Zero Tolerance
This seems to be an odd place for a zero tolerance policy. All four of the items require a high degree of subjective evaluation. I suspect one is going to have to read between the lines and decide on what the actual implementation of the policy will mean.III. TROLLING, FLAMING, ABUSE, HARASSMENT - Cyan will maintain a zero tolerance policy for any of these actions. You may not harass another person in any language. Making a threat against another person in the forums is also expressly prohibited. You may not use any sexually explicit, suggestive, harmful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, belittling, bullying, obscene, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive language. This includes, but is not limited to, any speech, actions, signatures and links dealing with cultural, political, or religious beliefs. This also applies to any speech, actions, signatures and links dealing with sexual orientation. This applies to any language.
We have a thread on Trolling and the ambiguous nature of the term and the need for unbiased moderation.
We have a thread on Flaming with definitions taken from outside the Uru community. The complexity of defining flaming reveals various degrees of flames. The moderator's task becoming more subjective as the subtlety increases.
Abuse and Harassment have no specific threads here. If someone feels they need to be addressed, they can add them.
The zero tolerance policy is tempered, and possibly nullified, by the enforcement section.
While I applaud a degree of discretion, this seems to create a dichotomy between zero tolerance and 'may result'. Zero tolerance has a rather specific meaning in society that does not seem to fit.Membership in and posting to Cyan's forums constitutes acceptance of these forum policies. They will be enforced to the best of our ability. Failure to adhere to any of these policies (even the ones you don't agree with) may result in a warning, a suspension of, or a permanent banning of your account.
Is this policy confusing? I think so, but...
Is there a better way to word the idea?
For constancy between the policy and the resulting enforcement I would probably have written the sentence as: Forum management will maintain a policy of very low tolerance for any of these actions.