I recently read a tweet by Corrine, an MVP and our Mod, a couple of days back, about 3-4 Microsoft MVPs being banned from a forum called Seven Forums.com. I did feel that banning MVPs was not exactly a good idea, and if there were issues, the members could just have been requested to leave - but that was about it. Then today morning I saw a mail from Shyam aka Capt Jack, another MVP and again our Mod, pointing me to a discussion on Sysnative.com, at the other forum.

While reading this discussion thread: I came across a SevenForum link which appeared to discuss the other side of this whole issue. But apparently this thread was readable to members only.

Curious, I logged in to have a look at the other side of the argument - and was I surprised when I found that I too had been banned!



What was I really banned for? When was I banned? No idea. Don't care.



Why am I a member there? Let me explain.

A few years back, our site had organized a Best Windows Website Contest. SevenForum, via their Admin, had entered this Contest, organized by us in July 2009 - and was declared a winner around Sept 2009, by a panel of judges which included Ed Bott, myself and others.

So I had registered there and visited their victory thread and put in a Congratulatory comment there. I guess that was about it. I don't remember commenting again there and definitely not doing anything which would warrant a ban from any forum administration. Nor do I have Multiple Accounts as suggested. (Who has the time!?)

It is a good forum and its tutorials there by an an MVP are nice. The site is doing well too, as can be seen in Google Trends. The prerogative to ban MVPs or admins of other Windows forums is theirs, I guess. Its their forum and its doing really well in terms of traffic, so I guess they can get away with these things.



I found this whole thing really amusing, hence thought of posting here just as a matter for reading - not discussion really. Was I banned because I was a Microsoft MVP and/or an admin of another Windows site or for no reason? Its a question only the admin or the site-owner there knows.

Regards,

Anand Khanse.

UPDATE 28/7/12 : Corrine tells me that an MVP from SF, PM'd her here, and told her that my account there was no longer banned.