Forum

[Vendo Vincent]

I have for some time being trying to find a new way to get new users restricted. Originally before the major upgrade there was a fantastic little program that would limit the amount of posts a user could make and this was put on users that were not verified. This program is no longer available. If it was implemented however such restrictions would have stopped some fantastic contributors to the forum.

To give you an idea of the power of what is written on the forum I placed a new article on the front page Titled Odour Detection Dogs With in 3 days Google had marked that page as being the third or forth find on the front page, Google is searching through this site 140 times a day. This site has gown from 3000 individual visitors a month to 9000 visitors a month. Obviously things must now change.

I will be introducing a system where new users that are not verified will have their posts moderated. I will also be introducing a new user group that recognises users that contribute to the forum and no restrictions will be placed on the amount of posts they make, even if they are not verified. All of which will impose more work from moderators. I will be asking for anyone stupid enough to be a moderator to give it a try as more are obviously now needed, I will be making decisions on moderators based mainly on contribution to the forum. So if you want to see the forum go a certain way then moderating it is your best bet.

Verified members forum will still be available to verified members only.
I would suggest that everyone take a chill pill and accept that while technology like forums are around and given access to anyone that you will get twits making comments with out any back up, it will not stop, it happens on every forum.

Also with chat if you see the green banner it will take you to a different chat entry page. This page has a lot more features attached to it. This chat actually costs money per moth so either use it or loose it.

Any suggestions please either PM or add to this thread Thanks everyone.

[Michael Rolfe]

Vendo I would like to see a trail period introduced for members. Let the people that want to be involved in the forum undertake this and prove they are not just here to cause trouble etc.
The trail period will ensure that we start to build a strong community that we can all share information and all learn off each other, free of the bitching etc(we will all sometimes disagree but that is what it is about).

With your moderator team they need to not be scared to come down and show who is the law once in a while, I help out as a volunteer mod on another un-related site. They have a pretty good terms of service and conditions page that members agree to when they sign up and that gives the mods the power to stop the trouble etc. It also gives the person in writing what they can and cant do and what they can expect if they break the rules, going from a suspension for a few days or a week or 2(being able to only read the forums and not post) to bannings for time periods or life.

Something to think about.

Michael