# How do you get BANNED? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 12, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479 "2017-05-12T20:45:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/1 "2017-05-12T20:45:38Z")
Not that I am trying to, but it seems that every time I open a zombie, there is some poster who is shown as BANNED and I began to wonder what transgression you have to commit. I just read a thread about locksmiths and not one but two of the posters on that 7 year old thread are BANNED. Neither seemed to say anything exceptionable on that thread and I have to wonder what they did. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/2 "2017-05-12T20:48:22Z")
Spammers and Trolls are banned quite frequently and without much notice. Regular users may be banned for repeated rule violations. It would not be a surprise to any poster if they were banned - they would have had multiple chances to modify their posting behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/3 "2017-05-12T20:49:59Z")
You can always do a search on their posts - something in their last few posts will often give a clue about what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/4 "2017-05-12T20:58:47Z")
If the mods discover a sock name, both names are banned, supposedly without warning or extensive discussion. I could be wrong, but I’m not a sock or sockette. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/5 "2017-05-12T22:10:01Z")
You can get instantly banned for trolling, socking, or threatening legal action. Other than that, we generally give out warnings. If you repeatedly ignore the warnings and continue the bad behavior you can eventually get banned. If you want to know why a specific user was banned, you can send me (or any other mod) a PM and we can look it up for you. We prefer not to discuss that type of thing in public. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/6 "2017-05-12T23:04:23Z")
I has often struck me (but I was never seriously injured, tyvm), when reading ancient zombie threads, how many of the posters there are banned. It sometimes seems like the probability of any poster getting banned approaches 1.000 as a poster’s tenure here approaches ∞ so that older threads tend to have surprisingly high proportions of the banned and the damned in them. Eventually, apparently, everybody gets banned. **Marley23** was one who realized that long ago, and far-sighted enough to make it fast and painless for everyone. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/7 "2017-05-12T23:05:34Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You can get instantly banned for trolling, socking, or threatening legal action. What if we just hint that there are secret tapes that you better hope we don’t have? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/8 "2017-05-12T23:05:37Z")
I for one am grateful for the banned posters. That’s usually the only way I know I’m reading a zombie thread. For some reason that big BANNED notice under their name catches my eye a lot better than an old date does. ---
**Author:** ![Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/9 "2017-05-13T00:08:45Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > What if we just hint that there are secret tapes that you better hope we don’t have? Reported ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/10 "2017-05-13T00:08:49Z")
It’s actually pretty difficult to get banned around here, but some folks are surprising good at it! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/11 "2017-05-13T02:44:34Z")
ISTR some years ago, a mod or admin explained that a lot of those posters had gone inactive, and then some time later came back under a new name. When the duplication was discovered, both accounts were BANNED, but some of them appealed and one of their accounts was reinstated. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/12 "2017-05-13T03:50:44Z")
I believe a couple folks have actually asked to get banned and a few flamed their way to a banning. We’ve had a lot of different people here over the years and a lot of unique personalities; think of a way to get banned and someone has done it. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/13 "2017-05-13T04:19:51Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Eventually, apparently, everybody gets banned. **Marley23** was one who realized that long ago, and far-sighted enough to make it fast and painless for everyone. Yep, you just missed it, we spent over 2 hours in Purgatory (although it felt like an eternity!) before being sent back to save the Earth. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/14 "2017-05-13T11:29:53Z")
I didn’t experience that being, at the time, suspended. FTR, and to answer the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/15 "2017-05-13T13:05:29Z")
I guess it is pretty much as expected. I didn’t know about the sock puppets. And no, I am not interested in knowing why X was banned, only what the general criteria were, in case I ever aspired to such a state. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/16 "2017-05-13T13:47:24Z")
Being a jerk is a good start. I don’t recall you making any effort in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/17 "2017-05-13T14:00:34Z")
Usually, folks get banned for accurately predicting the sweeps of the next thousand years of human history and acting on that knowledge to shepherd a community of guardians of knowledge to rebuild a new Galactic empire. So you shouldn’t have anything to worry abo-- Oh, wait. Hang on a moment while I just zip over to the moderator control panel real quick-- This’ll only be a second. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/18 "2017-05-13T15:21:27Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Being a jerk is a good start. Coming out of turn 2 it’s Jerk in front, followed by… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/19 "2017-05-13T16:18:37Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > If the mods discover a sock name, both names are banned, supposedly without warning or extensive discussion. I could be wrong, but I’m not a sock or sockette. Sez you. And, funny enough, so does “Musidog.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479/20 "2017-05-13T17:44:44Z")
As I posted in a similar thread a while back you really need to work hard to get permanently banned here, unless of course you’re a sock or a spammer in which case it’s easy. I’ve been on quite a few boards over the years and many of them you merely have to look awry at a moderator to get the boot. In this place the mods always have a reason other than it is their will to have it so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-banned/786479.md?page=2)