How about a one-time general amnesty for long-time users who've been banned?

(Note: It is against Terms and conditions to speak of individual banned members, so please refrain from doing so. This is written in honor of those who are gone, the wretched creatures who've sailed the River Styx and wave to us from the other side.)

A grooving and slightly grooved site-building idea: A one-time super-duper general amnesty for long time users who've been banned. Some colourful leaves have fallen lately, and instead of compost let's consider pasting them back on the tree and see if they stick and contribute to the energy of this fine establishment.

The history of amnesty is long within human interaction, and that final chance at redemption and beneficial sharing has often had its place among cultures and the cultured. Of course the banned, those walking dead of the internet, should be kept on a short lease, and made to sit, roll over, and shake hands. But in the spirit of Halloween and the raising of the dearly departed, those old time editors with a few thousand posts might just surprise us with a productive reanimation.

a reply to: Aleister

I think it is unlikley although I would welcome back a few that have been lost along the way!

How would they know they were allowed back though and would you come back if you had been banned?

It would likley seem that you were under constant scrutiny and very much on best behaviour

Barring an egregious violation that got them banned, banned members are allowed to return under new names, provided they follow the T&Cs and don't create drama over being banned.

a reply to: nonspecific

Please be more specific. Yes, I've been banned so much here that I hesitate to log on for fear of being crushed under the weight of scandal and oppression. But I'd keep coming back, for this is ATS, a place for both the dregs and the upper-crust of civilization.

I support this idea.

Most of the people on my friends list have been banned. To lose one friend may be an accident, to lose two looks like carelessness, but to lose over a dozen starts to look like a conspiracy

Some mods have very patiently explained how hard it is to get banned, and yet so many manage to achieve it. Does that make them more devious than the rest of us or just dumber ??

So many good contributors could be forgiven and invited back without it being to the detriment of ATS.

ETA - after reading Zaphod's post - using their old names so we know who they are.

and acknowledge my debt to Oscar Wilde for the second paragraph.

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: nonspecific

Please be more specific. Yes, I've been banned so much here that I hesitate to log on for fear of being crushed under the weight of scandal and oppression. But I'd keep coming back, for this is ATS, a place for both the dregs and the upper-crust of civilization.

So do you see getting banned as part of daily life then?

I always assumed that a ban was a ban and that any time served member would be spotted a mile off and banned again!

Maybe I should start speaking my mind a little more, there only stars at the end of the day

a reply to: berenike

The reason they're allowed to use new names is to get a new start, and lose the baggage and drama attached to the banned name. It works better this way.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Didn't know that, thanks. Can they keep the same personality and writing quirks, even under a new name, or choose a name close to their old one? I would think though that two times permabanned would be a limit, kind of like the impossibility of a black hole emitting anything.....

a reply to: Aleister

I am not sure if I am allowed to say this but there was a member a while ago who was (quite rightly in my opinion) banned.

His avatar was a webcam picture of himself in front of his PC. Within about 20 minutes of getting banned he was straight back in the same thread with an almost identical name and an almost identical avatar but he had wrapped his whole head in tinfoil to disguise himself.

Needless to say he was almost instantly banned again but on my life that was one of the funniest things I have ever seen here on ATS, I still laugh about it now.

a reply to: Aleister

The general rule is behave yourself. Other than that, post away.

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: Zaphod58

Didn't know that, thanks. Can they keep the same personality and writing quirks, even under a new name, or choose a name close to their old one? I would think though that two times permabanned would be a limit, kind of like the impossibility of a black hole emitting anything.....

Getting banned is actually rather difficult and, what we tend to find, is that the member goes out of their way to do so.

Personality and writing quirks tend to be the cause of most infractions so, if you find yourself in a discussion with staff over your actions, and you push and push until you get banned, when you sign up, under a new name, and jump right back into your old habits, you will be rather easy to spot.

In other words, you can keep those quirks and traits and, if you find yourself banned a second time, surprise shouldn't be a factor.

There are plenty of members who have been banned, repeatedly, to the point that we will ban them as soon as we discover their new user name and, with a decent frequency, many of these members turn to the light and become fairly decent citizens here.

Sounds like asking alphabet agencies to rehire former pawns

originally posted by: Aleister
But in the spirit of Halloween and the raising of the dearly departed, those old time editors with a few thousand posts might just surprise us with a productive reanimation.

Any member who has experienced either a posting ban or account termination has the opportunity to discuss the situation with us off-site. Many have returned, some do not. But we're not going to reinstate a termination account without some kind of dialogue that reassures us that the member knows why they were banned, and how to prevent that in the future.

I miss Navydoc

No amnesty.

Most either come back with new names or just forget about the place anyway, making this kind of a pointless discussion..

It is fair that you can restart, as a new name and after discussion with owners but the hard part is that if you were truly a part of the community and you created many posts as the OP, you lose all of the work or effort that you put into it. There are those who are truly and simply trolls but there are also those who take on Admins...this is what will usually get you banned if you are in generally good standing. Be careful out there of the warnings....

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

But we're not going to reinstate a termination account without some kind of dialogue that reassures us that the member knows why they were banned, and how to prevent that in the future.

Or....you guys assign a Handler.

AshleyD did a great job of this, and I appreciated the 'process'.

a reply to: matafuchs

I've had countless debates with staff members over the years. At one point I was a staff member, so I have some insight.

You don't get banned for "taking on" staff members. You get banned for being an asshole, a troll, a spammer, or you amass enough of a history to warrant simply cutting you loose as a matter of maintaining a drama free environment.

originally posted by: crazyewok
I miss Navydoc

And seabag and greathouse