Are moderators of online forums taking themselves too seriously?

Be forewarned.  I am writing an opinion that is most likely not very popular.  But I just had to get this off my chest.

I have recently joined two online communities.  One is a Facebook group dedicated to fans of Disney World.  The other is Reddit, which is a virtual online world with multiple sub-groups within it.  On Reddit, I enjoy stalking the Bravo page, and the Sons of Anarchy page.  They are like my little escape.  I can have virtual conversations about last week’s episode of Southern Charm.  Or I can go to the Facebook Disney group and read about families and their great Disney World experiences.

So, yesterday, I popped onto my Disney World page, and I got a message.  The administrator “muted” me.  In other words, I was not allowed to post or comment for 24 hours.  I was like, what the what?  I rarely post or comment on any of these pages.  Why did I get the ban hammer?

I reached out to the administrator, who in all honesty, is the nicest guy.  The night before, I had posted a picture of myself and my daughter at Disney World.  I used a funny Facebook filter that made it look like a cat was taking a selfie of us.  When I posted it, I immediately got many “likes” and “reactions.”  So why did my photo get deleted, and why did I get muted?

The administrator explained to me that “pet” photos were supposed to go under a particular thread.  I was not allowed to randomly post “pet” pictures.  So, I guess he “muted” me to teach me a lesson.

Um, okay.

Actually, this wasn’t a picture of my pet.  It was a humorous filter of a cat taking a selfie.

Whatever.

Here is the offending photo:

So, I apologized to the administrator, and told him it wouldn’t happen again.  I’m going to reiterate that I really like the guy, and I like the group.  But when you are “muted,” let’s face it.  It’s a form of rejection.  Rejection is never fun, and to be rejected in a Disney forum of all things…..it sucks!

Yes, I get my little feelings hurt easily.  Yes, I need thicker skin. But dammit, that photo was cute!!

I hopped onto my Bravo Reddit page to post a YouTube video of an interview related to the show Southern Charm.  I immediately got a message from the administrator that I needed to utilize the search button, because this video had already been posted.  So they “locked” my post.

Well, if the video was already posted, I sure as heck didn’t see it.  And if I didn’t see it, that means others probably didn’t see it.  The ones who had could just keep scrolling.  Why not let the video stay up?  Why are these people so harsh?

So, I guess my days of posting in forums are over.  If I am going to be policed on the most trivial things, then I may as well just post on my own page and call it a day.  At least I won’t get “muted!”  (Although I might get Zuck’d!)

I would honestly love to hear your opinions on this.  Should moderators be this strict?  Is there something I am not getting here?  I would welcome your take on this.