I'm sure another mod will hide this shortly since I'm going rogue but honestly I wasn't being all that snarky then but I'm certainly about to be now.
Your own post explained how you broke those two rules and a number of other users had pointed exactly that out to you. I simply made it clear which rules they were since it was clarity you seemed to want. If you can't understand how attacking the person directly is a problem then this is probably why you find yourself falling foul of the mods more often. This isn't rocket science. Nor should it be a surprise that repeat offenders might be dealt with more harshly then those who aren't.
No the modding isn't perfect and it never will be - it's almost like there is more than one person doing it and they have different opinions at times and aren't without fault. We don't always get it right, and we certainly don't always agree. We talk about it though behind the scenes and try and reach a consensus where we can. I'm also not going to comment on some long past incident that I have zero knowledge of (given I hadn't even heard of it myself and I'm hardly new round here) but it sounds like no one covered themselves in glory there..
However, I will say that being one of the "elite", as so many on here like to brand people doing anything at all to help, is a thankless task. Many on here can attack and criticise from afar, from behind anonymous faceless accounts without any fear of recompense. Those of us brave enough to not only spend hundreds of hours supporting the fans and the club but to use our real name while doing so are often subject to attack. The fact you knew that person's name and place of work to hassle them directly should show you how exposed we are. I know many times I get bowled up to in public to be told how I was wrong about something, there is nothing like a drunken fan yelling in your face to make you question why you bother giving up your time to be thanked by such behaviour. That is to speak nothing of the time I was assaulted on an away trip within NZ by other local fans simply for being "one of those guys from the fan group". Nothing like a bloody football jersey and fist full of police reports to make you feel thanked. This is not isolated the abuse we cop is very real and not just some keyboard warrior nonsense but for the greater good it's not always screamed from the mountain tops.
You want to complain about being treated unfairly because you think you should be able to say whatever you like on a private forum, well cry me a river. The whole internet is available to you to say whatever you want without fear of "YF Elite" censorship - feel free to avail yourself of that right. On here though we have rules and will administer them as we see fit - we can change them at any time and use them more or less harshly as we see fit. We have no obligation at all despite your claims, but choose to operate as openly as we can because none of this is done with anything other than the intent of having a football community that we foster and grow together. It's not a free for all however it is a community and we try and include the community in decisions for that reason.
So unless you have people abusing you in the streets or calling your workplace to explain why what you said on the internet was wrong then honestly I have zero time for you complaining about how hard done you are.
I'm willing to bet there are a fair greater number of people no longer part of this forum because of the cesspit it becomes at times than because of inconsistent modding. In fact more often than not I hear from people that have left the forums that they wish the modding was much more harsh to get rid of some of the shark on here.
Thank you for reminding me why it'd be so much easier to just walk away than bother dealing with any of this.
Now I've had a full read of your post, I will reply in more detail. I hope you feel better now that you have got that off your chest.
I can tell you now that I do not make a habit of being anti social in any environment, and certainly not in an internet environment under a pseudonym or not. I challenge anyone to provide evidence that I have done that in this forum. The Doloras incident was no more than friendly banter and a continued theme of many discussions - it was so trivial that I can't even recall exactly what it was. The previous ban was surrounding a to and from discussion with Ryan that turned quite juvenile and after my ban I actually pm ed him and suggested we recognise that and move on.
Don't get too upset about the term 'elite' I think it was a title that was first raised in jest and because every time its used, you and others immediately go into 'defence mode' we keep using it, I'm sure many are chuckling at your little rant.
I appreciate that you all talk about issues raised amongst yourself but I'd be interested in whether or not you actually have some rigorous protocols surrounding how you guys operate. Its easy to keep throwing up the 'we are volunteers' 'it takes up so much of our time' arguments but honestly guys, this YF thing is a big deal and if you are seriously are concerned about what you are giving us all, then you've got to get rid of this siege mentality and address some of the serious concerns some of us have. I'm not seeing that, I'm just seeing a circling of the wagons, the quotation of rules and no real attempt to appreciate what might be valid criticisms or suggestions. Believe me when I say I recognise that type of behaviour, I've worked in that environment for most of my life and it no longer works.
I certainly have sympathy for some of the [sometimes violent] experiences you have because of who you are and what you do with YF, without knowing more than what you said about the supposed motivation for that one incident you cited, do you know or suspect the other reasons for you being verbally attacked? was it because of something you wrote on the forum that might have been perceived as being offensive to that party? I am of the belief that if you are not prepared to say, what you have written, to the face of that person, then you shouldn't say it. While I wouldn't do it now or much longer after I was called a retard, if it had been said to my face the other person would of been drinking their meals through a straw. The argument you put forward re keyboard warriors goes both ways.
You use the phrase "you want to complain" that is not a very accurate description of what I have done; I put forward a point of view that was quite straight forward and it has escalated to this point because you have chosen not to actually address the points raised in a meaningful manner and taken the 'woe is me' route. Are you saying the upshot of my initial comment is that it has no validity because we do this out of the goodness of our hearts, I have no sympathy for you because so many people on the forum are cods and write nasty things? If it was me at your end I'd be having a look of what our rules are, making sure they are still fit for purpose, apply them in a fair and open manner and make sure everyone that is tasked to oversee them does so in a consistent manner. That probably means having some internal protocols for dealing with the rules and any transgressions. If you can put your hand on your heart and say we are pretty consistent in how we apply them - then I think most people in the forum would say you're not seeing what they are seeing.
Consistency and fairness is all I ask from you guys, respect and civility is up to all of us.