# Somebody clue the newbie in... **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 16, 2000, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-clue-the-newbie-in/22543 "2000-06-16T03:04:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sequent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Sequent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sequent)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-clue-the-newbie-in/22543/1 "2000-06-16T03:04:30Z")
OK, dumb question here. What’s with the [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=27299](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=27299) thread? Why are these folks banned? How can they post when it says “BANNED” below their aliases, or does the Grand All Knowing Machine that is this message board go back and insert that in all their previous posts? And what the hell are they talking about? ---
**Author:** ![bunnymom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@bunnymom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunnymom)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-clue-the-newbie-in/22543/2 "2000-06-16T03:32:38Z")
Yes,Sequent, the folks in the thread posted before they were banned.After being banned, any messages with the banned username get the banned stamp on them(beneath the name). And just in case no one has said it yet, Welcome! ---
**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:** [June 16, 2000, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-clue-the-newbie-in/22543/3 "2000-06-16T03:44:42Z")
The way this system works, member information is current for all posts, so if status changes, it changes on ALL posts made by the (former) user. In most cases what gets people thrown out of here (at least lately) is harassing other forum members and/or having more than one operating screen name. (Some of these problem children used more than one screen name to harass other forum members, making a double play of sorts). If you have any questions about our forum rules, please ask up . . . you might also read over the registration agreement . . . the one you said you’d live by . . . when you registered. > [@](#): > > We have one basic rule: Don’t be a jerk. > > Considering the real-time nature of this bulletin board and the volume of messages received, it is impossible for us to verify the information posted. We do not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message, and are not responsible for the contents of any message. Users should be particularly wary of medical, legal or other professional advice posted on the message boards and recognize that it is no substitute for in-person consultation with a competent professional. The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of the Chicago Reader, Inc., or any entity associated with it. > > Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable should contact us immediately by E-mail. We have the ability to remove objectionable messages and will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time, if we determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, however, so please realize that we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. > > You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not use this BB to post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, threatening, invasive of a person’s privacy, or otherwise violative of any law. You agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or by this BB. You agree to abide by the wishes of the board moderators in interpreting and enforcing these rules. Refusal to cooperate with board moderators or to abide by these rules is grounds for revocation of your posting privileges. > > Religious proselytizing (“witnessing”) and religious discussions generally (other than strictly factual inquiries) should be confined to the Great Debates forum. Proselytizing in other forums will be deleted. In the Great Debates forum, proselytizing should be limited to threads started for that purpose or to which a discussion of religion and related matters has some relevance. Proselytizing inserted into inappropriate threads will be deleted. > > Only one screen name is permitted per user. If you wish to change screen names please notify the webmaster and we will deactivate your old screen name. Use of multiple screen names is grounds for revocation of your right to post under ANY screen name. We reserve the right to refuse postings from screen names we find objectionable. > > Vandalism of the site through inappropriate use of HTML or other code is grounds for immediate banning. Vandals will be reported to their Internet services provider. In extreme cases we may refer site vandalism to the police. > > We reserve the right to delete any message for any or no reason whatsoever. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Chicago Reader, Inc. (the operator of this BB), Jelsoft Enterprises Limited (the makers of the bulletin board software), and their agents with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s). > > The Chicago Reader, Inc., also reserves the right to reveal your identity (or whatever information we know about you) in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by you. > > Advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are not permitted on this BB and will be deleted. We will notify the Internet service provider of any party posting objectionable messages. > > By posting on this board you grant the Chicago Reader, Inc., a nonexclusive irrevocable right to reuse your posting in any manner it sees fit without notice or compensation to you. > > One last thing. This message board allows us to selectively ban individual users, and to delete all postings by a particular screen name in a single operation. Please remember that you are our guest here, and that we must reserve the right to exclude you at our whim, for any or no reason whatsoever. By registering and using the board you acknowledge this right and agree to abide by our rules and to submit to their interpretation and enforcement by our moderators and editors. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Bilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@Bilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bilder)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-clue-the-newbie-in/22543/4 "2000-06-16T17:08:24Z")
(This question was asked somewhere else, but I can’t get Search to work for me, to find it.) Is banned the same as troll? Is sockpuppet the same as troll? Why don’t you remove the harassing messages? There seem to hundreds in the Barbecue Pit area, and many don’t say banned at all. Also, there was a suggestion somewhere that if banned messages are left in place the names of all banees should become the same, to discourage ability to pick out one’s own words. In response, I suggested that if that was not possible, perhaps a name of Troll3276908, etc. would make it pointless to try to seek distinctions. If you have answered these at the other discussion, please ignore here. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-clue-the-newbie-in/22543/5 "2000-06-16T17:44:59Z")
**Bilder** asked: > [@](#): > > Is banned the same as troll? Well, Banned is hopefully what happens to someone who is a troll. If someone has “Banned” under their name, that means that the Mods or Admins here decided that that poster had broken the “don’t be a jerk” rule, usually for trollish actions or for having sock-puppets (see following for info on those). > [@](#): > > Is sockpuppet the same as troll? Yes, and no, and yes. Okay, a Troll is generally defined as someone who makes specifically derogatory or inflammatory posts in the hopes of getting a rise out of people. Such as wandering into a thread about Judaism and saying, “Yeah, but they’re all lying about the Holocaust having happened.” The troll sits back and enjoys the ruckus and the attention lavished upon him (through insults, admittedly, but apparently in some people’s minds, any attention is good attention). A sockpuppet is a second user-name brought in to agree with you. That way, when you start to lose a debate or a flame war, you can have the sock puppet (who _seems_ to be a completely different poster) jump in to claim that you’re right, that your enemies are evil, that you’re a really nice guy, etc. so that people who read the thread think that _you’re_ the one who’s right (or at least, the one who’s winning). Now, some trolls will use sock-puppets. And while some sock-puppets are created in the spirit of good fun (one person created a sock-puppet named “Dead Equine” who would show up after a thread had been debated for a long, long time and say “Stop beating me!”), most are created by people who don’t care about rules; they just care about winning (like there’s anything to ‘win’ here other than esteem of your fellows, and you don’t do that by being an ass). Recently, the term ‘sock puppet’ has been a bit misapplied; what we’re facing here is a few people who have decided to harass this board. These few people have created dozens upon dozens of different user names, and every time an old name is banned for being a troll, they trot out one of the new user names. Since it’s just a few people doing this over and over again, some people refer to this as sock puppetry. As a reminder- no matter how cool it may sound to create a second, humorous persona, it is against board rules to have more than one user name. > [@](#): > > Why don’t you remove the harassing messages? There seem to hundreds in the Barbecue Pit area, and many don’t say banned at all. Well, the Pit _is_ for flame wars, so it might be that some of what you’re seeing is just standard Pit fare, or regular posters trying to defend themselves from the trolls. The problem with deleting the troll messages are A) it removes a paper trail. Once deleted, it’s gone, and it’s hard to be able to prove to people why someone was kicked out when there’s no record of what they did. B) it makes all the posts in response to the trollish message look weird or non-sensical, which means either deleting _those_ messages, or having people ask lots of qustions about what the hell was going on in the thread. C) it’s a lot of work for the Mods to go through each thread and pick out the works of those who were later Banned. Hope those answer most of your questions! ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-clue-the-newbie-in/22543/6 "2000-06-16T18:28:31Z")
Nicely said, John.