Message to all Members

[Carlos]

First, lately, you've noticed the rise of registration lately, and the spamming....

Please, ignore these, and get back to normal posting.

Between now and E3, we will be watching, and at E3, we will probbably choose some moderators to help clean up the spam. What I want to do is, have the forums turn into a "approve posts" system (or approve members), so that we don't drive activity away with the spammers on our boards.

So, behave yourselves as we march on forward on the road to E3.

I will not be around much, until I get internet. It might be very soon.

Until then, I want you people to behave yourselves.

[GrandpaT]

Aww... but it's fun to mock them. ;) But I'll be good.

Good luck getting your connection back!

[slimscane]

"approve post system"? I don't quite understand.

[GrandpaT]

OK, so my other answer was the flippant one - now for the serious one. (Sorry, folks, but your Grandpa's feeling a little grumpy this morning.)

I think Carlos is saying he wants mods to have to approve every single post before they actually appear on the boards. This, I believe, is an extremely BAD idea. Seriously, how many people post on this board? Like four or five of us with any consistency.

Barring that, he'd like to require all new members to be approved by a mod before they're allowed to post. That is not a horrible idea, but I think the problem of spammers posting crap on the forum isn't big enough to really warrant the hassle it will cause. How many people have we seen who come around and post once, but then don't ever post again? If you require those people to be approved, they won't even post once. They'll sign up, find out they have to be approved, and bail for good.

Really, how much work are the spammers causing? I come to this forum more often than anyone, including the mod(s), so I feel like I probably see most, if not all of them before they get deleted (assuming they are deleted). There aren't that many. Yes, they're stupid and a bit frustrating, but allowing them to change the forum so that all users have to be approved will hurt more than it helps.

Allowing them to change the forum so that all POSTS have to be approved would kill this forum. I, for one, would leave and never come back, and I know I'm not alone.

[BlueGuard]

Instead of making all this work of individually approving each post. How about they just individually delete and ban each spammer. Its less work easier and makes alot more sense. -Blueguard signing off.

[Anarchey]

I don't know that I can agree with you on all your points gramps. While I do think that if a new member had to get approved by a mod that there would be less members, but I don't think that is a bad idea. How many people just post once and then just remain on the servers? If you had to get approved then I think that the new people that did sign up would post a lot more.

[GrandpaT]

Hmm - I still feel the same way. I think the people who do sign up would post as much as they would have anyway - not any more or any less. However, less people would sign up, because those who just sign up and post once are doing so out of an immediate reaction to something they saw. If they have to wait to post that reaction, it seems likely to me that they would just not come back after getting their approval email.

But maybe I'm underestimating the way people feel about being approved for something. Would they feel somehow more elite because they were accepted into our little group? Maybe... but I bet not.

[Carlos]

How many people just post once and then just remain on the servers? If you had to get approved then I think that the new people that did sign up would post a lot more.
My sentiments, exactly.

Spammers come in, and think that the posts they make are good...

No. I don't have time for their behavior. If they want to advertise their products, LEARN to market it! Learn to use Google/Yahoo.

I mean, I would have to focus my time and energy at E3...but these spammers are not helping, by coming in, and spamming. They do no good for us, and THEM. Because spam is spam, it drives people away.

I don't like the approve posts idea, either, but if spammers keep this crap up, its time to do something about it. Most boards have this feature turned on, and they've survived. And prospered.

[GrandpaT]

Hmm - maybe my concerns don't even matter. From what I can tell, there have been less than 10 total posts in the last 3 days, and five of them are on this thread. Plenty of guests looking whenever I come... but no members posting.

And "most boards have this feature turned on?" Do you mean that you believe that most boards require mods to approve every post before it shows up on the board?

[BlueGuard]

Me and grandpappy here seem to share the same views so ill let him speak for me as my reprsentative keep it up

[Smalldude76]

I've never seen a post-approval system enabled on a forum. It'd drive people away. Even lack of posts makes posting difficult for me :P

[GrandpaT]

Haha - thanks, Blue. As I said somewhere else earlier today, "speaking for everyone who feels the same way I do on the subject..."

[Anarchey]

I do agree with you on that subject. I think that if every post had to be approved, that there would be a lot less posts. I was in agreement for the new users passing through a process, not every post.

[CarlosX360]

I've never seen a post-approval system enabled on a forum. It'd drive people away. Even lack of posts makes posting difficult for me :P
That's because you don't notice it.

Administrators and Moderators see the posts in the CP, and approve it, or...not, some of the posts get posted, not sure about the new VB versions, but you won't even notice the "post-approve" is turned on. But when admins want to stop the spammings from companies, its time to make it known.

I still do want to do the "approve-members" though, and people will notice it.

[Smalldude76]

That's because you don't notice it.

Administrators and Moderators see the posts in the CP, and approve it, or...not, some of the posts get posted, not sure about the new VB versions, but you won't even notice the "post-approve" is turned on. But when admins want to stop the spammings from companies, its time to make it known.

I still do want to do the "approve-members" though, and people will notice it.

I meant that in the fashion that I can go to the forum I just posted in and have a look at my post as opposed to waiting for it to be approved.

[GrandpaT]

That's the way I always see things on the boards I go to, too, Smalldude. Here's the other thing - I think a system that requires approval of all posts requires mods to be on the boards all the time, or close to it. I'm not complaining about the mods here, but that's not the way it works on this site - they don't have the time to be here 24/7. Or even 8/5.

[slimscane]

I am hopping on the Granpa/Blue bandwaggon here. I think that having the mods approve every post is a very bad idea. I don't know how to solve this forums activity problems, but I am near possitive that eliminating the few odd spammers that we have by implimenting a post approvall system wouldn't do it.

[GrandpaT]

*Crickets* Where is everybody?

[Carlos]

Comin' around. ;) :p

[GrandpaT]

Carlos! Long time, no see! What happened? Internet problems again?

[CarlosX360]

Yes, turns out we have to wait a month before we start using internet again - because AT&T charged us the wrong price, than advertised - they advertised 12 bucks a month, WE got charged 24 bucks - at first I thought "for ****'s sakes, just take it" but I try to calm down and cope with it...and then comcast does the same thing, but a different situation, though; we ordered it, and asked if they have 19.99 special, and they didn't mention it (miscommunication, blech) and we were told to wait a month before the change. I keep getting frustrated, because everyone thinks I need internet for no reason. I roll my eyes for this reason.

I have E3 in less than two weeks and they throw a curveball to my face.

[slimscane]

*Crickets* Where is everybody?
I am around, it is just getting really close to the end of the school year (8 more days?), and I am graduating and the like, so it is pretty busy, but I am still here =D

[SilentDeath]

DAMN SENIORS. I'd just like you to know juniors everywhere hate the seniors. Slim what do you usually play online now? cause the last time we played was like Rainbow Six 3 right?

[Anarchey]

Juniors are just jealous of us Seniors. I Graduate the 24th. Boo-Yah! Prom is on the 6th. Giggidy-giggidy-giggidy Goo!