Why Are Some Posters' Names Struck-Out? An Investigation

[Spin_Network]

I noticed that some posters have had their names "struck-out"..like here for instance:https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=24178

Is there a specific reason for this?..or is it an editing problem?

 

[mattmns]

Just a wild guess, but I would say that it means they are banned.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Yes that means they are banned

 

[Spin_Network]

Just a wild guess, but I would say that it means they are banned.

Cool, so I guess the American Branding system is still alive today!

 

[Spin_Network]

Yes that means they are banned

Ok..may I suggest a colour coded stripe..say Wite for current posters-Blue for Banned posters andRed for those who are banned for good?

It also seems strange that you ban posters ..but not their posts?..is the policy of banning really been thought out with democratic or Repulicanised virtues?

 

[JamesU]

How do you get banned?

 

[dextercioby]

By a simple click...?


Daniel.

 

[JamesU]

By a simple click...?


Daniel.

Thank you for that detailed and eloquent explenation

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I don't see the point of banning a poster (an alias actually, the poster will most likely be reincarnated), but not removing the post. The example post seemed rather innocuous to me. What was wrong with it?

In fact, a casual glance through Olias' posts shows that this poster is mostly serious and thoughtful. Whatever crime was committed?

 

[dextercioby]

Banning is the last & most drastic option.People are warned before.If they don't take that into account,i don't see what else to do.U can't force the mentors/admins chase their every post throughout the forum,when they can solve it with a simple click on the "Ban user" button...

Daniel.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't see the point of banning a poster (an alias actually, the poster will most likely be reincarnated), but not removing the post. The example post seemed rather innocuous to me. What was wrong with it?

In fact, a casual glance through Olias' posts shows that this poster is mostly serious and thoughtful. Whatever crime was committed?

Posts that are offensive or break board rules DO get deleted. If a member habitually breaks the rules, you don't want to delete the posts that ARE constructive at the same time as that disrupts the flow of an entire thread and the efforts of members who do follow the rules. So, when someone is banned, unless they have managed to get so incredibly disruptive throughout the forums that it's easier to just delete everything they've ever posted in one fell swoop, it's more beneficial to the board to only delete the offending posts and leave the remainder behind. So, those posts that you see still on the board are not the offending ones that earned their banning. For example, some people can provide very thoughtful posts, but then when presented with a counter-argument, cannot conduct themselves in a mature manner and resort to personal attacks to re-assert their own position rather than discussing the topic at hand. Do that once and you get a warning, and a mature person realizes they've crossed the line and don't do it again. Don't get the hint after repeated warnings, no matter how smart you are, if you can't conduct yourself in a respectful manner, you get shown the door.

However, the specific offenses of any banned poster are between the management and the poster. Despite the immense curiosity that sometimes arises when a poster disappears, it isn't something that is appropriate to discuss with others. The board rules are clearly posted and you agree to those when you join, so you can safely assume that someone who was banned has repeatedly broken those rules. It is also not discussed openly here because some bans are temporary, a cooling off period if you will, and it wouldn't be fair to the person banned to air their dirty laundry here for everyone if there is a chance they might come back and be a productive member once they've cooled off.

As for your question about the poster coming back with another alias, the management here are well aware of that possibility and have ways of dealing with it if necessary. If they manage to slip under the radar and return to be a non-disruptive member (if getting banned finally taught them the lesson that they need to follow board rules), then it becomes somewhat of a non-issue.

 

[Phobos]

How do you get banned?

Basically two ways...
(1) Accumulating 15 "warning points" results in an automated temporary ban. (cool down period)

(2) Constantly violating PF policy results in a custom-made permanent ban. (we tend to give several warnings first although there are few special cases where no discussion is needed...like spammers)