Reference Stacks
Why Users Get Banned
ABUSIVE EMAIL: If you hate me that much, why should I let you play in my backyard?
During the ordeal of rebuilding this site, I've received a surprising amount of nasty email calling the kinds of names you'd get fined by the FCC this days for saying on the radio. Apparently, some people felt very strongly about my having deleted all the old stories or my taking so long with the site rebuild. This is understandable, I suppose, but what good, other than relieving a little short-term frustration, can such behavior be expected to do?
If you dislike the way I run this site that much, why would you bother sticking around here and abuse me over it? Wouldn't your time be better spent building your own site or finding one that better suits your needs? The way I see it, these kinds of emails are cries for help. They say, "I hate this place but I can't seem to get out!" So, as a special favor, I respond by banning the user from the site. "There. You're out now. You're welcome."
I'm also not particularly fond of demands. I got a few emails along the lines of "Just put it back the way it was, OK?! I liked it that way and now it's going to suck!" My instinctive response to that is, "And who the hell are you to order me around?"
Please note, I'm not trying to gag dissent here. You can disagree with me over the best way to do things, sure - but, for crying out loud, try discussing it with me rationally and politely. Don't throw a tantrum in my inbox.
I'm not requiring y'all to grovel, either. Somewhere in the politeness spectrum that communicates at least a minimum of human-to-human respect will do.
And - just as an extra clue: Phrases like, "I mean no disrespect," or "I'm asking nicely here," are not magical. You cannot affix them to something like "fuck you and the horse you rode in on" and somehow miraculously make the sentiment acceptable.
