I really did not want to get into this, but I do think the situation as of now is getting out of hand.
We have bots posting tons of garbage getting banned, BUT good / legit users getting a smackdown on something they did years ago. And some good users are NOT COMING BACK.
Users can appeal. If we feel that they're a net positive and it was for something that happened years ago then a sig ban will likely be issued. Several have already been done today and many more will likely come.
The problem is that they some are not appealing. I know 1 user IRL that just walked away.
Now there were other factors involved, but this was the final push.
*That* is part of the issue. He might be back, might not. You can now find him spending a lot of time on an ieee board.
-Dave
Plagiarism is a very serious problem here that causes a lot of damage. If you are caught doing this, I think it is appropriate to force people to make an argument as to what you are going to contribute to let the person come back.
If someone walks away after getting caught, IMO, they dont care a lot about being able to stay. A long term signature ban is appropriate for these people and I dont think anyone is going to make a successful argument against handing out signature bans for this.
If you are aware of anyone who just walks away and you think they should be allowed to return, you should encourage them to appeal their ban with reasons to why returning would benefit the forum.