Bans

[theoneandonly]

Why are we seeing members being banned without posting anything offensive? Is it because they did something that has actually flouted the rules or is it a technical fault?

[SJNeal]

The bans aren't random. Since the offensive posts are usually deleted, you're probably just not seeing them.

[theoneandonly]

oh thanks for answering my question.

[Matt]

The Moderator team does not randomly ban people. Indeed, we document and record Every. Single. Ban.
We also, usually, let the user know why they've been banned in some form or another.

[theoneandonly]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

[Totoro Man]

sometimes the offense is bypassing the original ban: people will come back with a new username or email. they might stay on good behavior at first... but it usually doesn't last.

rather than allow them to get back into their bad habits the moderators ban them again.

one thing to consider is that the community abuses might have been done through private messages - so you might never know what the specific cause of the ban was.

[jbmasta]

On another forum if you're in breach of the rules, you get a few days suspension and are informed of exactly what it was that caused that. If the warning doesn't deter you from doing it, or breaching other rules, it's a ban. Sometimes it's an innocent mistake rather than an intentional breach, and the warning gives you cause to revisit the rules and guidelines to avoid it happening again.