Banned for being "off topic"

matt-dublin

Hey guys,

I've been banned for being off topic on one of the forums here and i want clarification why.
http://nologin.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054900174

i've been told i have been off topic.

I gave advice to someone and was backed up by someone else.
Now i can understand there was a few posts between myself and another user but surely nothing to be banned for?

The moderator in question never gave me a warning and i got a PM from him this morning. Now as i understand a moderator is there to protect the user from unwanted material and bitchyness?

am i not right in saying that the mod should have deleted the posts and not banned me and another user for a very minor misdemenor?

Your responses are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

Karl Hungus

matt-dublin wrote:

The moderator in question never gave me a warning

Really?

Beruthiel wrote:

next person to post a useless, unhelpful comment gets banned.

Sounds fairly warning like to me.

tbh

if you want a neutral opinion:

Beru warned that posting off-topic would lead to a banning - you posted twice off topic after that - IMO:

only on thursdays lol

@grimlock: someone caught me out!

what were they supposed to do? If they didn't ban you, the warning would have been meaningless.

ow as i understand a moderator is there to protect the user from unwanted material and bitchyness?

I don't really want to read comments like "only on thursdays lol" - I know it's just a joke, but if everyone did it, PI would be AH. Sorry dude, it's just a week - learn the lesson.


edit: or I could have said all that in two concise lines like Karl Hungus did. Damn you hungus!

Gordon

matt-dublin wrote:

am i not right in saying that the mod should have deleted the posts and not banned me and another user for a very minor misdemenor?

At least you understand that it was a misdemeanor. Why should we spend time pming people and removing their posts when there is a high likelyhood of them simply going off topic again and spoiling threads. Nothing is learned.

6th

You deserved the banned.

Beruthiel originally warned keyser and said "another comment like that will get you banned".

Beruthiel then warned Dragan with "are you blind?
did you not see my warning above?
next person to post a useless, unhelpful comment gets banned."

You then followed up with:

"only on thursdays lol"

and

"@grimlock: someone caught me out!"

Welly was banned aswell as warnings had been issued - that your ban and deal with it, its not forever.

matt-dublin

I would also like to add the fact that that this was months ago and i have since not posted in that thread and it is only came up today?

Banning someone for something done months ago and also in which the manner it was done by a moderator with an unsuitable avatar for a publin board seems highly unprofessional imo

The Hill Billy

Mod says no more off-topic posts.
OP posts twice off-topic.
Mod bans OP.
Seems fair.

Karl Hungus

tbh wrote:

edit: or I could have said all that in two concise lines like Karl Hungus did. Damn you hungus!

Haha! I dash your hopes and dreams to dust once more! Take it, peon, and remember you place!

matt-dublin

and now two moderators are off topic?
now warnings?

hardly seems fair???

Gordon

What's wrong with my avatar?!

The Hill Billy

matt-dublin wrote:

Banning someone for something done months ago and also in which the manner it was done by a moderator with an unsuitable avatar for a publin board seems highly unprofessional imo

How the hell is either point relevant?
On the first point - You just happened to be found out later rather than sooner.
On the second point - WTF?! Gordon's reputation on boards.ie (from what I have seen) is beyond reproach. I'd apologise post haste if I were you.

matt-dublin

depicts a picture of a naked woman

matt-dublin

I will apologise as i didn't see the post from the first mod and to gordon for the same point.

i will not apologise for something i was banned for and to watch someone else do without reprise?

The Hill Billy

matt-dublin wrote:

depicts a picture of a naked woman

Tis a pity that you're banned from PI because if you have a problem with the naked female form there are a few nice people over there who could help you.

Karl Hungus

matt-dublin wrote:

and now two moderators are off topic?

One could almost think that I do so out of sheer mischeif.

tbh

matt-dublin wrote:

highly unprofessional imo

you mean they are acting like they don't get paid?

matt-dublin

Hill Billy wrote:

Tis a pity that you're banned from PI because if you have a problem with the naked female form there are a few nice people over there who could help you.

slander aimed directly at another member.

Also i have no issues with the female naked body, i do however believe that from a moderator who is supposed to be a form of role model on the boards should not be using an avatar that depicts nudity on a pulic board where children and feminists may view and be offended.

matt-dublin

Karl Hungus wrote:

One could almost think that I do so out of sheer mischeif.

