# Ban Floater. Or at least action him. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 11, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625 "2011-11-11T18:56:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/21 "2011-11-11T22:26:31Z")
The link should be disabled or removed. At the very least, there should be a description of the content, as **Guin** notes upthread. The post should get a warning. Insta-ban is over the top, but it was the height of threadshitting and being a jerk. Considering all the petty crap that does get warnings–see **Jack Batty’s** warning for example–letting this slide is especially bizarre. This isn’t a slam on **Ellen Cherry** , who is a pretty good mod. I appreciate her light touch with warnings. But if anything deserves a warning, floater’s post does. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/22 "2011-11-11T22:33:08Z")
Just to reiterate my [post in the Pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14453874&postcount=22), banning no - absent a pattern I think that is way, way over the top. But a formal warning would have been appropriate IMO, given that he sort of broke the jerk rule in more than one way at once ( blatant thread shitting + unshielded NSFW link ). ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/23 "2011-11-11T22:38:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Since the Moderator that you are attempting to question is currently off-line, repeated requests for answers from her might not be productive. Also,since she might not be in the habit of doing vanity checks to see if anyone is talking about her every decision, you might want to send an IM. Don’t mods have ways of contacting each other that don’t involve individual board members sending them a barrage of pissed-off messages? :dubious: Is there not a way for another mod to edit his post and add a disclaimer? Again, I didn’t make a call to ban him. I’m calling to treat his post the way you would treat any other posting of a shock site. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/24 "2011-11-11T22:44:26Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Don’t mods have ways of contacting each other that don’t involve individual board members sending them a barrage of pissed-off messages? Yes, we have email. But if a mod is too busy to check her email or is just too busy to deal with the issue at the moment, then it has to wait. Almost all moderating here falls into that category. The mods are already talking about this by email and **Ellen Cherry** will respond to the emails and/or this thread when she has a chance. That may take a little while. In the meantime **samclem** already added a warning to the link. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/25 "2011-11-11T22:47:02Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Again, I didn’t make a call to ban him. Yes you did-your title is my cite. As far as moderators contacting each other goes, they have the exact same methods anyone else has. If someone is away from the computer, they are pretty much incommunicado from everyone…unless you are suggesting that this situation is so dire that they attempt to phone her lest something disastrous happens before she happens to come back online. Personally, I really don’t see that sort of emergency in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/26 "2011-11-11T22:47:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Yes, we have email. But if a mod is too busy to check her email or is just too busy to deal with the issue at the moment, then it has to wait. Almost all moderating here falls into that category. The mods are already talking about this by email and **Ellen Cherry** will respond to the emails and/or this thread when she has a chance. That may take a little while. In the meantime **samclem** already added a warning to the link. Thanks, Marley 🙂 I don’t suppose you could have just said this yourself, Czar? [P.S.](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/or): > [@](#): > > **or:** used to connect words, phrases, or clauses representing alternatives ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/27 "2011-11-11T23:05:06Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > As far as moderators contacting each other goes, they have the exact same methods anyone else has. If someone is away from the computer, they are pretty much incommunicado from everyone You mean you don’t have something like the Bat Signal you can use to summon moderators wherever they are? ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/28 "2011-11-11T23:23:27Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You mean you don’t have something like the Bat Signal you can use to summon moderators wherever they are? What would the image in the signal be? ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/29 "2011-11-12T00:03:16Z")
Jackboots. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/30 "2011-11-12T00:35:28Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > What would the image in the signal be? A lolcat inside a red slashed circle. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/31 "2011-11-12T01:25:08Z")
I have to ask. What does “action him” mean? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/32 "2011-11-12T01:28:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have to ask. What does “action him” mean? I’d email the answer to you, but I’m pretty sure your mail service has filters for that sort of thing. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/33 "2011-11-12T02:05:52Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You mean you don’t have something like the Bat Signal you can use to summon moderators wherever they are? The problem is that the moderators are spread out all over the world. So they need to reflect the signal off the moon so everyone sees it. Consequently, the electric bill is enormous and they try to limit its use to real emergencies like when the Legion of Ignorant Evil strikes. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/34 "2011-11-12T03:27:16Z")
A year and a half ago,\*\* salinqmind\*\* posted a thread about his/her cat not eating. I quoted a line from the OP that said “I’ve gotten samples of Iams and such - won’t touch it.” and replied “you can probably get him to eat if you use a hammer. Go to Lowes and ask if they have an M.C. in stock.”\*\* Ellen Cherry\*\* came by and gave me a mod note saying “Not helpful, Rhythmdvl, and jerkish. Cease.” It was not a warning. Everything was explained (won’t touch it/M.C. Hammer), there was Kumbaya singing and cake, etc. No problem. This is not a if I-can’t-jump-off-a-bridge-than-why-can-he post. It’s a WTF, if something like that was worthy of comment—and described as “jerkish”—posting gruesome pics (I haven’t gone to the link) without warning and without the two-click style is far beyond jerkish; it’s downright shitty. It’s kind of topical that we just went through the question of URL shorteners and how some people want to know where they’re going before clicking a link. This isn’t exactly on point (the link isn’t as recognizable as somethingawful), but it’s close and it underscores some of those concerns. There was no way posting that unexplained link in the context of that thread is anything other than an intentional attempt to cause distress, angst and gross people out. Un-fucking-conscionable. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/35 "2011-11-12T03:57:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The problem is that the moderators are spread out all over the world. So they need to reflect the signal off the moon so everyone sees it. Consequently, the electric bill is enormous and they try to limit its use to real emergencies like when the Legion of Ignorant Evil strikes. Hmm. That musta been what I saw in the sky the morning of the Great Banning. Wondered what that was. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/36 "2011-11-12T04:07:42Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Hmm. That musta been what I saw in the sky the morning of the Great Banning. Wondered what that was. Sure it wasn’t Uranus? 😉 ---
**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:** [November 12, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/37 "2011-11-12T04:13:11Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > It’s kind of topical that we just went through the question of URL shorteners and how some people want to know where they’re going before clicking a link. This isn’t exactly on point (the link isn’t as recognizable as somethingawful), but it’s close and it underscores some of those concerns. In this case, it was the URL that tipped me off to avoid clicking the link. The URL was to a website called something like [ooze.com](http://ooze.com). I’ll admit I wasn’t think dead cats - I was thinking it was going to be a link to a picture of a cat with a suppurating infection. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/38 "2011-11-12T04:18:26Z")
This completely baffles me. How is there even a discussion over whether he gets a Warning? What is there to discuss?! ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/39 "2011-11-12T04:33:53Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > This completely baffles me. How is there even a discussion over whether he gets a Warning? What is there to discuss?! The jury is still out on whether or not he needs a good actioning too. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625/40 "2011-11-12T04:35:28Z")
Apropos of nothing, I think the mods should action his dog. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-floater-or-at-least-action-him/602625.md?page=3)