I love this quote

[PopCulturePooka]

"People on internet forums always seem to be labouring under the misconception that there are rules for them to find loopholes in. There aren't. If you annoy the people who run the forum, they deal with you, and your cries of "noooo, oppression!" are like music to their ears. Funky music, on a porn soundtrack, with women panting "yes, yes!" in the background."

What do you think?

[Cybren]

I disagree. It generally makes for a shitty forum when mods go off all willy nilly banning people for any reason they want, and making up dumbass rules. (example: http://forums.gucomics.com/viewforum.php?f=1 )
Infact, i'm all for forums having rules that the mods must abide by. then forums can have lawyers and trials.
Of course, i'm just bitter. I have over thirty or so bans clocked at a certian forum i shall not name.
On the other hand, if I had that position of power, you'd bet i'd be banning people left and right

[Kaji]

Speaking as an administrator of a sizeable board over the past 2 years or so, I'd have to agree with the statement. The populace doesn't seem to comprehend that their right to free speech does not apply when someone else is paying for the hosting for said speech (and even moreso when the server isn't even in America, meaning their rights as an American aren't even applicable in the first place).

Ironically, I had to deal with one member last June who was protesting a friend's banning on a minor offense on a technicality because he'd been violating the intent of the law for so long without violating the letter of it that we had had enough and decided to do away with him. Well, when he found out about this he came out ranting like Shylock at the merchant's trial about how it was the letter of the law that was to be followed, and not this "spirit of the law bullshit." Well, out came a litany of about 9 or 10 points of the rules he himself had violated, that we'd decided to overlook or "verbally" warn him about in the past, and the hammer came down, gave him a ban for a month to give him the justice he demanded. Haven't heard a complaint out of him since (and yes, he did come back once his ban was up).

[nice gaijin]

I've moderated internet boards for about 6 years or so, my current stint being on one with a userbase of... a little over 54,500 members (sorry, had to check). and we've had to deal with uprisings and mass exodus from the boards when people weren't satisfied that they didn't own the boards or make the policies we govern by.

On a more common basis, I have to deal with some individuals who think their pants are much bigger than they are. The quote rings incredibly true to me, and reminds me of the owner of the site i mod at; dare i ask where you got this gem from?

[misterb]

I also agree with it fully with about 10 years of experience with modding/administrating boards, irc-channels, muds, etc. There is little to add to what has already been said about the quote, so I will just let it be known that yet another administrator agrees with it.