The Banhammer and You: A User's Guide to the Forums

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

I've got a question. I was just looking around for some kind of post regarding windows 7 not being shipped with IE in europe because of marketing laws or something. Anyways i noticed someone got a permanant ban for the post "lol what".

Is that because the post was so horrific that moderators had to change it before they got banned, or did they get banned for that specific post, and if so why?

No, he was banned because his history was full of inflammatory remarks and insults, as well as a general lack of respect.
(NOTE: I am not a mod, but this is how I understand it to be.)

That was Eggo, right? Yeah, I believe it was more of a "straw that broke the camel's back" type deal.

 

[Zombie_Fish]

I've got a question. I was just looking around for some kind of post regarding windows 7 not being shipped with IE in europe because of marketing laws or something. Anyways i noticed someone got a permanant ban for the post "lol what".

Is that because the post was so horrific that moderators had to change it before they got banned, or did they get banned for that specific post, and if so why?

No, he was banned because his history was full of inflammatory remarks and insults, as well as a general lack of respect.
(NOTE: I am not a mod, but this is how I understand it to be.)

That was Eggo, right? Yeah, I believe it was more of a "straw that broke the camel's back" type deal.

It wasn't Eggo that time, but Eggo was banned for posting "lol what" on another thread about Microsoft, as well as his history of flaming.

We don't like using "Lol what" solely making up posts anyway, as it adds nothing to the discussion, but those posters have usually had a history of mod wrath, and that makes up why they were banned as well.

 

[Lord Krunk]

I've got a question. I was just looking around for some kind of post regarding windows 7 not being shipped with IE in europe because of marketing laws or something. Anyways i noticed someone got a permanant ban for the post "lol what".

Is that because the post was so horrific that moderators had to change it before they got banned, or did they get banned for that specific post, and if so why?

No, he was banned because his history was full of inflammatory remarks and insults, as well as a general lack of respect.
(NOTE: I am not a mod, but this is how I understand it to be.)

That was Eggo, right? Yeah, I believe it was more of a "straw that broke the camel's back" type deal.

It wasn't Eggo that time, but Eggo was banned for posting "lol what" on another thread about Microsoft, as well as his history of flaming.

We don't like using "Lol what" solely making up posts anyway, as it adds nothing to the discussion, but those posters have usually had a history of mod wrath, and that makes up why they were banned as well.

Maybe it was Pyronox [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/7.109951.1895037] he was talking about, he got banned for the same reason as Eggo, and with the same words.

Mind you, the thread wasn't about Windows 7 either.

 

[Zombie_Fish]

I've got a question. I was just looking around for some kind of post regarding windows 7 not being shipped with IE in europe because of marketing laws or something. Anyways i noticed someone got a permanant ban for the post "lol what".

Is that because the post was so horrific that moderators had to change it before they got banned, or did they get banned for that specific post, and if so why?

No, he was banned because his history was full of inflammatory remarks and insults, as well as a general lack of respect.
(NOTE: I am not a mod, but this is how I understand it to be.)

That was Eggo, right? Yeah, I believe it was more of a "straw that broke the camel's back" type deal.

It wasn't Eggo that time, but Eggo was banned for posting "lol what" on another thread about Microsoft, as well as his history of flaming.

We don't like using "Lol what" solely making up posts anyway, as it adds nothing to the discussion, but those posters have usually had a history of mod wrath, and that makes up why they were banned as well.

Maybe it was Pyronox [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/7.109951.1895037] he was talking about, he got banned for the same reason as Eggo, and with the same words.

Mind you, the thread wasn't about Windows 7 either.

Being the sad person that I am I have looked in the forums for what has to be about half an hour and can't find anyone banned for a thread about Windows 7 and IE, yet alone for posting "lol what" in it, so I'm going to go for the closest one and say Eggo, despite my thoughts before.

 

[Alex_P]

Like most of the Internet, the Escapist falls into the trap of politically correct bigotry---it is perfectly fine to rip Acceptable Targets [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AcceptableTargets], but go after a pet liberal cause (with a "kitchen/sammich" joke or anything that's racist toward any race other than white people) and you're up a creek.

Dunno about that. I recently told off a whole bunch of people who were posting torture fantasies about the most acceptable of "Acceptable Targets" -- sex offenders.

On a large open forum, though, you do have to pick your battles. Attack language has become so embedded in the basic communication style of the Internet that we can't possibly hope to remove or "punish" all of it.

Plainly put, I personally prioritize racist and sexist language over the other kinds of mudslinging because the discourse on gaming forums really is overwhelmingly controlled by cisgendered heterosexual white men. I'm not as worried about, say, political language, because I do at least see a "healthy" back-and-forth going on: there's roughly equal hate for Fox News and "political correctness", which is what passes for a balance between "liberal" and "conservative" ideology on the Internet. (And, let's be honest here, people here still get away with a massive quantity of ridiculous bigotry just by using "I" statements instead of racial slurs.)

The message I really want to send is that no personal attacks or group attacks are truly safe. If you make an ass out of yourself, you're always a potential target for "moderator wrath", regardless of whom you happen to be attacking. The only way to really win this game is not to be an ass.

-- Alex

 

[traceur_]

Wordsmith Extraordinaire: 10,000+ posts. Only Indigo Dingo has achieved this, to my knowledge.

MoonPenguin also has, I think he/she is somewhere in the vicinity of 12,000 posts.

