Mod Post - The "Ban User" functionality on Dreamwidth

[icon_uk]

A subject that has been brought to the Mod Team's attention lately is the use and impact of the "Ban User" blocking function, and we have been discussing how we wish to address it within Scans_Daily.

Let us state, first and foremost, that your privacy and security should always be paramount. No member should ever take action which might, in any way, make then feel unsafe.

The "Ban User" functionality on Dreamwidth is very straightforward, hovering over a users avatar will show "Ban User" as an option. This is not a group dependent function, it's automatically available to anyone with a DreamWidth account.

We, as a Mod Team, will never use "Ban User" on a member (Our ultimate sanction for members is temporary suspension/permanent expulsion from the Scans_Daily community as part of the Disciplinary process, but "Ban User" is not part of that process).

In turn, members are not expected to use "Ban User" on a Mod, as we have a requirement to be able to reply to any and threads and posts if/when the need arises.

As and when Mod's change, the same will be true for any new Mod coming on.

If you have concerns over a particular Mod, then they can be raised with the Mod Team for discussion, we're not a monolithic entity and will seek to address any concerns fairly and equitably.

Please note that Mods cannot undo someone's "Ban User" choices, that is linked to your own account, not the Scans_Daily account.

However, something to bear in mind is that "Ban User" is VERY powerful.

If you have used "Ban User" on someone then they not only cannot reply to you directly, but they cannot reply to anyone's comments on any post you are the creator of.

Thus if you reply on a post, then someone on your "Ban User" list cannot reply to you, and if you have made a post, someone who is on your "Ban User" list cannot interact with any comments on that post.

So, whilst who you choose to block is your own affair, we would ask that it be kept to a minimum amongst scans_daily members wherever possible. Blocking prevents conversation and the general flow of discussion, which is a large part of our raison d'etre, and can also cause stress to the person who finds that they cannot comment, especially if the person you have blocked is unaware that you have done so, or the reasons you might have done so.

If members have concerns on this topic please feel free to raise them here, or contact the Mods via our usual contact of scansdailymod[at]gmail[dot]com . We can't promise we'll know all the answers immediately, but we'll do our best to address them.

Thank you

The Scans_Daily Mod Team
aeka / icon_uk / sistermagpie

Comments

[cricharddavies]

If you have used "Ban User" on someone then they not only cannot reply to you directly, but they cannot reply to anyone's comments on any post you are the creator of.

Which doubtless suits the most ban-happy members of our happy little clan just fine, as it allows them to exert complete control over the narrative.

[dcbanacek]

"When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say." - Tyrion Lannister

I think that sums up my opinion of it best.

[janegray]

Very happy with how you have handled this, this is exactly what I had been hoping for :)

[thezmage]

So two things that I would appreciate an official mod clarification on:

1. The creation of alt accounts to get around blocks. I realize that this is hard to prove but it would be nice to have clarification on the community policy with regards to this. Would it be different if the account was only used to reply to others on posts created by the blocking individual

2. Replying to people you have blocked but who have not returned the block. This seems disingenuous at best and bullying at worst.

[shakalooloo]

Weird how in most other systems I've seen the equivalent function merely hides from one's own view alone the replies of people one has so tagged, with an option to reveal individual posts at one's discretion.

The version that this site uses seems utterly bizarre, but I suppose that this is primarily meant as a blogging site rather than the discussion forum that SD uses it as.

[bruinsfan]

Thanks for posting this and making everyone aware!

I didn't know about this function of Dreamwidth, so when I was suddenly unable to respond to a user's posts while they continued replying to disagree with mine I thought it was an action by the mod team without notification to me. I was understandably less than pleased until a couple of helpful posters told me what was actually happening.

[lilacsigil]

As an alternative, if you want to not see comments from a particular person but want to let other people still see them, you can use the following css in your journal:

Go to your journal, then Organize, Customize Journal Style, Custom CSS and add in the following code:

.poster-username { display: none !important; }

and replace "username" with the user name of the person you don't want to see. Repeat as many times as you like, using the whole code with the new user name each time. They will also not be visible to you in other people's comments, or in your circle.

[laughing_tree]

Ooh, a feud between the poster uncomfortably cozy with Frank Miller's Islamophobia and the poster who openly fantasizes about the death of creators they dislike. What fun.

[owlbrigade1]

With respects to the banuser and the possibility of it being used on mod accounts, specifically potential future mods who might be on someone's ban list pre-getting promoted, can I suggest, perhaps, that future mods make a specific mod account separate from their normal user one when and if that happens? Keep their normal user activity, which is presumably what they got on the banlist for, separate from modding activity.

[stubbleupdate]

That's a sensible idea.