Question Should we create an area where all bans are publicly announced?

[Kitter Bitters]

As long as it was only permanent bans. Otherwise you have this thing staring you in the face and making you feel bad about yourself on a community thats supposed to be a fun hobby.

Everybody can have a bad day and take it out in ways they don't mean.

 

[Tefka]

I’m a very empathetic person too, but its pretty difficult to get banned around here if you just follow the rule of not being a dick to people.

 

[Darth Avida]

Generally speaking, I don't really care or think it is any of my business if someone is banned or not. There's probably an edge case out there but I think those still don't make much of a difference to my views on the matter. Never crossed my mind to figure out who was banned and so on.

 

[Matt the Radar Tech]

I don't see the point, really. This seems like a behind the staff curtain kind of thing. And just because some members become curious, and want to know reasons, doesn't mean they should. Back when I was a MFO, I didn't much care (beyond making sure banned individuals weren't hanging around in my faction discord), and as a member I care even less.

People should care less about extra-board things, and focus more on RP.

Seems there's enough drama around without adding a ban list to be trolled and gossiped about.

 

[Judah Lesan]

The gossip is already happening. One example that I think justifies this was when an individual was banned for some very gross behavior. When said parties were banned one entire faction spun their narrative to the point of accusing site staff of being pedophiles out in the open of their Major Faction Discord.

That scenario led to having to inform the board of what happened. The rumor mill and damage was already done however. Staff would have been content to leave it behind the scenes considering the nature of it I would assume. Instead the whole site was made aware, near an entire faction of writers got banned, and we had a rule change.

Maybe there is a balance, but the past couple years here on Chaos would make me think we need it.

As I think about it one other reason I support this would be that transparency is also a measure of accountability for staff as well as the community as a whole. I’ve been on sites where admins do things behind the scenes and even one particular admin that would actively destroy people if she didn’t like them. I even got a dm from that person to drop my main writing partner because they were on her list.

Instead I came here. No place is perfect, but at least it’s never been that. I think this would help keep us from ever getting there.

 

[Koda Fett]

It's one of the better measures to ensure a clearer idea of the situation. If someone is banned and there's not much of a reason offered, least not one out there for all to see, then (as others have said) it allows false narratives to reach others and sometimes the first stories told are the ones that are latched onto. I left the site for a while and certain stuff occurred in that time, and I have heard several takes on various bits of drama.

It happens, we all know it does.

An area that displays bans and the reasons for (maybe even with attached evidence if it suits, though that is a conversation to be held further down the line) is absolutely for the best. If not to shame/hinder unfaithful returns, to afford better clarity to the rest of the community and stop the spread of mistellings.

 

[Beltran Rarr]

I think permanent bans should be the focus, if any. Not temporary bans.

I agree with this. Temporary bans can happen for a variety of reasons and do not necessarily mean that the player in question is completely toxic. Permanent bans, as have been stated, seem to have a number of processes (ending with Tefka or Valiens Nantaris making a decision) to go through before they happen. I would assume that at any of these points, the player in question would have been given the chance to apologize and correct their behavior and chose not to do so. If that's the case, then publicly announcing who they are and why they were banned provides a sense of transparency and context. I've seen this done on other sites and it seems to have worked well, so I am generally for it.

Spasa :

No. Defamation of character.

I would point out that defamation is only defamation if what is being said is untrue. Simply shining a light on someone's chronic crappy behavior is not defamation.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Yes.