Bye Seany, you'll be missed

[bowenjones]

Mods, I don't know if there is a rule stopping people from posting about members who have left but I felt I had to say my goodbyes to Seany. It came as a huge surprise to me to find out that Sean has left or, as it says under his user name, been banned. I have no idea of the circumstances behind the decision but I for one will miss his posts. He has been a great help to me and many others with his opinions. I don't post that often but when I do it's usually late at night and more often than not, Sean would also be around. The photography forum has always been a friendly community and to lose one of it's more prominent members is very sad and quite upsetting imo.
Sean, I know you will probably read this so I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you and Diane all the best for the future

 

[Pink Fairy]

It's unusual for a forum system to actually use the title 'banned' on a banned member, even more unusual for e-mail and 'pm' priviledges to still be active, though the absence of a 'pm' facility on his profile is a worry

As a mod, he may be able to edit his user title, so let's hope he's just taking a break and having a laugh.

 

[Iain Shields]

Sean, I know you will probably read this so I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you and Diane all the best for the future

I'd like to second this, Sean has been a great help to me personally and also to many others, his posts have also been entertaining as well as adding to the feeling of community here. Whatever reason that may or may not be given to explain this dosn't matter, this is a big loss

Regards,
Iain.

 

[Iain Shields]

It's unusual for a forum system to actually use the title 'banned' on a banned member, even more unusual for e-mail and 'pm' priviledges to still be active, though the absence of a 'pm' facility on his profile is a worry

As a mod, he may be able to edit his user title, so let's hope he's just taking a break and having a laugh.

I thought the same untill I read this in the competition thread posted by a moderator:-

Sean has decided to leave the forum. If anyone wants to contact him please send me a PM

Iain.

 

[mr jones]

can i be the first to say....

 

[Mr THX]

can i be the first to say....

Seconded..................WHY ???

Was any explanation left as he closed the door .............

 

[RobertP]

can i be the first to say....

No you can't - I said it in the competition thread... where it has been ignored completely.

Unless this is explained I doubt my involvement here will continue at the same level.

 

[mattym]

the VB foum system puts the title 'Banned' under a user that has been designated as banned by the admin control panel

Bye bye Seany, didnt know you well, but you seem to have been much loved!

 

[Mr THX]

If he has decided to leave, as Stevegreen has informed us (which is entirely up to Seany of course) why do the current admins feel the need to label him as being banned. ??

If Steves comment stands I think it inappropriate that leavers are left labeled as somebody who has in some way broken forum rules..............

 

[Pink Fairy]

the VB foum system puts the title 'Banned' under a user that has been designated as banned by the admin control panel

Bye bye Seany, didnt know you well, but you seem to have been much loved!

None of the various Vb boards that I run have been set up in this manner(and I've banned scores) as 'banned' isn't great for the public to see and sparks threads like these which have admin pulling their hair out.

The best bet for preventing a member posting or taking part in any meaningful way is to set them to unregistered/not logged in.... that'll show previous posts by them as 'guest' Anything can be put in the user title field by admin though.

 

[mattym]

None of the various Vb boards that I run have been set up in this manner(and I've banned scores) as 'banned' isn't great for the public to see and sparks threads like these which have admin pulling their hair out.

The best bet for preventing a member posting or taking part in any meaningful way is to set them to unregistered/not logged in.... that'll show previous posts by them as 'guest' Anything can be put in the user title field by admin though.

The default setting for VB is 'banned' as the user group title for banned members, it can be changed by going into user groups in the admin panel and changing it to 'Guest'

 

[stevegreen]

No you can't - I said it in the competition thread... where it has been ignored completely.

Unless this is explained I doubt my involvement here will continue at the same level.

Not ignored at all Robert, I just have not been online since it was posted

I have answered it now.

 

[RobertP]

Sorry Steve but thats not enough for me.

I now know what the argument was about and was hoping the forum would be big enough to publish the forum admin policy/rule that the dispute was over. That would allow the members to judge for themselves who is right or wrong.

