Web Forums and "outside pissin' in"

Note to MikeD:
Since you allowed your "door-staff" to ban me without warning, explanation, email notification, or any other way of contacting you or them, you left me with only two choices - shut up and go away or find another way to express my views.

I chose the latter and, since I was abused on your forum (including by mods) after I was banned and therefore had no right of reply, I may even get a little personal in my comments.

First, a little background to Frequencydb.com for any readers who are not familiar with it:

FrequencyDB.com is a website for Irish radio and scanner enthusiasts. It has very little content, other than a moderately active forum and a database of Irish Radio frequencies. More about the fabled database later.

They invite new users to give feedback on the site, which is laudable. However, if you do give feedback and it isn't to the liking of the "Forum Police", they ban you without the courtesy of an explanation, an email or any method of contacting them.

That's their prerogative of course but it may not be the smartest move if it prompts people with a point to make to express themselves in other ways.

I have been banned by the highly-secure method of banning my IP address, my username and my email address. Hmm, I do like a challenge Security Man. :)

The forum has a few genuinely knowledgeable and helpful members, a greater number of complete nonsense posters and a majority of totally inactive users - so it's not atypical in that regard.

However, it also has some of the most heavy-handed, inept and repressive moderation you're ever likely to encounter. The mods routinely welcome new users with a ban warning - and frequently follow up with an actual ban - for such minor infractions as failing to introduce yourself properly.

The two most active mods are shining examples of why power is dangerous in the wrong hands.

One has literally dozens of posts whose entire content is the rather vulgar and juvenile "PMSL". He regularly gives inaccurate and downright incorrect information that other users then have to correct. This is the power-hungry "Security Man" who works as a security man in his day-job, and for recreation, guess what - he's a security man (complete with a Police car as his avatar). My guess would be he wanted to be a real policeman but couldn't make the grade.

Another is a poor semi-literate lad who has trouble correctly composing even a simple sentence. I should stress, that may not his fault - it could be the fault of society or the education system, or it could be genetics. But he is rightly proud of the fact that he is now a forum moderator after only 12 months in the hobby. That's truly a worthy achievement, Damo.

The message I have for MikeD, the site owner is this:

1. While I understand the attraction of having volunteer moderators who are eager to do the job for no other reward than the power-trip, it may not be in the best interests of your site or your users.
2. You really ought not to let your moderators abuse your members, even after they have been banned, because you run the risk of motivating them to find other ways of redressing the balance.
3. Active users are the life blood of any forum. It's really not a good idea to let your goons stamp all over potentially valuable new members.
4. I understand that knuckle-draggers need to get their regular fix to keep them motivated. Maybe you could direct their attention to moderating the vulgar and worthless tripe that passes for discussion in some threads. I realise that may be tricky as some of the moderators appear to be the worst culprits in that regard.

Here's a recent example of the sort of infantile Killinascully-type thread I mean:

Luminous Jacket
Post subject: Tarrin' for a livin'....
Anyone else here in this game eh?

Crack-OFF
Half the country by the look of things..... Every feckin road is dug up with ya tossers.

Luminous Jacket
You watch yer foul feckin mouth there, crack-off. I'll start callin ye toss-off instead... Its fools like you who break the red lights at the roadworks.... better hope I never find out who ya are or ya'll be gettin a shovel in through the window at ya....

Crack-OFF
hahaha take ur pick

security man
Moderator
Your banned Luminous, or haven't you noticed??

Luminous Jacket
Ah not anymore, Security. Dat Airlink fella squared it all up for me Anyhow, we ran outa tar in westmoreland street last week, so we grabbed a fella sellin newspapers. We melted him down and used him for tar... Used his newspapers to keep the fire goin. Joey used his eyes for the middle of the road - reckons he was the 'Irish independent'.

Crack-OFF
Jaysus I Gotta get an SBS Box now.... It'll stop me havin to read this shite. PMSL.........

hammerhead
and where would u be getting this tar last week??? seeing as every tar plant was closed for xmas.....