Poll: A Drastic Measure to Save the Escapist - Mass Unbanning

[Drathnoxis]

I've kicked around this idea before, so I agree to a certain extent, but, honestly at this point it would probably be more trouble than it's worth. The banning system should have been reworked years ago so that instead of a permaban the last strike resulted in something like a 6-12 month ban, with permabans being reserved for spammers and extreme cases. A lot of people died the death of a thousand cuts, and that really sucked to lose some good posters over stupid stuff like low content!

But I just don't think they'd come back now, of all times, with the site in the state that it's in. The place is falling apart piece by piece, we've already lost the ability to view when a user has last logged on, or see how many views a thread has, and quote notifications is threatening to fall apart now too, and there's nobody to fix these things. I don't think that there would be anybody to implement the unbanning either, since I imagine if the mods did it they would probably need to do it one at a time. It'd be hard to get a hold of a lot of them too, since it's possible they've changed their email in the years since making their account and they wouldn't even know that they were unbanned.

I don't think it would bring back the others who left either. They did it of their own free will, and I doubt they will come back for anything.

It's a good idea, but too late. I'd really love to see this place return to it's heyday and the old users to come back, but I don't think it's possible under Defy's management. It's a sad state of affairs.

Also it's always nice to see my threads get linked! =D
Makes it feel like it wasn't all pointless after all! I would have liked to keep that banned list up to date, but the autolocking threads killed my ability to do so.

 

[Choppaduel]

My take on the the "Escapist failing" situation is

[ol]
[li]Advertising in-page ads on small sites is less profitable than it was 5 years ago[/li]
[li]There's no investor who thinks they can make good money on the type of content that was hosted here when the site actually paid creators to make content (other than yahtzee)[/li]
[li]Many/most content creators aren't interested in making content for this site in its current state with its small audience and negligible payout for content[/li]
[li]Tightening the rules on what you can and cant say on the forums led to people moving to places where can say what the want without fearing a ban[/li]
[/ol]

I doubt most would even notice they've been unbanned since I think would have moved on. Making this a more free speech friendly place would be a good start IMO.

 

[Warhound]

"They were banned for good reasons tho!"

Yeah I recall the glory days of the banhappy mods (main reason I was so quiet when I could still remember the email address I used on this site), if you responded to a simple question with a simple answer that didn't meet arbitrary post size standards people got slapped with warnings.

Person 1:"Do you have a source on that?"
Person 2: *posted link*
Person 2 received warning for post length.

And thats before counting the passive aggressive dogpiles intended to get people banned when the person getting dogpiled finally snapped.

I am sure most people banned didn't actually do anything that bad that wouldn't be shrugged off by 99% of other forums, it was just due to the crappy system the escapist used which counted someone saying "lol" exactly the same as calling another user every crude name in the book.

 

[FalloutJack]

As much as there were people who were punished for...reasons, there were also those who needed it done to them. Unless you've got a filter for that, my answer is a firm NO.

 

[EscapistAccount]

I am sure most people banned didn't actually do anything that bad that wouldn't be shrugged off by 99% of other forums

That's the way I remember it too, honestly most of the 'good reasons' for banning people wouldn't even be moderation calls on Reddit or even other forums. Still, at this stage the damage is done and the site is pretty much dying. It's a pity but at this stage even a mass unban wouldn't do anything since we can't update the front page and have no content creators.

EDIT: I remember a few exceptions to that where users did in fact do something worth a ban but mostly it was variations of low content posts and incredibly passive-aggressive insulting of other users.

 

[stroopwafel]

That's like taking back a cheating ex because nobody else will date you. Are we at that point?

I do that all the time. People can change!

 

[Scarim Coral]

First thing, haha! No!

Second thing, even if this was implicated (would be the second worst idea since the Wild West), how exactly would the banned person be notify that they are no longer banned?

Do you expect those ones who still visit the site frequenly with a mean look of their face for vendetta for a website that wronged him or her? Yeah, those are the ones we should let back in!

Third thing, isn't this kinda like suspension method (they are banned temporary except it wasn't pernament) anyway? I clearly remember someone whose was somewhat banned but when he was unbanned, he was still the same olde racist bastard and thus was pernamently banned. I don't really recalled anyone that happened to them like that and get to lived the tale (not banned) til this day!

 

[thepyrethatburns]

No.

As has been said, most (not all but most) were banned for good reason. Even if they weren't, they've moved on. I only come back here because I'm doing one final lap through the Unskippables before the place goes permanently under.

 

[Souplex]

"The community is dying, so let's bring back all its' most toxic elements!"
Do you not see the problem?

 

[Savryc]

Yes. Do it. Should be a laugh if nothing else.

 

[Zhukov]

Hahaha.

Do you think that the people who got banned have been sitting around thinking, "Aw gee, I wish I could go back to a dying forum that I haven't looked at for years, if only they'd give me another chance"?

They'll have moved on. I suggest you do the same.

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

yahtzee is the only thing the site has left now.. if he left,im pretty sure the site would close

 

[Marik2]

There was a banned guy who offered to provide content, and he was banned again.

They should give him a shot.

 

[Worgen]

I think it would be less disruptive to just allow the posting of porn. There are plenty of people who were banned for good reason, plus just unbanning them doesn't mean they will come back and not need to banned again.

 

[Imre Csete]

That would make all the WW sympathy march unbans meaningless, I will not stand for that.

 

[Auron225]

If the Escapist unbanned everyone who was once banned, then these users would come flocking back to the site, and old communities would be restored!

Long story short, no they wouldn't. I seriously doubt that anyone who was banned has just been sitting around, waiting for the Escapist to come knocking and give 'em another chance. Even assuming you managed to get the word out - best case scenario, you might get a handful of people back. And even then, are they the kinda people you want back if they were banned?

 

[Marik2]

Unbanning won't make anyone come back. It won't save the site. Nothing will.
But day goes by
The people who have moved on will stay moved on no matter what, and there's nothing anyone can do to change that. They have found new routines, new comforts, and new people. The old days are dead and will never return. You're better off finding new pastures. Hoping things return to how they were is wishful thinking. It's not optimistic, it's unrealistic.
And love goes by
Not a drastic measure, but a fantasy scenario.
And sooner or later
I've dropped in on the forums from time to time and it's weird to see names like Furburt, Hubilub, Neonbob dropped with such hushed reverence, even by users who weren't even active at the time of these people. It appears tragic from the outside, like some kind of community that only looks backwards. There was a time and place where there were these people here, and those times ended, just like how you don't see all your old school friends anymore. That's life. Find a new patch and settle in there.
We both must lie
I'm not saying that those looking to the past in nostalgia are the reason the site is dying and people left. That's more to do with the shifting way the internet works now, the various controversies that made forums unpleasant to be around, but probably most of all, upper management starving the place and gutting it like they did GameTrailers.
And sooner or later
I just want you all to realise there is no solution in looking to the past. You need to look forward, and to somewhere outside of the site.
We all must die
For your own good.
And sooner or later
Time's moved on.
We all live a lie.

Where is Calumon?

 

[Kotaro]

-snip-

Where is Calumon?

Wow, the Escapist really is screwed. You know things are bad when Jack speaks and Calumon doesn't chime in.

 

[Kyrian007]

I'll admit I don't check into it often... but every time I have clicked over to see what someone has done to earn a ban, that person clearly violated a rule. And those people knew the rules and violated them enough to lose all points from the health bar and get banned. I've never even taken a single hit on my health meter... it isn't that hard to avoid. Anybody garnering enough violations to be banned... needs to stay banned, because they aren't mature or responsible enough to be here. Frankly, that isn't saying a lot.