Motors forum at a loss due to bans handed down to regulars

Scortho

In the last while, some high profile posters in the motors forum have been either site banned or forum banned.
Many of these posters were of value to the motors community on boards and without them the forum, I feel is at a loss.
I am not the only one on the forum who feels this way.

Yes they may have caused work for the moderators, but to quote another user, whats left is a load of "yes men".

Would it be fairer to maybe temporarily ban long term users for breaches of the rules and in order for them to get back onto that forum the other long term users have to vote them back on? If the majority of users with a vote agree then theyre let back?

I know that i'll be ridiculed by some etc. but as things stand, forum 47 is at a loss.:mad:


Regards
Scortho

Scortho

It has also just came to my attention that my favourite thread on boards has been closed!
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056950568&page=500

Anan1

As a long term poster on Motors, I certainly feel that RoverJames's contributions are sorely missed.

ba_barabus

Anan1 wrote: »

As a long term poster on Motors, I certainly feel that RoverJames's contributions are sorely missed.

I think the baby was thrown out with the bathwater on this one.

And then locking down motors most popular thread for mentioning him. Hardly sporting is it.

YbFocus

I came here the second I saw what I consider the best thread on boards was closed.

I saw Scortho got here before me so I'll post here, please do not permanently close it as it is the place for a close knit group of motoring Boardsies to talk most evenings.

I see that it has been closed because of talks of previously banned individuals, there may have been a couple talking of it but that nowhere near shows the amount of people that use it on a daily basis, myself included.


It's the source of a great comradary that is aparent when reading through it and at the meets that are organised.

Please u-turn on the decision to close this thread and I'm sure that everyone that is involved in it will agree to never mention a ban again.

YbFocus.

ba_barabus

Just thinking about this:

so in an attempt to stifle any chat about how the banning and leaving of long term good contributing members, some genius decides to shut down motors most popular thread that was being used to help create a sense of community.

Clever.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

As a long term (ish) poster on motors, both with this account and in my old account that had 10k posts, I think that the forum is at a loss for the bans (permanent ones) that were handed down to the regular users like RJ, like 166man (I like a good banter :P) etc

dgt

The chat thread brought all us regulars together in a light hearted manner where we got to know each other better,thus growing the community into it's current thriving state.

If it were to remain closed, that's a huge loss to the forum and to valued contributors

Scortho

Querying where some users have gone and getting in trouble over it seems a bit totalitarian.
Boards mightnt be democracy etc etc, but wondering where people have gone and why theyre gone shouldn't result in the most popular motors thread being banned.

Not only that our mods on the forum have ruled that we cant start a new chat thread. :mad:

ba_barabus

It would be nice if they put a link to the feedback thread at the end of the chat thread so users know where to go to complain.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

But it has been said time after time not to be discussing someone elses ban.

their banned yes but openly discussing it wont help the situation at all.

the likes of 166man, i do enjoy the banter with him on forum and at the meets, genuine decent guy and bang on and i believe one day he will be back by his own means of talking formally to mods/admins so i'd just leave it at that.

The mods say it and they give appropriate warning not to be discussing things like that and the thread closure didn't seem far off the last day looking at the posts talking about bans and where people have gone when its been done to death already.

I think the mods have been fair on this one, but i do hope at the same time that the chat thread does stay once its not used incorrectly, I have found it to be a great way to informally chat to the guys and get along better especially when it comes to the meets etc.

dgt

The problem lies with other users ignoring mod instructions. But why should we all have to suffer because of their actions?

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

dgt wrote: »

The problem lies with other users ignoring mod instructions. But why should we all have to suffer because of their actions?

I agree we shouldn't all suffer but it would be the regulars to get banned !

its only a small few people that get told time after time to drop things and this move to close the thread shows the extent of what they are doing.

ba_barabus

dgt wrote: »

The problem lies with other users ignoring mod instructions. But why should we all have to suffer because of their actions?

To be fair that's the first time I engaged in a discussion about it and I haven't seen Anan talk about it.

