Banned users.

[Paul Murphy]

Hi, just wondering why on numerous threads I see posts from "banned" users?
Could you explain what happens when a user is banned and under what circumstances they can later reappear.
Thanks.

[Paul Murphy]

I should clarify my question.
There are some banned users who have possibly returned to the site under a different user name.
Firstly, is that the case in your experience?
Secondly, is there anything to stop a banned user from merely using a new IP address?
I.E How is a ban enforced?
Thanks.

[Sentinel]

Since no one has answered let me try:

Could you explain what happens when a user is banned and under what circumstances they can later reappear

- A user may be banned temporarily or perma. If temp, then he will be able to login after 3 days or so

- What happens? My guess is that he can't login. Perhaps someone who has been banned can answer.

There are some banned users who have possibly returned to the site under a different user name.
Firstly, is that the case in your experience?

-That is very possible. Usually the second user name is caught sooner or later and banned too.

Secondly, is there anything to stop a banned user from merely using a new IP address?

-No. That is (I believe) the way they do it.

[Paul Murphy]

Originally Posted by Sentinel

Since no one has answered let me try:

Could you explain what happens when a user is banned and under what circumstances they can later reappear

- A user may be banned temporarily or perma. If temp, then he will be able to login after 3 days or so

- What happens? My guess is that he can't login. Perhaps someone who has been banned can answer.

There are some banned users who have possibly returned to the site under a different user name.
Firstly, is that the case in your experience?

-That is very possible. Usually the second user name is caught sooner or later and banned too.

Secondly, is there anything to stop a banned user from merely using a new IP address?

-No. That is (I believe) the way they do it.

Thanks very much for taking the time to explain. Cheers.

[Wolfman Jack]

Originally Posted by Paul Murphy

Thanks very much for taking the time to explain. Cheers.

No offense, but this sounds like a guy walking up to the security guard at a bank and asking him questions such as his schedule, the thickness of the vault's steel wall, etc.

Are you planning on being a bad boy?

[CDestroyer]

You are an obvious banned user TheLoneWolf.

Please go away.

[Wolfman Jack]

Originally Posted by CDestroyer

You are an obvious banned user TheLoneWolf.

Please go away.

Can you link me to some posts for that person and why you think I am him/her? Why do you hate me so much, anyway? Hate is bad for you, don't you know that?

[Paul Murphy]

Originally Posted by Wolfman Jack

No offense, but this sounds like a guy walking up to the security guard at a bank and asking him questions such as his schedule, the thickness of the vault's steel wall, etc.

Are you planning on being a bad boy?

You have nothing to fear - your valuables are safe.

It must be that I've recently spent some time in some rough parts of town - lots of banned users.

[Sentinel]

Originally Posted by Wolfman Jack

Can you link me to some posts for that person and why you think I am him/her? Why do you hate me so much, anyway? Hate is bad for you, don't you know that?

Is your username a reference to that flick, Werewolf (iirc) which had Jack Nicholson in it.?

[Wolfman Jack]

Originally Posted by Sentinel

Is your username a reference to that flick, Werewolf (iirc) which had Jack Nicholson in it.?

Precisely! Not Werewolf, but simply "Wolf".

[diredesire]

I'll say the below, even though moderation issues are not generally discussed (as per the rules, if you've checked the Policies thread...). However, anyone these days that is familiar at all with the way the internet works (back end) will already know this, so I'll state the following as a one time thing:

Originally Posted by Paul Murphy

Hi, just wondering why on numerous threads I see posts from "banned" users?
Could you explain what happens when a user is banned and under what circumstances they can later reappear.
Thanks.

Originally Posted by Paul Murphy

I should clarify my question.
There are some banned users who have possibly returned to the site under a different user name.
Firstly, is that the case in your experience?
Secondly, is there anything to stop a banned user from merely using a new IP address?
I.E How is a ban enforced?
Thanks.

Yes, it happens often. Yes/No, proxies and dynamic IPs are very common. I (personally) don't seek out anyone, unless they're trolling/being a jerk/dummy and/or causing problems.

Bans are enforced via IP, generally.

Bans are not always permanent, but we (I and the TW Staff) don't publish publicly any of this info. The user that is banned is generally told how long.

Temp bans are generally a week or two.

If a user comes back within that time period, they are permanently banned (take the time out "like a man," learn a lesson from it, and don't make the same mistake twice).


Here's my (personal) point of view from a moderator standpoint (I'm not speaking for the TW Staff).

If you understand why you were banned, have made changes (and/or are willing to change), I'm cool with it. I personally would be happy lifting a permanent ban IF a user has made a real change.

With that said: If you're willing to acknowledge the errors of your ways, and move forward, the BEST method of return is to actually contact the TW Staff, state this, and we can all move forward. It is worse for everyone if you decide to return under an alternate ID, because people legitimately browsing under a proxy are put at risk for undeserved bans. If you're willing to "man up" (I'm using this term as a figure of speech, and don't intend to offend anyone), contact the admins, most of them are flexible, and willing to give a second chance.