 

[pigeon_of_doom]

Just an update for you, there is an additional level of moderation under probation. Official warnings can be issued that send PMs and stay listed in a user's ban history. They don't show publicly though, and don't affect the badges. But they do impact what future penalties will be.

Are records of those messages deleted after a period of time, or are they permanent? Or is there at least some kind of time-stamp to prevent members who've been around for a while getting harsher penalties based on indiscretions from years back?

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Just an update for you, there is an additional level of moderation under probation. Official warnings can be issued that send PMs and stay listed in a user's ban history. They don't show publicly though, and don't affect the badges. But they do impact what future penalties will be.

Are records of those messages deleted after a period of time, or are they permanent? Or is there at least some kind of time-stamp to prevent members who've been around for a while getting harsher penalties based on indiscretions from years back?

Yes, they have dates on them.

 

[Anarchemitis]

MoonPenguin also has, I think he/she is somewhere in the vicinity of 12,000 posts.

Not that a post count is a benefit here.
It doesn't even guarantee 'fame'. It used to, but now the community is too big for that to work.

 

[scotth266]

MoonPenguin also has, I think he/she is somewhere in the vicinity of 12,000 posts.

Not that a post count is a benefit here.
It doesn't even guarantee 'fame'. It used to, but now the community is too big for that to work.

I don't recognize users by their post count: I recognize them by their avatars.

Which is why it sucks when people change them all the time... I can't keep track of some users and wind up thinking that it's someone new (Max especially, dude changes his avatar more often than most people change clothes these days) until I look at their name.

 

[Lord Krunk]

MoonPenguin also has, I think he/she is somewhere in the vicinity of 12,000 posts.

Not that a post count is a benefit here.
It doesn't even guarantee 'fame'. It used to, but now the community is too big for that to work.

I don't recognize users by their post count: I recognize them by their avatars.

Which is why it sucks when people change them all the time... I can't keep track of some users and wind up thinking that it's someone new (Max especially, dude changes his avatar more often than most people change clothes these days) until I look at their name.

Same here. When I changed my original avatar (a silhouette of Beat from JSRF, had it for 6 months), a lot of people complained. I haven't gone back to using it yet.

 

[Blackadder51]

this thread is very help full thanks

EDIT : also i got put on probation for calling ultrajoe a dickhead >.<, bit unfair in my opinion

 

[Berethond]

this thread is very help full thanks

EDIT : also i got put on probation for calling ultrajoe a dickhead >.<, bit unfair in my opinion

Hardly.
One word post that are off-topic and inflamatory tend to be frowned upon.

 

[Zombie_Fish]

MoonPenguin also has, I think he/she is somewhere in the vicinity of 12,000 posts.

Not that a post count is a benefit here.
It doesn't even guarantee 'fame'. It used to, but now the community is too big for that to work.

I don't recognize users by their post count: I recognize them by their avatars.

Which is why it sucks when people change them all the time... I can't keep track of some users and wind up thinking that it's someone new (Max especially, dude changes his avatar more often than most people change clothes these days) until I look at their name.

Same here. When I changed my original avatar (a silhouette of Beat from JSRF, had it for 6 months), a lot of people complained. I haven't gone back to using it yet.

Well, it's easier to remember a picture than a number. Especially if a lot of those numbers are very similar.

But I do that as well. It usually takes me a while to notice when Max changes his avatar, and also when The_Oracle changed his, I didn't notice that for a few days I think. Mostly because it was no longer the oracle.

The result being I usually try to avoid changing my avatar.

this thread is very help full thanks

EDIT : also i got put on probation for calling ultrajoe a dickhead >.<, bit unfair in my opinion

Have you talked to the mods about that? All I know is that one word posts are frowned upon, as well as insulting posts, but I can see why you would instantly think that after seeing his post. Try PM'ing a mod about it if you care that much about it.

 

[Blackadder51]

this thread is very help full thanks

EDIT : also i got put on probation for calling ultrajoe a dickhead >.<, bit unfair in my opinion

Have you talked to the mods about that? All I know is that one word posts are frowned upon, as well as insulting posts, but I can see why you would instantly think that after seeing his post. Try PM'ing a mod about it if you care that much about it.[/quote]

Yeh i have put i have got no response..

 

[Zombie_Fish]

this thread is very help full thanks

EDIT : also i got put on probation for calling ultrajoe a dickhead >.<, bit unfair in my opinion

Have you talked to the mods about that? All I know is that one word posts are frowned upon, as well as insulting posts, but I can see why you would instantly think that after seeing his post. Try PM'ing a mod about it if you care that much about it.

Yeh i have put i have got no response..

Well just wait then. Mods aren't on 24/7 and unless it's completely irrational whatsoever they will give reasoning for it. You'll probably get a response from them sometime tomorrow, tonight possibly.

 

[wilsonscrazybed]

Yeh i have put i have got no response..

Your response to the probation will be read during business hours Monday by an editor. This is not the right place to talk about user specific moderation.

 

[Specialist Willy]

Definetely informative and worrisome. These guys don't screw around. But I guess now a days one can't screw around for fear of (dare I say it) offending someone. But que sera sera.

 

[slipknot4]

Great, my post was the example of a Probation...
Good guide anyway...

 

[Berethond]

Krunk, your permaban example post has been 404'd.
Just thought I'd let you know.