You wouldn't have to state the exact reason, just that something like "user x is banned for y days for breaking rule 4.1".
Doesn't really change anything, I don't want to name and shame anyone, or humiliate anyone, that's not the point. It's nobody else's business, and it's their choice.
theymos if that's the criteria could I give you a list of about a dozen other users who should also be banned for the same reason.
And what value is Atlas adding to the conversation??
a good majority of the members here should be banned if that's the case... What happened to free speech? If people don't want to read what he has to say the ignore button is very easy to use.
Not a good majority, just a select few, whoever mentioned Rarity and Bulanula was right on the money.
The only thing we're guilty of is being too lenient in dealing with trolls, and that's probably going to change, at least for the near future. This forum is better off without folks like them and Goat. Free speech is great and something I try to protect, but some people abuse it in order to troll and play the martyr card in hopes of not getting banned. I refuse to protect trolls based on what or who they're attacking any longer.
Whatever you do as mod/admin you're fucked. If you ban, people shout at you, and if you don't ban, other people shout at you. As mod/admin it's a lose-lose situation. In this respect this forum is exactly like all others.
Pretty much. Can't please everybody.
Item 1: There is no presumption of free speech on a forum, unless and only if free speech is an enumerated rule of the board. Other than that it is a private discussion arena that has rules and policies that are governed and controlled by the arbitrary decisions of those that are in the position to moderate. There is no Bill of Rights that applies. There are standards of courtesy, but these are just courtesy and not binding rules, and can be changed at will by administration, because that is the very nature of their position.
Item 2: All Admins and Moderators have agendas, and often those agendas will be at odds with your thoughts or agendas. In this case a user has gone full tilt at various Authorities, but has done so without any concept of discussion or debate but with the intent to complain and hurl abuse and threats. If Goat had actually participated in a discussion, or presented his thoughts or even his outrage in a civil manner and then defended his feelings he would probably still be here cranking out posts at the rate of three per minute. Instead, he merely repeated the same bizarre ramblings and insults time and time again without displaying the slightest ability to learn from the conversation. As such he is functionally unable to participate in a conversation and the conversation losses nothing by his removal from it.
Item 3: Patience and Questioning Authority. Sorry kids, but this is not a constitutionally organized playground, and the rules are as fluid as the morals of the folks here. Administration was abundantly patient in this case (almost 5,000 posts worth of patient!) and yet one user refused to add anything meaningful to the conversation. There are plenty of others, including myself, who have challenged the GLBSE/BitcoinGlobal ownership group in the matters of the past several weeks, who have not been banned, suspended or warned. Our criticism has been constructive and part of the on-going dialog, and as such has been a valuable contribution as the bitcoin community feels it way through the minefield of business responsibility, trust and integrity. Demanding answers as to why another user has been banned is not germane to the discussion, and probably the outrage is better reserved for a private message to the Admins if your curiosity is really that great. If it is more of a matter of wanting to stir up shit and make a production to advance your side of a discussion, post your own thoughts in a thread of your own, don't use tired and inappropriate censorship dogma. Hitching your wagon to a sinking ship is just not effective.
And a great big +1 to this post. It's become pretty clear over the past couple of months Goat had no intention of actually having a discussion.