# A couple of questions about moderating (Charlie Wayne and drewtwo99) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 7, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483 "2015-03-07T23:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/21 "2015-03-08T04:05:30Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > For what it’s worth, I think it’s useful to explain that when closing a thread, instead of just closing it quietly. > Unless you have a migraine. Then the quiet thing makes sense, of course. > [@ddsun](#): > > Also, It would be nice to have a few words when a thread is closed, possibly with a link to other threads in progress if relevant. I try to keep up, but there’s a lot going on. I would tend to agree. I went ahead and added a post at the end of the thread for that purpose. Again, I didn’t expect anyone to find it mysterious given the existence of the Pit thread, but I apologize for the confusion. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/22 "2015-03-08T04:32:53Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > It’s an app we get when we sign up. I always thought the cackling was some clever device in the heels of the jackboots. You know; sort of like Maxwell Smart’s show phone but for maniacal laughter and like situations. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/23 "2015-03-08T06:43:34Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > How is anyone being shielded? The Pit thread is up and running and you don’t have to hold back because of rules. I’m accepting the moderators explanation especially since he went back and posted in the original thread but to answer your question not everyone likes to post in the pit. There is nothing wrong with two threads on a similar tact in different forums running concurrently. It happens all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/24 "2015-03-08T06:53:56Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Explain the evil cackling, then. Ed would put a stop to it but he needs the eggs. ---
**Author:** ![sich\_hinaufwinden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@sich\_hinaufwinden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sich_hinaufwinden)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/25 "2015-03-08T06:56:46Z")
I happened to notice that a Pit thread was closed and the OP banned after one post with no explanation right around the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/26 "2015-03-08T07:59:14Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > After answering about 75 private messages about him, maybe I should have done that. 🙂 Toldja that was gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/27 "2015-03-08T08:46:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was wondering if the person who paid for his membership renewal got a refund. Maybe it was paid for by his other identity? I hope so, because if not, someone wasted their money. The admins have said before, no refunds for banned posters, even if someone else paid. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/28 "2015-03-08T10:45:11Z")
While I agree that an announcement is nice for long term posters, I don’t think this case was any sort of mystery. After all, there are only two reasons for a silent banning. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who looks at their most recent posts when someone is unexpectedly banned. Heck, this time, it was even obvious which thread caused it. I have no clue why he thought he could get away with something that blatant. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/29 "2015-03-08T10:52:53Z")
> [@splatterpunk](#): > > No one paid for his membership renewal. That function hasn’t worked on this board for a long time. I think this is wrong, but maybe I’m wrong. And **BigT** , it wasn’t just a thread, it was the whole sock. (Maybe a pair of socks?) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/30 "2015-03-08T11:48:58Z")
> [@sich\_hinaufwinden](#): > > I happened to notice that a Pit thread was closed and the OP banned after one post with no explanation right around the same time. > [@BigT](#): > > Heck, this time, it was even obvious which thread caused it. I have no clue why he thought he could get away with something that blatant. I take it you’re referring to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=750988)? I give up. What’s the clue pointing to a sock? And why specifically drewto99? > [@BigT](#): > > After all, there are only two reasons for a silent banning. One being sock puppetry, what’s the other? ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/31 "2015-03-08T13:20:49Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I think this is wrong, but maybe I’m wrong. The feature has been disabled since the last upgrade. Jerry explains why [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=717215). ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/32 "2015-03-08T13:23:16Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > One being sock puppetry, what’s the other? Spammer. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/33 "2015-03-08T13:49:14Z")
long-established posters rarely get banned for spamming. And if we’re talking about people banned after a few posts, there’s several reasons including trolling, obscene language, inappropriate links, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/34 "2015-03-08T14:01:35Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I would tend to agree. I went ahead and added a post at the end of the thread for that purpose. Again, I didn’t expect anyone to find it mysterious given the existence of the Pit thread, but I apologize for the confusion. Thank you! > [@samclem](#): > > I guess I can only plead that’s how we’ve done it for years with socks (with a handful of exceptions). I’ll run the idea around the mod loop and get back to you. Since there have been a handful of exceptions, we may be able to judge what the impact has been. I suspect that letting the remaining members of the board know what happened at least slightly outweighs the downsides of the current policy…but that’s just a gut feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/35 "2015-03-08T14:31:03Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I take it you’re referring to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=750988)? > > I give up. What’s the clue pointing to a sock? And why specifically drewto99? Yeah, how was it traced to **Drewtwo99**? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/36 "2015-03-08T14:48:20Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I give up. What’s the clue pointing to a sock? And why specifically drewto99? If you look at the thread about No bake cookies, you see two people banned in it. I was wrong for commenting in the ATMB thread before using my head and figuring it out on my own. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > One being sock puppetry, what’s the other? You’ll get sued if you ask this question. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/37 "2015-03-08T14:52:45Z")
> [@Grotonian](#): > > Yeah, how was it traced to **Drewtwo99**? They don’t talk about their secret mod tools, but it’s pretty obvious if you think about it. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/38 "2015-03-08T14:54:26Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > They don’t talk about their secret mod tools, but it’s pretty obvious if you think about it. The trail of crumbs? ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/39 "2015-03-08T15:04:36Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > They don’t talk about their secret mod tools, but it’s pretty obvious if you think about it. If you don’t know, just say so. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483/40 "2015-03-08T15:07:04Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > The trail of crumbs? Loach has a magnifying glass and a deerstalker hat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-moderating-charlie-wayne-and-drewtwo99/714483.md?page=3)