7 weeks without getting banned.....

1. 0

   ryankettposted 7 years ago

   That must be close to a record for me (with the exception of the two four month spells that I had without forum priviledges, including a voluntary one), how long will I last?
   
   Maddie Ruud has said that if I last a year she will buy me a pint (personally I think that she should have made it July in London, but then Londinium is expensive even for the Silicon Valley clique, if she isn't there she could have done so through Paul Edmondson).
   
   Now, there is no chance of me lasting on year. So all bets are on, how long until I get the chop again for inappropriate behaviour?
   
   I haven't resorted to offensive insults using inappropriate language, which is new ground for me. Take a guess and if anybody gets it spot on I will give them the contents of my PayPal account ($12.32 and never to be used again since I deleted my eBay account and it is below withdrawal threshold).

   replyreport
   1. 71

      thisisoliposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      You could just send the $12 to me anyway, support my immigration legal fees!

      replyreport
   2. 90

      paradigmsearchposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I am nonplussed and apparently innocent. I have never seen anything inappropriate by you.

      replyreport
   3. 98

      Wesman Todd Shawposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I didn't know that you were so cool.  I was told that I was banned once, and I thought that that meant that I was permanently banned from the forums.  Very inspiring, I'm going to have to pay you more attention.

      replyreport
   4. 60

      weholdthesetruthsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      That's ok.  The moderation of the forums isn't impartial.   Certain users are beyond all measures of incivility, rudeness, and constantly degrade, insult, and otherwise impugn others, and are free to do so without reprimand.  If you quote them back to themselves, you will get banned instantly.

      replyreport
      1. 80

         Uninvited Writerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Not true, people of all types get banned.

         replyreport
         1. 60

            weholdthesetruthsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            LOL, I don't think so.   There are people on the forums with license to be as nasty as anyone I have ever met, constantly, and they're untouched.   
            
            YOu just have to be on the right political stream and you're invulnerable.

            replyreport
            1. 80

               Uninvited Writerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Funny, I've seen both conservatives and liberals banned frequently.

               replyreport
               1. 90

                  Jeff Berndtposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Sometimes conservatives like to pretend that they're being persecuted for their conservative views. Manufacturing fear helps them to fire up their base.

                  replyreport
                  1. 0

                     ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     In this instance of course the person playing the victim was accusing the site of a right sided bias, so it goes both ways.

                     replyreport
            2. 87

               kerrygposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               I've disagreed with the moderation here on a couple occasions, most notably in the snafu with the samoyed that lost us Lita and a few other regulars, but in my experience, nobody has been immune, whether long-time fixtures of the HP community like Mark and Misha or brand new hubbers whose first trip to the forums ended in a flame war.

               replyreport
         2. 88

            earnestshubposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            I am a person of all types, and I just got over a long ban.
            Hi UW, always nice to see you.

            replyreport
      2. 91

         Pcunixposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         No. Some people think disagreement is insult.  It isn't.

         replyreport
         1. 60

            weholdthesetruthsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            And you're one of the worst.   Dismissing the argument, with the pretext being "the writer is too stupid to know what he's saying" is the ultimate insult.   And it's your constant mode of "disagreement". 
            
            In civil society, it is normal to give the benefit of the doubt, that the speaker:
            
            a.  intends to say what they say
            b.  understands what they said
            
            But that's too much respect for your mode of communication, isn't it?   So, you have to resort to impugning my intelligence publicly.   Frankly, I'm sick of it, and so should the moderators.

            replyreport
            1. 0

               ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               But I don't think that Pcunix is particularly politically minded, at least not expressively, so that invalidates your argument that those on the right side are untouchable. He has also been banned before, so is no means immune.
               
               I am left leaning myself, at least centre-left, and yet have seen plenty of right minded people banned.
               
               I doubt that the Hubpages team allow their personal political leanings to dictate who gets banned and who doesn't. And if they did, being from the very liberal San Francisco, I suspect that they would be taking a slightly more left stance.
               
               Remember that one of the co-founders is the son of Ralph Deeds, once of the more vocal leftists/socialists/liberals/progressives.

               replyreport
               1. 80

                  Uninvited Writerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  And Ralph has even been banned.

                  replyreport
               2. 60

                  weholdthesetruthsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Hmmm... and you seemed to think it was his politics I was criticizing. 
                  
