# Hypothetical question about banned posters **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 20, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724 "2003-09-20T01:39:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724/1 "2003-09-20T01:39:56Z")
What with all the Doper marriages and relationships and such, what would happen if (say) Airman Doors were to be banned, but I were not? In other words, what if two posters share a computer, but one were banned? How would this work? [sub]Not that Airman should be banned or anything, I’m just sayin’.[/sub] Robin ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724/2 "2003-09-20T02:13:00Z")
Wouldn’t it work as it does now? You post under your username and \*\*Airman \*\* posts under his, if he were banned you would still post under yours, while he cannot post at all. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ba8739/32.png) [@Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_s_Fool)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724/3 "2003-09-20T02:31:56Z")
I think the concern here is that they might both have the same ISP address. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724/4 "2003-09-20T02:40:28Z")
AFAIK (tForum is like this, and I assume vBulletin is too), they can ban by either username or IP address or both. In that case, I suspect they’d ban first by username, but if they suspected the banned user was using the non-banned user’s account to post, they’d then ban the entire IP address, too. That’s what i’d do. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724/5 "2003-09-20T02:50:23Z")
There is a case right now of a couple, one of whom is banned and the other of whom is an active member. Another case exists of an engaged couple living together where one was banned and the other left in reaction to that, but remains AFAIK a member in good standing so far as the board administration is concerned, and could return if she so chose. You will pardon my not naming names – all four are people for whom I have utmost respect, and I have no desire to broadcast their situation. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724/6 "2003-09-20T02:52:16Z")
That’s not fair, **Polycarp**. You respect everybody. That doesn’t narrow it down at all… ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724/7 "2003-09-20T03:03:47Z")
**Poly** , I know who you’re talking about, and I completely forgot about them. I guess that answers that. Robin ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-question-about-banned-posters/202724/8 "2003-09-20T19:01:54Z")
If the question has been asked and answered, that’s probably sufficient. Generally speaking, we do not tend to blame Person A for the errors of Person B, regardless of the relationship between A and B. That can lead to some peculiar situations, but nowhere near as peculiar as t’other way around might.