# Seven year suspension? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 6, 2019, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297 "2019-01-06T15:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/1 "2019-01-06T15:55:46Z")
I just noticed in a resurrected zombie that a participant’s status is suspended. The person’s last post is in November of 2011 and last activity is in January of 2011. Why might someone be suspended for so long but not banned? Not looking for specifics in this case, just in general. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/2 "2019-01-06T16:06:45Z")
WAG: The terms of their suspension were that they would have to discuss with a moderator their posting behavior moving forward, and they never followed through and just moved on. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/3 "2019-01-06T16:16:04Z")
Another possibility, though it seems unlikely for the amount of time you’re talking about, is that the person was underage at the time of the post. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/4 "2019-01-06T16:25:24Z")
A number of people have asked to be suspended over the years because they felt that they were posting too much and didn’t want to be tempted. Someone like that might never have bothered to ask to have the suspension removed. If your title is changed, it doesn’t revert to the new title until you have logged in again. Someone could have been suspended as a punishment and then voluntarily never returned after the suspension was lifted. What was the name of the poster? A simple search could easily solve the specific mystery. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/5 "2019-01-06T16:50:44Z")
Without knowing the name of the poster, we can’t really tell the exact circumstance. There are several possibilities. > [@HeyHomie](#): > > WAG: The terms of their suspension were that they would have to discuss with a moderator their posting behavior moving forward, and they never followed through and just moved on. We have one case like this where we required a poster to get in touch with us regarding his password (which he kept forgetting) before lifting the suspension. He’s now been suspended for more than three years. I assume he has just moved on. (Technically, they are actually permanently banned. Their title just reads “Suspended.” This just indicates that they may be eligible for reinstatement if they request it.) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/6 "2019-01-06T16:54:22Z")
It appears to be the OP of [this](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=619975) thread. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/7 "2019-01-06T17:05:28Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It appears to be the OP of [this](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=619975) thread. Sock. Evidently the poster was suspended while we investigated and changing the title to “Banned” when we confirmed it was overlooked. They were actually banned. I’ve corrected the oversight. Thanks for the heads-up. Per the board software, users are either temporarily or permanently banned. We just use “Suspended” to indicate those posters who are subject to reinstatement. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/8 "2019-01-06T20:38:32Z")
Oh. I thought this was going to be a case where they hadn’t logged back in since becoming unsuspended. I seem to remember it requiring you to log in before your status updates–though I’m not sure it applies to “Suspended” titles since I believe they have to be manually entered. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/9 "2019-01-06T23:22:12Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Sock. Evidently the poster was suspended while we investigated and changing the title to “Banned” when we confirmed it was overlooked. They were actually banned. I’ve corrected the oversight. Thanks for the heads-up. > > Per the board software, users are either temporarily or permanently banned. We just use “Suspended” to indicate those posters who are subject to reinstatement. Thanks. That was the one I saw. I didn’t specify because I know you normally prefer questions about specific posters to be done in PMs. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/10 "2019-01-07T00:46:36Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Oh. I thought this was going to be a case where they hadn’t logged back in since becoming unsuspended. I seem to remember it requiring you to log in before your status updates–though I’m not sure it applies to “Suspended” titles since I believe they have to be manually entered. It’s just another category of user, that’s all. No big deal. Suspended also covers people who are too young to be here; we suspend their account until they are of age to be on the board. Also used to put people on break, the “posting sabbatical.” This includes people who only want to read and not be able to post (“I have a work assignment and shouldn’t be on the board anyway, keep me from posting”) and people who just don’t want to deal with the board at all for a while and don’t trust themselves with privileges. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/11 "2019-01-07T04:20:52Z")
I know all that. I’m just saying I don’t know how the actual “Suspended” title plays with the software on this board. Let me ask directly: If someone is suspended, and then never logs back in after they are unsuspended, will their category/title ever change back to Guest or Member? I do remember this happening in other instances. I believe it was someone who was a Charter Member but lost it, but never logged back in, so they continued to say Charter Member. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2019, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/12 "2019-01-07T04:59:44Z")
Ain’t got nothin’ on Roebling. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/13 "2019-01-07T16:03:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I know all that. I’m just saying I don’t know how the actual “Suspended” title plays with the software on this board. Let me ask directly: > > If someone is suspended, and then never logs back in after they are unsuspended, will their category/title ever change back to Guest or Member? > > I do remember this happening in other instances. I believe it was someone who was a Charter Member but lost it, but never logged back in, so they continued to say Charter Member. The display changes after the action is applied; they don’t have to sign back in. I always check it after I apply it to be sure it came out correctly. Jenny your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**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:** [January 7, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/14 "2019-01-07T17:38:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Per the board software, users are either temporarily or permanently banned. We just use “Suspended” to indicate those posters who are subject to reinstatement. Has there ever been an instance of someone being banned and then being un-banned? I’m trying to think of a situation where that might happen… perhaps the moderation staff thought that a particular account was a sock account and thus banned the poster, but after being contacted by the poster its revealed that it wasn’t a sock account, but, say, a different poster using the same computer—we have several Dopers who are married to other Dopers. Or maybe they’re just really really sorry for that last insult and pinky swear never to do it again? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/15 "2019-01-07T17:55:47Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Has there ever been an instance of someone being banned and then being un-banned? I’m trying to think of a situation where that might happen… perhaps the moderation staff thought that a particular account was a sock account and thus banned the poster, but after being contacted by the poster its revealed that it wasn’t a sock account, but, say, a different poster using the same computer—we have several Dopers who are married to other Dopers. > > Or maybe they’re just really really sorry for that last insult and pinky swear never to do it again? It happened a few times back in the day before the more formal warning system was instituted. Usually they have a ended up banned again eventually. There might have been a legitimate mistake a time or two where they thought someone was a sock. From a technical point of view, it’s trivial to move someone out of the Banned user group. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/16 "2019-01-07T18:03:08Z")
Heck, there was a time when one of the mods (and he knows who he is) “accidentally” banned the entire board. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2019, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-year-suspension/827297/17 "2019-01-07T18:05:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Heck, there was a time when one of the mods (and he knows who he is) “accidentally” banned the entire board. And I’m sure his crushing guilt and shame contributed to his eventual departure.