[Tdol's Blog] Forum Policies- Clone of banned user

[Tdol]

Forum Policies- Clone of banned user

A number of posts have been deleted in the last few days because they are cloned accounts of a banned user. We're slow to ban members of the forum, but once we ban someone, the ban stays in place and any subsequent accounts that person makes will also be banned. We have two particularly persistent cases that keep coming back. They are different from regular trolls, who come back in hidden guises to try to start trouble.

Click here to read the full article

[5jj]

Good to see that article.

I'm sure some people may get the impression that we ban people right, left and centre for no apparent reason. We don't.

It's sad to see the word 'banned' under so many people's names, but the ban is always the result of a clear breach of forum policy, and usually after at least one very clear warning.

Also, as Tdol suggested, the number of people banned is far fewer than it seems. The same person may be banned under a dozen or more names - a sign of their persistence in trying to be a nuisance.

[Tdol]

That's why I wrote it- we're banning several accounts a day at the moment, but they're from the same two sources. Let's hope they get bored in a day or two.

[Esgaleth]

Thanks for the article. It feels a bit better when you can see the reason.

[emsr2d2]

It is difficult to understand what these trolls actually get out of it but you guys do a great job of keeping on top of them all. There's only one thing I'm slightly confused by - once they're banned, the word "Banned" appears under their username which is great but not instantly noticeable. I also see that you don't delete the thread if someone has gone to the effort of adding a response. However, immediately they are banned, shouldn't the thread at least be closed? I noticed one earlier which said Banned, had one response, but was still open for responses.

[Barb_D]

That's a very good suggestion. I'll endeavor to do so when I run across those threads as well. Thanks.

[5jj]

It is a good idea, but just ocasionally the question may be one that is of interest to other members, and one that is not a duplicate. These trolls do sometimes ask reasonable questions to lull us into a sense of false security. If a useful response has been posted to an interesting question, then I see no reason to close the thread. The person who asked it has been banned, and can do no harm, but the discussion can go on. Well, that's my opinion.

[5jj]

I wonder what the aim of these trolls is. Advertisement or luring money out of the users perhaps? Or are they just so bored and have nothing better to do than spam this forum?

Most of them simply seem to gain some satisfaction out of making fools (in their minds) of us. It seems to mean little to them that most of us, being basically honest, do not expect to amuse ourselves at the expense of others and, consequently, do not expect others to amuse themselves at our expense. It is therefore moderately simple to fool most of us for a time; it is not, as some of them seem to feel, an intrepid task that requires skill and daring. I would actually feel sorry for the sad lives these people must have if it takes that to give them a kick, if it weren't for the fact that they waste the time of moderators and aware members, who spend time on getting rid of them.

Think of them as fleas. Most of them, most of the time, do us no real harm, but they can be annoying. Ultimately, they need us to survive. There are enough of them to ensure that, no matter how many we exterminate, a few survive. So, we have to scratch sometimes, and even catch a few. We all survive - many of them don't. There are worse problems in life.

[CarloSsS]

Most of them simply seem to gain some satisfaction out of making fools (in their minds) of us. It seems to mean little to them that most of us, being basically honest, do not expect to amuse ourselves at the expense of others and, consequently, do not expect others to amuse themselves at our expense. It is therefore moderately simple to fool most of us for a time; it is not, as some of them seem to feel, an intrepid task that requires skill and daring. I would actually feel sorry for the sad lives these people must have if it takes that to give them a kick, if it weren't for the fact that they waste the time of moderators and aware members, who spend time on getting rid of them.

Think of them as fleas. Most of them, most of the time, do us no real harm, but they can be annoying. Ultimately, they need us to survive. There are enough of them to ensure that, no matter how many we exterminate, a few survive. So, we have to scratch sometimes, and even catch a few. We all survive - many of them don't. There are worse problems in life.

I'm sorry to have delete my post. I did it because when I clicked on the link to the full article, I realized that my question is needless since the reasons why the people got banned are in that article.

Your explanation, however, is more satisfactory to me.

[Tdol]

True trolls, who make accounts and then try to start fights, provoke people, etc, enjoy the thrill of sliding under the radar and creating these problems- whether you like it or not - and I don't - it's not hard to see why they're doing it. What the current pair get out of it is completely beyond me.