Now ur just being mean

Gordon

What makes you think it's a naked woman? It could be an owl. Or it could be a bicycle jumping over an upside down traffic cone. I made it adaptable.

The Hill Billy

matt-dublin wrote:

slander aimed directly at another member.

It is called humour.
A pitiful attempt maybe, but humour nonetheless.

sprinkles

matt-dublin wrote:

I would also like to add the fact that that this was months ago and i have since not posted in that thread and it is only came up today?

Banning someone for something done months ago and also in which the manner it was done by a moderator with an unsuitable avatar for a publin board seems highly unprofessional imo

I'm sorry I fail to see your point about the avatar or indeed the timeline.....
IMO you broke a very simple rule that the mod clearly spelled out. Resulted in a ban.

matt-dublin

first impressions!
we know what it looks like, and i think most people will say the same...
Certainly when i look at it the first thing that comes to mind certainly isn't a bicycle and upside down traffic cone!

@billy, i didn't find it funny

tbh

matt-dublin wrote:

slander aimed directly at another member.

OOHH! 50/50 chance of getting the right term, but you didn't.

Also i have no issues with the female naked body, i do however believe that from a moderator who is supposed to be a form of role model on the boards should not be using an avatar that depicts nudity on a pulic board where children and feminists may view and be offended.

quality

Gordon

You don't think it looks like a cute wee owl face? I do sometimes. It's a cute bird isn't it?

Firewalkwithme

matt-dublin wrote:

Certainly when i look at it the first thing that comes to mind certainly isn't a bicycle and upside down traffic cone!

I thought it was a bike and a traffic cone but now I see things so differently.

Won't someone please think of the children!! (And the feminists)

tbh

I think that fly is too close to those fried eggs for comfort.

matt-dublin

tbh wrote:

OOHH! 50/50 chance of getting the right term, but you didn't.

Slagging?
Bullying?
Taking a dig?

Monday morning, mind issues!

Diogenes

matt-dublin wrote:

Banning someone for something done months ago and also in which the manner it was done by a moderator with an unsuitable avatar for a publin board seems highly unprofessional imo

Two circles, two dots and "v" is an unsuitable avatar?

Dude you're on the internet? I get more hardcore stuff than that in my spam folder every day...

matt-dublin

we're not on a porn site, we're on a public forum of discussion

Firewalkwithme

matt-dublin wrote:

we're not on a porn site, we're on a public forum of discussion

Are you seriously suggesting that someone could get off on Gordon's avatar? Could that someone be you? Maybe you should be let back into P.I.

matt-dublin

I give up!

Nevyn

Dear matt-dublin you seem to have many misconceptions.

matt-dublin wrote:

I would also like to add the fact that that this was months ago and i have since not posted in that thread and it is only came up today?

The time lapse does not matter there is no statute of limitations on breaking the rules in the charter and posting stuipidly.

matt-dublin wrote:

by a moderator with an unsuitable avatar for a publin board seems highly unprofessional imo

What do you mean unsuitible ? I see an owl in Gordons avatar, the large eyes and a beak; if you see something else that is what your mind is interptes and it would appear you have a dirty mind.

Oh and none of the mods who moderate forums at boards.ie are professional we are not paid or employeed by boards.ie we do it out of love.

matt-dublin wrote:

I will apologise as i didn't see the post from the first mod and to gordon for the same point.

That is not the mods fault or problem if you dd not read the full thread; it is a good idea to do so for just that reason.

Even if you had not seen the warnings posting offtopic and unhelpfully once is enough to get you banned, we don't have to issue warning but we are mostly nice people and tend to do so.

If you don't read them and if you break the rules of the forum as laid down in the charter then you will get banned.

matt-dublin wrote:

i will not apologise for something i was banned for and to watch someone else do without reprise?

You apologise should if you were in the wrong and clearly you were.
Now if you have an issue with a post and it is to your mind off topic then please use the report post button which can be found on each post to report it for the mods, cat most, smods or admin to review and consider taking action on.

matt-dublin wrote:

a moderator who is supposed to be a form of role model on the boards should not be using an avatar that depicts nudity on a pulic board where children and feminists may view and be offended.

