I must say that I am against the ban.
I don't like using force in these cases, because if we dont like what Vince says, we should ignore it, not lock him out.
I agree that to ban someone does not feel good. It leaves a sour taste. However, every opportunity has been offered to Vince to take on board specific issues regarding his behaviour and he won't (or can't) see that he plays any part in this.
That said, Vince, I don't think you read the intro thread for the forum:
I'm quite sure he read it. It has also been pointed out as one of the issues that is problematic. But he sees no problem in his posting, clearly isn't concerned at the disharmony caused, and I'm in agreement with quardamon on the outcome of ignoring him:
... If several of the members ignore him, than we would have in fact two forums, each with their own tone and own kind of subjects. And it would not be clear where the one forum begins and the other forum ends. (I found myself ignoring whole threads in which he posted a lot.)
And the reality of what that means has, sadly, already become the defacto way the forum
is operating today:
... at least I'm least bothered to post these days because of your useless discussions.
This forum and Vince obviously aren't a good mixture at this time. A big community may be able to handle very loud people but in small places like this it can happen that you hear nothing else anymore....
So it seems to me we are faced with a choice of two, neither ideal, sour tastes:
A divided forum with people staying away from posts where Vince gets involved.
Or realising and acting upon the disharmony and dissatisfaction resulting from Vince's continued involvement by enacting the ban.
To my mind this is the "acid test" that best determines the wise course of action:
Edit to add: It's not only about the discussion taking away too much room, but I can't see that anybody does profit from an ongoing discussion. It seems to be useless at this time.
If nobody profits from his continued membership, if that membership leads to a divided forum and other members refusing to post for fear of fruitless engagement, it seems clear that to swallow a bitter pill is more wholesome than to try and stay engaged with a bitter atmosphere in a forum divided by one member's behaviour.