T'Bonz - Why did you ban Excelcius?

I've observed him posting at WF for a few weeks and I see nothing even TBBS ban-worthy. He seems adequately polite, doesn't troll or flame or attack other posters. And while there are those out there who speculate he is a dual of an infamous ex-poster there's plenty of evidence that points to the contrary. (Though whether he's a dual of someone else is still up in the air).

So what gives?

I believe the IP address and the posting style were what sealed the deal.

The hardcore republican post style?

Not the posting substance, but the style.

From what I bothered to check out, he was mostly posting in "Future of Trek."


As I've said before, there are more than a few people at Trekbbs who apparently know Enterprisers rl identity. If Excelsipriser really wanted to clear his name, he could prove his identity to one of them and they'd happily vouch for him.

I banned him from Starscape. He never returned to contest the ban. I check IP addresses if my curiosity is piqued, and it was when he joined. So I checked out the WhoIS information on file and checked my "banned" logs. The resulting information was all I needed.


-J.

So he is Enty after all?

I rather hope he stays at WF though.

What did he do at Starscape to get himself banned?

And what did Enty do at Starscape to get himself banned?

​

Asyncritus, Asyncritus and Asyncritus.

Still waiting for you to back up your bullshit story about his being trinity.

Take your time. And make sure you don't respond to this post.

I think he's more likely trinity than Enterpriser as well. I can't see someone switching their politics so drastically for a troll. Remember the amount of posts Enty had on WF - that's one bored SOB who was pulling off that troll. The only way any reasonable person could do it if he truly were a hardcore republican who had no life.

Ehm, Starscape has a lot of posters from TBBS, WF and maybe TK who all know Enty...
What do you think would happen if someone that infamous would start posting among that group?!?
J. Allen wants to keep the SBBS a nice place, not a "Lets get Enty" mob...
And Excelcius IP apparently matches one on the banned list, so it's probably a dual from a banned poster, possibly Enty...

Enterpriser's first thread on Starscape was about some technique for executing criminals where you bring them to the verge of death, revive them, and do it again.

And again.

And again.

Must have gone through a whole box of Kleenex while he was posting it.

There are plenty of bbs out there where he could have spooged that sort of thing all over the screen and been applauded for it. Starscape's philosophy is very clearly stated as being as far removed from that sort of sick-fuck fantasizing as possible, and he knew that. So he got what he deserved.

Excelsius is not trinity. The IPs don't lie. Asyncritus does.

A troll has no political philosophy other than trolling. Enty's "conservatism" on TBBS was often ludicrous to the point of parody. Just as his "liberalism" is here.

And just FYI:

trinity started 89 threads over the course of four years

"Excelsius" has started 98 threads in a little over two months.

And while trinity was often critical of T'Bonz and the way things were run on TBBS, it was never with the viciousness Excelsius displays in this forum.

Fall for The Asyncritus Fallacy if you want to, Face. It'll only prove that Barnum was right...

Arguable.

Dial-up and proxies are two ways IPs can "lie" or appear to.

However, I don't think they are in this case.

Enterpriser? That dude posted a lot and was much more conservative and more intelligent than Excelsious appears to be. They don't seem to add up.

In any event, it's not trinity.

How are you so sure it's not 3of1 but are 100% convinced it's Enty?

Told you...trinity is a friend of mine. I'm 100% certain it's not trinity.

I'm 99% certain it's Enty because:

(A) O2C says the IPs are the same

(B) Someone named Excelsius joined TBBS and made a handful of posts before his IP was recognized as Enty's and he was banned

(C) I think it's fair to say I have some experience with the creation of fiction

(D) Asyncritus is trying so hard to convince us it's not Enty, and Asyncritus is a liar.

I'm hoping when T'Bonz gets back from Shore Leave she'll have a little talk with Asyncritus, whom she considers a friend.

We'll never know what's said, but the conversation might at least prove quite illuminating to the parties involved.

IMO Async is simply advancing another theory.

Oh, and could you tell us why Trin doesn't post here anymore? And if "it" would like to come back?

