rpg.net forums down

[James McMurray]

It's definitely not my cup of administrative tea, but if they get you to commit bannable offenses, it's not being banned for a topic, just for being gullible. I'd ideally prefer a topic that does not involve anything illegal or not work safe (gaming preferably), and that people believe others have been banned for in the past. Then I can go in, weather the group attack or mod sniping and see what happens.

[Gabriel]

OK.  For your amusement, here is where I got thread banned and possibly topic banned.  I didn't get banned from the site, but I feel it definitely fit in with a pattern of arbitrary harrassment I had been undergoing at the time.  It was the final straw which convinced me to leave.

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=265074

The relevant posts are:

1 = Obviously setting the tone of the thread fairly broad.

13 = My first post and obviously unnecessarily flippant.  However, this post was not what I was given my thread/topic ban for.   And, incidentally, at least two other posters picked up on what I meant and agreed with the sentiment.

28 = This is where someone else pops up with a flippant remark intended as a dismissal of me.  But, it wasn't without justification.  His post reminded me that my original flippant remark needed qualification, so I added it.

32 = Is interesting for what Jack sees the thread as.  

36 = This is the post I got banned for.  I think I explain my point well, and I think it relates very directly to the subject as presented by the original poster.  I throw in a little snark against Jack, but that snark was not what I got the thread/topic ban for.  Considering how the thread had been going, I really have to wonder who would have reported the post as a violation, if it was reported at all.

45 = And here's Curt with red text telling me that I'm not civil and that I'm threadcrapping.  He supports his point with an out of context quote from post 36.  In context, the quote is clear that I did care and thus the attitude.

Now, I obeyed Curt's ruling.  Respect the position even if you don't respect the person in it.  However, I did appeal that ruling.  I followed the procedures for such an activity and kept it through e-mail and private instead of making it a public spectacle.  I asked what exactly my "threadcrap" was and generally sought enlightenment.

I was stonewalled for 2 weeks or so.  I never got an answer as to how I had crapped the thread.  After all that time my only answer from Cessna was a very terse "The ban stands."  When I sent another e-mail, I was told I was being a "rules lawyer" and "the topic ban (implying all Eden threads) stands".  So, in the end, I didn't know if I was going to get smacked for commenting in future threads or not.

It should also be noted that I never posted much to Eden or P&P CoH threads.  I think this was only my first post to such a thread in several months.  As far as I'm concerned, there was no kind of pattern of threadcrapping that I was following.

[Ian Absentia]

It's pretty dodgy when the mods come into a thread, throw some snark at the about to be banned poster (not in red type off course) and a little later another mod comes along all in red type and bans said poster.

That was my thought exactly.  ZB starts to get himself into shit, then along come Darren and Cessna to join with Eric in playing cat & mouse while waiting for the hammer to drop, occasionally dropping not-so-veiled comments to the forums at large to watch their step when dealing with a mod or admin.  Yes, ZB was gunning hard for a confrontation, but the arrogance of the mods in this situation was typically antagonistic and provocative.  Would ZB have gone off like he did had he been treated sternly but more professionally?

!i!

[James McMurray]

Would ZB have gone off like he did had he been treated sternly but more professionally?

!i!

Maybe, maybe not. He was definitely spoiling for a fight, but maybe he'd have backed off if treated more civilly. I'm not sure that matters though. The RPG.net setup is most definitely one of "don't screw with the mods" so when you intentionally screw with mods, especially after a warning, you know what is going to happen.

I'd be interested to know how many of the bans happen because somebody implodes under the weight of the modding policies and lashes out at someone despite the warning because they're mad as hell and not going to take it any more.

[Balbinus]

I think ZB is one of the internet's more special little flowers, and not perhaps the best example.

If I recall correctly, he went out of his way to stalk Bruce Baugh, and I mean stalked here in a pretty literal way, albeit online.

