That is fine .. and at this point I suppose it does not matter ... my main curiosity is that the last post in the thread was
I took that to be a warning ... which I think was fair ... getting suspended was a surprise.

You read incorrectly on both counts.

Vin just posted that there is discussion on every suspension. Benedict is just saying that they are trying to institute steps to make that more thorough.

And Geoff wasn't banned. He was given a suspension that could have been as short as one minute. He just has to agree to the rules that, ironically, he created.

The rules he created, and yet he was suspended. Something just feels off kilter here. Delete the thread, send him a warning and move along. This is the power trippy stuff I just can't understand from the mindset of volunteers.

He was polite in his thread and clearly not trying to take away readership here or anything. I think common sense would dictate if you sent him a warning message, he would have understood and complied.

It's like saying you're going to have to shoot the family dog just because it got sick. He could get better... But nahhh. Better safe than sorry!

You were not able to promote a non commercial site when Geoff ran the forum? I do not recall that.

Man, we've hit another ceiling in how much this place has come to suck. Eventually you have to break through the roof right...right?

I think Benedict made it clear that since there is no formal consensus process, that suspensions could have been (and probably were) handed down unilaterally. I've been around here a long time, I've seen a lot of shit and have been suspended twice on questionable grounds. But it makes no difference if you are long time member, if the mods don't like you or your posting style, good luck.

In this case the action wasn't taken by volunteers.

Who was it then, IB themselves?

This is my only concern.

I go to many websites. I am guessing the rules prevent the linking of any website now?

I guess I understand the but he is trying to steal people thing. However, can we be stolen?

I have posted at some other website yet I continue to post here. Am I no longer welcome to post at Dvdtalk if I post at other websites?

If someone asks for a good place to get information on overclocking is it ok to post a link to a website that offers that information if it has a forum?

Is the rule that was broken by the Founder that he posted a link to his own website?

So if another person posted it then it would be fine?

Or is that website considered competing so no one can post a link to it. What other not safe websites can not be linked or posted by people?

Confused in California.

Internet Brands sent Geoff a response directly.

And let's not kid ourselves, as nice and polite as Geoff's post was, it was essentially a "hey come and join my new community," it should be obvious why that wasn't allowed.

As a writer for the site, I would just like to clarify something for anyone reading:

The site staff and the forum staff are not one and the same. Please don't abandon the site entirely just because of this embarrassing forum situation!

I would have done the same thing to Geoff if I were IB. He was polite, but you're delusional if you think he was not trying to take away readership. He had to know that his offer of a new "home" would lead many to abandon their old "home".

As was noted, it wasn't a volunteer who took action against him. And the action they took, and the email they sent him, were both perfectly reasonable.

this isn't rocket surgery, I don't know how that is so difficult to understand.

I am quite certain he wasnt tryin to hurt the site. He created it, after all.

So asking someone to join a new community you are making about cats is against the rules.

Is it still against the rules if someone else links it?

If someone PM's me and asks about my Cat forum can I tell them about it? or will I get banned?

Does it have to have forums to get you banned? be commercial?

Does fatwallet for example compete with us? So if I say I got the deal I am posting by seeing it at fatwallet will I get banned? Do I have to own fatwallet to get banned when I mention it?

If someone asks about cell phones can I link Howardforums? or would that get me banned? Does it compete with Dvdtalk because it has forums?

I just do not want to get banned by accident since I do not know the rules about what is allowed on the forums or not.

No offense, but that's just being petulant. The rules need some clarification because there are some technicalities, and there's another thread here discussing that.

It should be obvious why Geoff's post was deleted and why he was temporarily suspended. You can argue whether he should have just gotten a warning, or the thread be locked and not deleted, or whether he should have been notified sooner (although from the posts, it seems like it was within hours), but on a case by case basis this one isn't difficult to judge, site founder or not.

How am I being petulant for asking what I can or can not do that would be over the line and get me banned?

I do not want to be banned. So I want to make sure I follow the rules and do not step over the line at any time.

I just have no idea what those rules are I guess about other websites.

Come on, this is silly. Like I said, there's another thread discussing the clarification of the rules (one which I posted some the same technicalities you're mentioning). People reference other sites all the time without any issues, this is clearly a specific case.

I thought this was the one to post about Mod questions?

There is another one?

Can you link it? I can post in that one if this is the wrong one to ask things about modding.

I looked around and only saw http://forum.dvdtalk.com/other-talk/...mmunity-2.html

In which the IB person sent people to this thread.

So there is a third thread somewhere?

If a dam has a crack, you don't fix it by blowing a hole. No matter how technically correct IB's reaction was, it's a public relations disaster. The attitude on NJG went from, "This is cool. I'll give it a try and see if things on DVD Talk improve," to "Fuck Internet Brands up their stupid little asses" in a single afternoon.

Pretty much this

That is really the crux lf this whole discussion. Fixing minor problems with dynamite instead of a bandage.

Trevor has it right. There are very nearly always discussions. Having a written down standard operating procedure for mods/admins new and old to see helps to reduce the risk of the exceptional occurrence of a unilateral action. The draft SOP also includes reminders regarding the communication protocol. I don't think I should go into this any further because the proof of the pudding will be in the eating and I would prefer to expend my energies in agreeing the recipe with my fellow cooks.

I hope the recipe is using fresh and not rotten ingredients...

I think you'd have to talk to Geoff about any notification as he would be the only one to receive one, if any. However, Geoff is well aware of forum rules, so would notification be necessary? I kind of doubt it. It would be like a Mod posting a self-serving message about their new website, and then being surprised and shocked if they were suspended.