Just some thoughts on banning people

dwood

Having worked in IT for a number of years, and having been responsible for forums, chat rooms, and other "congregational areas" in cyberspace, I am haunted by a couple of experiences when banning/policing/controlling forums such as this one.

Inevitably, when you start banning and controlling people, they will find a way around your control. New usernames, new registrations, different email addresses and the like, all will be used by previously banned users to again gain access to the forums. And the only purpose in coming back is to cause trouble, to get retribution for the wrongdoing they have suffered. Also, if someone is well versed, there are groups of mercenary script kiddies who are just waiting for any "righteous" cause to justify practicing their skills. I expect Carol and any other moderators could become extremely busy if the practice of banning/censoring becomes commonplace, and I will be watching with apprehension. I hope that I am wrong, but it is hard to tell through a computer screen who the people are who will take this well, and who are the ones who will retaliate. Ny experience has been that there are more effective ways of battling the troublemakers than banning them. Banning them only makes them try that much harder to attack whatever it is you are trying to protect.

The "PCGS is under DDOS attack" thread from this weekend was a false alarm, but it might not be so in the future? You can't restrict by IP anymore because IPs are easily spoofed/changed/borrowed (The better hackers make it appear that the machine is actually attacking itself). Usernames are of little help, email addresses are no good, because new ones are so readily available. MAC address (when you can get it) is ok, but how much is a new NIC these days? $10?

In trying to make it better, it is entirely possible that you can make it exponentially worse. In a heartbeat. If you're going to ban/censor, I would recommend EXTREME CAUTION. When it looks like it is starting to get ugly, it already has and it is probably too late.

I hope I'm wrong again, and that most here aren't the type to cause trouble over something as insignifigant as an Internet messageboard. But you never know, and we're wading through a minefield here.

dpoole

Wise words, dwood. PCGS IMO is contemplating fixing something that ain't broke here, and is risking creating more PR problems then they intended to solve. Noble aloofness and a wry counterjab from time to time from BJ will serve them far better than sending in riot control with truncheons.

NumisEd

......and didn't I read where David Hall was slamming another dealer, Laura Sperber? Called her "little miss know it all" or something to that affect? Isn't that the kinda stuff that PCGS wants to eliminate on the forum?

Pushkin

I totally disagree!

Freedom of expression is not a right, it's a responsibility. If you can't be responsible and exhibit correct behavior, you don't deserve to be free to express yourself!

I understand that NiceCoinVille will limit all future members to a maximum grade of MS-70 (mental state 70, which is the present politically correct term for IQ). A recent independent survey has determined that folks with MS-70 or less are, on the average much nicer people than folks with a MS above 70.

NiceCoinVille - love it or leave it!

nwcs

>address (when you can get it) is ok, but how much is a new NIC these days?

Actually, they're not as unique as once thought.

DesertLizard

Dwood, I agree in principle. However, in this instance I believe the 3-4 banned members will not resort to such behavior. I feel they are too smart for that. I do also believe they are knowledgeable and influential enough that they can sway opinions. This is something far more harmful to PCGS.

Most important, we have been deprived of some great sources of coin knowledge. The loss is to the whole board.

cosmicdebris

NumisEd

Ya know, I have always held the opinion that a person's position in life does not always correlate to that person's intelligence level. A janitor, for example, can be well read, logical, patient, speak several languages, hold humanitarian views and just be an all around highly intelligent person. Conversely, a CEO can sometimes be a borderline illiterate (like me), arrogant , self-centered, egotistical (sorry for the redundancy), close-minded, condescending, babbling fool who just happened upon his or her position through luck or perhaps good timing on an IPO.

clw54

At least one of the bans was done before announcing the new policy. Doesn't seem right to do it that way.

clackamas

"Freedom of expression is not a right," - actually it is a right.

"New user names, new registrations, different email addresses and the like, all will be used by previously banned users to again gain access to the forums"

I posted the same concern in another post. On the Yahoo boards for stocks, you can choose to ignore people and people get booted. They always come back in some other more ghastly form and ruin a place. I sincerely hope this does not occur here, and perhaps Greg, EVP, Dakara, TDN and Laura don't do this but, I suspect they won't be the last and someone will come back as the un-dead.


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"Those that would give up an essential freedom for a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

-Benjamin Franklin- A.K.A. "Frankie"

Choker

I'm new here but I have been around BBS boards a lot, I even own and run one myself (not coin related). Whenever a company owns and runs a BBS board starts banning people for talking smack about that company, that board is doomed to die. I have seen this happen many times. Probably the most succesfull BBS board on the web is owned by a company and they allow people to bash their company all they want. Of course they and others come in and defend them. But this board just passed 1 million posts total. Their total income from banner spots exceeds $100,000 a month. One banner spot is $2000 a month in rotation with several others. IMO people should only be banned for language and drive by spam. When you censor a board it makes members think you may have something to hide from them. But what do I know I'm new.

ksteelheader

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bulloncoins

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