"Oh, also, can someone explain to me (as a newbie) why this isn't in mediation? What's the difference between something a thread like this and a mediation thread? PM me, please, or reply here. I'm curious to know more about the goings-on here."
Hmm. I believe M's thread is not a mediation because of the fact that she didn't technically break any forum rules. She lied. That's not something you can ban someone off the forum for thoug. Typically, mediation threads are threads that are aimed at getting the person accused of committing a forum infraction to explain what they did and discuss their reasoning. M also made her apology thread of her own volition. Mediation threads are usually started by moderators/admins.