Thread: < banned user > ???

The fact that bans aren't discussed makes it so you only ever get the side of the story from the person banned (if you know them outside of SRP - and they explain their ban). How many people who have been banned are going to include the details that make them look bad?
From what I've seen - none.

Originally Posted by rickboone

I see a LOT of people that used to be assets to the forum and my education now banned. I stay quiet so I don't get the new title. I just read and move along.

Interesting perspective. My partner was banned at your other forum just for becoming a member here. He was a well respected Moderator at the time and since then every lie that could be made up, directed character assassination and troll activity has been undertaken against him primarily to help the business owners over there. This place has always taken the high road while your other forum seems to have an agenda of disruption over here and allows personal attacks against people and the management prolongs derogatory threads to the point where people will intentionally disrupt and break the rules on this forum to become exalted over there. Just watching the same few people and mentors stir up the same dribble and spew the same hatred there while the masses turn a blind eye when they see the nonsense is symptomatic.

People really don't need the "banned user" title. They can choose to keep the BS agenda's out of here on their own in addition to simply following rules which encourage a more positive approach.

Thanks for the input...................

Originally Posted by Bruno

You only see one part, and other people have brought up this topic before.

Some people appear helpful or knowledgeable in public, yet behave very rudely in PM.
Or they play kind and helpful in public, and then run off with people's razors and money. I've had one very visible senior member tell me in public how I 'wronged' another such 'valuable' member, where said member actually stole several thousand dollars worth of razors and money from a group of members.

Members have been banned before, and then came back and became mentors and moderators or developers. Being banned has nothing to do with being likeable or agreeable or having the same opinion.

Just because someone is knowledgeable doesn't mean they don't do rude or dishonest things that warrant banning.

Originally Posted by HNSB

The fact that bans aren't discussed makes it so you only ever get the side of the story from the person banned (if you know them outside of SRP - and they explain their ban). How many people who have been banned are going to include the details that make them look bad?
From what I've seen - none.

Originally Posted by Lynn

Interesting perspective. My partner was banned at your other forum just for becoming a member here. He was a well respected Moderator at the time and since then every lie that could be made up, directed character assassination and troll activity has been undertaken against him primarily to help the business owners over there. This place has always taken the high road while your other forum seems to have an agenda of disruption over here and allows personal attacks against people and the management prolongs derogatory threads to the point where people will intentionally disrupt and break the rules on this forum to become exalted over there. Just watching the same few people and mentors stir up the same dribble and spew the same hatred there while the masses turn a blind eye when they see the nonsense is symptomatic.

People really don't need the "banned user" title. They can choose to keep the BS agenda's out of here on their own in addition to simply following rules which encourage a more positive approach.

Thanks for the input...................

I'm not attempting to say those banned haven't deserved it.

You are absolutely correct, I do not know both sides of the story. I have seen some public stories and generally, they are the same. Generally, the ban is placed on one moderator.

I am sorry this came across the wrong way. What I mean more than anything is it is shocking to me when I see these folks banned. I just shake my head in disbelief. Kind of a "really?!, that guy!? I'd never of thunk it!".

Originally Posted by rickboone

What I mean more than anything is it is shocking to me when I see these folks banned. I just shake my head in disbelief. Kind of a "really?!, that guy!? I'd never of thunk it!".

1 Peter 1:24
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

1 Peter 1:24
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

Fitting for a Sunday Jimmy .

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

1 Peter 1:24
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

And the Bruno banneth in mysterious ways; yea, let him who hath membership let him post, and he shall know the chief honemeister, and the chief honemeister shall set him free. But he who troubleth his own forum shall inherit the wind

So there I am taking my Masters in Business Administration and sitting in my marketing class in particular, studying “brand loyalty” when it hits me…

I would guess that 99% of the members on any forum relating to wet shaving are there for no other reason than to celebrate their hobby, and it is a hobby when you consider how out of the mainstream traditional shaving really is. These individuals invest a great deal of time researching and applying the techniques they learn on these forums as shaving with a DE and in particular a straight has a certain learning curve.

