I'll start...years ago I used to troll CL for high end and obscure bikes, as it was an easy market to arbitrage profits. I bought a beautiful custom Serotta with full Campy Record in near mint condition. The owner worked at a UPS facility outside of Balto, and when the bike's owner never picked it up, and the shipper did not want it back, he ended up with it after it was forfeited.

Long story short, I went onto racing bike forum to get more information, and got accosted a dreaded "bike flipper"--people came out of the woodwork attacking me. I could only put up with so much, and threatened to remove the grouppo, part it out, double my money, and then destroy the bike with a sledgehammer and post the pics of its mangled steel corpse.

Needless to say, some members flipped their lids, and others thought it was brilliant and brought much needed life to a forum, that collectively was in need of Big Jolt.

I was banned, never to return. Funny thing is that the buyer of the bike, when researching it, came across the thread, and commented how awesome the bike was, and how I drove him home in the rain so he didn't have to take metro with the bike after he bought it.

I had a little dust up on a pipe forum when researching a rare Dunhill pipe I was selling.

When I first bought my Landcruiser 100, I was on iH8MUD all the time, and it was a great group of ppl, very similar to the OF.

Would love to hear about some others experience with forum royalty that rule their fiefdoms with an iron fist.

 

Telling the truth.

 

I had two bad experiences with an ignorant "moderator" on an SB Nation NBA team site. He banned me once, for no good reason, and I returned a few months later using a different IP address and screen name. I was a regular contributor for about another year and half before he again banned me for no good reason. The irony was that his behavior was/is terrible for one who is supposed to be moderating.

 

Some moderators on the odd message board seem to think that the position of moderator (neutral, sensible, calming), translates as IMmoderate (not sensible or restrained; excessive). This type seems to feel it is their role to ENFORCE their particular point of view! As if their opinion is the only correct opinion. And being correct is something only they are capable of! When I run into a moderator like that, I make it a POINT to complain to an administrator! I figure that administrators compile a dossier on the performance of moderators, and if there are enough complaints, maybe there'll be a change. I got banned for life from the R (as in capital R) message board because I told some pundit he didn't know what he was talking about, regarding a technical matter! There are none so deaf as those who refuse to listen!

 

I have since stopped posting on the message boards, this one is the exception. never have been banned. Not even close.

I was also posting on an home owners association message board. For this one, had to use real names and it was private. General stuff about the community, etc. No moderator. Late last year coming up on a HOA board election it got really nasty. Name calling, accusations, and even one that was running for election had the court docs posted about a $9m judgement against him for a bad real estate development deal (despite this he won a seat as treasurer). None the less, now that the election is over nobody now posts, so in a sense it was self banning.

 

You borrow the "piece" from a certain Mr. Trump?

 

Never been banned.

I do have quite a long list of candidates for banning though, should any forum be so foolish as to grant me such power.



Not here on OF of course.






With a couple of exceptions.

 

The barbed wire forum moderators are really rough. I was banned simply for asking how many 18" pieces I need to fence my small garden. Sheeesh.

 

Dunno, but I heard formal notification in a form of extract arrives by PM...

 

What would it take to get banned from this forum?

Compared to other forums I have viewed, OF is quite civil.

 

I have once called out a moderator on his blatant racism. Guess the outcome.

 

I posted three items for sale in one day here on OM. Clearly I did not read the sales rules. Fortunate I did not get banned.

 

I got banned from a Porsche forum for criticising a forum sponsoring company - six months before they became a sponsor.

 

Problem is forums need to be owned by someone, and they put out $ every month to keep it running. Those costs need to be covered somehow. Don't know of any that are truly for the free exchange of ideas and opinions since the owner/ operator and their moderator team will typically have a range of acceptable (to them) content. I'm on some car forums, knife forums, a camera forum, etc. and in no instance is the free exchange of ideas and opinions part of the terms of service. And they all solicit donations to keep running, even the ones that also allow vendors to sponsor.

 

I'm a moderator and part time closet troll on a large firearms forum.

Forums are most fun if the members can enjoy the free exchange of ideas and opinions. Some seem to only appreciate mutual backslapping though. One would not believe the number of tattle-tails willing to whine about their little hurt feelings to the moderators. One supposes these are primarily adult males and not really junior high girls playing with guns. I take a dim view of the tattlers. A forum would be dull indeed if members only get on it to say "it's all good" and sing "Kumbaya.