- Placid Platypus
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- Exalted Legendary Member
For Carnage Apply Within - Fatum Iustum Stultorum
"Do not mistake your rank and number for superiority. The oldest child may learn from the youngest."
At best, the "silent ban" is an ill-conceived idea that actually serves little purpose nor addresses or remedies a given problem. If a user breaks the rules, simply ban them. There is no need to resort to childish punishments to accentuate the ban. Saying otherwise is nothing more than an argument in favor of pointing fingers and feeling superior.
Furthermore, arguing that such a method would curtail or even inhibit the fame seeking propensities of some users is simply exaggerating what is frankly a minor problem, if even a problem at all. Most users simply don't go to the trouble of remembering users unknown to them unless they are directly involved with that person via conversation or confrontation. And no, replying to spam or falling victim to a troll-link does not constitute either.
A better idea would be to place emphasis on the individual user's responsibility to not reply to spam and/or troll posts. If you ignore offending posts in the first place, instead of posting in them (even if only to say "Reported", "This is spam, don't reply" or similar nonsense), there won't be motivation to continue spamming. In other words, it would be more effective to address one of causes of the problem, instead of simply proposing that yet another kiddie band-aid be slapped on it.
[Edited on 09.18.2011 8:11 PM PDT]