On May 31, 2012, I was notified by "scoop" on Kosmail that I had achieved "Trusted User" status. I was quite happy, as this had been a goal of mine since I joined the site in February of this year.
I have tried to contribute positively, play by the rules, maintain a civil discourse, and avoid pie-fights. To my knowledge, I have only ever received 1 hide-rating on an offhanded comment that I made about Mitt Romney. Though I did not think my comment was particularly egregious, I made an effort to apologize to the person who hr'd the comment for any offense. I have signed up for the DKos action alerts, and followed up on these messages and funding efforts.
Today, while participating in a discussion of a Joseph Stiglitz article, I noticed that my comment recommend and hide buttons had disappeared. After refreshing the page a couple of times, I noticed an angry red bar at the top of the page stating something to the effect that my ability to comment (or recommend comments?) would be suspended until I acknowledged the warning about having broken a rule regarding 9/11 conspiracy theories by recommending a comment (not a diary) regarding 9/11 truthers. I went to look for said comment, but it has been disappeared along with it's author who has been banned.
As I recall, the offending comment addressed a somewhat disparaging remark made by another user. I rec'd it in support of the idea of civil and open discourse, not in support of any conspiracy theory itself. To be honest, I do recall that a subsequent comment had referred to the potential danger of even rec'ing a 9/11 comment, but I checked the FAQ, and decided to let my rec stand.
OK, I get it I screwed up by getting too close to a forbidden topic.
9/11 case closed end of story. (Though I suggest the Kos FAQ to be updated to include the dangers of rec'ing comments as well as Diaries on this subject.)
I have not authored many Diaries, but have found great satisfaction in participating via comments and comment ratings. I never felt the need to use my newly acquired "power" to hide-rate comments, but now, I cannot even recommend them. This makes me very sad. I suppose I should consider myself lucky not to be banned, but the experience makes me feel marginalized, and less excited about participating on the site.
More, should anyone care to follow below the orange Rorschach test...
When I attained TU status, I was notified by Kosmail, and wish I had been similarly notified in this case, as at present, I have no way to direct inquiries such as the following question:
Is NR status permanent and will I always be a second-class member, or can I redeem myself in some fashion and regain TU status?
I have not found definition of NR status or the answer to this question in Kos FAQ.
Nor do I know how to address such a question to the powers that be, except via this Diary.
Again, I get it, I messed up. Duly noted. I am aware of the various kerfuffles over the banning of long time members, I have read the debates on this topic, and understand that ultimate editorial authority lies with this site's creator.
I'm not looking for pity, but I am curious about the "meta" policy questions, and I do believe that they have an impact on participation.
If anyone has any information to share, I would appreciate it, but (alas) will not be able to express that appreciation!