I’m getting more of a “soup Nazi” feel to it.
“NO BOARD FOR YOU! YOU BANNED!”
Once upon a time I belonged to an org with a coordinator I absolutely hated. He’d run unopposed because of a lack of enthusiasm among the group and managed to drive our morale further into the Earth’s core. I wanted him gone and, if possible, kicked in the nads.
A member of the org brought up a vote of no confidence. It was for the most moronic reasons ever: the coordinator in question had not done anything he was accused of, the accusations themselves were petty at best, and the entire business stank to high heaven.
I did not back the vote of no confidence. I said to the coordinator’s face that I thought he should be relieved of his position, that I had no confidence in him, but I would not be party to baseless slander, even if it was directed at him.
Nobody here’s an angel, and Otto’s halo was hella tarnished, but this is ass.
As a poster I didn’t particularly enjoy Otto. IMNSHO he often seemed to be a jerk. I also didn’t like his attitude towards religious faith.
But this banning is absolutely out of line. I do not agree that his comment, that Ed banned him for, was snarky. If you want to see snarky you should see some of the posts I’ve made in regards to the board “upgrade”.
I’d like to see him brought back. I don’t always agree with him, but a board in which everyone agrees with everything would be boring as hell.
Please, Ed, reconsider and let Otto come back.
That’s my point. While admittedly I’m not exactly a major contributer to this board, I feel no reason to renew my membership (expired during the board migration) if it can just be taken away on a whim.
Jayjay and Indistinguishable, thanks for the explanation about the Barn House.
Also:
I’ve been wanting to say that its this very fact that makes Ed’s banning of Otto seem particularly inappropriate. I know that he is the guy who hires the moderators, but there just seems to be something wrong with someone who is, for many intents and purposes, basically a stranger to the community, suddenly coming in and banning people. The fact that the ban was on questionable grounds only makes the wrongness more wrongish.
It’s like the CEO of McDonalds personally firing a cashier one day for not counting change properly.
-FrL-
My understanding is that they really don’t want you to pay. Paying customers don’t see ads, and ad revenue is projected to be the major source of income.
Nobody expects the banning inquisition.
Well then, I’m so angry, I’m going to pay for memberships for me and my five best friends! 
-FrL-
They just changed the motto on us.
ffs
It was a stupid fucking question
What kind of an answer did he expect?
Oh bravo.
-FrL-
I’m a long time lurker (with less than 200 posts in five years) and I’ve been trying to decide if I wanted to renew. This certainly helped me make up my mind. Even if Otto was reinstated and an apology was made, I think I’ll save my money. I can’t support something that was so arbitrary and childish.
Corrected typo.
Five? As if.
No it’s like some of the cashiers haven’t been counting change properly and have been bitching and moaning and cussing out the management and the CEO in front of the customers. And the CEO comes in one day and fires the wrong one.
That matches what I have seen **Ed **say and that was the point I was trying to make.
I for one agree with Ed and everything he has ever said or done since the day he was born…
I dunno; with a little more work, it could’ve been better. “banning” is ok, but “vanish” is closer, for example.
Well, when I get it into perfection, I’ll let the boards know…
I’ve been going back and forth on this issue in my head.
There is indeed a sense in which Otto was creeping right up to the line and poking a toe over it. It was predictable, to anyone who knows something about human beings, that his question might piss Ed off. But that is not the kind of line crossing that is supposed to get you banned. It is never supposed to be that one gets banned simply for making a mod (or Ed) angry. Rather, you get banned for breaking board rules. And Otto didn’t do that. The correct response would simply have been something like this: “No, rudeness to a guest wouldn’t get a mod fired.” Simple answer to what is, technically, a straightforward question.
Otto didn’t do anything for which he deserved to be banned, at least not by the principles upon which this board is supposed to be run. This isn’t to say I think his question was a good one or particularly constructive–no on both counts.
-FrL-
ETA: Of course there is board rule number one (or something like that) which says “Don’t be a jerk” (or something like that). But while I’m impressed by the sentiment expressed by that “rule,” I would never expect it to be taken seriously as an administrative principle. It is far too open to interpretation.
I’m a long-time poster and recently started checking the board again, debating whether I should start participating again. But I’m completely disgusted by Ed Zotti’s behaviour regarding this matter. I guess I’ll be spending my time (and click-throughs or subscription fees) elsewhere.
And if he wants to ban me for “whining” he can go ahead, I don’t care…
My fictional cyber-identity comes crumbling down in ruins. I lie exposed. I die, die, die, die, die.
-FrL-