Why are mod authors allowed to ban people from seeing their mod?

[M48A5]

"I have a problem with the rules, not the modders, because it's the rules that facilitate the bad behavior. "

 

You have a choice here, abide by the rules or go elsewhere. You don't like the rules, then go elsewhere. Oh, and watch the door on the way out. It swings fast, don't let it hit you in the .............

[Reneer]

It doesn't matter what US law over small businesses state, it's a useless argument that detracts from any real argument on what's wrong with the system. The Nexus isn't a 5-star classy restaurant and it's not your local store, and it's not based upon supply + demand economics so the basics of the law itself is meaningless here. It's rules entirely set up by admins, who made these rules because they wish it to be so.

It was a simple analogy, but it isn't a useless argument. Mod authors own our work. Thus, we get to dictate what is done with our work. If I don't want Johnny a**hole using my mod that's my right to refuse him service or products that I create. The Nexus allows us that ability just as we would have that same ability to ban users if we were hosting our own mods on our own websites.

 

Constantly turning this argument into "mod makers vs. hordes of people who just want to be mean and don't appreciate the amazing effort they put out" isn't productive either because it has nothing to do with the argument. Not a single person in this thread has argued against the mod maker's right to control the distribution of their mod. Nobody disagrees with their right to mute, silence, delete and whatever else comments and commentators whether for good or ill. The problem here comes from a mod authors ability to effectively block out people from downloading their mod for no purpose. It accomplishes nothing besides satisfying some petty grudge.

 

I'll live without the HD nail mod that was being offered, but if, say, Chesko decided that anybody with a furry or anime avatar should be banned from even seeing all of his mods then it'd be absolute crap. It's an exploitable system and pretending like the mod maker can do no wrong is just being blissfully ignorant. If someone insults the mod creator (or, God forbid, posts a comment that isn't a bug report or empty praise), they can be blocked and never speak to the creator again, but having them never download their mod doesn't do anything besides fulfill a grudge.

 

And hey, maybe that'd be fine if the page you hit when this happen didn't explicitly say "deal with it, we don't care." The page basically says the mod author is infallible, and can dictate whatever he wishes for whatever reason. There's zero recourse for any wrongdoing on the part of the mod creator.

The whole reason this thread even exists is because you made a comment on a mod page that the mod author didn't like. And they banned you from their mods because of it. So now you're complaining because you think the consequence of your actions are out of step with what you did. Now, the mod author in question may have overreacted. Maybe they had a bad day. No one knows. But the Nexus allows the mod author the ability to ban you and the mod author made use of that ability.

 

Is banning people from mods a petty thing to do? Maybe. I've never banned anyone from my mods (that I recall) so I've never made use of the feature, but I'm quite happy to defend the ability of mod authors to ban people from their mods.

Edited March 7, 2017 by Reneer

[Mightandmarine]

"I have a problem with the rules, not the modders, because it's the rules that facilitate the bad behavior. "

 

You have a choice here, abide by the rules or go elsewhere. You don't like the rules, then go elsewhere. Oh, and watch the door on the way out. It swings fast, don't let it hit you in the .............

And this is what it boils down to, outright hostility because somebody doesn't support a rule here. Pretending like the rules are perfect and nothing is wrong is one of the thing that kills any positive discussion on the Nexus and elsewhere.

 

 

It was a simple analogy, but it isn't a useless argument. Mod authors own our work. Thus, we get to dictate what is done with our work. If I don't want Johnny a**hole using my mod that's my right to refuse him service or products that I create. The Nexus allows us that ability just as we would have that same ability to ban users if we were hosting our own mods on our own websites.

 

The whole reason this thread even exists is because you made a comment on a mod page that the mod author didn't like. And they banned you from their mods because of it. So now you're complaining because you think the consequence of your actions are out of step with what you did.

 

Is banning people from mods a petty thing to do? Maybe. I've never banned anyone from my mods (that I recall) so I've never made use of the feature, but I'm quite happy to defend the ability of mod authors to ban people from their mods.

