Banned users should be aware of the offences they commit when joining the site anyway, so all bannings are brought on by users themselves.

Heres a list of the most common offences:

Swearing/spamming in forums
Results in posting ban if user continues to offend. Rules are clearly stated in the 'forum rules' section when a user applies for posting rights.

Racism:
Zero tolerance for this one. Which means just one offence is an immediate ban. Doesn't matter if the text was in an abusive way, in jest, or as a joke. The words are cleary stated in the help pages that this is not allowed in anyway.

Multiple offences:
Being booted many times or having many complaints against that user. When a user is booted, the reason is clearly there and they should learn from that. If a user has 5 boots to his name then clearly he/she shows no sign of stopping. And we can rule out the fact that they did not know it wasn't allowed (after being booted so many times!).

multi_using accounts:
Pretty simple. Anyone who uses 2 or more accounts as a means to cheat, offend, bully or gang up on users results in a ban if offences continue. Also note that if you are banned and come on a different name to harrass staff in the game about it, then be prepered to be banned completely from this site. Contact us is the ONLY way we can review bannings. Again this is clearly explained in the help center so they should already know!

Offensive names:
Again, this topic is explained in the help center a terms pages.

Cheating:
There is no excuse for this. Staff have very clear indications of cheating offences so you can bet they will be caught out sooner or later. Again this is explained.

One that usually confuses other users:

Secondary accounts
If you were banned on your first account and we reviewed your case (through contact us) then we may allow you to use a secondary account. But just one mod action against your name will result in a complete ban from the site (this will be explained in the email). If you see someone banned suddenly then this maybe the reason.

To conclude, we can rule out any 'mistaken bans' that come 'without warning' because the warnings are clearly there (help center, terms of the site page, bootings, warnings from staff in-game or just plain common sense).

We will only ban if the user is seen as a potencial threat to other users or show no sign of following rules. it's a free service for all ages of people so we don't need people like this who take advantage of this to abuse other members.

Sorry Brighteyes, i know you dont like my style, an i hope you know there is no animosity in any of this. I really do just write what i believe to be best for the site.

Far from being steadfast, as you can see with my most recent post, this debate has totally changed my views about this, and i have been persuaded by Damee's idea despite not liking the initial suggestion.

This is a good, continually developing debate.

As per Farrens post - users already know the reasons people are banned, as drunk_lass said the specific reason always comes out anyway (after the enevitable "why did xxx get banned" threads etc).

I dont know why people are nosey, but we cannot deny that they are.

All this idea would do is take what already happens now, tidy it up, and use it for the benefit of the site and its users.

An incident which i have just witnessed has just proved to me that this would be a bad idea, drunklad has had to delete due to constant abuse which i sat and watched, this is via banned reason getting leaked, which is what i already posted earlier about members finding out, so i can imagine what abuse people would get.

I wouldn't stay after what i just saw it was disgusting and its all very well telling people to send complaint or call a mod as this was done and nothing happened!!

so its a NO from me.

exactly! thats the exactly the point i was trying to make lass, i knew that would happen. we mods have been strictly instructed not to let out the reason just to try to contain the abuse he was going to get. now imagine if he was listed on a forum and EVERYONE knew. it would be unbareable.

i don't care what you've done, you don't deserve that kind of abuse. you all can say that "they deserve it" but seriously, no one deserves abuse no matter what their offense was.

and spinner, as for no animosity...i'm not so sure about that on my part.

aww brighty its a debate. you both have different points of view and you both obviously feel strongly about your view. But there is no need for animosity.
As i said before i dont know what drunklad did/supposedly did but no he doesnt deserve abuse im sure. If he has had to delete thats a shame as he seems a nice guy.
As for the send complaint feature it does get responded to but personally i feel the best thing to do if someone abuses you in the chatroom is give it them back in pm. i made a complaint not long ago and tho it was dealt with i didnt really get any answers to my question. (this was on fp btw)
If they still dont shut up just bang them on ignore or ask them where they live and offer to pop round for a chat to sort it out face to face. Works 4 me.
come back drunklad on same account and just ignore the haters they are not worth bothering with.
and brighty and spinner kiss and make up Pllleeeaaasssseeeee

I'm sad to hear that Brighteyes, because through all my time on both sites i have never made a personal attack on anyone. Ideas and opinions are completely unrelated to personal feelings

However, doesn't the incident above actually go to prove what has been said all along?