                  Note, it was his ACTIONS expressed in words, that I addressed, clearly and directly.    His implied argument is nothing  but a huge insult.  Period. 
                  
                  Had he said "I think you're mistaken", we'd have a disagreement over something.   But no, his choice of behavior is ALWAYS insult first. 
                  
                  That extends to lots of people around here.   And, I get banned because I use words that are descriptive.   If I say "that idea is stupid", the moderators take it to mean "he's stupid".  Which it isn't.    The moderators care nothing for what's actually implied, only if you hit the "keywords" that trigger their reactions.   I've been watching it intensely for months... This is how it is.   
                  
                  I am expecting to get banned for it.   The rudest people are the ones who push the complaint button the most.

                  replyreport
                  1. 0

                     ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     Hubpages have admitted that they are a little short on moderators and will be employing more.
                     
                     If your scenario was genuinely the reason for a banning and was accurately described then I am sure the reason was simply that they are simply a bit overworked and as such didn't have the time to properly consider the context.
                     
                     Note the big IF at the start of that paragraph, because that is dependant on you being entirely accurate with that scenario and being 100% certain that you were banned for that reason.
                     
                     Ultimately, what is 3 days away from the forum? Not a big deal if you ask me, it means more hubs and subsequently more money. Hell, I even voluntarily gave up my forum privelidges for months on end in order to create more hubs and probably will again in August to launch an Xmas assault.
                     
                     As it happens, I agree that PCunix can be a bit short and finds it easy to wind people up the wrong way. But being argumentative and downright insulting are two different things. I don't think that an argument alone should be a ban offence unless, hypothetically, he called you an f'in ahole or something.
                     
                     It does, all things considered, take two to have a prolonged argument. An argument is finished when one walks away, so nobody is forced to continue a debate if they are unhappy with it or uncomfortable. The big 'x' at the top right hand corner of your screen is the quick way out.

                     replyreport
                     1. 60

                        weholdthesetruthsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                        Ryankett... wasn't 3 days.   It was 4 months. 
                        
                        As you point out, it IS hard to read the minds of the moderators, since they do not communicate with you.   Two people have an 'argument', true, but troll the forums a while, and you'll find that both the religious and political forums have a small group of people who do nothing but spend their days personally attacking others.   They troll constantly, and complain instantly, if they think any response can be spun into a complaint.   I have long thought that at least some of the trolls are actually the moderators.   
                        
                        I can't prove that, of course, but still, I'm not much of a believer in coincidence, and never have been.

                        replyreport
                        1. 76

                           Maddie Ruudposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                           Norah and I do 99.99% of moderation in the forums, and we each have only one active account.  I'd be happy to swear to that in any court of law.  I've seen just about every conspiracy theory there is about HubPages, and if I didn't have a sense of humor about the whole thing, I might be offended by some of them.
                           
                           I've always thought it's a strength of our site that the moderators are so visible and transparent.  But in my experience, people want to feel persecuted.  I've had emails from liberals accusing me of bias against conservatives and emails from conservatives claiming I'm biased towards liberals, emails from religious folks claiming atheists never get banned, and vice versa.  The fact that I get complaints from both sides indicates to me that I'm doing my job.

                           replyreport
                           1. 90

                              Jeff Berndtposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                              "But in my experience, people want to feel persecuted."
                              
                              Truer words have never been posted.
                              
                              "The fact that I get complaints from both sides indicates to me that I'm doing my job."
                              
                              I'd say that's a pretty good endorsement right there.

                              replyreport
               3. 91

                  Pcunixposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Hah. I am a screaming liberal and have been banned for comments in the political forums!
                  
                  Might have been worth it, too..

                  replyreport
            2. 91

               Pcunixposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               I have never said any such thing.

               replyreport
               1. 60

                  weholdthesetruthsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  But that's exactly what you just did.

                  replyreport
                  1. 91

                     Pcunixposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     Show me.  I'm quite sure I have been tempted, but I don't recall it. 
                     
                     I would expect that to cause immediate banning, so I really doubt that I'd do it. 
                     
                     But if you can point to it, I'll apologize for doubting your memory.

                     replyreport
                     1. 60

                        weholdthesetruthsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                        Sure.  Right above.  I said: "That's ok.  The moderation of the forums isn't impartial.   Certain users are beyond all measures of incivility, rudeness, and constantly degrade, insult, and otherwise impugn others, and are free to do so without reprimand.  If you quote them back to themselves, you will get banned instantly."
                        
