c/banned-for-speaking

Mods nuked my post for suggesting a cheaper alternatve to their fave tool

Got banned from a woodworking forum last Tuesday for saying a $15 hand plane from a flea market works as good as their $200 Lie-Nielsen for rough stock. The mod said I was 'undermining the craft' and deleted my thread after 40 minutes. I even posted side by side shavings pics to prove it. People messaged me privately saying they agreed but were scared to post. Is this hobby gatekeeping everywhere or just that one group?

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martin.vera•1d ago

Got silenced on a birding forum for questioning a rare sighting in Ohio

Last Tuesday I pointed out that the reported snowy owl photo looked like a barn owl with bad lighting, and the mods deleted my reply and banned me after 3 days of arguing with folks who never even saw the bird in person.

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the_wesley•1d ago

My YouTube comment about a local pothole got flagged as hate speech

I spent 20 minutes writing a detailed comment about the 14th Street pothole and included the mayor's name, but the auto-mod deleted it as 'harassment' while actual spam comments stayed up for days, has anyone else gotten falsely flagged for the most boring civic complaints?

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gavin_clark•6d ago

A stranger's comment about my potty mouth got me unplugged from a gardening forum

Last October I posted a rant on a permaculture site about my neighbor's invasive bamboo and used a few choice words to describe it, then some user named GreenThumb2020 replied 'your language says more about your soil than the bamboo does.' That stuck with me for a week, so I went back, apologized, and edited my post to focus on the actual rhizome barrier solution instead of the cussing, and now I wonder how many bans I've dodged by just typing like I'm talking to my grandma. Has anyone else had a random stranger's one-liner completely flip how they post online?

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rowan_butler93•6d ago

My uncle's stock tip got me flagged on three platforms

He told me to post about a penny stock he liked, so I shared it in a few investing groups. Turned out it was a pump and dump, and now I'm banned everywhere for pushing it. Anyone else get caught up in bad advice from family?

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henry_palmer24•7d ago

Tried the whole "reply to every comment" strategy and it backfired hard

Honestly, I thought being super active in a subreddit would get me less scrutiny, but after I defended a post about local zoning rules for the third time, a mod hit me with a 7 day ban for "brigading." The tip I'd seen was to engage with critics to build trust, but apparently engaging too fast looks like a coordinated attack. Has anyone else gotten punished for trying to be transparent like that?

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andrewt41•9d ago

One mod's note made me rewrite my entire appeal message

Got banned from a local news comments section for calling a story 'clickbait', then the mod wrote back saying my tone was 'dismissive, not critical'. I reworded the same point with sources from the city's own budget report and got unbanned in 2 days, has anyone else found that citing local data changes the outcome?

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skylercooper•10d ago

A mod deleted my post for saying 'location matters' in a hiking group

Last month in a regional backpacking group, someone asked for trail recommendations and I replied that a popular spot in the Smokies requires a permit now. A mod messaged me saying my comment was 'fear mongering' and removed it. I tried to explain I got nailed with a $150 fine there in 2022, but they just muted me for a week. Has anyone else had a mod scrub basic safety info that they didn't like?

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olivers28•10d ago

Serious question, did the old 'be civil at all costs' rule actually keep forums alive?

Back in 2012 on a gardening site, I used to get warnings for calling out someone's invasive bamboo advice, and I'd just delete my reply to keep the peace... now I see people getting permanently banned for the same kind of pushback, and the threads just turn into echo chambers. Was the old soft-glove approach really better for honest talk, or are strict bans just cleaning house faster? Has anyone else noticed the shift from 'heated but polite' to 'instant removal' on their old stomping grounds?

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torres.jason•13d ago

Paid $300 for a forum archive tool, got my account nuked instead

I run a small niche forum about vintage computer repair and got tired of losing old threads to server crashes. So I spent $300 on this software that supposedly backed up everything locally and even let me export posts in bulk. Installed it, ran a full export, and it worked fine for one day. Next morning my forum account was suspended for suspicious activity because the tool spammed the server with requests and triggered the anti-bot system. Support said they couldn't help since third-party tools violate their terms, even though they don't list that anywhere obvious. Ended up losing access to my own community for two weeks while an admin manually reviewed everything. Has anyone else dropped serious cash on a tool that ended up getting them banned instead of helping?

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paulk89•17d ago

PSA: My cooking group ban started with a passive-aggressive 'recipe tip'

Got banned from a Facebook cooking group for 30 days after posting that a viral 'hack' for cutting onions was actually dangerous with mandoline slicers, you know, the whole finger-saving thing. What tipped me off was when the admin messaged me privately saying my 'tone' was 'disrespectful to new cooks', even though I just linked a safety guide from our local extension office in Austin. Turns out the admin was the one who posted the hack originally, and she had been wiping any criticism for months. I checked the group rules afterward, and 'no safety corrections' was buried in paragraph 6. Has anyone else gotten punished for just trying to keep people from losing digits?

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tessa394•18d ago

Mod queue in r/hiking booted me for a map link, no warning at all

I spent 4 years moderating that sub for free, and last Tuesday I shared a USGS topo link in a trail conditions thread for the PCT section near Mount Hood. They called it 'self-promotion' because my blog hosted the file, even though I had zero ads on it. The auto-ban hit within 20 minutes, and my 12,000 post history disappeared from my profile like it never existed. No appeal option, no human reply to my ticket, just a canned message about 'community guidelines.' Has anyone else got nuked by a mod team they helped build, and did you ever get a real answer on the appeal?

