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Why is vgv8 suspended till 03 Dec 2013, after just being suspended recently?

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    Assuming that it is the mods who banned him, and for so long, we are not likely to get an answer. Just a lot of discussion from the "community". If it wasn't the mods, then we will get even less info.
    – PerformanceDBA
    Mar 12, 2011 at 4:07

3 Answers 3

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OK, let's go for some opinion, rather than an actual answer: I'm not a mod, wasn't part of any discussion regarding vgv8 or suspension recently (well, some moaning on the chat, but nothing more). So, below are just my 2¢.

The vgv8 user was first suspended on EL&U for a stream of off-topic and low-quality questions and answers, after the discussion had a discussion on the issue. Since he came back 8 days ago, some statistics on his recent questions and answers:

  • 7 of his questions were closed (11 were kept open; that's 39% of off-topic questions)
  • his answers gathered an average of –0.86 votes, which means he is more downvoted than upvoted (with some off-topic or wrong answers such as here and there gathering scores down to –5)
  • his questions continue to be a mess, with many updates, many questions and rhethorical questions packed into one
  • many of his comments are hardly understandable (with common themes such as he referring to himself as a “bot”, or “write-only”)

So, if I were to summarize why his behaviour annoys me, and why I think he should be banned for a long period:

  • While his style may be acceptable on some forums, it is definitely off-topic for a Q&A site. The low quality of questions and answers discourages existing users, and might put off newcomers.
  • He shows no sign of improving. In particular, he has not acknowledged the necessity to respect the topic and scope of the site. He has not participated in the discussion about the nuisance caused by his behaviour (no answer or comment from him on the meta discussion, though it has been repeatedly pointed out to him). There is also proof, from other sites of this network, that he has caused the same problems there, and not adapted his behaviour either.
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    To this, I would like to add two things. For starters, "I believe it is the reponsibility and right of the user who was placed in timed suspension to have the freedom to discuss (or not discuss) what happened to them. It is a basic matter of respecting other users' privacy." And secondly, keep in mind that the stats on vgv8's page are actually skewed in his favor, as many of his posts got deleted and are now only visible to 10k users.
    – RegDwigнt
    Mar 9, 2011 at 12:10
  • @jasper, F'x's last point justifies vgv8's long period ban, though I am not sure if it works. He can go back to the site with another ID or via a proxy.
    – Fountain
    Mar 9, 2011 at 14:08
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    @Fountain: working around a ban by creating a sockpuppet account is forbidden by policy
    – F'x
    Mar 9, 2011 at 15:08
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    As long as the registration is open, such policy doesn't prevent a user from doing so, especially when he is severely punished that he simply got nothing to lose.
    – Fountain
    Mar 9, 2011 at 16:29
  • @Fountain: this is to be discussed on the main meta, but there are other measures, such as IP blocking
    – F'x
    Mar 9, 2011 at 19:13
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    I think the "or via a proxy" part covers the IP blocking aspect of it.
    – Adam
    Mar 9, 2011 at 21:21
  • I agree 100%. What Fountain says is also true: if possible it is better not to punish a user such that he will have nothing to lose. What about a reputation penalty to be dealt out by mods? Who knows, it might be worth a try. It is also a just way of preventing him from gaining privileges some time in the future, since deleted questions do not count concerning down-votes.
    – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica
    Mar 10, 2011 at 0:37
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    @Cerberus: Without getting into specifics, since his main behavior was asking question after question, I don't see how a reputation penalty would have any impact.
    – Kosmonaut
    Mar 10, 2011 at 2:58
  • @Kosmonaut: His "reputation" might be of some value to him, however paradoxically. Trolls are people too; most people dislike putting their reputation at risk, <continue syllogism>. Of course it may not work.
    – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica
    Mar 10, 2011 at 3:25
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    It would be really good, as in mature, professional, if people could stick to the subject matter, and stop discussing the person or the personality. Also the notion of suspension without declared reason, and for such a ridiculous period, means the moderation is simply not working; this is the typical arbitrary action of a hierarchy, not a community.
    – PerformanceDBA
    Mar 11, 2011 at 9:19
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    @Perf: The person causes the behaviour. We are not discussing the user, but his behaviour and its consequences. The mods’ decision is theirs, but in this case it has broad support in the community.
    – F'x
    Mar 11, 2011 at 9:25
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    @PerformanceDBA: The community discussed this as well.
    – Kosmonaut
    Mar 13, 2011 at 13:24
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Jasper, if you haven't already, you may like to read my answer to another question on meta here, which gives some more details.

(Full disclosure: I did actually encourage the mods to ban him again)

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This question dated March 9 and responses would certainly be a contributing factor.

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