                        Your response was: "No. Some people think disagreement is insult.  It isn't."
                        
                        Which is basically saying that I"m just too stupid to understand what I said.   Either freaking agree, or disagree on some kind of basis that at least respects the idea that the other guy AT LEAST UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE SAID AND REALLY DOES THINK WHAT HE SAID.

                        replyreport
                        1. 91

                           Pcunixposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                           Your interpretation  may be that it is "basically saying", but it isn't actually saying.  That's the difference.
                           
                           I suppose there is danger that you'll take this the same way, but so be it. You can interpret anything in any way you want. You can choose to see insult or you can choose to see disagreement.
                           
                           As to respecting your ideas, that's not a requirement of this forum.  I am free to think that religion is a delusion and that right wing politics are a danger to my country.
                           
                           Free to think, and free to say.  I'm also free to think and say that I believe that is the root of the issue here: you expect respect for your positions and you are never going to get that from me.

                           replyreport
      3. 91

         Pcunixposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         So apparently you got banned for months for something you said to me?
         
         I don't recall it.
         
         Apparently you also think I've never been banned. I have - for as long as a month.   Whether that had anything to do with you, I cannot remember.

         replyreport
         1. 60

            weholdthesetruthsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            No, no idea if I got banned for what I said to you.    I didn't say that.  Don't "read into" what I say.  I say precisely what I mean and only what I mean.  If I don't directly state it, I don't intend to imply...

            replyreport
   5. 99

      Jule Romansposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Give me a little more data on your banning- How long in total months,  How cheerfully you resolved it, etc.  and I will put it in your  bio on my hub. :-)
      Oh, and since your paypal is so low, I would be happy to solicit small donations on your behalf.

      replyreport
      1. 0

         ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Lol, I don't need donations, if anybody wants to donate to me I would kindly ask that they give it to the nearest homeless guy or somebody rattling a charity tin Or even better, to somebody running a marathon, the bleedin nutters.
         
         I was banned indefinitely around January 2010 before it was randomly lifted in April 2010, I can't remember why!
         
         I have probably been banned about 10 times in total, Maddie might be able to give you a complete figure, usually it has been for the use of foul language. But I washed my mouth out with soap, and that seems to have worked

         replyreport
         1. 99

            Jule Romansposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            

            replyreport
2. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 7 years ago

   congrats ryan, see you can be a good boy. are you using the forum filter??

   replyreport
   1. 0

      ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Nope, I'm not just yet, but I really want to and as such probably will soon.
      
      Only, that will dilute the prize fund!

      replyreport
      1. 87

         kerrygposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         It's donationware, so it's actually free to use. You only have to donate if you want to.

         replyreport
         1. 0

            ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            I will donate, he deserves a bit of revenue for his efforts, irrespective of whether he did it for love rather than money

            replyreport
3. 82

   Hauntyposted 7 years ago

   Wow, I had no idea you were such a bad guy. My guess is that you won't get banned again, which is sad, because it will take an eternity to collect my reward.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I love your optimism, but they do say that being overly-optimistic is dangerous!
      
      Of course, you could just shoot for 2 years, which would still be overly optimistic

      replyreport
4. 87

   Mark Ewbieposted 7 years ago

   Hey Ryan that sounds cool, and if you give up wearing womens clothing at the weekends as well... result.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Never! I like the way that silk feels, unless I can just keep the panties?

      replyreport
      1. 87

         Mark Ewbieposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Whatever you like mate, I was just trying to get a reaction that might see you banned.  Not in a nasty way of course.  In a 12 dollar sort of way.

         replyreport
         1. 0

            ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            You have to try harder! For a start, it wasn't even in the political or religious forums

            replyreport
            1. 91

               Pcunixposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Could it have been my fault?
               
               Possible..
               
               I have managed to stay unbanned for a while myself and the last time honestly was a mistake: I was actually giving someone a compliment, but didn't phrase it well and it came out wrong.. oh, well

               replyreport
               1. 0

                  ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Nah, not your fault. Well, maybe you were involved once, but there have been so many now that I really wouldn't know. I don't think any of our heated discussions got too bad, unless I just have a bad memory?
                  
