Why do people spend time online? Why do they register for accounts and become part of an online community? You may not have given this a lot of thought before, but it's something that can give you an insight into why being banned from a community makes a person  so upset and angry and sometimes even hurt.

This is an entirely, 100% serious article with no sense of humor. If you're laughing at any point during reading this article, something is dangerously wrong and you should email (someone! anyone!) for help. Immediately. Seriously. I'm not joking.

Ok, carrying on.

Pros

* Companionship - While it's not the same as a "real world" relationship most of the time, if you spend a lot of time on an online forum or as a member of an online community, you can begin to form real bonds with people. Sometimes the Internet acts as a meeting place for people who later will meet in person.  Even if you're not looking for a special someone, you can easily find communities that offer people with similar hobbies and interests as yourself.

* Time - If you need to waste some time, online communities can take up a lot of it for you.

Cons

* Time - It's extremely easy to become obsessive and involved with a website or forum to the point that your life outside of the forum begins to take a dive for the worse. If you've become addicted to an online website or multiple websites, you can quickly drown in hours spent in front of the computer.

* Companionship - Being involved in an online community can  expose you to weirdos and freaks and mean people who want to hang out with you and pretend to be your online buddy.

Bans

Being banned hurts. Maybe it's not happened to you, but someone you know. Yeah, that's right, you have a "friend" named "Tom" who was banned. Sure. I believe you.

Seriously, though, it's no fun to be banned from a community. While it might not be easy to accept, there is usually (most of the time!) a reason you  were banned.

Now, on some sites I imagine it could be a popularity thing, or cliques forming (like the movie Heathers?!) but if you've been banned, look at your behavior. Maybe there's something you can modify so that you don't get banned and go through all those emotions that come with being banned.

Puns

Laughter is good medicine. One way to stay on the extreme other end of the banishment side of things is to help bring levity and laughter to an online community. Timing is important, and knowing which posts need it and which posts don't.

Buns

Ah, this is the bit you've been waiting for, I bet. Or maybe you skipped and scrolled to the bottom of the page without reading the rest of the above. (Are you *sure* you belong in the intermediate level?)

There are no buns in this article. It's just a ploy to get you to read the article while thinking of cinnamon buns. Yeah. Mmmm. Cinnamon Buns.