On 2003-08-14 14:05, spoimala wrote:
You are banning users by IP address? Being an IT guy, I can tell you two things:
1) It is possible, that this bans more people than just LC
2) It is possible, that it doesn't ban LC at all
I can ban both by username and IP address. I've only ever banned users twice, and I'm *very* careful about these things.
I analyzed Lifechanger's posting traffic and determined that he has a fixed IP address. So it was easy- I banned both the username (so he can't post from a public PC), and his IP address so he can't do anything with planetz from his home PC. Sure, if he changes his ISP or gets assigned a new address, he'll be able to see planetz again, but still won't be able to post, unless he gets a new email address and re-registers on planetz with a new username. But when it becomes obvious it's him, we just ban his new username too.
When I banned DXL, I had more trouble. He was DETERMINED to take revenge on planetz. I couldn't believe how much time he put into trying to get back and post inane "planetz sucks" messages. He tried coming in thru a series of anonymizers, creating new accounts with fake email addresses, etc. I blocked the IP ranges of as many "anonymizer" sites as I could.
In short, I don't ban lightly, and I'm meticulous when I do.
-John