                  I have never actually asked the reasons for a banning, just assumed that there were probably good ones. I think the system tells you why now anyway.
                  
                  It looks like Mark Knowles has been a relatively good boy too!

                  replyreport
                  1. 91

                     Pcunixposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     Nothing I would have complained about..
                     
                     
                     
                     Yes, quite astonishing - especially given some of the temptations offered. Several times I have myself thought "You know, it is ALMOST worth it to get this off my chest!"

                     replyreport
      2. 93

         CMHypnoposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         I'll buy both you and Mark a pint if you wear women's silk panties to the HubCamp in July LOL! Outside your trousers of course!

         replyreport
5. 76

   Maddie Ruudposted 7 years ago

   I have faith in you.  You can last a year.  And hey, if Paul Edmondson wants to fly me out to London, I'd be happy to buy your pint there.  I haven't been back to the UK since I lived in Oxford over 10 years ago.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Should I start a petition? If I got 100 UK hubbers to demand that Maddie flys to London, would that help? Or would that just mean that Edmondson blanks me next time

      replyreport
      1. 76

         Maddie Ruudposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         If you got 100 Hubbers to go to London HubCamp, that might be something. =P

         replyreport
         1. 0

            ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            I bet you would get 30 Maddie, at least. Even Knowles said that he may make the effort.
            
            It would be great if Hubpages could confirm the place and time a couple of months before though, as booking train tickets early means massive savings (and subsequently a bigger turnout!).
            
            If I were to book train tickets for May now, for example, it would cost me no more than £30 return..... if I booked tickets for March now.... probably £100 return
            
            Which is quite a big difference for those not making big money on here yet.

            replyreport
   2. 60

      Mark Knowlesposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      If you go - I will go. Not sure I could bring 100 with - but I will try.

      replyreport
6. 57

   katiem2posted 7 years ago

   You wanna piece of me eh?  Just kidding I would never start a fight....
   
   I say you'll last forever as you have so much to offer.
   
   Just ignore trouble and remember other peoples opinions of you are none of your business.  Thats my philosophy

   replyreport
7. 80

   Uninvited Writerposted 7 years ago

   I've never been banned but I hope I would take it "like a man" and not whine about it

   replyreport
   1. 91

      Randy Godwinposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry UW, you ain't mean enough to get banned! 

      replyreport
8. 77

   Richieb799posted 7 years ago

   Ryan the Rebel

   replyreport
9. 82

   Mighty Momposted 7 years ago

   How long have you been married now, Ryan?
   Really, there's no shame in being a mellow married man
   Especially when you've sown as many wild oats on the forums as you have!!

   replyreport
   1. 0

      ryankettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Lol, 3 and a half weeks, I am getting old... clearly

      replyreport
10. 76

    Mikeydoesposted 7 years ago

    This is probably the longest I've went without getting banned from a forum! Haha. Most forums have too many kids on it and I can't take it. Here there is really no one to clash heads with. Plus I've grown up a little.
    
    I received a nearly banned email yesterday, though.

    replyreport
11. 87

    PrettyPantherposted 7 years ago

    I look at getting banned as a reminder to cool it.  That's all.  In my case, I knew I would probably get banned before I clicked "Submit" on that post, but it was worth it.

    replyreport
12. 87

    kerrygposted 7 years ago

    I've never been banned despite being active (and argumentative) in the politics and religion forums from the start, but I'm not sure whether that's because I'm particularly good at attacking the argument instead of the person or because I'm so verbose that nobody bothers to read my posts carefully enough to get offended!
    
    Good luck sticking it out for a year! Just don't let the trolls get to you and I'm sure you'll be fine.

    replyreport
    1. 87

       PrettyPantherposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I'd say it's both! 
       
       I'm joking about the latter, of course.  You are very good at attacking the argument in a direct but tactful manner.  Some of us try but are just not quite as good at it.

       replyreport
       1. 87

          kerrygposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Hee, truthfully it probably is both, especially with the samoyed and his puppets, who are only trying to find one thing they can take out of context and twist into something evil, but the verbosity also has the benefit that by the time I finish saying what I set out to say, I've usually cooled down enough to go back and delete or reword anything insulting I said when I was still mad.

          replyreport
13. 63

    prettydarkhorseposted 7 years ago

    So far when I read ryanketts post, he seemed to be just saying what it is.

    replyreport