the "beware post" got me banned from another forum

the \"beware post\" got me banned from another forum

I'm posting this here because it seems so unbelievable. The post I made yesterday here about the beware, don't click on this link post,(takes you to a prank website, and calls you an idiot over and over again) got me permanently banned from my Olympus camera forum at dpreview.com(digital photography review) I'm posting this here because I'm curious if anyone has heard of anything like this happening before and do you think it was an offense to be banned over?
thanks, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Re: the \"beware post\" got me banned from another forum

Sorry to hear that Olympus has a few strict, people. I got this quote off of their rules.

"Trolls - Anyone deliberately antagonizing other forum users by posting 'flame bait' type messages are not welcome. See first rule. "

I guess your post might fall under this catagory. Sorry!

Re: the \"beware post\" got me banned from another f

Sounds like a sad bunch over there, apparently over here everyone has a pretty good sense of humor and the humility to take a joke! What are you gonna do? Maybe email the URL of the joke thread here to the Admin over there, and ask for reinstatement. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Later,
TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: the \"beware post\" got me banned from another forum

[ QUOTE ]
keithhr said:
do you think it was an offense to be banned over?
thanks, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Not to my way of thinking.
That forum sounds like it's a bit straight laced to me.
I guess "camera people" and "flashlight people" must see things in a different "light". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

Re: the

If you agreed to a set of rules while getting yourself a login ID or before being allowed to post, or if you were even instructed to read and follow the rules while signing up the first time and then BROKE those rules then yes, I'd bounce you.

If whatever rules exist there (I haven't read them in a while) say "don't do this" and you decide it's neat to do it anyway, you deserve the ban.

What part of "follow the rules or get banned" don't you understand?

Or do you just think that rules don't apply to you?

(And yes, I'm a BOFH, why do you ask?)

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

Re: the

I didn't recall any particular rule regarding this, I guess my strange sense of humor got the best of me. I did think it was funny that human nature, being what it is, makes the majority of us click on a link even when we know something strange is going to happen. When I clicked on it, I knew something totally out of my control was going to happen. I apologized immediately to everyone for any inconvenience I might have caused, I thought it to be simply part of an interesting bit of human nature observance and nothing inflammatory or harmful. Most of the forum type rules that I have read said something to the effect, be nice, get along, don't say bad things about other people, don't be racist, sexist, or do things in bad taste. I don't think what I did involved any of the above, I think my sincere apology should have been sufficient.

Re: the

I definately do not think that is something to ban over. I am a moderator on a popular PDA forum...banning is something I have to do about once a week, but only after several offenses. If I was you I'd sign up again with the same name only a 1 after it just to **** them off... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: the

I would only categorize it as "flame bait" if it was posted in a response meant to anger another member after things may have heated up in a discussion. As a general post it may have humiliated the delicate ego of someone who takes themselves a little to seriously. To me though, I think the idiots got fumed over the inconvenience of the loop and should take some anger management classes. If the post was questionable it should have been deleted by a moderator with a reason given and sufficient call for you to explain your actions. Banning seems like the actions of someone simply being powerdrunk and subverting due course or even discourse on the matter to establish their superiority to other members ie.: make you an example (I typically hate that kind of politic and would tell someone utilizing it where to cram it! In a live one on one situation they would be in physical danger at that point too!). Maybe if we had the complete facts including the events leading to the actual deed, we could make a better call. As it has been explained, it seems unfair.

Later,
TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: the

keithhr -

Hey I'm absolutely FINE with it. Long as you don't post it HERE! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: the

zmoz...which one?


keith--To me a troll is somebody that does this kind of thing repeatedly or creates an account just to do this kind of thing. Their administration sees trolls in a different light. That's life I suppose. I know it sounds like an eternity, but I suggest sending a cool headed, rational eMail to the site admin in a month or so.

Re: the

[ QUOTE ]
Saaby said:
zmoz...which one?


[/ QUOTE ]

http://groom-family.com/forum/

Re: the

I like Saaby's advice.

Re: the

I have written them twice, the original e:mail link got my mail to them returned to me, so I used their feedback links on the site and sent them requests to be reinstated.
I apologized immediately when it was called to my attention that it had not been well received. I think that they over reacted a bit, and I think some of them collectively demanded my expulsion because how dare I insult their intlleigence with something that much beneath their group dignity. I basically think that they were outraged to have some, obvious lower class prankster, trying to cause them emotional discomfort. I'm sure that they felt it was a brazen attack on their civility.
What's that old saying #@*&^% em if they can't take a joke?
I've never been banned from anything before and it's kind of humbling and makes me feel rather insignificant.

