The Escapist Ban-hammer

[Plauged1]

Ok you put something there. No. Just follow the damned rules heh.

Rules?!?!?! I knew I was following something! DAMMIT!!!=p

I have'nt been banned or suspended or anything like that. I usually try not to piss off people. If you don't think people like what you say, just avoid them or apoligize. Pretty simple rules of logic.

 

[iJosh]

No its pretty good actually.

I like the smell of banhammer after its been used.

 

[Lancer723]

Only time I felt as though as though the Banhammer was swinging pretty freely was during march madness, but it was kind of understandable considering the flame wars going on then. Though I think they were a little harsh on members of the escapist community complaining of having the contest hijacked by Turbine fanboys without the mods intervening.

Only other time I though the banning got out of hand was a few weeks ago when there was a thread on feminism and someone made a joke (admittedly in bad taste, albeit quite funny) then proceeded to suspend everyone in that thread to find the original joke humorous.

 

[Marble Dragon]

I don't think it's a big deal. It makes the Escapist the place where I can talk without having to design what I say for idiot's brains. (No words over two syllables, and nothing that isn't completely literal. There are other rules too.) If The Escapist didn't have frequent bans and probations, where would we be? It'd be no different from the other game forums out there. It'd be populated by trolls, and the whole thing would be set on fire by the flaming. Banning is a good way of separating out the smart people from the idiots who just come here to watch ZP and troll.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Only time I felt as though as though the Banhammer was swinging pretty freely was during march madness, but it was kind of understandable considering the flame wars going on then. Though I think they were a little harsh on members of the escapist community complaining of having the contest hijacked by Turbine fanboys without the mods intervening.

Only other time I though the banning got out of hand was a few weeks ago when there was a thread on feminism and someone made a joke (admittedly in bad taste, albeit quite funny) then proceeded to suspend everyone in that thread to find the original joke humorous.

I agree with you about the MM modding, but tensions were running high then. By the time warnings about what not to say were issued, alas, it was too late for some. But like I said, feelings ran hot back then on both sides and it's best to view that situation as a special case.

The tasteless joke probably wouldn't have been such a big deal if not for all the support it received in the form of "lol" posts that didn't add much to the discussion. I may or may not have found it funny, but the thing I've learned about Free Speech is that it's really the sort of thing you ought to keep to yourself (an attempt at humor-don't ban me!). Considering the horrible things people have been allowed to get away with saying about other groups (like, say, religious people), I'm surprised the joke caused the stir it did. But whatever, I would also consider that a special circumstance.

I was also a bit surprised when Mr. Groovy Pants got banned, but I guess that's how it goes. Things got pretty dark there, near the end.

In general, though, I'm extremely grateful to our modding team for all their hard work. You all are doing an awesome job. One need only remember the day of a certain group invading to feel extreme gratitude at the hard work the mods did in cleaning the site out in a matter of hours. They were so fast lots of people didn't even notice anything. The banhammer moved like a scythe through the cornfield, that day.

I'm hesitant to really discuss any of this stuff out of fear it'll trigger a backlash of modding... *looks over shoulder* But anyway, the Escapist Banhammer (back to the original topic title.) Yes, I am definitely pro-Banhammer. Vote Banhammer party today! Vote Banhammer for a brighter tomorrow!

 

[Groovewood]

As someone who doesn't visit here frequently I find this to be one of the strictest boards I've ever been on. Yes yes, having standards is a good thing, but it's a bit excessive here. Although I got a feeling it's not the mods but more the annoying regular users who wish they were mods. Literally 90% of threads I've read have at least one post saying "Use the search function", I mean come on, I know this is the internet and therefore everything is SERIOUS BUSINESS, but I've never seen the whole front page covered in repeat threads.

Oh well, I'm just killing time here till /v/ is up again.

 

[Vrex360]

After the raid by Jewish Nazi I have officially decided never to question the moderators or ever take them for granted ever again.
I've seen what happens when they leave for even an hour and I think having strict rules is a minor issue compared with the HELL that will come if they ever should leave us without defence.

Jewish Nazi at least taught me to respect the moderators.

 

[xitel]

Only other time I though the banning got out of hand was a few weeks ago when there was a thread on feminism and someone made a joke (admittedly in bad taste, albeit quite funny) then proceeded to suspend everyone in that thread to find the original joke humorous.

If I recall correctly, it was merely probations, not suspensions, for people that said "Oh lolz" and the like.

I was also a bit surprised when Mr. Groovy Pants got banned, but I guess that's how it goes. Things got pretty dark there, near the end.

That's an example of a case in which the ban was done because of a) a history of bans and probations and other such whatnot, and b) several behind the scene things and the like, such as PMs and other such actions, including conduct on the IRC, that led to him being banned. It's the same thing that happened with Eggo. Eggo wasn't banned for just for his "lol whut" post, but for a history of things, as well as PMs.

