Poll Voting for Banning...Yes or No? (Please READ)

[Thai]

Hey all,

As you can tell, this forum has grown quite a bit since inception. We are #1 on Google and other search engines. As such, we get a lot of attention from many people with different intentions. Admins and Mods are here to provide and/or redirect information exchange. On rare occasions, we also have to ban outright trolls, blatant advertisers (aka cell phone posts by an advertiser in Africa), and even less common, members who repeatedly break forum rules despite warnings. Admins and Mods enforce forum rules.

However, there are select few instances where an individual have provided good info in the past but also has broken forum rules. Therefore, it's hard to judge such situations...the "gray zone." I want this forum to be open and be supported by the members.

Recently, i have posted a poll regarding whether to ban an individual. YOU guys vote on it. Therefore, the forum decides the fate of these individuals, not us. This will make for less disagreement and anger towards management (aka admins & mods ) because the majority rules.

My thinking is that if 66% of members vote one way, then that is majority.

Is this a good idea??? Vote.

If so, then any suggestions?? This is a new idea that i have not seen on any forums. The power is in your hands...as the saying goes.

Thanks all.

 

[007Runner]

Banning without at least a warning first, is like walking on egg shells. People will be afraid to give a honest opinion, or comment. If a person contributes to a forum, getting banned for having a bad day really is not very fair. At least give a warning first. Typing words is different then actually speaking to a person. It is easy to type something mean, but to actually say it out loud is quite different. I have blasted off some emails, and after reading them was ashamed at what I have written. I would never talk to that person like that, but like I said it is easy to type something and not know your being a jerk.

 

[Thai]

Of course, a warning will be given before resorting to the poll.

 

[gRunner3]

I don't spend as much time on this forum as a lot of people, but I would think that if a person gets a warning and still continues to break the rules, then they don't need a trial to determine their fate. Just get rid of them.

 

[peter78]

Speaking as a moderator, I can say when someone crosses the line, another member may of egged him on. So there is a bit of gray here. I would say we shoud warn our members, which is what we have been doing. I personally don't like the vote idea since it may be a bit of a personality vote and I don't like to dwell on the "banning" thing. In truth we do very few bannings and it is usually after a warning or two and we moderators talk about it privately.

Most of the bannings are for selling big screen TV's and cell phone on the cheap. Overall I feel we have a great group.

 

[biglatka]

Speaking as a moderator, I can say when someone crosses the line, another member may of egged him on. So there is a bit of gray here. I would say we shoud warn our members, which is what we have been doing. I personally don't like the vote idea since it may be a bit of a personality vote and I don't like to dwell on the "banning" thing. In truth we do very few bannings and it is usually after a warning or two and we moderators talk about it privately.

Most of the bannings are for selling big screen TV's and cell phone on the cheap. Overall I feel we have a great group.

Peter78 and Thai,

I agree we have a great group. I think banning should be used as a last resort ("other than for selling big screen TV's and cell phone on the cheap", etc., which should be immediate). I do like the idea of voting by the members for "questionable infractions", it gives us a chance to discuss it and also serves as a wake-up-call for the person being discussed. The voting thread should be up for a week though, to give more members a chance to express their opinion. Thanks for doing such a great job on this board (Thai and all the moderators).

 

[Bluto]

I trust the mods to do their jobs. No need for a kangaroo court.

There are members I don't like. I'd like to vote them off. But it is the Internet. Just ignore them. The members I don't like end up banned anyway.

 

[OUTRNNR]

Hey Thai,

What do you mean when you say we are #1 on Google? Is there some sort of forum rating system I'm not seeing or what? Please explain and sorry for the off topic question. Thanks.

 

[Hoomiester]

I'm a regular reader and rarely post. However, I've been on here for a good while and think that the mods do a very good job of keeping their eyes open. A vote is great for America but a moderator can rule his board anyway he wants. Thanks for asking but I feel there would be many opportunities for abuse should a vote be put into place. Ban people for time or forever - it's your board. By the way, this is one of the better boards I'm on! Well done.

 

[AlphaQup]

Thai,

You've been doing great, and you always have a great attitude everytime you post. I think the banning should be done by moderators themselves and not involve the whole community. Involving the group only brings on more debate which only sets off more emotional uproar between members who are on opposite sides of the vote.

 

[peter78]

Hey Thai,

What do you mean when you say we are #1 on Google? Is there some sort of forum rating system I'm not seeing or what? Please explain and sorry for the off topic question. Thanks.

I typed in "4Runner Forum" in Google and the first 3 hits I get were this site. Yotatech another great forum was next. I am sure that what Thai is talking about.

 

[MicaBlue03]

This is a great board from all angles and the admins & mods have shown that they can be trusted to be fair. Therefore I see no problem if they use their own standards to decide when to warn and to ban, no matter what the category of the offense.

However I see the point about the benefit of forum members voting in some situations and would support that too.

 

[Kmvreter]

I'm a regular reader and rarely post. However, I've been on here for a good while and think that the mods do a very good job of keeping their eyes open. A vote is great for America but a moderator can rule his board anyway he wants. Thanks for asking but I feel there would be many opportunities for abuse should a vote be put into place. Ban people for time or forever - it's your board. By the way, this is one of the better boards I'm on! Well done.

Have to agree. It's a great "discussion forum" but it's also your board. It's not a democracy. Just like a game, we know your rules when we join. If we get out of line, warn us with a public humiliation slap on the wrist/keyboard. A frank PM is also in order to reinforce your authority. Shame on us for acting out. If we continue to act out and don't want to listen to the warning then we deserve to be treated like a kid: penalty time (to your corner) or if serious enough then game over (take your ball and go home.)

 

[OUTRNNR]

I typed in "4Runner Forum" in Google and the first 3 hits I get were this site. Yotatech another great forum was next. I am sure that what Thai is talking about.

Ahh, I get it. I thought maybe it was broader than that. Thanks.

 

[Thai]

I am moving this to the "Poll" subforum.

Thanks all for the responses. I will leave this poll open for now.

 

[spyne]

In the 2 or 3 years I've been a member of this forum I've been very impressed with the judgment of the moderators. As others have stated, this is not a democracy, the forum has rules and if you are not willing to abide by them you should be banned. In all of the cases I'm aware of (admittedly, a very small number) I agree with the moderators.

If the moderators feel that the violation is "grey" enough to warrant input from the forum then I'd expect them to solicit input. Otherwise, I vote for letting them do the same fine job they have done so far.

 

[Ebola888]

As others have stated, this is not a democracy, the forum has rules and if you are not willing to abide by them you should be banned. In all of the cases I'm aware of (admittedly, a very small number) I agree with the moderators.

Spyne you hit the nail on the head. Very well said my friend. Forums are for exchanging ideas and information NOT insults and such.

I make a motion to close this thread so all of us can move forward and continue to enjoy the best 4Runner forum on the planet.

 

[ksneubec]

I've been on this site for a while too and I strongly agree with how the moderators have runs things. I think they should have the ultimate decision in warning people and banning them. I think if people have a problem with others on the site, the moderators should be notified and they should handle things. Maybe the poll can be used to help guide the moderators on others' opinions, but the moderators should be able to make the ultimate decision, whether it agrees with the general membership or not.

 

[Thai]

Well, i guess that the overwhelming opinion from the members is that my poll idea sucks!!

Oh well, back to the drawing board to make this forum better....

Thanks all for your input.