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I don't really know where to start with this. Part of me wants to simply reply with, "Wow, that was a dumb fucking move. I'm quitting for a while, I'll be back when this place pulls it's head out of it's ass." However, that wouldn't really be anything special and certainly wouldn't be the most mature way to handle this. So, I'm just going to write a fairly long rant. I doubt half of you will read it but I can pretty much guess who will make it to the end, and it is to these specific people that this is directed for.
From the time I rolled out of bed this morning to the time I left for work at 4:30 the only thing that TA would do was load with a white screen. I asked FuzzyChicken if he was able to connect to TA and he was. Nou was at work and able to access it at the time, so we all assumed that my network connection was being screwy. Lo and behold after Nou got home he sent me a text at work that read, "I think TA IP banned our comcast block."
I simply couldn't believe it. It wasn't just the forums I was banned from, I couldn't even view the main splash page because TA mods/admins made a collective decision to IP-ban the Pacific Northwest Comcast users. Honestly, what was the thought process that went into that? Did you actually think that banning the internet users of half of an entire state was a brilliant idea and the "be-all-end-all" of your problems? I really want to see the posts you guys made in the mod forum, because the fact that you collectively made that decision beyond astounds me.
I thought that TA wanted to grow. I thought it wanted to accept new users to contribute to the Music Discussion, DJ Booth or Production studio. Hell, even to use it's local areas so they could be exposed to new music. How does preventing individuals who have never visited the site and who may have an interest in joining accomplish that? I was also banned. I can't speak for Getfoul, Orbax, MedinaM5, OurManFlint, JM, Thriller and the few other regular Northwest posters, but I'm sure that they experienced trouble if they were on Comcast. What did we do to deserve being under such a wide-blanket ban? Not once have I fouled-up here. I've never been warned for anything, never been in a huge disagreement or flamewar with others, I contribute to the forums in a positive manner, and I have multiple mods who have backed me up as far as becoming mod of the West Coast forum goes. So tell me, why did I deserve to suffer being banned just so you could eliminate one user? Why did the Pacific Northwest Comcast customers deserve it?
Yes, Nou has fouled up in the past. And before I continue, don't think that just because I'm friends with him outside of TA that I support him one hundred percent. There have been plenty of times when he has deserved to be banned. In fact, I'm still incredibly surprised that he was allowed back with such ease after he tried to take TA down. If I was Del or any of the higher-ups, I would've done everything in my power to ensure that he remain away from my forums. Yet he came back. Recently he came back with alt accounts. He tried to play nice, and for a while he was doing just fine. Every now and then he would say something that would cross the line, and he would be banned. Eventually it got to the point where even when he behaved, when he made constructive posts just like the rest of us, he was banned after his first post.
Even though I'm a fairly close friend, I honestly can't say what sort of solution there is to the whole situation involving him. It's a tough one; you cannot ban his accounts or IP ban him because he'll get around it (this was evidenced the first time you IP banned a single IP of his, yet you still thought blanket IP-banning would work?). Having an admin (not a mod) approach him and asking him to take a few weeks or months off from TA and then come back (which has happened before, and he has obliged) doesn't work well because he runs on a short fuse and after a few weeks back will end up doing it again.
Yet this seems to have accomplished what you all set out to do. He's gone, done, finito, kaput. Not because he wanted to stick around just to spite you guys because he was able to get around such a harsh ban. He was kind enough to give up because he knew that him staying put blocked an entire state's customers of one ISP. So kudos to you, your incredibly uncalled for idea worked.
In short, this is really a new low for TA and I'm very ashamed of those who agreed with the decision.
- Jake
Last edited by idoru on Apr-20-2007 at 06:22
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