[Ian Absentia]

If I recall correctly, he went out of his way to stalk Bruce Baugh, and I mean stalked here in a pretty literal way, albeit online.

I thought that was Pundit.  No, seriously.  I guess Bruce is a popular fella. :deflated:

!i!

[J Arcane]

Is interesting for what Jack sees the thread as.

Jack is one of the biggest goddamn assholes on that site.

But he's a well connected asshole, and his girlfriend/wife/whatever is a damn moderator.

So basically you probably got banned for daring to talk back to Jack.

[Balbinus]

I thought that was Pundit.  No, seriously.  I guess Bruce is a popular fella. :deflated:

!i!

Possibly both, I didn't know Pundit had but I saw ZB doing it.  To be honest, I find Pundit a hell of a lot easier to converse with than I ever found Nisarg, I think he's a lot more tolerant of differences of opinion than he used to be.

[Balbinus]

Jack is one of the biggest goddamn assholes on that site.

But he's a well connected asshole, and his girlfriend/wife/whatever is a damn moderator.

So basically you probably got banned for daring to talk back to Jack.

Are we talking about Jack Spencer Jr by any chance or another Jack?

Edit:  It seems not, who the hell is Jack?  He has 17,000 plus posts and I don't know him, is he a Tangencyite by any chance?

[Ian Absentia]

To be honest, I find Pundit a hell of a lot easier to converse with than I ever found Nisarg, I think he's a lot more tolerant of differences of opinion than he used to be.

You know, that's completely in line with my observation in this thread from a day or two ago.  There are a number of people here whom I recognise from RPG.net whom I thought were complete asses over there, but in a less provocative environment I'm finding that I can appreciate them, and in some cases even enjoy them.

!i!

[J Arcane]

Are we talking about Jack Spencer Jr by any chance or another Jack?

Edit:  It seems not, who the hell is Jack?  He has 17,000 plus posts and I don't know him, is he a Tangencyite by any chance?

Jack mostly posts about on Other Media, where he's basically the resident bully.  He considers himself far too superior to everyone else to post very often to any of the other major forums.

[The Good Assyrian]

I am not sure that this discussion of the problems with RPG.net (and in my opinion there are many) is particularly constructive.  I mean, I enjoyed that forum over the years but, as many others here, didn't like the direction that the moderation was going.  Fortunately, we have a place here where the moderation style is very different and more in line of what I consider appropriate, so it is a win for me.  Going on about RPG.net just makes us look like dorks.  I'd rather see this forum (and what it represents) become successful and never look back to TBP...

BTW, for what it is worth, I have only had one experience in dealing with the RPG.net moderation staff.  Some time ago I thought a particular banning was uncalled for and I sent a polite email to the admins explaining why I thought so.  I got a very polite email from Cessna in response in which he admitted a mistake and he reversed his decision and reinstated the user in question.  I suspect that mine was not the only complaint, but I was pleased with the way the staff handled it.  Does this mean that I agree with their moderation philosophy?  Not at all, which is why I am spending the vast majority of my lurking time here now...

Just wanted to put that out there.


TGA

[Settembrini]

RPG.net is an oxbow lake, lets move on.

[David R]

Zoran was/is a dodgy character no doubt about it, but like I said, the mods (some of them) behaviour are pretty unprofessional...or rather, malicious. Having said that, I understand that there is no real use in discussing tBP over here, but I do realize that threads like these are the only way some folks can vent their frustrations over their banning/issues with tBP. I mean, they can't do it over there.

But at the end of the day, it's their house so their rules. The majority for whatever reasons are happy with the situation. There is a lot of good stuff over there. When I go there I make sure to play extra nice. Sometimes doing this gets in the way of a real conversation. It becomes a tactical game of finding ways to say things that won't get you in trouble.

Just my last words on this thread

Regards,
David R

[Settembrini]

It becomes a tactical game of finding ways to say things that won't get you in trouble.

Like in the GDR.