It's extremely rare for a banned user to be allowed back on, and as you yourself said drunk_lass, the reasons always leak out. Who knows what reasons may be made up in that case?

We cannot obviously comment here on any particular incident, but if, for example, it was known that a user had been banned for cheating and allowed back after 3 or 4 months, then people would understand. however if they dodnt know the reason they may assume they had been banned for racism or harrassment, and complain immediately.

I hope this proves what i mean that if a banning reason were displayed, it could save an awful lot of hassle for people.

As for those guilty of the nastier offences like racism/sexual harrasment, they are gone permanently so this is not an issue (and if they do come back, they would be banned immediately anyway)

Edit - just thought i should add the obvious

Regarding "leaked" information, i do hope we have all been assuming this to be some random stirrer's idea which they spread around. Probably much worse than the actual reason.

There are only 2 ways the real reason can come out.

1 - the offender themself tells people (in which case they REALLY deserve what they get!)

2 - from the moderating team. A much more serious secirity issue and in which case the users privacy has definitely been undermined as per the current t&c, and the source of the information should be dealt with immediately.

Edited at 19:00 Wed 4/07/07 (BST)

Spinner, you have made an awful lot of sense with your reasoning for this idea, i just dont think that focusing on something like this brings the site forward. Surely its better to focus on good things.

Bannings will continue to happen and unfortunately, when it is a well known member, it won't make a blind bit of difference to the rumour mongers whether to 'reson' is posted or not. They make their own up anyways lol.

1 - the offender themself tells people (in which case they REALLY deserve what they get!)

2 - from the moderating team. A much more serious secirity issue and in which case the users privacy has definitely been undermined as per the current t&c, and the source of the information should be dealt with immediately.

3- Member A has just witnessed the rule breaking of Member B,
Member A is there when Member B gets booted,
OR
once found out Member B is banned Member A now knows the reason why member B got banned as they were there at the time,
Member A is now able to tell others!

Hence if Member B is eventually allowed back and is found out or other members have a feeling that it is Member B through the way they play (which is possible) Member B is then open to abuse.

Edited at 19:47 Wed 4/07/07 (BST)

Very good point drunk_lass which helps to illustrate what i mean.

The user may have actually been banned for something different, but if the last time Member A saw them they were being booted for wombleism, the would assume that they were banned for wombleism and potentially tell others.

This proposal would also help in the event of a banning being reversed, as admin would post the details saying the banning was wrong, and thus the user is spared any potential harrasment.

Just to clarify a few things - in no way do i believe that users banned at this time should have the reason made public. Threads like these are simply discussing possible potential improvements which may or may not be taken up in whole or in part.

Any similarities to cases living or dead is purely coincidental

Edited at 19:58 Wed 4/07/07 (BST)

just stick to the system as it is...its only a minority who question why people have been banned...well anything except naming andshaming!!!

Spinner, i'm not saying you ever personally attacked me. I've had personal issues for a very long time, and it was the main reason I left the pool site. We've had plenty of conversations about this, all in vain it seems. So i don't need to post it on here. I don't get along with the way you conduct yourself, and its my personal problem. I apologize. I really didn't think i'd have this problem when i came to snooker.

Sorry for the off topic post...

Continue the debate

ok

Edited at 08:47 Thu 5/07/07 (BST)

I dont think there is a debate.

There have been a couple of people who like this idea and a lot who dont.

Most of the subsequent posts have been people reiterating their original ideas, as if by repeating them they will convince somebody that they are right.

As I said much earlier. this has run its course - nobody is adding anything new, it is simply regurgitating tired old arguments. The two sides don't agree. So what? that's life. Let's move on to something constructive. Give this jaded old chestnut a rest, guys.

R

cant you cap it then brass?!

I wish i could 2good. I would do it like a shot. I dont have admin rights on this forum or it would have been capped ages ago.

R