Now you are just being silly, there are a lot worse pictures on the internet.
Personally I am looking forward to subscribing so I can use as my avatar.

r3nu4l

matt-dublin. Okay, let me get back on topic (lest I be banned ) What you are sayying is that you got away with your off-topic chat for a long time until another mod spotted it and then banned you but that's not really the point.

I know this is stretching the analogy a bit but...

...if I rob a bank and don't get caught for months then all of a sudden get taken off to jail and get lots of unwanted attention in the showers etc. I shouldn't really complain about being in jail because I committed the crime months ago, should I?

Just because time has passed doesn't mean that you should get away with it, especially in PI which does have different (appropriate) rules to After Hours and other fora (forums).

As for picking out Gordons Avatar? Come on, if you have an argument stick to it and don't drag things off topic...but then again that's why you are complaining in the first place isn't it?

IMO, it's a short ban, a fair one and won't exactly effect your CV now will it? So take it on the chin and post elsewhere for a while

Edit: Thaedydal got there before me and more succinctly with some points...nice Avatar

Karl Hungus

matt-dublin wrote:

Now ur just being mean

Diogenes

matt-dublin wrote:

children and feminists may view and be offended.

Helen Lovejoy wrote:

Won't someone please think of the feminists!!!!!!!!

I know some people see traffic cones and owls when they look at gordon's av, but Matt and I clearly have dirty dirty minds and saw a nudey woman...

I don't see whats wrong with Thaedydal's AV though, it's just two monkey's fighting on a tree thats on fire...

Talliesin

We're not on a prude site, we're on a public forum of discussion.

matt-dublin wrote:

The moderator in question never gave me a warning and i got a PM from him this morning.

If you think it was perfectly okay to be off-topic when not only has everyone been warned already (in the charter) but someone else was warned for exactly the same thing, and then someone else was warned with the additional notice "next person to post a useless, unhelpful comment gets banned" then your main problem is this:

You are too stupid for the Internet.

amp

GIt OFF MA INTERNETS BOI!

Beruthiel

Thank you all for putting a smile on my face this monday morning

tbh

Pighead will be all over that comment.

matt-dublin

Beruthiel wrote:

Thank you all for putting a smile on my face this monday morning

i do my best

Diogenes

matt-dublin wrote:

i do my best

Matt they're laughing at you, you look dumberer when you join in...

mountainyman

It is all worth to hear Beruthiel's evil laugh.

MM

Beruthiel

Cackle MM, cackle

tbh wrote:

Pighead will be all over that comment.

Oh sh!t,
I should be safe enough, he rarely ventures outside the walls of AH

matt-dublin

Diogenes wrote:

Matt they're laughing at you, you look dumberer when you join in...

if you can't laugh at urself who can you laugh @?

r3nu4l

Beruthiel wrote:

Cackle MM, cackle



Oh sh!t,
I should be safe enough, he rarely ventures outside the walls of AH

And he's even gone all quiet there too, apparently he's spending a lot of time on gambling forums! Probably hoping to become rich overnight in an attempt to woo you :eek:

6th

So matt wheres welly with his moany, whingy thread?

DeVore

Give it a while, learn your lesson, then politely talk to Ruthie in PM explaining you will comply and adjust your posts accordingly. You'll find she's exceptionally reasonable...

For the record, I dunno if Gordon only just changed his avatar but I'm pretty sure I've been seeing that as eyeballs...

As for protecting the feminists.... jeez, do you date like AT ALL??
Most of the feminists I know would have made you female for that comment...

DeV.

tbh

DeVore wrote:

As for protecting the feminists.... jeez, do you date like AT ALL??
Most of the feminists I know would have made you female for that comment...

DeV.

no offense intended, I'm sure, DeV?



I think I should post in the "life's ironies" thread that a thread about being off-topic has gone so off-topic. But maybe that'd attract pighead, so I won't.

no need to thank me ruthie!

ecksor

One of these days I'm going to come into possession of a firearm and perform the cleansing.

r3nu4l

Ecksor: Posts: 1

Is this another post-count cull?

"Ecksor, setting a good example for boardsies everywhere. You are not your post-count!"

Edit: Now it says 'Posts: 0'. What be happenin' here Cap'n?

matt-dublin

im not quiet i was at lunch!