 

[Stuart Wright]

It's better to have as transparent a forum as possible, so I wil offer as much as I can without impinging on Sean's right to privacy.
Firstly when anyone's membership of the forums is 'terminated' either as a result of their actions or at their request, we 'ban' them rather than delete their membership so that their membership can be reinstated in the future.
Being banned is not necessarily a permanent thing, and someone making a semi-serious infringement of the rules may get a ban of several days.
I chose the term 'Banned' rather than anything else since most people who are in the 'banned' user group are there because they have broken the forum rules and other forum members know that they have been banned.
With specific regard to Sean, I was as surprised as any that he ended up in the 'banned' user group. He was a good mod and a good contributor to the forums. For various reasons, however, people do move on and at the moment, I don't think we will see him back. If you want to find out why he is no longer a member here, you should really ask him.
I haven't answered all your questions, but then it's not appropriate to do so. So rather than pointlessly speculate, why not just contact him?
Unfortunately, however, you won't be able to do it through the forums.

On a general note about forum community membership, it's great that we do make aquaintancies on these forums. Some might consider other members to be friends. People do come and go, however, and that is normal for a forum.
You may miss one friend who leaves, but we have over 100 members joining every day, so there is always plenty of new and interesting people around to swap experiences with.

 

[bowenjones]

I have no reason to speculate on the circumstances surrounding Sean's departure, it's obviously a private matter and should remain so imo. It did come out of the blue though and that is why some of us find it so surprising.

 

[Iain Shields]

It's better to have as transparent a forum as possible

IanJ dosn't seem to agree, thanks for opening the thread again.

Iain.

 

[Mr THX]

IanJ dosn't seem to agree, thanks for opening the thread again.

Iain.

That was my thought exactly.

I too appreciate Stuart opening the thread back up. Don't agree with some people having the last say then closing the thread so no one else can contribute.

Some 'Control' issues there..............

 

[ASH1]

Sean, thanks for all your input and advice. You will be missed and I can only hope you'll reconsider your leaving.

All the best
ASH1

 

[longleyc]

So Seany has left the forum. He seemed a good bloke. Whatever the means he left, its his business.
I guess those suprised werent freinds enough to be on his xmas card list or to be told he was leaving. End of.

 

[Stuart Wright]

IanJ dosn't seem to agree, thanks for opening the thread again.

Iain.

Because of the nature of the forums, being a moderator is a very difficult job. Every single decision is a judgment call.
The rules are pretty vague in places and if a moderator makes a different decision to me, it's not a negative reflection on their moderating duties, it's a negative reflecton on my wording of the rules.
I have and will continue to overrule moderators on occasion. This is not in any way a criticism of their decisions and should not be seen by anyone as such.

Some 'Control' issues there..............

So you see, Mr THX, how very wrong you are.

Remember folks, that without moderators, this forum would be sheer hell to visit. Rife with cliques, spam, rogue traders and rude people running amok. So be grateful to the moderators and give them your support.

 

[wyerd]

I haven't been around lately due to holidays, work, gardening etc. etc., but I'd like to add my surprise to Seany's departure from the forum.

He was extremely helpful when I first purchased my 350D and the problems I had with the 17-85mm IS USM lens which was resolved when Canon fixed the auto focus. I was already to give up, thinking I was doing something wrong, but with Seany's help I stuck with it and I have learnt a lot since.

Thanks Seany for all your help.

 

[fraggle]

Because of the nature of the forums, being a moderator is a very difficult job. Every single decision is a judgment call.
The rules are pretty vague in places and if a moderator makes a different decision to me, it's not a negative reflection on their moderating duties, it's a negative reflecton on my wording of the rules.
I have and will continue to overrule moderators on occasion. This is not in any way a criticism of their decisions and should not be seen by anyone as such.

You're becoming quite good at this diplomatic thing Stu!

And yes its a shame to see anyone leave due to differences of opinion, especially someone who's liked, but I hope Seany can take time out, realise whatever it was is just small fodder in the overall scale of things, and come back.

Enjoy your break Seany, and don't get into trouble photographing strangers who don't want you to!

 

[DJW]

Having heard Seans version of events & believing him to be an honest & ethical person I can only say I agree with his reasons for the final decision. His passion for photography & willingness to help others was impressive to say the least.

On this basis my contribution on this forum stops from today. You'll see me on other photgraphy forums as Mono & DJW.

 

[electrolyte]

I am shocked that there is a reason why he has left. He was a great contributer to this forum and he was one of the main reasons why I've got my digital camera. he was always friendly and helpful to newbies and didn't take life too seriously. He will be a sad loss to this community

 

[Mr Cat]

get over it guys - poeple come and go on forums all the time.