blocking IP Range question

As I've posted in other threads on this same topic:

The truth is that there is no way to 100% block a user from a forum unless on a publicly accessible forum.

• If you block the IP address, then most likely the user is on a dynamic IP which will change, or the user can just come in through a proxy server.
• If you ban the IP range, then you will most likely penalize other users on that network, and the "bad" user can again come in through another network or through a proxy.
• If you ban the email address, then the user can just use another email address.
• If you ban the email domain, the user can just get another.
• If you ban the username, then the user will just create another one.

The best hope is to simply ban the users email, deactivate the username, and hope he/she eventually tires of the game. Another suggestion is to allow new users to enter a group that has limited rights and ladder them to the next, or manually elevate their rights. However, this has the cost of additional overhead on your part.

You could also setup the forum where admins have to manually activate members, but again there is the additional overhead in administration.

http://forums.webwiz.net/search.asp?KW=block&SM=1&SI=PT&FM=1&OB=1

http://forums.webwiz.net/search.asp?KW=ban&SM=1&SI=PT&FM=1&OB=1

http://forums.webwiz.net/search.asp?KW=range&SM=1&SI=PT&FM=1&OB=1