ATS T&C enforcement too strict?

This isn't an attack or anything, just a question.


But I couldn't help noticing some long standing members being banned from ATS and it seems to be quite a lot as I scroll through the threads.

Would you say the rules are too strict or is it justified?

What's the process before you ban someone? Does each incident get evaluated separately? Does factors like emotional or impulsive posts get considered before a decision is made? Or is it simply three strikes and you're out?

It's an honest question from my side considering I'm a new member and of course sometimes things get a little hot tempered in threads specially if its a controversial subject.

Though, I'm sure the mods aren't arbitrary in their decisions, but I'm still concerned.

Anyz, just throwing it out there

Banning decisions are never made lightly. The staff consult and consider a variety of factors, including the actual T&C infraction/s and the circumstances under which they occured. Very often, there is ongoing correspondence between the member and staff in an attempt to resolve whatever issues exist.

And yes, "heat of the moment" sorts of cases are taken into account. Sometimes people just lose their cool and we understand that. But even so, a quiet discussion often irons things out. And with cases of banning, every one is dealt with individually and often with a great deal of staff discussion. And if a moderator feels too involved personally, then they can stay out of the voting process so it remains fair.

Obviously, ATS would much rather keep members than lose them. There are plenty of members here who can confirm that when they've gone a bit too far and received a "post ban" (a temporary ban from posting in public threads), they have been able to get things resolved by discussion with staff. And so, they are still with us and in the majority of cases they're doing fine.

However, the community as a whole must be considered and where a member's T&C infractions are extreme, sometimes a ban is the only option left. Fortunately such cases are quite rare.

On the other side of it, you'll find many members who've never even come close to a temporary ban. Provided members follow the T&Cs they just don't have these sorts of issues.

Mike

I feel that Im walking a thin line alot of the time but I believe it is perfect the way it is and helps weed out the morons who shouldnt be here anyway. On top of that Im sure it cant be too difficult to make a new profile. Those who get banned probably just get a new sn

reply to post by DariusHames


I got banned once.

After a few days it was decided that I hadn't actually done anything wrong and so normal service was resumed, although a few other members involved were permanently banned.

I just logged on to ATS one day as normal to find the "YOU HAVE BEEN BANNED" screen as my welcome. Didn't receive and correspondence as to why I had been banned, even after emailing a couple of times. Eventually I was found "not guilty" and went on my merry way.

Things have gotten a bit stupid round here of late, I can barely bring myself to post anymore, not to mention create a thread. Especially when certain topics are just completely out of bounds these days.

Sad.

I agree that the T&C on ATS is a little, strict. I myself have been banned in the past with an old account, a long time ago.

But if you've ever visited "other forums", then you'll realize that actually, the ATS T&C are what makes this site what it is, rather than being taken over by constant insulting, racism, sexism, homophobia, trolls, and other such nuisances that come up from the anonymity of the internet.

Prepare the tar and feathers for me...because I think the T&C's need to be better enforced. There are some members who post nothing but snide one-liners and are practically gold-level members for it. That's my biggest nitpick with the T&C's.

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha
Prepare the tar and feathers for me...because I think the T&C's need to be better enforced. There are some members who post nothing but snide one-liners and are practically gold-level members for it. That's my biggest nitpick with the T&C's.

When you see something thats a blatant violation or a pattern of behavior.. report it. I run my own forum.. attached to a business.. lotsa traffic.. lotsa professional pissing matches. It is a given that several times a week I will log on and have a message or 2 with someone whining about playing favorites cause so-n-so wasnt banned and was doing blah blah in a thread. I have ONE set of eyes and actually have a life and real job at times. If I see it, Ill deal with it.. happens that sometimes you dont see it unless someone reports it. There are a LOT of threads, HIGH traffic, etc here.. give the mods a hand and report real issues. However, its also annoying to get revenge reports.

Mods arent perfect either. One closed a thread of mine as somehow the youtube posted and not the text Id written out in Word.. a poster u2u me some snark and then went on the thread to harass me for not posting text and only the youtube.. as he had been on several threads annoying the hell out of me... so I lost my thread with no discussion from said mod other than i was rude cause I told him to hang on and not get his panties in a wad while I go post the rest of it, go figure!

Usually you only see ONE side of it.. that a poster you like was banned. I know from annoying experience after annoying experience, many get banned for their crap behavior during a decision being made after a thread or comment was removed or closed for review. Or the claims are BS trolling, OR the person persists with a behavior that the administration asks them to cease... and offending posts/thread are already removed before you realize they are gone so it looks like an arbitrary decision. There is a lot more drama behind scenes than in front of you.

reply to post by Advantage


As I said, it's just a nitpick of mine; not a major transgression (about the rude one-liners that don't lead to any discussion and are against the T&C's.) They do tend to rake in the stars, so it tends to turn members into comedians all of sudden. I'm not going to report something that is out there for everyone to see (not going to name names, but it should be pretty obvious on a daily basis who is posting what.) I still enjoy this site immensely despite my personal pet peeves.

Thanks for your enlightening discourse on forums and moderators. I know that the mod:member ratio lets many T&C violations slip through the cracks. That's just the nature of things. No big deal.

I was just trying to offer my contrasting viewpoint to the OP's opinion.