Re: the

Good.

Learn anything?

(No, I'm not especially sympathetic, nor have I ever been, to attempts by "pranksters" to disrupt. If that's the best thing they can add to a discusion, the discussion is often better off without their input.)

Re: the

Tomas, since I've never done a mean thing to anyone in my life and am a spiritual man who innocently did something I shouldn't have , exactly what does "Good. Learn anything?" mean, it seems to be missing the point a bit since I was finding nothing but humor in our inability to not click on something even when our better judgement tells us not to. I was doing nothing more than trying to share that observation and nothing more. I wasn't trying to cause anyone any harm and I can see how my intentions could have been misconstrued. Do you have a sense of humor and has your humor ever been interpreted differently than you would have wished. My post above was once again making mock fun of the people involved. I get the feeling that you thought I got what I deserved.

Re: the beware banishment post

keithhr -

I consider myself a kind and well meaning person as well. It was CPF that got me over my years long trepidation of Bulletin Boards. I now belong to a couple more. I'm probably the least equipped member here to give you advice. Heck, I'm probably making a mistake by saying anything about this.

Recently, I told someone how to publish a WEB page to Word and include that document as an attachment in an email. They went on figure out how to publish a WEB page to an email message itself.

This causes the receiver to be inflicted with whatever web bugs or cookies or linked phenomenon are on the page without choice because they trust the sender. I carefully explained this concept the this person letting them know it was an email faux pas. I didn't blacklist them. I just explained the concept to them and I know they won't do it again.

It really is a matter of trust. I trust other members not post something that will take me places I don't want to go. I didn't click on the "Beware" thread because it had a warning. Warning or not, posting something that hoses me up is not good.

I would never attempt to speak for Tomas...way too experienced...way too smart. Well, for that matter, I wouldn't attempt to speak for any other member. My take is that Tomas wouldn't address your topic unless he gave a gulldarn. I'm thinking he might just care enough to just indicate that following agreed upon rules that dictate general as well as specific conduct performance is a good thing. Nothing repressive or mean about that.

I have some other takes if you have a minute. I would say that you are a highly community minded contributor to CPF. I think I read that you are a bit shocked that this infraction got you banned from that forum. I think your attitude about this banishment is much more positive than mine would be. I think I would agree with previous posts in this thread that suppose that the forum has questionable moderation and administration. Case in point: the recent joke thread was going south in a hurry but some CPF Moderators and Administrators got together and decided to let forum self government rule for the moment and the thread turned around and became more halarious than it was in the first place.

I despise trick links but being banished without warning is a crock.

Re: the beware banishment post

[ QUOTE ]
keithhr said: Tomas, since I've never done a mean thing to anyone in my life and am a spiritual man who innocently did something I shouldn't have , exactly what does "Good. Learn anything?" mean ... (?)

[/ QUOTE ]

First off, I'm not saying that you are a bad person. I suspect that you simply made a grevious error in judgement in relation to dpreview, which tends to be a very focused and serious site.

Yes, in the years that I have been a member of, and involved with dpreview, I've found them sometimes a bit lacking in a, uh, how do I say this to make sense, uh, "US Hacker mentality and sense of humor." Phil and Joanna have been running dpreview by themselves since about the beginning of 1999, and have had to weather some bad times caused by those who feel it's a fine thing to disrupt other's enjoyment and use of the forums. They really don't have much of a sense of humor about that, and with good reason.

OK, so you, Keith, decide to "illustrate" how people will click on things even though good sense might tell them otherwise.

Why do they do that?

A sense of trust, as Icebreak said, built up over the years by Phil's disallowance of pranks and nasty's on his personally owned and run site. By being very dilligent about bouncing, and locking the door behind, those who think it amusing (for whatever reason) to disrupt HIS domain and toy with HIS users.

Your "Beware" posting to dpreview added nothing to other's understanding of digital photography, and was totally "off-topic" for their forums. If even ONE other user of the forums complained about it, it really is in Phil's best interest to nip the problem in the bud by banning the person who decided that posting something disrupting amused them.

Does that make you a bad person, Keith? No. Does that make banning you a "bad thing?" No. Does that make the ban an over-reaction? Possibly, but I don't think so.

Here's why.

Dpreview is a very large and complex undertaking for one person, and he really doesn't have the time or resources to correspond with a miscreant on a lengthly basis, or exchange e-mails with someone pleading with him for a "second chance."

