I don’t know, I’m not a computer). 

Something like "ass" is used ALL OVER in other words. I'm not sure if Angel is able to set it up where it only takes into account the word, as opposed to just those letters in a row; like assassin. Also, what if I really wanted to talk about my burro or donkey using that word? It has multiple meanings, which a filer can’t account for. This may not be the best example as it generally is used in a profane way.

The other caveat to this is that this site may be English centric- but we have players from all over the world. This is probably the most diverse site I have been on. Somethings may be offensive in one language, but okay in another.

Recently, Angel and I were discussing a pet's name that was offensive in one language, but in another, and in an "English" context it was a Roman Goddess. The word was "Punta". I am copying my response below as I feel that it accurately describes my concerns for swears in another language. 

I agree that we can't be banning words based off of another language. This site is in English and we do have a great many players who speak other languages- but the main language here is English. I guess if a word was terribly offensive/derogatory across multiple languages, and became engrained in English, I think it would be okay to change it in that situation. Or even a situation where the word was OBVIOUSLY used in a derogatory manner (for instance using a Russian swear... obviously they would be using Cyrillic, so they would know the context of what they are saying. But this is written with the regular 'old alphabet, therefore we cannot be sure it's intent). That kind of stuff can be handled on a case by case basis as it arises. 

Besides, as you mentioned, the staff only knows a handful of the world's languages- It would be impossible to moderate. 

In something like this... Punta can mean things in other languages too. While it may be offensive in that language, it was not used in an offensive manner (obviously that would be different if every pet in that group was a Spanish swear!). I think in this scenario it would be okay to leave. :)

I do rather like the idea of hiding a thread if multiple people report it. That is a great idea. As long as people report the actual thread and not the user. Though, maybe there is a way that we can hide all of a users' posts/block them from typing if three people have filed reports against them (for anything). I very much support this idea and will pose it to Angel to see if it can be put in place. 

I just wanted to give you guys a little update, so please don't mind the two posts in a row: 

This user has been banned and will be no longer. However, it has been a learning experience and eye opener. If I and/or Angel had been away this could have gone on for too long. In my opinion going on for 12 hours while I was sleeping- it was too long. Far too many users were affected and offended by this person's henious actions. 

I spoke to Angel and there will be some updates. She mentioned that they may be able to hide a user who has been reported multiple times and will have the coder look into it (yay!). 

I am also hoping that our reporting feature will be able to send me email notifications when a new report is posted (similar to subscribing to a thread). The forums hate my phone so I have limited access when I use it. However, my email does go right to it, and I do see that! 

The issue has been resolved for now, and we are taking proactive steps to avoid this in the future. We can't make the nasty things that person said "unseen" by our users, but we can learn from it and be proactive to avoid it again. If anyone has any other ideas please let us know. Do not be afraid to share them. :)

Thanks all!

Luckily I have no idea of who your talking about.

Please don't bump old threads. Some things are better left alone.. This user and issue is one.