In general, though, the people that get banned are PURPOSEFULLY trolling, and are having "fun" at the expense of others. Quite frankly, if someone was trolling hardcore, and wanted to come back and be a "regular ol' " poster, I would have 0% problem with it. They are welcome if they want to contribute to the community as a whole. This is rarely the case, though, as internet trolls actually get joy from making others upset.


As far as whether we're aware of repeat/return offenders, I'll say this:

IF you decide to surf this website through a proxy service, you are EXTREMELY likely to be sharing at least one previous IP address with another user. This is a bannable offense. Don't give us a reason to look into it. Use a proxy at your own risk. Of course, there are legitimate reasons to surf the web through a proxy, so we're not casting a wider net than necessary.

For instance... there is AT LEAST one user in this thread that has a shared IP with another user

If I'm given a reason to investigate said user (AKA they are trolling, or are frequently getting reported for rule violations, etc) they'll be gone the same day. Capiche?

-Your friendly neighborhood moderator

[CDestroyer]

Originally Posted by Sentinel

Is your username a reference to that flick, Werewolf (iirc) which had Jack Nicholson in it.?

Right and that was thelonewolfs avatar. You cleverly pulled the damaging truth right out.

[Paul Murphy]

Originally Posted by diredesire

I'll say the below, even though moderation issues are not generally discussed (as per the rules, if you've checked the Policies thread...). However, anyone these days that is familiar at all with the way the internet works (back end) will already know this, so I'll state the following as a one time thing:





Yes, it happens often. Yes/No, proxies and dynamic IPs are very common. I (personally) don't seek out anyone, unless they're trolling/being a jerk/dummy and/or causing problems.

Bans are enforced via IP, generally.

Bans are not always permanent, but we (I and the TW Staff) don't publish publicly any of this info. The user that is banned is generally told how long.

Temp bans are generally a week or two.

If a user comes back within that time period, they are permanently banned (take the time out "like a man," learn a lesson from it, and don't make the same mistake twice).


Here's my (personal) point of view from a moderator standpoint (I'm not speaking for the TW Staff).

If you understand why you were banned, have made changes (and/or are willing to change), I'm cool with it. I personally would be happy lifting a permanent ban IF a user has made a real change.

With that said: If you're willing to acknowledge the errors of your ways, and move forward, the BEST method of return is to actually contact the TW Staff, state this, and we can all move forward. It is worse for everyone if you decide to return under an alternate ID, because people legitimately browsing under a proxy are put at risk for undeserved bans. If you're willing to "man up" (I'm using this term as a figure of speech, and don't intend to offend anyone), contact the admins, most of them are flexible, and willing to give a second chance.

In general, though, the people that get banned are PURPOSEFULLY trolling, and are having "fun" at the expense of others. Quite frankly, if someone was trolling hardcore, and wanted to come back and be a "regular ol' " poster, I would have 0% problem with it. They are welcome if they want to contribute to the community as a whole. This is rarely the case, though, as internet trolls actually get joy from making others upset.


As far as whether we're aware of repeat/return offenders, I'll say this:

IF you decide to surf this website through a proxy service, you are EXTREMELY likely to be sharing at least one previous IP address with another user. This is a bannable offense. Don't give us a reason to look into it. Use a proxy at your own risk. Of course, there are legitimate reasons to surf the web through a proxy, so we're not casting a wider net than necessary.

For instance... there is AT LEAST one user in this thread that has a shared IP with another user

If I'm given a reason to investigate said user (AKA they are trolling, or are frequently getting reported for rule violations, etc) they'll be gone the same day. Capiche?

-Your friendly neighborhood moderator

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to explain. Appreciated.

[Sentinel]

Thanks for the interesting insights, diredesire. I've never used these proxies, so did not know -- interesting to note that these proxies hand out the same IP addresses, and if several TW users are using a proxy, then they could connect to TW using the same IP (at the same time?).
Or perhaps you meant that if one human logs in two times using the same proxy (as two different users), he could be given the same IP address.

[JoelDali]

[diredesire]

Originally Posted by Sentinel

Thanks for the interesting insights, diredesire. I've never used these proxies, so did not know -- interesting to note that these proxies hand out the same IP addresses, and if several TW users are using a proxy, then they could connect to TW using the same IP (at the same time?).
Or perhaps you meant that if one human logs in two times using the same proxy (as two different users), he could be given the same IP address.

I'm not an expert on proxies, and I don't know the range of their IP pools. I've just seen multiple shared IP addresses (even from seemingly legitimate accounts), so take it FWIW. As it stands, anyone sharing an IP (or surfing through proxy) is at risk if it comes down to it. The rules are pretty simple

[PrinceMoron]

Originally Posted by diredesire

I'm not an expert on proxies, and I don't know the range of their IP pools. I've just seen multiple shared IP addresses (even from seemingly legitimate accounts), so take it FWIW. As it stands, anyone sharing an IP (or surfing through proxy) is at risk if it comes down to it. The rules are pretty simple

Have to get Nat to translate that for the lay men.