He's trying too hard. Add that to the smear campaign he started on me over a year ago, then walked away when I challenged him, and IMO he's part of the game.

Career-related stuff mainly.

No indications at the present time.

And, no, I'm not going to illuminate you vis-a-vis trin's gender. If a poster wants privacy, I respect that.

^Everyone knows that is , who is in turn .

We made a concious decision as a staff that we would not and will not allow known trolls. There are plenty of places where trolls can go, but we decided not to let them live under our bridge.

Banning Enterpriser was not an easy decision. We have always struggled to build traffic and like him or hate him Enterpriser does drive post counts. However, we decided to stick to our orginal plan and banned him. The repeated execution thread was exactly the kind of calculated trolling we were all sick of. When we became convinced that Excelsius was in fact an Enterpriser dual, the decision to ban that user was quite a bit easier.

Yes, we are still struggling to build traffic, but at least we're being true to our convictions and trying to provide at least one troll-free zone.

That's not to say that we're any better than anyone else, but we do strive to be different in one critical aspect.

Whether what we're doing is successful, well, who's to say? I will say that I enjoy being on the staff, am happy to be associated with someone as respected and liked as J.Allen and have no regrets about my continuing association with Starscapebbs.

One thing I don't understand is why he's resurfaced after all these years?

He was never barred from posting on WF. In fact we invited him over here long ago. He just swore he'd never do it. Yet now after quickly getting banned by TBBS and Starscape (again assuming he's Enty) here he is, the last bastion of freedom (sorry TK).

I just don't understand.

Better late than never...?

Jail time can take a person out of circulation for a while.

Or being submitted to a mental institution...

Known to whom? Do you put it up to a staff vote and if 2/3 say the prospective member is a troll, then no dice? Is there an appeals process? What constitutes a troll? How do you know that a troll from one board will behave in a similar manner on yours?

Not trying to pick on you or anything, I'm just curious about the process.

Obviously there's no master list of trolls floating around anywhere. In E's case we all knew exactly what the guy's act was and where it would lead. In the end, it was John's decision to ban him, after consulting with his staff. Not a democratic process, but not an autocratic one, either. And I can assure you that decision was not made lightly or easily.

As a staff, we all have complete administrative powers to ban users, and I've used it to squash spambots or idiots posting links to hard-core porn which would upset the provider. However, when it comes to banning to an individual there are clearly defined rules for warnings and actions leading up to bannings and an appeal process for people to contest warnings and bans.

One of the precepts that J.Allen has is that everyone who wants to join is welcome and they will be dealt with on the basis of how they behave at Starscape. Every rule has it's exceptions and E was it.

In all seriousness, you're welcome to join Starscape and take a look for yourself. I think some people have done that and found it a congenial, low-key place, others have gone looking for more excitement. In every case except the one in question, people who don't like it have simply made the choice to find their fun elsewhere. We've had to do very little in the way of moderation, simply because I think we make it clear what type of environment we're trying to create.

We work together as an Administrative team instead of just me making the decision, brooking no argument and going with it. It's less of a vote and more of an input session. Ultimately, I make the decision once given enough feedback, unless I defer to others on the issue if I believe they have more experience in the matter. As for trolls, Starscape BBS allows people who are trolls on other boards, as long as they don't troll ours. Excelsius/Enterpriser was a different case entirely. Even Kirk1Adm, who has trolled our board, is allowed on Starscape. All he has to do is ask and he can return, under a name other than Trinity's of course.

I hope I didn't step on your toes there, Mike.

-J.

Thanks guys. That clarifies a lot for me. I do have to commend you on your decision forgo the potential rise in postings that Enty would have brought in favor of keeping the environment your userbase is used to.

Bet you didn't even see J.Allen's lips moving when I was talking! One more serious note, we are trying to be as open about our rules and decision making process as we possibly can. So far, that's been relatively easy, since very few contentious issues have come up. Our intentions our good, but how they will stand up if we become a larger, more high traffic board is something that remains to be seen.