Personally, I sincerely support the mods, but you have to remember that it's not all on them. You also need to remember to use the report button, and don't post in stupid threads saying "This thread needs to be locked" or "Get out troll" or anything like that. Posting in the threads pushes them to the top of the list and merely perpetuates them.

As for the original topic of whether the "banhammer" is too frequent, no, it isn't. They're preventative measures. Most of the people here have seen forums like Gamespot and the like that go largely unmoderated, and end up being full of idiocy and the like. By having extremely strict banning policies, the mods stop this forum from degenerating to that point. You just have to remember that bans and probations can be appealed if people really care. If they don't, then they can just wait for it to expire and return to their posting. Merely appealing tends to show that you're at least apologetic for what you did, which can lead to a reduced ban, or even a removal of it completely. There has only been one instance in which I disagreed with a ban, and that was appealed and reduced.

So, to summarize, I support the mods of this site, and in fact would support even stricter banning policies. I report everything that I feel needs reporting, and I strongly encourage you to do the same. If you even think it may deserve a report, report it. I the mods think it doesn't deserve action, let them decide it.

 

[prinxess]

It's back. Report and move on.

 

[Rascarin]

No, it's nice to have a forum where the rules are upheld. The Escapist has once of the most mature communities I've ever seen on the interwebs, and I imagine that without strict moderation, it wouldn't be.

If by mature, you mean primarily high school students, then yes you'd be correct. However, I suggest rethinking that term if that is the case

I'm not talking maturity in physical terms. But I do find that there is far less trolling, flaming and spamming here than most internet communities.

 

[Jumplion]

I know it doesn't seem passionate, because its not. I am embarrassed to say I'm part of the human race. I truly feel sorry for the victim, and his family and friends, but when somebody dies due to the stupidity of his fellow human race, you have to laugh to keep yourself from being reminded that you are part of this rediculous nature. If this had happened to someone I'm close to, then I would laugh, to keep myself from crying. It is human nature to fear the feeling of depression, and the best way to combat that is laughing. Humanity is a bad joke, and you have to laugh to keep it going. I know this may sound like rambling, but I will always have an important voice in this.

Yeah, but laughing your ass off like the Joker to someone who died isn't exactly making a good impression on everyone. Regardless of how you handle deaths, laughing at them and calling them "retarded" isn't exactly accepted anywhere. You can laugh, sure, but not a full blown "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha........ People crack me the **** up!" because that makes you seem extremely douchey.

 

[Cutlesnap]

I was surprised at how strict the mods here are at first, but I like it. Far too much of the interbutts is crap, and I think it works.

 

[Daymo]

No, they do it too little (correct word?).


Also: During MM they banned some of the older members for some small stuff and let the new ones get away with murder.

I believe they are a bit easyer on the older members normally though. Look at Indigo Dingo, I am actually amazed with some of the stuff he gets away with saying. If most other members were so fanboyish, they would be banned or probationed pretty quickly.

 

[infernovolver]

To answer... Some question going on there; I do think that there are many probations/suspensions/bans that are very frivolous in nature. Countless have been spawned from those who post in Zero punctuation videos without enough time to actually have watched it, even if it was merely stating that the video wasn't showing up or something. I understand that rules are in place for a reason, but it seems like mods make it up as they go along sometimes.

 

[Grimm91]

Nope. I think that almost all the bans and suspensions are for a reason.

 

[Ursus Astrorum]

Alright, I'm going to contribute before this gets locked and wiped (as usual).

No, most of their bans/probations are appropriate. However, they do seem to have an incredibly low tolerance for threads with even the slightest hint of conflict incoming. Seriously, the amount of times I've tried to contribute to an interesting thread only to find it locked and erased is infuriating.

And I suppose probation is inbound for me speaking my mind, as it's no doubt considered 'Mod Sass'.

All hail the Overseer, I suppose.

 

[DeleteMe1112311]

I'm quite happy with it really, even the permabans that seem to be unnecessary usually have some sort of explanation (I.E there was a post where someone just said "LOLWUT" but they did it after attempting to make the longest quote possible. IF memory serves, the quote was snipped which would just leave the "LOLWUT". But then again, that could be a total bullshit story my memory made up...pretty sure it is not.)

Anyway, I trust the moderators here to keep everything intelligent and in line. I almost wish they would ban people for not at least attempting[/] to use some punctuation and capitalization (I say attempting because nobody is perfect obviously. Some people may not speak english or have another reason but at least putting periods on the end of your sentences would be nice.) . Get the quality standard up because the internet desperately needs it.

 

[Blarneytoo]

Without enforced rulles forums quickly faall into chaos and slowly fade into the sunset.

 

[timmytom1]

There`s been a handful of cases that i`ve seen i my breif stint here where the mods seemed a bit heavy-handed (why is there a large shadow suddenly hanging over me?) but this is by and large the best forum i`ve ever visited i terms of the people who are here , so i support the mods