What Exit? is correct. I’m surprised to have to repeat this but here we go:
No banning nor suspension is ever unilateral. The process is straightforward but also collaborationist.
- Some moderator gives a warning or otherwise notes some rule breaking.
- If moderator realizes there’s an ongoing problem - multiple notes, warnings, spamming whatever - he or she brings it to the mid loop.
- Discussion occurs. Often objections are raised early about further sanction - suspension or banning - and that’s the end of it.
- If the discussion goes against the poster in question a vote is taken.
- A last effort akin to ‘Does anyone have any objections to a suspension/ban?’ is made.
- If none are mentioned, suspending/banning goes forward.
So, really, to get banned several steps need to occur. One needs to get in trouble enough to earn warnings. One then needs to do so in a way in which one mod or another needs to notice the pattern (a variety of warnings in different fora might not be noticed as a pattern). THEN the mod in question needs to bring it to the mod loop. THEN no one of the mods should raise for discussion any extenuating circumstance. THEN the poster must survive a final vote. THEN no last minute objections must be raised.
It’s really HARD to get banned. Most posters spend their entire lives on the SDMB without ever earning a warning.
Really, the efforts to blame Shodan’s banning on ‘board culture’ or ‘moderation staff bias’ or ‘one mod who disliked him’ is just silly. Shodan had agency. He had control over what he posted and how he behaved. No one made him say warnable, jerkish, trollish things. He did it because he enjoyed it. To blame his banning on anything else is to look for a reason outside of himself as a focal point of blame when really, the only blame is his and his alone.