Being banned on a forum

[jacastillo]

Hi,

If you follow the rules on an online forum. Can you be banned for no reason. Maybe you disagreed with a Mod, but did so in a professional manner. Any thoughts?

PS: I was just banned from an online forum along with 3 other members. We followed the rules to the letter. Do we have a case?

[irideflatland]

It doesn't matter because the owner of the forums can do whatever he/she wants.

[jacastillo]

I guessed that. Kind of stinks though. I enjoyed being a member of the community. This Mod has bashed members, I stood up to it, and got banned. LOL Thanks

[Rosalind]

Well, you could start your own forum, and contact some of their members in order to lure them away. Then you can write your own rules.

Running a successful forum isn't easy, but it might help you see things from a new perspective.

[rogerd]

More than a few forum operators don't like arguments with Mods, particularly if the subject of discussion is forum-related. These battles about "why did that post get deleted" or "why did ___ get banned" can turn messy and turn an otherwise good community into fighting camps. (This forum's TOS specifically forbids discussion of mod actions in the forums, for good reason.)

If you have been a good member of the community and still want to get back in, just write a note to the admin/owner & indicate your intention to play by his/her rules. Depending on the forum mod structure, it could be that a lesser power banned you - maybe even who you were arguing with.

If you feel alienated by the banning, though, it's time to find a different community.