I hope it's ok to ask about this on a public board. I don't want to clutter the mod-report or your personal PM's with what's really just a curiosity question... (after what curiosity did to the cat, perhaps I'd better watch my whiskers!) 8O :wink:

I've noticed a couple of "regulars" suspended recently, and wonder what the policy is for suspending accounts? I won't mention names, because this is strictly a curiosity question, I'm not asking about anyone specific.

Do you normally issue a warning before suspending an account? A couple times I've seen warnings in threads, and, with "suicide posts", a mod actually saying, "well, if you don't want to be here, then...".

But I wonder if, I'll use myself as an example, I get on someone's nerves or have a different... philosophy or view point than a lot of others on the forum, will I get a warning PM before getting booted?

What made me ask, honestly, was the thread that got pretty deep into religious topics, and the one about vet care vrs not having resources for vet care. I thought they both stayed pretty respectful, but people, including myself, might have expressed views different from the views of the mods and, in the case of the vet care thread, different from what's promoted by the forum in general.
(btw, I really appreciated that the mods let the "religion" topic die out on its own rather than immediately locking it as would've happened on some forums. It turned into an interesting discussion.)

So anyway. I just wondered about warnings vrs. no warnings. (and if the policy is to simply dump accounts deemed to be trouble-makers, I'm not questioning the mods or ratman's right to do that, just asking if that's how it's handled.)

Obviously I have too much time on my hands today. I'll shut up now and let you get back to your jobs and real life. :)

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary

A "suicide post" is considered an indication that you no longer have any use for your account and you are therefore banned (this is in the forum rules, part 1.P ). Users banned for posting a suicide note may return by petitioning the administrator. :)

In general, ratforum operates on a three-strikes policy. This means three warnings, be they public - which are rare - or via PM, which is the more common method, given in a three month period will result in a ban of a set length, either temporary or permanent. There are certain instances in which a member may be banned instantly (spammers/trolls/etc.) or immediately following a warning if they appear to have not taken the opinion of the moderation team to heart. These bans can be of any length, usually 1-2 weeks or a permanent ban for repeat offenders.

In other words, in general, if you're in trouble, you'll know about it long before you end up banned, unless you've done something heinously bad. :)

Ok thanks for answering. I was just curious. Hopefully I'll never earn a suspension! :)

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary

i would also like to add to forensic's post that we do not ban members simply because they have a different philosophical viewpoint then our own. we are all individuals with our opinions. we do not ban simply because we do not agree with every member's opinion all the time. so long as we remain civil and respectful of other members we have no problems.

Thanks for clarifying. I didn't really figure I'd get booted for talking about religion (in the context of discussion, rather than proselytizing) I just picked that as an example because it was such a potentially controversial thread, which, on some forums, might have been seen as "stirring up trouble". I didn't think you were anti-anything. :)

One thing I really appreciate about this forum is the recognition and tolerance of differing beliefs balanced with the expectation of courtesy and respect in the discussions.

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary