Banning

It can be very tempting to simply ban problem members, but it is easy for them to join again. You could permanently moderate them, then at least then you still know who they are.

In some instances moderators feel that banning is the only option, but it’s worth checking with co-mods for a second opinion unless they’re obviously a spammer. Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself:

• Has the member got a valid reason for joining lots of communities?

• Has the member had their account hacked?

• Is there another side to this story?

Be prepared for the member to join again. Often when members rejoin you can spot them:

• They ask for the same or similar items.

• They use similar language e.g. sign off in the same way.

• New email addresses are often similar to old ones.

There is no sure fire way of knowing for certain if a new member is who you think it is. For example, IP addresses change on many web based email accounts and some broadband users share IP addresses.

If you want to check IP addresses you can use

• https://whatismyipaddress.com/ip-lookup
• http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm?Getlocation

If you decide to ban a member

• Go to ModTools>Members>Approved
• Find the member by putting the name in the search box
• Click the magnifying glass button
• Click the Ban button.
• A confirmation window opens asking "Are you sure you want to ban this member? Select Yes or No
• Make the decision.

Unbanning
You can see a list of banned members from Members->Approved. There is a small Unban link (with a confirmation step) in that section.

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