What's in the chat thread is harmless stuff and if it gets dumped over that something is seriously wrong. You'd swear someone in power has realised they made a mistake with the bannings and now wishes to solve it by using the firm resolve to shut everyone up.

YbFocus

Well said 166man,

There is a great comradary around here and the chat thread is a huge part of keeping us all friends. Otherwise it's just a load of people answering peoples problems and no social aspect between the regulars.

I don't think it should be banned at all, of course talking of bans was a bad idea but there was nowhere else for someone to voice an opinion as fair as I'm aware.

I would like to see the boys brought back, after meeting 166man last weekend I can say he's a gentleman and has been exiled for what must be long enough at this stage

Anan1

How things have changed: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056494434

ba_barabus

Anan1 wrote: »

How things have changed: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056494434

Who gave you 5 votes :P

Big Nasty

Motors is very fairly moderated IMO.

Any regular user that's been banned received numerous warnings, infractions and temp bans before being perma-banned. They might be the nicest guys in the world, well informed and great contributors but the fact remains that these users were being d1cks to other users either on the forum or via PM time and time again before they were banned. It's their own fault and nobody else's.

So what are the mods supposed to do? Allow them back, again, give them a pat on the head and say 'don't do that again', while knowing full well that they will do it again as they have already proven in the past?

Anan1

Big Nasty wrote: »

They might be the nicest guys in the world, well informed and great contributors but the fact remains that these users were being d1cks to other users either on the forum or via PM time and time again before they were banned. It's their own fault and nobody else's.

Just so we're clear, who are you talking about?

Big Nasty

Anan1 wrote: »

Just so we're clear, who are you talking about?

Any former regular user who has been banned.

This is a broad discussion about the motor forum, no? I don't see the necessity to single any particular users out.

MuppetCheck

I think it is at a loss in certain instances, but often there is more messing that goes on outside of the forum in various areas of the site.

I've had differences with RJ in the past, but he could be a bit of craic too.

Anan1

Big Nasty wrote: »

Any former regular user who has been banned.

This is a broad discussion about the motor forum, no? I don't see the necessity to single any particular users out.

You can't know that, as you weren't party to the processes that led to these bans. In any case, it's not really the point. The point is that, without well-informed and great contributors, there'll be nothing left worth being a part of.

MuppetCheck wrote: »

I think it is at a loss in certain instances, but often there is more messing that goes on outside of the forum in various areas of the site.

I've had differences with RJ in the past, but he could be a bit of craic too.

The vast majority of people banned are no great loss to the community, but there is the odd exception. Sure i've banned him more than once myself!

hullaballoo

The way I read it, the chat thread had to be closed because mod instructions were being ignored left, right and centre. It is impossible to have a busy thread where members blatantly ignore mod instructions and get away with it.

It has been a rule for as long as I've been a member of this site that mod decisions are not to be questioned anywhere other than the few designated forums. The designated forums have changed from time-to-time and depending on the issue, but one thing has always been clear - do not discuss a moderator/admin decision in-thread or in-forum.

In terms of the loss of regular users due to bans, I have little sympathy. Regular users know what is allowable better than any other users. If someone is a regular user and contributes well to the forum, it will usually take a lot for a ban to issue. It would take even more for that ban to be permanent. That is reserved for real nuisances. Site bans are an admin decision and are generally not specific to behaviour on an individual forum, unless that behaviour is sufficiently bad to warrant removal of all privileges wrt use of the site.

I cannot imagine a situation where a vote-back process could benefit the forum. It would give certain popular users carte blanche to do what they want. It would also act as a get-out-of-gaol-free card in cases where the full background to a ban might not be public information. That's not workable imo.

Beasty

You can't blame local mods for posters getting site-banned. They have themselves to blame for their own posting whether in the Motors forum or elsewhere. If they feel their ban is unjustified they can argue their case in Prison with the Admins (who are the ones with site-ban powers(

In terms of discussing those who are banned (whether from the forum or site), regular posters are unlikely to be in possession of all the relevant facts. Discussing such posters will often lead to speculation over why they were banned. Such discussion should only take place in the Prison or Dispute Resolution forums as it's a matter for the poster in question and the Mods, CMods and Admins involved. Discussion in the general forums is both off-topic and could also lead to misunderstandings of exactly what has gone on.

