Battle Of The Bans
Originally posted by khunmoon
How do we know if it is a 3) Posting ban or a 4) Site Ban, that has been issued, as I suppose in both cases the status will display as banned
in the avatar? If not so for a 3) Posting ban, how is this level of banning then displayed?
Permanent Account Bans
A permanent account ban disables the ability to log in to an account and changes the member title to "Banned".
Permanent account bans are applied by members of the senior staff (super moderators and administrators) in response to gross or repeated violations of
the
AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use, usually after it becomes
clear that the member in question has done so intentionally and intends to continue doing so.
Although any senior staff member can "push the button", it is almost never done without discussing the matter with several other staff members.
Exceptions are cases such as brand new accounts obviously created to post spam, ads, porn, trollery (i.e. abusive behavior) or are returning banned
members. Those tend to be banned by whoever sees them first.
On the other hand, with the sole exception of something
really bad (like posting hard-core porn, death threats or something similarly nasty)
I've never seen a well-established account (i.e., someone who's been with us for a while) banned without plenty of fair warning and chances for
redemption, which typically involves lots of U2Us, red-flag warnings and a post ban or two. It should never come as a surprise.
As the name suggests, permanent account bans are usually permanent, and are applied with that fact in mind.
"Public" Bans
The expression "public banning" applies to rare cases when a staff member publicly explains why a member was banned.
Normally, we don't comment on permanent account bans, which -- for various reasons -- is usually the right choice.
Post Bans
A post ban temporarily disables the ability to post, but all other features of the account are unaffected.
Post bans can be applied by any moderator for various reasons, the most common being to give the staff a chance to work things out without having to
issue multiple red-flag warnings or resort to a permanent account ban.
Members who are post-banned receive an automatic U2U, which is usually accompanied shortly thereafter by a U2U from the moderator who applied the post
ban explaining why it was applied and how to get it lifted.
Post bans do not change the public status of an account and are usually not announced. Ideally, the goal is to correct problem behavior, not use a
post ban to humiliate or punish a member.
When I apply a post ban, I usually send a U2U which includes a specific explanation of the reason for the post ban, a link to the
terms & conditions and links to the following threads:
If You Have Been Post Banned...
Courtesy Is Mandatory (when applicable, which is about 95% of the time)
The majority of post bans are temporary, and are usually applied when a member ignores moderator requests, "goes postal" and tries to drum up
off-topic drama, is spamming or otherwise doing something that needs to stop.
A Little More About Post Bans
We're all human (most of us, anyway) and even the most seasoned ATSer can get wrapped around an axle for some reason or another. In such cases, a
post ban can serve as a "cool-down" period and a favorable alternative to getting a stack of warnings or being permanently banned.
Although they are not applied without good reason, post bans are a great way to handle certain kinds of problems (usually misunderstandings) without
permanent stigma, losing points, unnecessary drama, disrupting discussions or other hassles.
When I lift an account ban, it is because I'm satisfied the member has read, understands and agrees to honor the
AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use.
Anyone who does is very much welcome to participate as a member in good standing.
[edit on 10/15/2007 by Majic]
