Warning Prior to Block/Delete - Option to Cancel Account
| Project: | Drupal.org webmasters |
| Component: | Content moderation |
| Category: | task |
| Priority: | normal |
| Assigned: | Unassigned |
| Status: | won't fix |
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It would be nice to receive a warning prior to having an account blocked or deleted. If the user continues whatever activities are viewed as abusive, then obviously a block would be necessary.
But from personal experience, I was pretty ticked off to find my account blocked - so I asked that it be deleted. I believe it has been, so thanks.
In my case, I have no idea as to why my account was closed -
Was it because I told someone that posting personal info and photos of their children could be dangerous - or was it because I made fun of Peck for quoting himself, thereby possibly conceding that he was a bit pompous?
I don't know. My account was just blocked. I don't know who did it or why.
I'm just not chill with totalitarian moderator regimes - particularly when the moderator's motives could be suspect.
Don't agree with someone? Block their account. Don't like their attitude? Block their account. Having a bad day? Block the account.
Judge, jury, executioner.
Now rather than praising Drupal, relating to everyone that, while it may be difficult to learn, it's a far superior CMS, I'm now off the pep squad.
Anyone who runs a business knows that if you please someone, you're lucky if they relate it to even one other person.
On the other hand, if you tick them off, they're going to tell everyone. Particularly when given no recourse to rectify the matter.
Maybe I am a bad seed and I needed to be rooted out for the good of the community - I pretty much doubt it... But nonetheless, it might be a good idea to put a more appropriate system in place.
As for me - I don't really care. I'm open-minded enough to respond to criticism, and to back down should anyone make the request. Instead, my account is summarily blocked - end of story.
And yes, this account was created for the sole purpose of registering this complaint. Do whatever you like - I won't be back.
#1
The site maintainer's guide provides Suggested Courses of Action for a variety of situations.
So, there should be some documentation of why your account was blocked in the webmasters queue and you probably did something deserving of it...
I have noticed occasionally that people will block a user quicker than I would have or may not have contacted them, but I assume that is either a difference in judgment, ignorance of this site maintainer policy, or simple exhaustion at the enormous amount of misbehaving users we have to deal with.
#2
None of the above criteria were met in blocking my account. I'd never been flagged before, other than inadvertently posting to a handbook page, when the issue was more appropriate to the forum.
I'm fairly sarcastic - and I can tend to be critical of the core team's approach to the needs of designers...
But being blocked out of the blue with no prior warning was ridiculous. I think I had been a member for 3 years with no history of abuse.
One of your moderators stepped way out of line. Had I been informed that my comments on the forum were abusive, I would have removed them myself.
You guys do a lot of hard work, and I can appreciate that moderating can be a difficult task.
But this happened last night, there was little to no activity on the forums - and I'd just personally like to know who did it and why.
Spamming is understandably an "immediate block" issue - in my case, a moderator simply took issue with my approach.
#3
What was your old account?
Without knowing that we'll never be able to say whether they stepped over the line or you did. It's idle discussion until we know your prior account.
#4
How many accounts were blocked last night? :)
Given their level of sensitivity, I'm certain they may have felt compelled to warn me.
But bypassing the "warning" and just blocking my account over the "incident" seems ridiculous.
"Stop teasing folks in the forums" would have been enough to prompt an apology on my end.
But in teasing, I was trying to explain to this fellow that creating a site, sharing photos and personal information about his children, would in my opinion, be ill-advised. I was then more helpful, pointing him to the Gallery bridge if he wished to pursue the project. All of my posts were deleted.
If that were the cause, here's what I think went down. Some guy was creating some amateur site featuring his adorable children. I used the horrific term "retard", in absolutely no relation whatsoever to the mentally challenged nor directed toward him, and he admonished me for using the term. So I in turn admonished him for exposing his kids to internet predators. I also disagree with the PC movement in general. So it could be that he requested that some action be taken against me, given he probably wasn't too thrilled with how I turned his silly "r" word argument around on him, telling him how it was infinitely worse to go around posting pictures and stories about your children on the web. So boohoo for him I guess.
The other case was injecting myself into an argument between sepeck and some other guy who were having a p-ing match. So I teased Peck about quoting himself.
At any rate, I was just goofing around - obviously goofing around on the forums is a "no no". But blocking my account over it seems a bit ridiculous. Prompted, I would have gladly removed the posts. I was just bored anyway.
IMHO, banning or blocking should be reserved for repeated or rampant abuse. Everyone should be granted an "off night" where they go off message for a bit.
Which leads back to the issue - a warning would have sufficed where instead the account was blocked.
#5
It appears your account was blocked without following step 5 of the account blocking process.
Does anybody want to claim this action and explain?
#6
I don't even recall step 3, or the moderator injecting himself into the discussion to "discipline" me or whatnot.
My account was just banned. Also, to be completely open, I did suggest that the guy might try Joomla instead - as there's a great deal more activity on the forums over there. And having looked at his site, he didn't seem to have the slightest clue what he was doing. In jesting, I compared Joomla vs. Drupal as Mickey Mouse vs. Predator. Maybe that's what cued the block?
But while Drupal has made great strides recently in providing screencasts and tutorials, I believe Joomla does have the edge with a much more robust forum and probably a larger community in reaching out and caring for newbies. So noobs can come ask silly questions - and more often than not, someone will do their best to help.
In comparison, the Drupal forums are a ghost town. So I didn't see much harm in goofing around late on a Sunday night. No one else had volunteered to answer the guy's question, so I thought I'd jump in and try to help out. His reaction was that I shouldn't use the term "retard" - prompting a negative response from me.
Next thing I know, my account is blocked.
#7
Well, from your owb description, whoever banned your account has my fullest support. Whether our forums appear to you as a ghost town or not, they aren't for goofing around. I'd have banned you myself had I seen you abusing them.
This issue is no longer useful: Won't fix.
#8
Okay. Sorry about that and best of luck. Just rampant sarcasm runs in the family - no ill will intended.
Best of luck with everything.
#9
Oh, if you're bored - go ahead and block banmenow and banmelater, the two silly protest accounts.
I'm a professional writer, you guys are coders - sorry for the misunderstanding. I'd just prefer not to have my stupid junk on this site anymore, if that's cool. Thanks!
#10
Second part is dupe of http://drupal.org/node/8
Michelle