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**MarkG** · July 16, 2001, 07:38

ras, if you too got a 20% pcr for every spam post you made.....

**Ari Rahikkala** · July 16, 2001, 07:51

Ah well, synonymes, my bad.

On the other hand, about PCR's and, especially, postcounts:

ABOLISH! ABOLISH! ABOLISH! ABOLISH! ABOLISH! ABOLISH!

Ps. I've never gotten a PCR.
Pps. This doesn't mean that I want a PCR.
Ppps. I've never been banned, either.
Pppps. This doesn't mean that I want to be banned.
Ppppps. Abolish post counts.

[postcounts]

**Robert** · July 16, 2001, 08:06

Ps. I've never gotten a PCR.

nor did I

Ppps. I've never been banned, either.

black saturday

Markos:
isn't it possible to punish someone by disabling his / her postcount ? Their 'current' postcount will stay, but whatever they post it won't increase.

It's the perfect punishment for spammers I think.
You can make it last ways longer, thus it will hurt much more, but people can keep on posting posts that actually do make sence.

**Rasputin** · July 16, 2001, 08:08

Originally posted by MarkG
ras, if you too got a 20% pcr for every spam post you made.....

not asking for a pcr mark , but i still firmly beleive my posts arent spam but are no worse than everyone elses posts in these areas, i figured if you cant beat them join them...

My whole point, was that their seems to be some inconsitency about. I got a 10% PCR with no warning, yet some people have made hate threads and given a warning before being banned.

Not arguing that you dont have the right to do all this, but as i said it seems a little inconsitent that there are some that rarely if ever get PCR for psoting little more than a smilie .... at least i usually make an attempt to add more than just one liners, unless the thread has taken a deciedly fun direction.

i also am at least an active civ player too, so feel my comments are more valid in On topic forums than a number of others.

Whilst appreciating it looks bad that my name appears next to nearly all threads in some forums, it is usually because i feel i have something to add to the converstaions in each thread.

Hope this doesnt count as SPAM and thereby forcing mark/ming to give me a 20% PCR ......

**Ari Rahikkala** · July 16, 2001, 08:08

Black Saturday... Can't remember it...

* hums *

Was it the 150 thread? Never posted there. I did post once to area 25, but didn't get banned for that (thank Sid!).

Ps. By the way, instead of spamming, you guys should be doing something real and useful , like reading http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=22522 .

**Rasputin** · July 16, 2001, 09:25

Originally posted by LightEning
Black Saturday... Can't remember it...

What is/was this black saturday i hear so much about...

**Ari Rahikkala** · July 16, 2001, 09:39

Well, it was either:

- The 150 thread, i.e. The thread where the limit if 150 posts per thread was introduced. Due to Ming's laziness * ouch *, I mean rationality, the thread was not locked to stop people posting there. Instead it was just told that people shouldn't post there.

Now, on Apolyton, saying that you must not do something will probably result in that more people will do it than if you hadn't said it. After about 20-30 posts (IIRC) the banning warning was issued. About 30-40 posts later the thread was closed as the warning hadn't had any effect. However, the existence of that thread resulted in mass bannings.

Or (I can't really remember which it was

):

- The area 25, where somebody (Snapcase, perhaps... no... Snapcase was the one who told me about that) found an old, unused forum from Apolyton (the number of the forum was 25, hence the name). As the admins didn't check that forum and it wasn't in the forum listing the spammers quickly began using it as their ground. Hardcore porn was posted. Funny stuff was posted. Most of the active OTers found their way there. After the admins remembered the place (or somebody leaked) it was deleted, and huge bannings and PCR's ensued.

http://home.att.net/~sjcfg/dcessay.htm

**Robert** · July 16, 2001, 10:19

oh my......
you're changing history !

Ming created a *new* thread that said something like:
"Threads aren't supposed to be longer then 150 posts.
don't reply on this message"

Someone replied and asked something about the 150 posts rule,
and 3 or 4 people answered his questions.
Then MING returned and banned all those that had replied (4or 5 people for 4 or 5 posts)

Thereafter some people (including me) replied and said they were loyal with the people that got banned since it didn't make sence to open a thread, say 'don't reply' and then reply everyone that does reply anyway.

Ming kept on banning the people that argued his decision (And anyone that replied on the thread) and more people replied to say they disagreed with Ming.

I think after 60 or 80 people were banned Ming decided to close the thread (!!!!!)

All the merci the mods had was that the banned people were *only* banned for 5 days instead of 2 weeks

since about 80% of the regular posters got banned and much others kept loyal and refused to post during these 5 days the forum was VERY quiet for a few days.

