Permanent vs temporary ban - is always tough choice to make for community builders and managers. My recommendation is that 'permanent ban' is always the last option when everything else fails.

To decide which type of ban you want to impose on user - consider the overall value they have added to the community. If their contribution is valuable and helps drive the community towards its goal; I'd suggest sending DMs or connecting over email.

If they do not listen or respond, and continue with their malicious behavior, send at least 2-3 warnings. Give them reasonable chance to change their behavior and adhere by the community rules.

If this doesn't work - impose a temporary ban for at least a week. Make sure that they understand the reason behind their ban.

Ultimately, if none of the above works; ban them permanently. There is no coming back from this stage.

So here's the overall decision making framework to decide between permanent and temporary ban:

1. Step #1: Contact through DM or email
2. Step #2: Send warning through your community platform or email or DM
3. Step #3: Impose a temporary ban for at least a week
4. Step #4: Permanently ban the member

This strategy works with most of the communities with lot of contributors. I've imposed permanent bans on users who simply joined the community to advertise their services and spam. I hope this helps.

This is very helpful, Kaustubh. The framework makes a lot of sense. I like the idea of escalating the actions and giving members a chance to improve their behavior. Permanent ban is definitely a final call. My concern is more about the overall community harmony. I might be overthinking about people's reaction.

I'd like to hear more about the specifics of implementing a temporary ban. How do you communicate the ban to the member and make sure that they understand why it happened? Also, should the duration of the ban vary depending up on the severity of the issue?