Once a person shows that they cannot "play nice with others" in a way that does not generate complaints that take up his very limited time, his best (and in many ways only) way of responding is to simply lock them out.

He has waaaaaay too many other users that DON'T cause him a problem to take care of, to be forced to personally train one user in discussion forum etiquette.

It's triage.

He doesn't have time to train them so he bans them. Maybe eventually they will learn to play nice, but elsewhere, elsewhere.

Keith, I also responded to another post you made here (in CPF) about this issue, and hopefully you read it. This whole thing SHOULD be a learning experience for you.

Yes, Phil was abrupt and severe in his reaction to your causing other users to complain, but he has to be. To do otherwise will erode both his limited time and the trust he has spent years building with his users.

(BTW: I was not one to complain about your post on dpreview: I started out in the Olympus forums back in '99, but moved on to others when I retired my Olympus cameras.)

Back to your question(s). I said "good" because you said in an earlier post "I've never been banned from anything before and it's kind of humbling and makes me feel rather insignificant." That makes me think that maybe the ban had a personal effect on you, and you might have learned something from it.

I said "Learn anything?" because the line just before you saying you felt humbled said "What's that old saying #@*&^% em if they can't take a joke?" so I wasn't sure ...

Hopefully you might see this from the "other side": A person running a very large and successful site that requires almost more than he has time to give it. If you can see it from that side, you have learned. If you cannot, and still think "#@*&^% em if they can't take a joke," then you need to consider it a bit more.

====

Well, now that I have taken up a lot more of everyone's time than I intended to because saying it in short form didn't work, does it make more sense?



-= MICROSOFT FREE ZONE =-

P.S. When I ran my own server out of my home - yes, the server lived in a spare bedroom - I was even more severe than Phil in dumping people. They got free e-mail and usenet service from me, but if just once I got a complaint they were gone with no hope of ever getting back on MY server. They vanished without a trace. Their e-mail address was a black hole. There was no appeal. I was indeed the BOFH.

Tom

Re: the \"beware post\" got me banned from another forum

[ QUOTE ]
snuffy said:
Not to my way of thinking.
That forum sounds like it's a bit straight laced to me.
I guess "camera people" and "flashlight people" must see things in a different "light". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

flashlights give light and cameras receive them. being the receiver has probably made them a little anal retentive /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

keithhr: i think what you did might have been out of line if one were to go strictly by the book but getting banned without even receiving a warning or explanation is being too harsh in my opinion.

one thing i've learnt after participating on various forums is that not everyone might appreciate your sense of humour. another cpf member recently made a joke about a flashlight that incorporated a projectile weapon, and numerous other members took offence at it even when the subject of his joke declared that no offence was taken at all and that the humour was very well appreciated.

in every forum there will be some who are easily offended by jokes that hurt their delicate sensibilities and in this case you lucked out since it was a moderator/admin.

i think i would've had a good laugh if i'd clicked on your link. i routinely fall prey to such links as a side effect of frequenting slashdot, and i usually just forward the link or picture to an unsuspecting friend, who passes it on to another friend, and we all have a good laugh about it the next day in school. however, i always make sure i only share such links with close friends whom i know have a good sense of humour.

the problem is that humour is a very subjective thing, and the line between being funny and offensive is very thin and it usually varies greatly between individuals. as such, when posting on public forums i have to practice self-censorship, and i'll advise you to do the same too. good luck with your appeal to the moderator btw /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Re: the

I want to thank you all for your comments, it gives me a chance to learn from other people's perspectives which is good. In law enforcement , ignorance of a law is no excuse for breaking it, so learning from things that we do wrong is usually the best way to learn anything. I guess being labelled by them hurt the most since I don't see myself the way they have chosen to. Tomas, I have learned something and I appreciate the time you took to make your explanation clear, it was way more than you had to do, and probably a way better a response than I would ever have gotten from that site anyway(i'm seeing humor again). To be banned from this site would hurt far more i'm sure, so I'm grateful that I didn't do anything to be banned from here. Funny thing, this forum is about flashlights and all but more importantly it's about human interaction. Since I didn't post over there very often anyway and since there are so many people here who are knowledgeable Olympus afficionados, I guess all is not lost. I do want to thank all of you who have taken time to respond to my problem even though it was not something that most people would even think about. It does seem that there is a really unusual mix of people here and that is good. Your responses have lifted my spirits and I am fortunate to have received them. These in depth responses have been enlightening to say the least, and I thank you all.