We're still waiting for red thursday, when Ming says "Don't read this line" and bans everyone that does

**Ming** · July 16, 2001, 10:55

Neither story is even close to the truth

I created a thread for informational purposes (I dont' even remember if the subject was the 150 post rule)... In the thread, I asked people not to respond (you all remember the spam sharks from back then)... I think it was Matt Higgs who was the first to respond...
I gave him a one day vacation to make my point... I then went to play golf and take a nap. When I got back on line, I saw that things had REALLY GOTTEN OUT OF HAND, and MarkG had stepped in.
And it was nowhere near 60 or 80 people...

This story seems to get better with age...

**Rasputin** · July 16, 2001, 11:32

well you know the old adage ming ,

never let the truth get in the way of a good story !!!!

so by mings aco**** it was mark that did all the banning, and poor ming has ended up with all the blame...

The area 25 thread seems very interesting how did that ever occur ????

**Robert** · July 16, 2001, 11:34

Ming, pherhaps the first one got banned for one day (not sure about that)

but you DID ban some people, since I'm 100% positive that I got banned by you. 60 or 80 might be a little too much indeed

think 20-30. (but there were a lot of people that were loyal to us and didn't post during our 'ban' period)

My story not close to the thrugh ?
nah, only the '60-80' part pherhaps.

**Ming** · July 16, 2001, 12:04

CyberShy... I may have restricted a few more... but you make it sound like I was just waiting with my sword held high, banning people left and right.

I was off line for over 12 hours (heaven forbid I should have a life and not be plugged into Apolyton 24/7 ;0 ) When I went off line, there were only a few responses to the thread.
When I checked back in after my nap... there were over 100

At some point, MarkG got into the act, and he actually did do most of the restrictions.

Since then, I did admit my mistake... In retrospect, I would have done it differently.
I would have locked the thread, and opened it for a short time only to bump it, and then close it again. Back then we didn't have sticky threads, so I just couldn't do that. Granted, my big mistake was assuming that people would act in a reasonable fashion. That obviously wasn't the case

As far as the number of "supporters" that didn't get restricted that didn't post during that time, there were only a few I can think of... Most (probably 99% of all regular OTF posters) posters that weren't restricted, continued to post.

So no... your story isn't close

Again, a story that only gets better with age...

**Rasputin** · July 16, 2001, 12:13

i tend to beleive mings side of the story , he always has been the nice one around the forums, taking the sensible approach to bannings and restrictions and PCRs.. whilst the Evil Markus lurks with sword ready to swipe when ever he can, sacrificing the innocnet along with the guilty... women and children run for cover here comes markus !!!!

but seriously folks , why do people do things like that, we are told directly not to do something and we feel so impelled to do the exact opposite . This must make the admins/mods jobs very hard (or fun depending on their outlook

)

**Robert** · July 16, 2001, 20:20

nah, I still don't think Ming's side is very different to mines.

I may have restricted a few more

one too much

but you make it sound like I was just waiting with my sword held high, banning people left and right.

well, if you weren't doing that, you failed on what you were actually doing

there were only a few responses to the thread.

like I said. (4 or 5)

When I checked back in after my nap... there were over 100

nonononono, you banned a few people first that spoke out their loyality to the 4 or 5 you banned.

At some point, MarkG got into the act, and he actually did do most of the restrictions.

you're saying something like "It's all MarkG's fault" ? hehehe

Since then, I did admit my mistake... In retrospect, I would have done it differently.

you just earned yourself 5 CSRP ! (CyberShy's Respect Points)

but indeed, that's what you said those days as well, that you would've done it different. But I'm not sure, let's say *if* it would happen again (like you forget to make it a sticky thread or something) would you ban the people again that reply ? Even if they make a serious reply ?

my big mistake was assuming that people would act in a reasonable fashion

they did ! I clearly remember at least 3 or 4 of them made a SERIOUS reply (no spam reply)

Most (probably 99% of all regular OTF posters) posters that weren't restricted, continued to post.

yeah, sure

Again, a story that only gets better with age...

better ? it's black saturday, it could only get worse !

i tend to beleive mings side of the story

why don't you go to his home and make him some cookies ?
I mean, there are better ways to make yourself loved by the mods

**Ming** · July 16, 2001, 20:52

Originally posted by CyberShy
nonononono, you banned a few people first that spoke out their loyality to the 4 or 5 you banned.

But I'm not sure, let's say *if* it would happen again (like you forget to make it a sticky thread or something) would you ban the people again that reply ? Even if they make a serious reply ?

they did ! I clearly remember at least 3 or 4 of them made a SERIOUS reply (no spam reply)

I never banned anybody that spoke out their loyality to the FEW I did restrict before leaving...

First, I would NEVER do that again... but if I was that stupid... Nahhh... I would just close the thread... I've mellowed a bunch since then.

None of the replies I remembered were "serious"... but I'm sure we have different opinions of what's serious...

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