Bard spotting thread 03 July 2024

robywar in r/modnews:

What should happen when a mod bans you from a popular sub, but refuses to tell you which, if any, rule you broke and mutes you when you ask for an appeal or explanation? Like the mods of /r/worldnews, for example?

Reply by Bardfinn in r/modnews:

In this hypothetical, the banned person _should_ take the time during the mute to read and understand the rules of the subreddit, and the sitewide rules, and apply those themselves to the content they submitted to the subreddit (and to their behaviour outside of that subreddit), and honestly evaluate where and how they violated those rules.

If they believe that they can amend their ways and still want to participate in the subreddit, when the mute has expired, they _should_ write a modmail that clearly states that they're appealing the ban, that they read and applied the subreddit and sitewide rules to their conduct in (and if applicable, outside of) the subreddit, and that they are sorry for having violated those rules, and will not break them again, and want to rejoin the community.

In the potential case of having been banned for participating in a subreddit that has a legacy of community interference with the operations of the subreddit from which they were banned, they _should_ cease participating in the interfering subreddit.

This ban appeal's apology _should_ be sincere.

And throughout, the banned person _should_ set their expectation that the moderators have no obligation to lift the ban — absolutely none.