Either when you access the board or when you try to do something you are not allowed to do, like posting. But you would be able to read the boards.
Correct. And I appreciate your presumption that I sometimes moderate while sober.
EDIT: For some reason, this thread makes me want to shout “I am not an IP number! I am a free man!”
Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!
Thanks for your response. And FTR, have you considered that the problem might be moderating when you are not drunk? JAQ.
Oh jeez, don’t start that Kaitlyn/Number Six stuff again.
Regards,
Shodan
The last post seems to have been some time ago so I hope someone is still here!
Several times over the last few months while trying to log in I get the message “Sorry the administrator has banned your IP Address” :eek:
The only way I seem to be able to clear this message and log in is by a reboot of my modem but as you might appreciate this is not always convenient.
Is there something that can be done at your end (or my end) so I don’t get this error message in the future.
Thank you.
Reported.
I am just posting to say that the use of the term “IP number” instead of “IP address” in the title of this thread has been causing me to grit my teeth every time I’ve seen it for the past year and a half.
While I agree that most people with this problem will be looking at their “dotted quad” or IP address when they post; I don’t think it’s such a reach to think that the moderator in charge of this particular problem might be someone deeply geek enough to think in long form “numbers” rather than in addresses.
Am I banned?
guess not. I was getting a “you’re not allowed to do this” when I was trying to post. Lasted about 20 minutes.
Were you replying to a spammer, troll or sock puppet? If you try to post to a vanished or locked thread you get a message like that.
109.123.99.104
This IP is banned. It belongs to HMA VPN service. I can’t read forums when I use this IP because this IP is restricted. Would you please remove it?
Nobody cares. 
Does anybody really know what time it is?
I’ll look into it, but we’ve been spammed by a bunch of people using similar IP addresses. That’s why it’s banned.
We’re doomed.
Regards,
Shodan
We’ve actually considered not allowing any proxy IPs or anonymous IPs in an effort to fight spam and trolls.
So far, we don’t usually do this routinely. So far.
Try using one of your proxies we haven’t banned.
I’ve never been banned anywhere and have a question I’ve always wondered about. When you’re banned and try to log in, what do you see? Is it a simple message that says you’re banned or do it provide more info such as the reason and length of he ban. No, I don’t want to find it first hand, so I’m asking.
IP bans are different from those kinds of bans. If your IP address is banned you get a message that says the administrator has banned your IP address. If your account is banned, you get a message saying that. It may or may not include a reason for the ban (or suspension if it’s a temporary ban).
That’s so unreasonable. Why am I not allowed to view Straight Dope Message Boards while using my VPN?
Also,
91.214,46.197
91.214.45.177
are banned. Please lift them. I am sure there are pretty much VPN IPs banned.
Because people using IPs similar to yours kept spamming us. We are looking for a way to accommodate you and I realize this may be an inconvenience, but it seems to me you’re not having that much difficulty accessing the board.
You should be able to access the board now through your 91.214.46.197 and 91.214.45.177 IP addresses, taskmgr.exe. I would prefer to leave the other IP addresses banned because before the ban we were getting a significant amount of spam from there. Does that solve your problem?