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the_eva•20d ago

Got booted from a crochet Facebook group for questioning a pattern hack

Some influencer posted this hack for fixing twisted chains using a bobby pin, and I commented that it didn't work on my 4mm hook after trying it twice. The admin called me a troll and banned me within an hour. I've been crocheting for 11 years, so I know what I'm doing. Has anyone else been kicked out of a craft group for just asking about technique?

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tara700•20d ago

Mods on a recipe site deleted my comment about oven temps for high altitude

I live in Denver at 5,280 feet and baking is a whole different game up here. Last month someone posted a bread recipe with a 375 degree bake time, so I commented that they should bump it to 400 and reduce liquid by 10% or their dough will never rise right. That got me flagged and then deleted within an hour. The mod said I was 'derailing the thread' but I literally bake three loaves a week up here, I know what I'm talking about. It bugs me because people at sea level keep giving advice like it works everywhere, and then new bakers in high places fail and quit. Has anyone else gotten silenced for sharing location specific baking fixes on a big food forum?

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stone.jesse•20d ago

Got banned from a gardening forum for saying mulch depth is overrated

Had a back and forth with a mod over in a homesteading group. They kept pushing this idea that you gotta pile on 4 inches of mulch or your soil is basically dead. I said I've been running 2 inches max for 6 years on my raised beds in Columbus and my tomatoes and peppers do just fine. One guy called me lazy, then the mod deleted my comment and gave me a 7 day ban for 'spreading bad practices.' It was weird because I wasn't even being rude, just sharing what worked for me. The funny part is another member messaged me privately saying they also run shallow mulch and their yields are better than when they did the deep stuff. Makes me wonder how many people get silenced just for questioning the group think. Has anyone else gotten kicked out of a hobby space for disagreeing with some unspoken rule that has no real science behind it?

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elizabeth438•21d ago

Finally hit 50 permanent bans across platforms, feels weirdly good

Started counting a few years ago after I got kicked off a gardening forum for saying roundup is overused. Just got my 50th today from a local news site for calling out a bad take on zoning. Each one was for an opinion I actually stand behind, even the ones I later changed my mind on. Not a huge number compared to some folks here, but it made me realize I stopped caring about fitting in online. Anyone else keep a tally or just me?

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henrygrant•22d ago

Permanently banned from a hiking meetup group over one trail photo

I posted a shot of a scenic overlook in a local hiking Facebook group three weeks ago, and the admin claimed it was 'location leaking' because I tagged the trail name. They deleted my comment and then banned me without a warning, even though the group's own rules never said anything about hiding spots. Has anyone else gotten the boot from an outdoors community for something that seemed totally harmless to you?

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evan_stone•23d ago

Compared two blood pressure cuffs at work, got flagged for the writeup

Last shift I posted in the nurse subreddit about how the cheap wrist cuff on 3B was reading 20 points higher than the arm cuff on 3C, and the mods pulled it for 'medical misinformation.' The difference was the arm cuff matching the patient's actual size, not the brand. Has anyone else gotten nailed for pointing out basic equipment flaws in a nursing group?

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joseph_coleman•24d ago

Rant: My town's Facebook group nuked my post about the crosswalk petition

I got a 7 day ban for sharing a link to a safety petition after a kid got clipped on Main Street, and the mod said I was 'politicizing traffic' before deleting it, so has anyone else been silenced for bringing up basic local issues in those neighborhood groups?

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harperwright•25d ago

That one moderator who cracked mid-debate back in 2017 still haunts me

Dude told me I was 'psychologically unwell' for arguing about pineapple on pizza for 40 straight minutes on a now-dead forum, then permabanned me with a note that just said 'go outside,' has anyone else had a mod get personally offended like that?

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the_max•26d ago

One mod's comment about my tone made me rewrite my whole approach to comments

Got kicked from a gardening sub after a mod said my advice came off like a lecture, so now I start every reply with a question instead of a statement, and it's wild how much better people take the same tips, has anyone else had to flip their whole style after one piece of feedback?

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patwest•26d ago

Got banned from a hiking forum for saying switchbacks save knees, not ruin hikes

I posted in a Pacific Northwest trail group that the 4 mile scree slope near Mount St. Helens is easier with switchbacks, and 30 people piled on me before a mod axed my account, so has anyone else been kicked out for defending the boring route?

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henry_moore55•26d ago

Got purged from a gardening app for calling out fern gatekeeping

I posted a simple tip about watering Boston ferns in July, then some moderator nuked my account because I said the word 'drench' was dangerous advice, even though I've run a greenhouse side gig for 11 years. Anyone else get booted for stating a basic fact that hurt a mod's feelings?

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skylercooper•27d ago

Finally compared my bulk meal prep vs my roommate's daily cooking habit

I did 3 hours of Sunday prep for two weeks straight, then watched my roommate cook fresh every night for the same period. My grocery bill actually came out lower by about 40 dollars, and I saved way more time on weekdays. Has anyone else seen a difference that clear, or do you think it depends on the recipes?

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smith.jordan•29d ago

Got perma-banned from a local subreddit for a traffic complaint

Posting in the Sacramento subreddit about the light timing on Madison Ave and got hit with a permanent ban for 'concern trolling'. The mods said I was fear-mongering because I mentioned 3 near-misses in 2 weeks at the same intersection. Has anyone else gotten banned for pointing out basic safety stuff in their city's sub?

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