Kurairush said:
I joined a video game site today and offered a few quality posts. The exchange description said "Only post in gaming area". I was planning on posting more and offered a small suggestion that the off-topic section be expanded. I login and receive a ban message that said "does not understand concept of gaming website" and my username was changed without my permission. I consider it unnecessary for me to suddenly get banned for offering a small suggestion that could benefit the website.
I feel like a have dodged a bullet then. I have done this (being in a post exchange and also post in suggestions) but never with this result.
I'm going blind here since I don't know the place you talk about but I have been doing post exchanges for a good while now.
It sounds to me like you didn't get banned for offering a suggestion but because you did not followed the exchange instructions.
Since you posted this thread on another forum and from your reply there, I understand you politely requested to expand their off-topic zone. If the forum is new or is trying to gain activity in the gaming section they don't want to talk about expanding the off-topic. There is no need of specific sub-forums to discuss all that.
Did you by any chance got a response in that suggestion thread and decided to argue against their response? I ask because of the banning reason.
Now, this is not to say that the staff sound off the walls with their reaction to this, at least from what you express. They could have just contact you about it. They were way too harsh and immature by the sound of it. It just sound like they really don't count people exchanges like possible members which is a damn shame, after all it is real users filling the quota. I'd love to be able to see the thread in question but I understand you don't really want to put them out in the open.
I am sorry about your bitter experience. I hope you have better experiences with your next exchanges. :thumbsup:
Kurairush said:
Most of the successful gaming forums that I've been on offer a nicely-sized off-topic secion? It is like the owner expects people to discuss gaming 24/7. What about people who post introductions? If posting a suggestions warrants one then so should introducing yourself. Best activity killer there.
Many of those successful forums won't start off the bat with all the areas we can look at now. They usually just divide the ones they get according the topic demand. I agree an off topic area is important, but I think you're missing the point that when we do a post exchange we're not exactly under the same box for many forum owners. There is a protocol and common sense rules that owners just expect us to know off the bat. One of them is that in a post exchange we have first the compromise to fill our quota before indulging ourselves into other areas. If we have already posted our quota in quality, they usually won't mind you give them extra posts in other areas, because it will help to solidify the "new member" illusion and because you're basically telling the owner that you enjoy their place. If you do this before you finish your deal, the administrators will count those posts as part of the package and will misjudge them as breaking the terms you agreed to.
Regarding the introduction topics, yeah I'm with you that they are as off topic as any suggestion and yet they actually have in their terms the obligatory extra thread to introduce ourselves. However, it makes a bit of sense. Most spammers just arrive post a few times and leave to never return. Because you post an introduction, it gives the rest of the members, who doesn't know you are a temporary visitor, the illusion of a newcomer that cares enough for the place and not just a rushed random user.
Kurairush said:
How would you feel if you were banned just for posting once in an off-topic section, even if it is a introduction or site suggestion? Would you turn people away from that site?
I don't know how I'd react if I was in your shoes, I think I'd be pretty annoyed too, but if I was banned for posting "off topic" and I felt it was completely undeserving I'd probably would try to contact them about it and try to understand their reasoning behind it. If they acted jerky on me then I'd probably wouldn't feel tranquil posting there anyway. If asked my opinion I would be honest and yes, warn them against them.
