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I’ve linked this article an untold number of times. I don’t like to spend time writing things that have been written better before me, but I have been asked to present it in my own words. Perhaps I have something to add here.
The article is On A Technicality. Read it if you’ve got a moment.
I’ve ran and helped moderate large online communities before. Inevitably you will have to make hard decisions where it feels like your choices are torn between being just and doing your job.
The reality is that you’re fostering a community, not running a country. Justice be damned.
You do not need a well defined doctrine. You do not need a right to due process. There is no crime or punishment. If someone is a drain on the energy of the community you are trying to foster, evict them.
Folks get quickly tied up in fairness. Don’t. Assume you are being unfair. You must be fair only in the quantity and quality that it feels fair to the members of the community you want to maintain.
The linked article makes mention of people who tread the line - people who are only not breaking the rules on a technicality. Ban these people immediately. More than the spirit of the law, it is the spirit of the community you want to maintain.
At some scale, members of your community will expect justice. This is a shame and I don’t know of a reliable way to deal with this. Perhaps be upfront with this. It’s a community, not a country.
# end note