 

Like I said, I'll live without the mod I got banned from, I never even really planned on using it. This started because I'm more amazed that this feature is something that's allowed. Hell, if instead of saying "deal with it" the page said "if you feel like you were banned unfairly message here or post here" or something, I'd have just never done anything. My problem is with the feature and, more than that, the complete uncaring attitude that's apparently had for the end user who might be screwed over by pettiness.

[RoyBatterian]

You don't like a rule and the site owner has already stated it's not going to change. Further discussion is pointless and all you are doing is aggravating yourself and the other people who've responded to this thread. Let it go, else as you've noticed, the grand committee of mod author crusaders will just berate and degrade you for your, to them, preposterous opinion.

 

Case in point why it's needed, our community (new vegas) lost one of its most important mod authors this week because he finally snapped over abuse by users and mod authors a like and the general toxic attitudes of "I am always right do not question me" or "I am entitled to this".

 

BTW you can block mod authors too, via the forum and via the tagging system, it works well and the ma's don't complain about it taking away views or potential downloads of their mods. It's a two way street.

[repusDude]

Hey OP or anybody who got banned,

 

If you absolutely want to see and download that mod again, just do send them a sincere apology and you have to promise that you wouldn't insult the mod author again. Simple as that. Fellow Nexusmods users.

 

Well, hopefully that mod author forgive you. Small chance.

[Arthmoor]

 

While I believe banning people from downloading your mod is incredibly childish, what stops the banned from logging out, downloading it and logging back in (unless its an IP-based ban)?

 

File size limits. Someone who isn't logged in cannot download a mod that's larger than 2MB. If your mod is smaller than that, banning someone will have no practical effect for that file.

[blove]

Any reason a mod author comes up with for blocking a user from downloading their work will be a petty and childish one. I mean come on, they would not even know if you did.

[Reneer]

Any reason a mod author comes up with for blocking a user from downloading their work will be a petty and childish one. I mean come on, they would not even know if you did.

Mod authors have received death threats and other forms of harassment in the past. I'd say those are excellent reasons to block someone from your mods. And to report that behavior to Nexus staff.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Reneer

[blove]

Those are great reasons to report Nexus staff to stop a user from downloading your mod. But what is being discussed here is the FU option that mod authors have not death threats and harassment.

[RGMage2]

If I recall correctly the rational behind giving mod authors this power was that it was better to allow an author to block one person than have them take down their mods and block everyone, which was happening frequently.

 

Is it being abused? Probably. We human beings are petty creatures with questionable judgement so of course mistakes will happen.

 

Is it a FU? Of course it's a FU, it's a big FU. But that's what people like to do when they get pissed off. We've all done it in one way or another and it gives us a small amount of satisfaction (see petty creatures with questionable judgement).

 

Should moderators get involved? In a perfect world yes, in the world we live in NO, more trouble than it's worth.

 

Sometimes we have to moderate ourselves. If you as a mod user find yourself being blocked by multiple authors then maybe it's time to take a look at yourself and figure out what it is you are doing that's pissing people off.

 

Here's a couple of clues

 

Like I said, I'll live without the mod I got banned from, I never even really planned on using it.

 

You didn't plan on using it and weren't all that interested in it but you still felt compelled to leave a negative comment. That's the type of thing that drives mod authors up the wall. It's like a drive-by shooting - totally unnecessary and does nothing but harm.

 

 

I've left reviews on mods, some rude, some exceptionally civil, and seen them deleted and myself blocked,

Rude or civil, doesn't make much difference. Most mod authors don't like reviews and especially don't want them in their comment pages. The idea being that a mod isn't a product, it's a gift. A gift that is given freely. You don't review a gift.

 

In the future if we are ever in a situation where modders are charging money for their work then it will all change and we will just have to suck it up. But that is not where we are right now. Right now mods are a freely given gift, and if the recipient of the gift doesn't want it or doesn't like it then the polite thing to do is to keep any negative feelings to yourself.

 

I'm not unsympathetic to your situation. Going by the information in this thread the action taken against you may have been unjust. It wasn't the type of comment I would block for, but then I'm not the mods author so who knows? I do think I would have been a little bit irritated.

 

Best advice to you is simply try to be smarter with your posting.