Membership by invitation

[Pints]

Given the recent increase in spam type posts from new members (applebe and chavprod as recent examples), is it not perhaps sensible to introduce a "membership by invitation only" type system. Only members with X months behind them and Y posts under their belt would be able to hand out invites.

Gmail did something similar when it started.

Should weed out this crap we're seeing, and possibly reduce newbie trolling.

Or, as a less drastic alternative, a newbie only section where they'd need to prove they're not a bot before they're allowed into the general population.

Just a thought.

[Shaw Tarse]

Newbies are already limited to where they can post,previously they could post where ever they liked. Though it is good to see mods on duty at silly o'clock!

[Pints]

Still not stopping the problems though. Although thanks indeed to the mods for their efforts.

[tossbag]

Barriers to entry suck, the potential to put off genuinely great new members is one never to be taken lightly.
What is needed is damn good moderation, which is what we got.
It was a pretty minor blip in the scheme of things and was handled superbly by the mods here.
Spammers / bots will happen, you don't bow to them and change what you do. Not one thing needed to be done differently - just my opinion of course.

Edit: Having said that, it's been a long time since I registered here, do we have a catchpa system in place?

Edited by tossbag on Saturday 6th November 23:47

[Pints]

tossbag said:

Barriers to entry suck, the potential to put off genuinely great new members is one never to be taken lightly.

Is that the view taken by the British government? It would explain our immigration problems.

Jokes aside, allowing newbies immediate access to all areas except the lounge does not exactly solve the problem. I accept that invitation only may not be the answer but a 'holding' forum should reduce the 'hi, I'm new here. Got great bojangles but no camera' type threads and other similar newbie trolling we get.

Yes, the mods do a great job around here but I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Those with something genuinely useful to add could be very quickly spotted by the mods and granted access to the other areas (although I'd imagine the current restrictions on lounge posting would remain).

Perhaps it's the latent snob in me (I like to call him Charles), or that Adolf's plans had some merit, but the influx of utter cretins recently has had me choking on my cornflakes and believing that we're being targetted by Barry Boys intent on bringing PH down from within.
(This last paragraph has been written with tongue firmly in cheek.)

[tubbystu]

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

[tossbag]

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

[Groober]

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

That sounds st!

[Pints]

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

[0191mark]

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

Like the sound of that

[tossbag]

Groober said:

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

That sounds st!

And you would be amazed at how wrong you are, honestly.

[tubbystu]

tossbag said:

Groober said:

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

That sounds st!

And you would be amazed at how wrong you are, honestly.

Is it the kind of forum Max Moseley would want to belong to ?

[KaraK]

Realistically the Mods will want to manage by exception - as long as the number of newbies who aren't trolls exceeds those who are then its less work to deal with the trolls when they crop up.

[spurs-442]

tossbag said:

Groober said:

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

That sounds st!

And you would be amazed at how wrong you are, honestly.

Just curious tossbag, what is that forum? Please PM me if you don't want to mention it here.

[Mr Will]

spurs-442 said:

tossbag said:

Groober said:

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

That sounds st!

And you would be amazed at how wrong you are, honestly.

Just curious tossbag, what is that forum? Please PM me if you don't want to mention it here.

I'm curious too, care to share the link?

[Mr Will]

KaraK said:

Realistically the Mods will want to manage by exception - as long as the number of newbies who aren't trolls exceeds those who are then its less work to deal with the trolls when they crop up.

Pretty much spot on, the number of decent new members vastly outweighs the number who cause trouble. It's just that the ones who cause trouble are much more noticeable...

[V8mate]

Mr Will said:

spurs-442 said:

tossbag said:

Groober said:

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

That sounds st!

And you would be amazed at how wrong you are, honestly.

Just curious tossbag, what is that forum? Please PM me if you don't want to mention it here.

I'm curious too, care to share the link?

Torrent sharing forum?

[Poledriver]

V8mate said:

Mr Will said:

spurs-442 said:

tossbag said:

Groober said:

tossbag said:

tubbystu said:

Pints said:

I can see the usefulness of keeping the newbies all in one place until they've passed their apostrophe, their/there and text speak tests.

Wow, wouldn't that be an interesting forum to be in.

I go to a forum that costs money to register, costs money to have an avatar, where you can get banned and lose that money for spelling mistakes, grammar mess ups, the works.
It has around 120,000 paid up members and is the best forum I have ever seen (as a general forum).
It can work, but it's the exception, not the rule.

That sounds st!

And you would be amazed at how wrong you are, honestly.

Just curious tossbag, what is that forum? Please PM me if you don't want to mention it here.

I'm curious too, care to share the link?

Torrent sharing forum?

BNP?

[tubbystu]

More likely The Times behind its paywall surely

[tossbag]

Sorry, been away, am I allowed to link?
Only reason I haven't is that I don't want to breeak any rules.