Bouncing

[Zeuhl]

I still don't know why I was 'bounced' yeterday and all my questions and answers deleted.

I wonder if having shouting/caps in a couple of posts was the reason. It would be bizarre if it was, because one instance was a cut'n'paste from someone else's post that included caps and the other was the question in this blog about emphasis that i've just re-posted without the illustrative 'shouting'.

Whatever the reason, it prompts some more fundamental questions about the clunkyness of this system with its 'mechanical' bans and lack of communication with users.

One minute we are happily posting, the next all of our posts are deleted and our user name is 'invalid'.

why are all posts from a 'suspended' user deleted not just an 'offending' one?
why aren't the ok posts reinstated when the user is?
why is there no warning process prior to suspension?
why is there no standard notification to the user of what has happened other than finding their access abruptly halted?
Are you really surprised if users arrange multiple user names when they might lose one at any moment?

In summary, the clunkiness of this system reflects a lack of respect to users contrary to the standards you seem to expect of them. So is this system really 'fit for purpose'?

[AB Editor]

Hi Zeuhl,

I was a bit surprised when I had seen you banned again, you must be getting caught up in the system for some reason. I will be looking into this today at some point.

I will answer your questions shortly.

Spare Ed

[ummmm]

And that Ed is the reason people get multiple ID's....

[AB Editor]

Why are all posts from a 'suspended' user deleted not just an 'offending' one?

-We don't want to miss any posts from an abusive user.

Why aren't the ok posts reinstated when the user is?

-They are. (If you have evidence of the contrary - please let me know)

Why is there no warning process prior to suspension?

-I am not sure how that would work or what purpose it would serve? If you could explain what you mean by this we can certainly consider it.

why is there no standard notification to the user of what has happened other than finding their access abruptly halted?

-This might be a good idea, but to what end?

Are you really surprised if users arrange multiple user names when they might lose one at any moment?

-I have never been surprised at this.

In short - we inherited a system which we had to emulate for the rebuild in September in the rush of a relaunch. The old site was breaking twice a week - which is obviously unacceptable. We had to launch with a "beta" level site. We've only recently returned to normal functioning levels. It is clunky - clunkier than you could possibly imagine!

Spare Ed

[AB Editor]

Ummm - Not quite. You think any of the numerous trolls we don't want on the site are doing it out of frustration with our system?

Spare Ed

[AB Editor]

Hi again Zeuhl,

Could you send me some of your details, such as current IP, username, password and so on. This may be why you're getting caught in the net.

In term of the old posts - apparently you are correct and it is not simply a bug. We will manually reinstate posts shortly. Site-wide changes will take a little longer.

All the best

Spare Ed

[Zeuhl]

Thanks Ed for such a rapid and detailed response.

If I may, I will give some thought to your questions and come back later.

cheers

[Zeuhl]

Hi Ed

Thanks for your earlier post. I didn’t appreciate you had such fundamental tech problems to deal with.

Here are the issues as I see them in a logical order in the sense of the ‘bounced user experience’:

I have 3 reasons for posting
1. useful factual answer or thought provoking exchange of ideas
2. entertain/amuse other ABers
3. push back on anything untrue, unfair to another poster, bigoted or assumptive

This means that it’s a bit of a shock to be suddenly locked out.
I often get satirical, cheeky, annoyed and it’s difficult to know for sure where the ‘line’ is for being ‘abusive’ or ‘objectionable’. If the system is ‘clunky’ and one believes one’s posts are no worse than others, there is always the unnerving thought one’s been kicked out by a technical glitch.
I understand there are technical issues regarding ‘a warning’ but as an illustration, if a post triggering the system was obscured by a ‘Yellow Card’ it would signal that one is crossing the line and another transgression would mean suspension.

cont/

[Zeuhl]

/cont

At present, the first and only indication is when you’ve been kicked off and attempts to log in prompt ‘Invalid User Name or Password’. The first time it happened to me I spent ages messing with different passwords because I thought I’d just screwed up my log in.

So a message that says: ‘sorry you’re out because you’ve triggered the abuse system’ would be good. A message that also says ‘because you did something of this sort and this is what might happen next’ would be better.

Also, it’s quite sinister to go into the Threads and see A L L your treasured little posts in every area of the site removed like you never ever existed. Even the innocuous ones you think might be really helpful to a question author – Gone! Surely it’s the posts that are abusive. Even the person who posted them (who is locked out) could have some posts there that are ok.

And of course, there’s no way to ask what’s happening or alert the Ed unless one has another user id! So it’s really frustrating.

A day or two later and we’re back in – but all the past posts are still gone.
And we’re none the wiser whether we did something wrong, and what to avoid doing in future.

Don’t know if this is helpful.
Keep up the good work.

P.S. you asked for IP and password details. Don’t you have access to them and won’t posting them here compromise my security?

[jno]

Zeuhl, I guess you can send them in the privacy of the confessional via the Contact Us link below?

[Zeuhl]

Cheers jno.

Didn't know about that.

:-)