I would venture to guess that every member here, there, and everywhere never went out of their way to find out what was behind the site they found to celebrate their new hobby. They merely rejoice in finding likeminded individuals to share in their experience. As this bonding occurs there is inevitably a certain amount of brand loyalty to the site that helped them out that occurs.

As time passes the individual no longer gains as much utility from said site and moves on, or that individual immerses themselves in the culture that is “their” site. When they start to wake up to the politics behind the site, the natural instinct is to follow in order to bolster the bond they have to the site. Remember for many – taking the time to post and share their trials and tribulations is an effort. It’s easier to jump on the band wagon than to think and heaven forbid; disagreeing risks the individuals freedom to remain immersed in their brand!

Ultimately in time, the individual will begin to seek out other sources of information comfortable in their loyalty to their home base’s acceptance. Of course this is where so many get into trouble. They take the culture of the site they made home and apply it to the other sites culture only to be shocked when they are not embraced as they would back at “their” site.

Eventually bad blood between individuals occurs and in any case of bad blood… people begin to take sides. Heck some even argue issues that don’t make sense merely because the other guy has the opposite position… sound familiar? Yup – even a great democracy can be destroyed via poor politics.

Inevitably, these loyalties and the politics makes it worse for everyone – especially those new guys just trying to gain entrance into the wonderful world of traditional shaving!

So that’s all well and fine, but where does that leave the reader? Well first let me suggest that this brand loyalty to traditional shaving forums is not rational. As we all know there is a little truth to everything, and as members of a forum you and I will never really know the truth of any matter with respect to the politics behind this, or any other site.

What makes forgoing your brand loyalty so incredibly hard, is the fact that these sites aren’t “publicly” traded and there is little to no information about the individuals who run the sites (kind of). Moreover, each sites mission statement is nearly identical!

The key I would suggest, is getting a feel for the culture over time, and if it doesn't mesh with yours - view your efforts as a sunk cost and move on – you don’t have the ability to change peoples’ minds. And you certainly can’t change the culture.


I’ll go out on a limb here and state that I have participated in many forums and been a silent observer in many others… yes there are more than a few shaving forums! I personally have discovered in my relationships with those other sites that… “for me”… SRP is the most transparent North American based site out there. Moreover, the accusations that are thrown against them via other sites and those disgruntled by the fact that they were banned for bringing a culture that doesn't exist on SRP are all false and easily refuted.

We all have our opinions. That will never change, but SRP expresses those opinions after what I feel is a great deal of examination and thought, unlike some who exclaim the sky is falling as they type away in their underground bunkers with no windows….

...I have to say on this subject, that I think there are people on this forum with their "finger on the button," and are more ban-happy than they should be. Also, these bans seem to be permanent, when there should really be some other penalty, some temporary ban, put in place instead. I have a friend who was a member on here who got banned, and when he showed me the correspondence leading to the ban, I can't say it was anything other than a trivial reason.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

And the Bruno banneth in mysterious ways; yea, let him who hath membership let him post, and he shall know the chief honemeister, and the chief honemeister shall set him free. But he who troubleth his own forum shall inherit the wind

You should have gone with 'Bruno giveth, and Bruno taketh away'. Much catchier.
Besides...

Originally Posted by sheffieldlover

...I have to say on this subject, that I think there are people on this forum with their "finger on the button," and are more ban-happy than they should be. Also, these bans seem to be permanent, when there should really be some other penalty, some temporary ban, put in place instead. I have a friend who was a member on here who got banned, and when he showed me the correspondence leading to the ban, I can't say it was anything other than a trivial reason.

Most bans are temporary in nature. Anything from 3 days (at one end) and 3 months (rarely, and at the other end).
The thing with temp bans is this: they expire. So the people get back. So over time the only people who have the banned moniker are the ones who are banned for life. Even if only 1 ban in 10 is permanent (I really have no idea) over time, 95% of all visible bans will be the permanent ones.

Bans are generally also not the decision of 1 single person. It gets discussed up front and is very rarely decided in a couple of minutes / posts.