Paradigm said:
The whole "private website" shit is such a cop-out. Sure, it's privately owned, but if that excuses the admins of any responsibility, then why even have rules? Why not just say, "We'll ban you if we damn well please, because this is our website"?
While the admins hold ownership over the website and are in a way accountable to our members, we are only truly accountable to ourselves. This is not to say we don't want a happy membership, because of course a happy membership makes our jobs easier and the experience here better for everyone involved. However, our various rules/guidelines are in place primarily as instruction to our moderators as to how the administration would like to see matters handled. In so far as why we don't just come out and say that "We'll ban you if we damn well please," I have said as much on more than one ocassion in the past. Most recently, in the following excerpt from a private message sent to Swami. I have removed portions of the conversation that are unrelated to the point being made here:
Sent to: Swami
Subject: Tired.
Date: 9/27/05
It is time that you lightened up. I would like to share some comments I made to our moderators this evening:
Quote:
Swami himself stated "This thread is about why a different procedure or lack thereof is being applied" --- and I've already answered him: We have NO obligation to follow any type of procedure. [...]
[...]
The reason why some users may get a warning for behavior that you may receive a ban for is simple. You have consistently upset the moderators and administrators of this website over the years. [...] There are no absolutes and there are no rigid rules here. We act as we feel, and those who do not cross us will be given the benefit of the doubt - however those that get on our bad side, for whatever reason, are going to get the short end of the stick more often than not. You can attempt to make the staff believe that you don't deserve the negative treatment you receive, but your methods thus far have only served to reinforce much of the staff's opinion that you simply get a thrill out of jiving others and picking apart specifics until you feel that you have won some sort of notoriety by pointing out someone else's error. Point out all the errors you want, it is not going to change the fact that the administration won't look kindly upon this type of attitude.
[...]
I will readily admit that this has become entirely personal, and yes you will be treated unusually, because you act in unusual (and abrasive) fashion. Don't expect to be treated fairly because that privilege was lost when you kept hammering your arguments into the ground even after myself and I'm sure others have tried to point out to you that we are tired of that type of attitude. I mean here you are arguing in WA&F about why you didn't receive a length of time PM with respect to your S&P forum ban, when I had already addressed that matter to you in PM last week; stating that this was a new system that does not have an integrated notification system and thus is not working as efficiently or effectively as it could.
[...]
In closing: I am not here to debate with you. I tell you how we are going to handle things and that is that. As of now, you are on very thin ice, and while I'm sure you could find a way to access the boards again, do not be surprised if your Swami alias is retired the next time you create waves.
Sent to: Swami
Subject: Re: Tired.
Date: 9/28/05
[...]
Nothing I have said is meant to intimidate you. Are we coercing you by requiring that you act in a respectful and tolerant manner by otherwise banning you if you fail? Yes, we are - and it may not be fair in your mind, but we are being straight with you.
[...]
Sent to: Swami
Subject: Your Account has been Banned from the S&P Forum
Date: 9/29/05
Duration: 15 Days
Reason: Persistence in fueling the drama accompanying
your previous bans, specifically in S&P, by attempting to mock
the moderators of the forum with your thread re: "The Tooth Fairy"
Had this thread been made by a new user without your history,
it likely would be overlooked. In the context of recent events,
and being that the thread in question has little to do with
Spirituality or Philosophy but rather much more to do with
testing the the rules, guidelines, and politics of this community
- the thread is inappropriate, has been locked, and you will
not be welcome in the S&P forum until you understand that
this is precisely the type of behavior we are looking to avoid.
There is indeed more, but I think these excerpts should make it quite clear that
the administration has done its best to be straightforward with Swami.
I would also like to take the time to note that much of dissenting argument here - including the quotes and various paraphrases that the members are providing in this thread - are referencing and/or based on actions carried out by the moderators (and even regular members, in the case of Swami's complaint about his Avatar being brought into question). Trying to roll up the member's, moderator's, and administrator's actions into one collaborative argument is absurd! The administration has no direct control over the members, and we have only given guidance to our moderators but of course they are people just as you and I, and are suceptible to making their own decisions that may not fall in line with the wishes of the administrators. That being said, we are coming full circle to the points I've been trying to make to MLF (above in this thread), about how members that have complaint with respect to specific staff members are to reconcile their differences in private, either between the involved parties or failing that, by bringing your complaint along with as much reference material as possible directly to the administration. I am not going to bother explaining again why we handle things this way, as I have already done so in my previous posts above.
In attempt to put some more minds at ease, I would also like to note that a lot of these arguments have stemmed from a fallout in communication, record keeping, and ultimately consistent action. As such, I would like to let you all know that we are working to improve these matters by adding additional functionality to our diciplinary structure at the Shroomery. Specifically:
- Add "Official Warning" Automated PM Warning System and Ban/Warning History to ************.php
This would be similar to the "User Notes" field. However, the
input placed in the "Official Warning" field would cause the
warning to be automatically forwarded to the user's PM box,
while subsequently appending the "User Notes" field with the
date and ban information. Alternately, the ban history could
be kept in a separate file for easier reference, leaving the
"User Notes" for instances that do not merit an official warn-
ing, but are perhaps worthy of noting for future reference.
- Add a Timer and Automated PM Notification System for the Forum-Specific Bans
This would have helped avoid Swami's latest bitchfest about
not being notified for a few days as to how long his S&P
forum-specific ban was going to last. It will also make it
considerably easier on our moderators so that they don't
have to remember when to unban users who should be let
back into the forum at some point.
I am of the firm belief that the implementation of the above features will cause many of these arguments attacking specific policy measures to become moot, as there will soon be a detailed history of all prior infractions, moderator direction, and subsequent notes on your behavior, kept in a reference file that will allow for less subjective banning in the future. For some people, this may end up in longer bans, for others, it may mean that you will not be banned as quickly as you may have been in the past. At any rate, please know that we do listen, we are trying, but for crying out loud.. the administrators WILL ALWAYS make the final call in interpreting and enforcing our guidelines, regardless of how you or anyone else may feel about it!
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geokills
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But we have to dive in here and look at first things first. In the case of hiding or not hiding posts we need to take a look at the motivation for each case. Then we take our best guess at what's going on and then we ask for an explanation and see if that makes sense. I have found that explanations from the mods on specific questions I have asked are not forthcomming so far.
I can just stretch my head back out or stick it back on. 
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