I think this forum will be more active if people dont get banned too much.
I suggest banning people for a week or two if they break the rules but only admins and moderators should know they are banned. I know this can be done because I wasn't "banned" yet I could not post in another forum until the freeze was lifted from my account.
Seeing the label of "permanently banned" or "temporarily banned" in almost every thread of discussion gives a negative energy in my opinion.