I listened to the CSM town hall meeting Saturday on Eve Radio and was actually struck more by a discussion in the CSM Town Hall chat channel than anything stated by the CSM. The debate was on whether for the next CSM crowdsourcing initiative CSM should hold the effort someplace other than the official EVE Online forums. Those in favor, led by former CSM candidate Xenuria, thought it was unfair that those banned from posting on the forums could not participate. Others, like EVE Radio's Wiggles, thought that not allowing those who had broken CCP's rules to participate on a CCP website was perfectly acceptable.
I have to come down on Wiggles' side for two reasons. The first is practical. Where else would the CSM hold such an effort? Would they need to devote time to building a new website just for the crowdsourcing? And if they did, how many people would visit a new website to participate? CCP has provided a section of the official forums for the CSM. Using the official forums makes sure that only current players can influence the CSM's effort.
The second reason is whether current players not in good standings, like those experiencing forum bans, should be allowed to participate. My answer is no. We play EVE. In EVE, your actions have consequences. Think of the official forums as high security space. The forum mods are CONCORD. Those who violate the forum rules are suicide gankers. Violate the rules too many times and the ban hammer emerges to kick offenders into the more lawless space of places like Failheap Challenge. People who wish to play in high sec have to follow the rules.
Now, I don't know if Xenuria is currently banned or not. I rather suspect he is positioning himself for another run at the CSM with this position as proof that he wants to represent all of the players, including those who receive forum bans and can't speak out themselves. Politically this is potentially a good move. But for me, I recommend behaving yourself on the forums so this situation never arises. Is it really that hard?
