There’s a lot of consternation about the new rules. It seems that the greatest worry (at least, for me) is that it might be possible to step on some invisible or ill-defined SDMB land mine and find oneself banned. Can someone explain the process? Will there always be warnings first? How long is a typical Banning? A month? Life?
I do not wish to find the exact limits of the system so that I can test them. I’m looking for a genuine answer so that I can stay out of trouble. I think that it would go some distance toward relieving some of the pressure around here. Can we be given some breathing space so that it does not seem that we’re already standing on the trap door?
In general, there will always be warnings first. In the past few years, there has become a general rule that a poster will be suspended after a few warnings (usually for a month), but not until after a few more warnings are they banned permanently.
This general rule, is, of course, not applicable to spammers, trolls, or common (or, garden-variety) jerks who may be banned at a moment’s notice.
The current concern is not so much over being banned as it is over uncertainty over what will get one warned, the first step in the process.
This is a little wordy and I apologize in advance. But it’s a big subject.
I can tell you up front that it’s mostly nothing for anyone to worry about.
First off, it would take something monumental to get banned right out of the box first time gone.
I’m not saying it hasn’t happened – because it has – but that just does not happen to a regular everyday poster.
People who are obvious spammers are banned as soon as we catch them – sometimes before they can make a post. Someone who signs up with the screen name “FreeViagra” is probably not here to make friends.
It has happened to people who have attempted to hack the board or tamper with the functionality of the software. Again, when we catch 'em, we kill 'em.
If you threaten to file legal action against the site or our corporate parent, it’s game over.
But no, unless the situation is so egregious that removing you and your posts from the board as soon as possible is the only way to go – the proverbial “yelling ‘fire!’ in a crowded theater” kind of thing – you may be counseled, you may be talked to, you may be Warned, but one slip does not a banning make.
In most all cases we counsel people to read the rules, understand the process, do better. In nearly all cases that’s what people do; they get a better understanding of how it works here, they get a grip on themselves, sober up, recover their lost temper, and they correct whatever the situation was that made that oopses happen.
And we all go forward.
It’s a small percentage of people that even get Warned at all, formally Warned. The overwhelming majority of users on this board, people who have been here for years, they’ve never even been counseled against bad behavior or issued a formal Warning. We have people who got maybe one. Maybe. But even those are rare and people learn to do better, they go on and sin no more.
And that’s really what the process is all about – that people learn and understand what’s right and they do right. For some it’s just harder to learn that than it is for others but nearly everyone else gets it right long before it comes to issuing formal Warnings.
It’s when we see a clear pattern of bad behavior/poor choices . . . when people don’t listen, when people don’t comply with what’s asked of them, when people do the same thing over and over again, that’s when it gets more serious.
There’s no hard and fast rule but it usually takes multiple occasions and a ramping up of offenses to get you in big trouble around here. You can do that in a short period of time but you really have to work at it.
Usually – mostly – people get a final Warning. Then get told that the next offense will cause them to be suspended – a temporary ban. That might be a few days, a week, a month, or more – it varies with the situation and the offenses.
When a poster returns from a suspension if they continue down the same path as before the next offense is the last offense.
It’s a process, it’s a path. You’re not going to get banned from the board for one mistake or mistaken impression or posting made in error.
In short:
Don’t be a spammer.
Don’t attempt viral marketing on this site.
Don’t try to hack into the board or screw with the software.
Don’t threaten to file legal action.
Read the rules. Look at the sticky files in front of ATMB and all the other forum areas, it’s slightly different flavors different places – there’s your rules of the road.
(Ask us for anything you need clarification on, we’re happy to help.)
Listen to what moderators and administrators tell you and comply with their requests.
As Frank says, in general there will be multiple warnings, a suspension (usually a month), and then often additional warnings after returning from suspension before a banning takes place. (In extreme cases I suppose there might be a summary banning, but I can’t recall one offhand since the warning/suspension system was formalized.) This of course excludes spammers, those who appear to be trolling from their first entrance on the board, and socks.
For 99.9% of posters here, banning is not a serious concern. You really have to work at it, and show little or no inclination to change, to get banned. You are not going to “step on some ill-defined land mine” and find yourself banned. There is usually a fair amount of discussion among the moderation staff even for a suspension, let alone a banning, and benefit of the doubt is often given. As I mentioned in other threads, there were a total of three bannings of legitimate posters for bad behavior in all of 2008 (plus four for having socks).
Chacoguy, if you are actually worried about getting banned, but have yet to get a warning, you almost certainly won’t be.
I believe he generated insulin from dog pancreases.
Wait, that’s the Banting process. Sorry, the extra capital kinda threw me off.
Well, Tuba, now someone is going to sign up with the name “Free Viagra” after reading this thread.
He sends me e-mail all the time.
Somebody once signed up as viagraman.
Paradoxically, he didn’t last very long.
And it wasn’t hard to ban him.
Oh come on, someone had to say it!
After four hours he was referred to Dr. Banning.
Well, first a poster really really loves the board…
Probably because he stuck out.
I love this place. (Yes, even considering.)
That’s the fapping process.
[Michael Bolton] When a baaaaan loves a womaaaan…[Michael Bolton]
Whatever you do, don’t make him angry-you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.
Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you said the Banner Process.
Last September, Zotti banned me for asking a civil question. (This thread.) No warning, no announcement, and my title didn’t even change from “Charter Member” to “BANNED”. After a couple of days my unjustified banning was changed to an unwarranted suspension.
No apology, either. I’m not holding my breath.
However, that would be one of the exceptions. Usually when somebody gets banned, the reason is fairly apparent.
You forgot to mention having socks. Wham Bam, Instant Ban. (Or is that a class of spammer?)
No, socks are a different thing. Although once in a while, an individual spammer will come back over and over- we’ve got one guy who hates James Randi’s guts so much he’s posted the same rant five different times. 
TubaDiva’s correct in principle, though- to get banned here, you pretty much have try TRY to get banned, or at least make zero effort to learn how things work and then ignore all attempts to explain the rules.
Here’s what the rules have to say about socks: