Rash of deleted members this last week?

[EnumaElish]

Hypothetical example. Last week member "X" started appearing with a horizontal line across their name and stopped making new posts. This week they are posting and the horizontal line has disappeared. What might explain this event? Could they have asked to leave, then changed their mind? Or could they have been banned, but got restored somehow?

 

[JaredJames]

Hypothetical example. Last week member "X" started appearing with a horizontal line across their name and stopped making new posts. This week they are posting and the horizontal line has disappeared. What might explain this event? Could they have asked to leave, then changed their mind? Or could they have been banned, but got restored somehow?

Temporary bans. First bans generally only last 10(ish) days.

 

[Evo]

Temporary bans. First bans generally only last 10(ish) days.

They are generally 10 days, but can range from 1 day to many months due to the circumstances. Timeouts in P&WA are usually 3 days as a cooling off and can be given to a member that has previously accrued no points. Repeated rule breaking or spam will result in a permanent ban.

 

[JaredJames]

They are generally 10 days, but can range from 1 day to many months due to the circumstances. Timeouts in P&WA are usually 3 days as a cooling off and can be given to a member that has previously accrued no points. Repeated rule breaking or spam will result in a permanent ban.

Hmm, didn't know that. Good to know though.

Out of curiosity, what is the difference between someone with a non-bold name with a line through it and someone with a non-bold name with no line through it?

 

[Borek]

Note that Greg has just changed the way banned members are displayed - he removed the strikeout.

Non bold name means either not activated account (new member or member trying to change the email address) or banned member.

 

[dlgoff]

So having bold green handles are a good thing?

I sort of liked the strike outs though. It helped me to stay away. Now I'll be afraid to get involved with a "new member or member trying to change the email address". Very afraid.

I can see where this should create less questions about bans.

 

[JaredJames]

Well you can only post when it's bold, so you can't really "get involved" with them like that.

So now, when you get banned others can't tell.

Is this such a good thing really? Now it means someone could be harmlessly changing their email address and for all who don't know this it would look like they were banned. Seems a bit unfair to me.

 

[dlgoff]

I guess Greg could identify banned members by changing their color to Pink.

Oh never mind. I've been pink before and it wasn't pretty.

I'm PMing you a couple of GOOBF cards Greg. Have mercy on me for even thinking of such a thing.

 

[JaredJames]

It just doesn't seem fair someone who hasn't broken the rules is lumped with someone who has, that's all.

 

[Nano-Passion]

It's looking rather bleak 'round here lately though.

It's sad and counterproductive IMO, to see members with strong opinions, or a strong way of expressing them, getting banned.

Maybe folk need to lighten up a little and realize that passion, diversity of opinion and interesting ways of expressing that opinion, is what makes a forum.

Don't throw the bady out with the bathwater ..

I completely, completely, and strongly agree. I sometimes feel that this forum is ruled with an iron whip; it feels like a dictatorship sort of speak. It feels harsh and unpersonalized.

I already have 4 infractions (all topics made with innocent intents), I feel like I'll get banned any minute now for another innocent mistake... Sometimes the infractions weren't just; but just a misinterpretation. But nonetheless the moderators never answer, and I've given up in contacting them.

 

[ZapperZ]

I completely, completely, and strongly agree. I sometimes feel that this forum is ruled with an iron whip; it feels like a dictatorship sort of speak. It feels harsh and unpersonalized.

And yet, if you look at other threads, we're given praises to the way we run this forum. Very high signal-to-noise ratio.

I already have 4 infractions (all topics made with innocent intents), I feel like I'll get banned any minute now for another innocent mistake... Sometimes the infractions weren't just; but just a misinterpretation. But nonetheless the moderators never answer, and I've given up in contacting them.

Since you chose to discuss it here, they were not such innocent mistakes. One can easily notice the violation based on the PF Rules that you had agreed to. In fact, your first violation was pointed out by ANOTHER member of the forum, not by one of the Mentors. So it was THAT obvious. And then, even after that, you continue to repeat the violation!

Over the years, some of the loudest complaints we've received about how this forum is run were from cranks and crackpots who simply were annoyed that we are not giving them a platform to discuss dubious issues. Please note that you KNEW well in advance what you were getting into based upon your acceptance of the rules. Those rules were not meant as mere window decorations.

Zz.