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Jul 27, 2006, 12:22pm

With the advent of 4.1 several peeps in the community have gotten banned,
with no proper explanation from the powers that be. Only a copy of the TOS
being emailed back to them to "justify" the banning. Just for posting this
I'm probably gonna be next but I think it's time this situation is properly
addressed. Thoughts anybody?

Jul 27, 2006, 1:07pm

Banned from where? The Gate or AW?

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Jul 27, 2006, 1:15pm

I wasn't given a copy of the TOS, i was only told to find another
community in There and Second Life :P Thats worse

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Jul 27, 2006, 1:55pm

Activeworlds entirely. I guess they're "weeding out the undesirables".

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Jul 27, 2006, 1:57pm

wow.. and for even mentioning those two venues at the AW gate they got a bot
that sends you to the "blue room"!
*sighs



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Jul 27, 2006, 1:58pm

Just getting out the bad blood.
Bit odd, seeing as there aren't many people around now days, as compared to
five years ago.

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Jul 27, 2006, 2:16pm

Definitely odd considering they probably need all the members they can get.
Biting the hand that feeds you is not a good idea.




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Jul 27, 2006, 2:24pm

More like biting the hand that gives you a small snack - AW Universe is only
a small side-income for their business. They don't have the incentive to
deal with customers giving them grief.

- Com

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Jul 27, 2006, 2:49pm

Some folk aren't really giving them grief. Some were banned simply for
putting in a complaint.
If you were to purchase a hardware component for say a computer.. or even a
toaster that was malfunctioning wouldn't you expect a lil customer service,
rather than the blatant slap in the face many folks recieved?


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Jul 27, 2006, 3:07pm

u hit the nail right on the head SW. thats exactly right.
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Jul 27, 2006, 3:22pm

It is however us that they rely upon to make all the bots and support
services, and test the software, and design lots of models etc...

--
- Mark Randall
http://www.temporal-solutions.co.uk
http://www.awportals.com

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Jul 27, 2006, 3:37pm

"Complaints"? What sorta complaints? There's many ways to complain. Some
fall into the realm of whining and outright insulting, and some as
attempting to form a cyber-riot over something. If you complain, plz be
civil and constructive about it.


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Jul 27, 2006, 3:43pm

hmm.. I was under the impression I was being civil.. How was this thread
whiny or insulting? I believe making a valid point on a recent series of
occurances is being constructive, and I honestly feel my wording and
phrasing has been civil. How is starting a thread over people being unfairly
banned with no explanation "starting a riot"? Isn't making folks aware of
an undesirable situation is the first step in correcting it?



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Jul 27, 2006, 4:08pm

I was referring to the people you were talking about, not this thread ;)

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Jul 27, 2006, 4:20pm

I know of 3 peeps that got banned.. one of them was a kind girl that never
bothered anybody. Another individual simply tried to get answers to a
technical question. How is that inciting anything other than getting a
simple answer about the issue they were attempting to deal with?

I finally found the TOS, by trying to start a re install of AW.. It may say
"they do not guarantee any access or upgrades, but this hardly justifies
being kicked off of AW entirely for making an inquiry about it.


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Jul 27, 2006, 5:12pm

Best solution would be for them to confront AWI with over the phone - (978)
499-0222

- Com

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Jul 27, 2006, 5:25pm

http://www.activeworlds.com/community/conduct.asp

Those are the guidelines for ActiveWorlds. Below it states clearly the
actions in which AWI holds the rights to do at anytime. It also clearly
states that they withhold the right to disable or terminate an account
at anytime without notification if they feel a user is being disruptive
or not obeying the conduct guidelines within THEIR universe. Lady
Tigrane, the fact of the matter is, is that AWI is not obligated to give
you or anyone else an explanation on how they conduct their business or
why they have removed or took action against someone that was probably
causing more problems than you know about. Going by what you "hear" from
those citizens, or citizens that tell you what they have heard is not
always the wisest way to base your judgements. A lot of the posts that
you have made are just that. You've taken things that you have heard
and have assumed that the company is being completely irrational.
Anytime a user is disabled or even banned for that matter, there is
usually a pretty good reason behind it. However, they are not obligated
to sit down with everyone and explain to you why they did it.