Zaph

Without getting into specifics about individual posters, Boards policy has always been that no poster is greater than the site. Just because someone is hugely helpful in one forum doesn't mean they haven't been a complete dick on many other forums on the site, which in turn has led to them being sitebanned. It's not uncommon for a poster to be a model citizen on the forums that matter most to them and that they don't want to be banned from, but to cause havoc everywhere else. Their behaviour on other forums isn't always apparent to the regulars of a particular forum who may want their buddy back.

Forum bans for regular posters are a bit different. However sometimes it becomes apparent to the mods that the only way of dealing with a poster is to remove them completely from the equation. This is generally the case when someone is a persistent nuisance and becomes a timesink, whereby the mods spend a disproportionate amount of time dealing with the mess that poster has created. That's not fair to the mods, or the other posters in the forum and it can't be let continue indefinitely. And unfortunately posters like this can't help themselves and as soon as they're re-admitted the clock is ticking until they earn themselves another ban. Eventually their luck just runs out.

So I'm afraid there won't be any chance of a vote back facility now or at any time in the future.

ba_barabus

Beasty wrote: »

In terms of discussing those who are banned (whether from the forum or site), regular posters are unlikely to be in possession of all the relevant facts.

I think the problem that posters have is that people are being banned and others are leaving and this has left the place empty. It's a motors forum and it needs people who know what they are talking about.

Even some of the mods don't post as often with anything useful like they used to.......

MuppetCheck

166man wrote: »

So you think that RJ should be allowed to be voted back in, or his ban reviewed after x amount of months?

I didn't give an opinion either way. All I said was some people are a loss but to be fair motors is just one forum - boards is made up of very many more.

166man wrote: »

What do you mean by messing outside the forum?

As above, there are many other areas outside of one forum on this site where communication can be conducted and possibly cause issues.

Beasty

ba_barabus wrote: »

I think the problem that posters have is that people are being banned and others are leaving and this has left the place empty. It's a motors forum and it needs people who know what they are talking about.

Even some of the mods don't post as often with anything useful like they used to.......

Not a regular there, but a quick glance at the forum and I see over 300 online at present and nearly 3 pages of threads with posts today - that's even more than the Cycling forum!!

Forums do ebb and flow a bit with regulars cutting back or leaving for a variety of reasons, but then there are new posters signing up all the time (and quite a few "old" posters coming back, sometimes under new names). One thing is very clear to me though - Motors remains one of the most popular forums on the site based on the traffic it generates

MuppetCheck

166man wrote: »

Well it might be one forum to you but some very good people have been lost and the forum has suffered, even I have noticed that and I'm no longer posting.

There are many areas but most of the regulars that I see post more or less mainly in the motors forum, hence being called regulars.

Anyway, chat thread re-opened so I'll just leave this here.

To me? It's one of many on boards. That just the way it is. Fact. It's my preferred read so better quality makes for a better read.

Good that the thread is reopened though.

Scortho

Beasty wrote: »

Not a regular there, but a quick glance at the forum and I see over 300 online at present and nearly 3 pages of threads with posts today - that's even more than the Cycling forum!!

Forums do ebb and flow a bit with regulars cutting back or leaving for a variety of reasons, but then there are new posters signing up all the time (and quite a few "old" posters coming back, sometimes under new names). One thing is very clear to me though - Motors remains one of the most popular forums on the site based on the traffic it generates

That isnt really the issue though.
It's the loss of so called trouble makers who get banned for their posts in the motors forum.
The forum is now at a loss as a result of the loss of some great posters. Its meant to be a community, not just full of yes men.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Scortho wrote: »

That isnt really the issue though.
It's the loss of so called trouble makers who get banned for their posts in the motors forum.
The forum is now at a loss as a result of the loss of some great posters. Its meant to be a community, not just full of yes men.

The problem for mods is these so called great posters cant be so great if they are getting banned for a reason even after warnings !