How to get yourself banned

[enigmacat]

So the solution might be a status message that users can tweak at their discretion, with pre-populated text options.

[merm]

So the solution might be a status message that users can tweak at their discretion, with pre-populated text options.

Something like that might work. I'll have to look into how difficult that would be to code in as an option.

[essceebee]

Ugh.  This is why I haven't become overly involved in this board...  I come to keep up on the happenings in Astoria (good resource) but really, I have always gotten the vibe from this place that "Mom (a Moderator)” is watching over things and nothing is truly real --hardly anyone speaks freely and this place lacks substance because of it.  It’s almost a community, but I feel that no one is real until they’ve met off the board. 

I can understand that the people who formed or moderate this site want us all to respect each other, but isn't it up to us, as individuals, to deal with our own adversities?  If I have problem IRL, I am responsible to address it on my own issue.  Apparently, if I have a problem on the Internet, I have this God-like entity called a moderator to deal with it for me. 

I don’t know.  It just seems very “over protective parent” syndrome to be suspending people for insults and swearing.  I understand that this board is someone’s “baby” but, just like an over-coddled child, this board will not reach it’s full potential if members are punished for speaking freely and if those who are “hurt” are not responsible for fighting their own battles.

[megc]

In one board I used to moderate, when the person was banned, their status was automatically changed to "guest" while they were banned.  That way people knew they were banned.  I, personally, wouldn't want my banning to be made public, but I am a more private person when it comes to those things.  Others are not, and I understand that.

I think there is a thread the MacUser started a few months ago, about celebrating those who were banned.  I don't remember the name of it, though, but I know it exists. 

merm:

I do agree there are positives and negatives for this information not being public. One negative for me is that it encourages gossip as to the reason the person was suspended, and allows people to hypothesize about the reasons for it. Often this gossip casts the moderators in the worst possible light. But, if an individual who loses their cool doesn't want that information public, currently we will honor that request despite the negatives.

I know for certain that it encourages gossip, both as a board administrator (seeing users gossipping in public threads), and personally (I've been witness to friends of mine gossipping about a ban - I'm not saying whether or not it was on this board, as I've been part of many virtual communities for over a decade).

I do believe that people are curious and want to know what's what, so in some ways it's natural that some people would want to know about the bans.

[edava]

Ugh.  This is why I haven't become overly involved in this board...  I come to keep up on the happenings in Astoria (good resource) but really, I have always gotten the vibe from this place that "Mom (a Moderator)” is watching over things and nothing is truly real --hardly anyone speaks freely and this place lacks substance because of it.  It’s almost a community, but I feel that no one is real until they’ve met off the board. 

I can understand that the people who formed or moderate this site want us all to respect each other, but isn't it up to us, as individuals, to deal with our own adversities?  If I have problem IRL, I am responsible to address it on my own issue.  Apparently, if I have a problem on the Internet, I have this God-like entity called a moderator to deal with it for me. 

I don’t know.  It just seems very “over protective parent” syndrome to be suspending people for insults and swearing.  I understand that this board is someone’s “baby” but, just like an over-coddled child, this board will not reach it’s full potential if members are punished for speaking freely and if those who are “hurt” are not responsible for fighting their own battles.

Well said essceebee  :mrgreen: This point has been made by a few others on this forum within the last two years, perhaps before then as well, and most recently if you've been keeping up with recent threads. And I, too, think it's up to individual people to take responsibility for their experience of this forum for the way it is, or to leave it, or try to influence it to change.

[AJTNYC]

I understand people wanting to be private about their suspensions but can you have it both ways?  The act that got you suspended is public but the reason is not.  I would want to know right in the allegedly offending post that the person was suspended and why.  That way I can make my informed decision about whether the suspension was warranted rather than having to read through a dozen newly created threads by friends and family members that serve as a platform to vent for the alleged wrongdoing.  Then you have to try to piece everything together if you care about making an objective determination about the legitimacy of someones suspension.  There is also no way to know how many times someone has been suspended or warned for a particular behavior.  If someone is suspended I would want to know how many times they were warned about the offending conduct. 

Generally speaking, I think there is a way to have a spirited, and intense exchange of ones views without having to resort to namecalling, for example, just because you don't agree with what someone is saying and even when you think their position is inane.  This board has the right to control conversations that get out of hand or members that get out of hand.  This is our house, our community.  There should be a standard set to our discussions.  Could you tell me to go f___ myself in my house? Yes.  Could you tell me to go f___ myself out in the street?  Yes you can.  Do I have to tolerate that type of "discussion"?  Not in the slightest.   

[megc]

Generally speaking, I think there is a way to have a spirited, and intense exchange of ones views without having to resort to namecalling, for example, just because you don't agree with what someone is saying and even when you think their position is inane.

I agree 100% and have seen this exact scenario work successfully many times.  What immediately springs to mind was an excellent discussion on racism that I witnessed on a board many years ago.  It's legendary among the former users because it had no name calling, but people really dove into the discussion to dissect it and learn from one another.  People were very respectful of each other, and as you know, this is not an easy topic to talk about.  Sure, some were angry, but the discussion did not devolve. 

AJTNYC, you make an interesting point about public vs. private notification and knowledge in bannings.  Thanks - it gives me something useful to think about and consider, as I have to make such disciplinary decisions on an almost daily basis.  I hadn't seen the situation from your pov before.