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Jul 27, 2006, 6:16pm

And by Confront, don't take "Send us an email" for an answer.

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Jul 27, 2006, 7:04pm

This is why I maintain, SL is *way* better than AW. They don't ban
people for complaining, they resolve it.


-Lt


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Jul 27, 2006, 7:08pm

And here is the TOS
http://www.activeworlds.com/community/terms.asp

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Jul 27, 2006, 7:24pm

The three I previously mentioned are only a handful of folks banned after
4.1. Furthermore discouraging clients from asking why or even what can be
done to fix a problem with either the software OR unfair policies seems to
be many corporations methods of simply not dealing with the problem. The
inherent problem however doesn't go away.. and I believe has led to the
steady exodus from this 3d venue to others. If everyone else is content to
watch a community dwindle to extinction rather than ask the hard questions
and try to come up with better solutions, then perhaps the end predicted by
many is overdue.


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Jul 27, 2006, 7:42pm

Actually what gets flashed past you real quick during an install that many
folks just automatically hit "next" to is the TOS. In a recent thread that
was deleted Strike Rapier was astute to point out to me that what is said on
a website and what you "click" are oftentimes two different things.

Heres the real TOS: BY CLICKING ON THE "NEXT" BUTTON, YOU ARE CONSENTING TO
BE BOUND BY AND ARE
BECOMING A PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS
OF THIS AGREEMENT, CLICK THE "CANCEL" BUTTON AND THE INSTALLATION PROCESS
WILL NOT CONTINUE. IF THESE TERMS ARE CONSIDERED AN OFFER, ACCEPTANCE IS
EXPRESSLY LIMITED TO THESE TERMS.

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Jul 27, 2006, 8:01pm

You might want to check with Eep about that one. ;)

[View Quote] --
Goober King
This one time, at banned camp...
http://www.gkstudios.net

Jul 27, 2006, 8:13pm

You are assuming that they are banning people for asking questions. The
fact of the matter is: disabled accounts, disciplinary action, and a
revoked account, world, or the like is between AWI and the customer for
which they are dealing with, not YOU and the rest of the universe. From
what I've been getting from your posts/griefs regarding banishments is
that you are taking things that you are hearing from those people and/or
others and believing what they are telling you to be fact. That's not a
very intelligent way to make a judgement. There are two sides to every
story and to be honest, none of it really needs to be aired out here. If
you have concerns, address them to the company via email or telephone,
but keep in mind, they withhold the right not to disclose any
information to you regarding how they conduct their business. ;)

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Jul 27, 2006, 8:34pm

So the folks that got banned for asking for Linux support were lying? Also I
don't see where I'm griefing anyone. I'm bringing onto the forum an issue
that should be considered and addressed, not cast aside as inconsequential.


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Jul 27, 2006, 8:37pm

I totally agree with Elyk *applauds*
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Jul 27, 2006, 8:47pm

Is that a serious question? :P Come on Lady Tigrane... you honestly
think a company would randomly ban a user for asking about a technical
issue? This is where "that can't be right" should come into play for
you instead of automatically believing rumor to be fact.

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Jul 27, 2006, 9:10pm

Atleast 2 peeps were banned that were trying to sort out the Linux problem

Jul 27, 2006, 9:35pm

This thread already on a touchy subject, does not need unrelated crap
like this.
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Jul 27, 2006, 11:37pm

to me i think its one rouge aw employee that aw gave privlages to and
he is the one that bans ppl. when i enquire to aw why someone was banned
the staff at AWI office said its outta there hands. its up to chrispeg
to who gets banned i belive. AW is run as a hobby not like a company as
i see it. I have been banned before but they let me back in. All i
did was let ppl know that a pk was calling my job and reporting me for
useing aw while i was at work

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