With the amount of crap the mods and admins have to clean up, it makes sense to have points assessed for breaking the rules because it helps to identify the repeat offenders.
If you get an infraction, it will come in the form of a PM from one of the moderators. The PM should identify the thread, exactly what you posted, and the moderator's reason for giving you the infraction. For example, "You posted in the wrong forum, you knucklehead
DVDA!"
In all seriousness, I think it's a good system and one that I wasn't really aware of before I became a moderator. Points are associated with infractions, and more serious infractions have more points associated with them. Points expire over time. Any "ban" associated with accumulating points (1) is temporary, and (2) only happens when a member gets a bunch of infractions in a relatively short period. 10 points does not result in a ban. Also, a "permanent ban" is reserved only for those annoying spambots talking about selling iPods or the trolls who egregiously abuse the forums and piss everyone off.
This system works pretty well and it makes sense to me. If I were you, I would not be overly concerned about an infraction here or there because we all slip up from time to time and post something that we realize may step over the line. When we that happens, I think receiving an infraction -- or at least a "WTF were you thinking?" PM -- from a moderator should be expected. No big deal unless you get a bunch of infractions in a short period of time.
