Scarlet letters would of course be tacky, but conducting major and maybe even minor moderation more or less openly would be useful 1. to let users know when the discourse has been adjusted (in addition to Anon's practical problems, I find the idea that my conversations are being policed without my awareness kinda distasteful, and certainly more distasteful than the possibility of others finding out what my dumb ass already earned), and 2. to provide a concrete record of what gets the stick, which in the long run makes the guidelines easier to follow and hopefully reduces the incidence of the whole awful process. Accountability is also nice, though SF isn't hurting for it.
So, this being a public forum, I post (out loud, for everyone to see) something that's goofy enough to blow past courtesy and warrant a disciplinary response, and the response is the dirty part? What do I get from hiding the punishment if the cringe is already plain?
Pretty much. Others' convenience is easily worth the indignity(?) inflicted on the guy who has by definition exhausted grace. So that's Anon, Florete, and I complaining about it right now, so n=3, and most forums I visit (automotive) mark banned users as such right over their avatars, so if that counts I guess like n>>100,000.