Just asking a question - about the banned

[PunkinPeep]

I'm not trying to challenge moderator judgment (please don't ban me). I just would like to get some feedback.

Earlier today there was some talk about a recently banned member who is thought of fondly by those left behind. I just noticed that the entire thread about said member has disappeared. Is it against the rules to speak of the banned?

On BYC, when a topic gets out of hand, someone (a moderator type) usually locks the thread and makes a note to the problem and/or edits out inappropriate comments. I personally find this BYC procedure less unsettling than having an entire thread deleted without a word to the members who wrote on it.

Just a thought. I figured the petition thread would be stopped, but i was surprised about the other.

Again, not challenging - just getting feedback.

I have complete respect for the responsibilities and judgment calls of moderators who are trying to limit controversial topics and keep things friendly around here.

 

[SKR8PN]

I was informed that it is a bad thing to bring up "The Banned"....

Personally......I don't understand it..... but....
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

[PunkinPeep]

That's that, i suppose.

Thanks.

 

[reinbeau]

Really, even on BYC, we don't discuss banned members, and those threads are usually removed, as were the two today. Let's just leave it at that. Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[Nifty]

Just to add a few points from my perspective regarding this policy:

This has been something that the forum staff (primarily at BYC) has discussed for many years. We've found that we need to be pretty strict on items that tend to cause a lot of drama and misunderstandings. The moderating staff are the only ones that have full visibility into all the sides of an issue, and without divulging all the details (which would be inappropriate if we did) it is impossible for the discussions to take place publicly without problems.

The policy is also for respect of the banned members who often don't want their names discussed and pulled into even more drama. So, if anybody has questions about a banned member, locked topic, etc. we request that they contact a member of the moderating team, and if appropriate we will answer what we can.

Regarding policies in general:
As with almost all the decisions we make on our forum policies, there just isn't a black and white decision. Each policy has pros and cons and we struggle over the course of many weeks (sometimes months and years) with refining the policies based on a million variables.

At the end of the day we craft policies and rules that:

1) Make the community a friendlier and easier place in which to ask questions, get answers, and communicate ideas.

2) Will not cause our moderators to have to make a judgment call with each and every situation.

None of our policies are set in stone... forums are living / changing organisms. With that said, we tend to find out what works and doesn't work pretty quickly. Also, I interact with other super large forum owners (across many different topics) to get a feel for what does and doesn't work for them. Amazingly enough, I've found that most forums with a "close knit" community of over 1,000 members tend to adopt the same types of rules. Probably because regardless of the topic, human nature is pretty much the same all over.

We appreciate all our members and their feedback and ask for their patience and support as we work hard to balance the pros and cons of each policy and situation.