Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 5815 Location: by the beach, Australia
Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 5:35 am Post subject: Should we ban forum posts by guests?
Hi Everyone
We have a minor problem.
We've had sudden influx of guests visiting the message board and posting spam, which Wally and I have been deleting.
This selfish, thoughtless activity is annoying for members who are following various discussions. They receive an email alerting them that there's an addition to a topic, they have a look, only to see either spam or a faulty link because we've already deleted the spam.
One way to reduce - but not totally stop - the spam would be to require everyone to register as a member before they are permitted to make posts.
In the past, I've resisted doing this I believe there can be value in posts by guests. I'm wondering if it's now time to change my mind and ban posts by guests.
Please, I'd like to hear your opinion, whether you're a registered member or a guest.
Should we ban posts by guests? _________________ Allan Gardyne
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Allan,
After a couple of incidents here with guests, (not me, but how others have been treated), I made a decicion some time ago never to respond to non-members anymore. Make the forum read-only for non-members, is my advice. _________________ DatabaseDesigner
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I agree with Db, read only for non-members allows them access to the info. Registering is very simple to do and they can still be as anonymous as they would like by not providing profile info, and choosing a name that isn't real, like so many members do.
The only thing I would be concerned about letting people know is that if they try to post as a member, but aren't logged in, they would likely be forced to log in before posting. This would save on those "oops forgot to log in" posts, but might get very frustrating for those who have problems staying logged in.
Debs _________________ Learn how to turn keyphrases into quality, well-targeted articles your visitors and SE's will love with Gary Antosh's new ebook "Web Content Made Easy!"
Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 168 Location: North Carolina, USA
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 3:34 pm Post subject:
I agree. I have not been on this board very long, but it seems as though you get the best, and sometimes only support from the "regulars". I think if you have the time to ask the qestion, you should have the time to answer a question. Even as a newbie, I can still chime in on topics such as "review my site" and some other threads.
mel
Joined: 22 Aug 2003 Posts: 1322 Location: Gainesville Florida USA
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 7:33 pm Post subject:
I agree with all of the above, limit guests to read only. Don't waste your time fighting spammers in order to baby those who won't take 20 seconds to register.
I've seen some boards that pretty much require or at least strongly urge users to post with their real names also. Why do we need anonymity here? We're not discussing medical problems or marital issues etc.
Why not just use our real names, and maybe have a corner of the forum open to anonymous postings, should someone feel the need to say something they don't wish to sign their name to.
But please remove my name from this post because I don't want all the folks with user names to spank me. _________________ Free Email Discussion Group For Your Site
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Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 5815 Location: by the beach, Australia
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 1:46 am Post subject:
There hasn't been much feedback on this issue, so I've decided to go ahead and make registering compulsory for anyone who wants to post a message.
Guests will still be able to visit and read messages.
As I see it, the advantages far outweigh any disadvantages. Perhaps making registering compulsory will discourage a few fly-by spammers.
Guests, please register. When you do, you'll be able to send private messages to other registered members, edit your posts if you make a mistake, be notified when someone has responded to one of your posts (but only if you choose) and so on.
Perhaps one day I'll think of a few more benefits for registered members. A villa in the south of France for vacations, perhaps? _________________ Allan Gardyne
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Sorry I'm a bit late finding this one - still catching up!
AllanGardyne wrote:
There hasn't been much feedback on this issue, so I've decided to go ahead and make registering compulsory for anyone who wants to post a message.
Guests will still be able to visit and read messages.
Good news, I reckon.
I tend to agree with the previous posters, especially Debs point about anonymity versus guest status...
For me there's a huge difference between (relatively) anonymous registered posters and guests. I think it's quite unreasonable to expect Wally to trawl IPs or resort to other detective work just to try and stamp out dirty tricks.
It also reflects badly on those guests who do act reasonably - it's easy to tar everyone with the same brush.
Quote:
Guests, please register.
I look at it like confirmed opt in (with email) or ticking a box on a website...
It acts as a simple test of commitment. That has benefits to both parties in itself, let alone the more tangible benefits of registration.
Cheers,
Charlie.
P.S.
Quote:
Perhaps one day I'll think of a few more benefits for registered members. A villa in the south of France for vacations, perhaps?
If you need any help with inspiration of that kind, you only have to ask! _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 5815 Location: by the beach, Australia
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 1:07 pm Post subject:
Thanks.
Now, do any forum owners know which button to switch to make the change? _________________ Allan Gardyne
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Joined: 22 Aug 2003 Posts: 1322 Location: Gainesville Florida USA
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 11:19 pm Post subject:
Good move guys, ya got my vote.
Just for the sake of discussion, here's a follow on idea.
Suppose that people had to register to read as well?
Suppose we all had to agree, in advance, to give something back before we get access to 26,000 pages of really useful info, created by a million hours of work by Alan, Wally and members?
As example, suppose it was a condition of using this forum, read or write, that you had to agree to receive occasional relevant ad mailings, or any other mailing that would benefit Allan or his favorite charity?
The technical hurdle is you'd need a way for folks to unsub from the mailings (and thus forum access) in one step, without creating manual labor for Wally. I'd guess this automated feature could be added by a pro scripter.
The larger point is, do good publishers spend too much time worrying about the delicate sensitivities of spoiled readers? Do we undervalue our own work by begging people to take it for free?
My nature vids site got axed when my web host died. I'm not putting it back up. Not enough folks said thanks to justify the bill. _________________ Free Email Discussion Group For Your Site
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Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 5815 Location: by the beach, Australia
Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:59 pm Post subject:
Phil Tanny wrote:
Suppose that people had to register to read as well?
An interesting idea, but it sounds a bit unfriendly to me.
If we excluded guests from viewing the forum, I think we'd also be excluding search engines, which would be a major disadvantage.
Quote:
As example, suppose it was a condition of using this forum, read or write, that you had to agree to receive occasional relevant ad mailings, or any other mailing that would benefit Allan or his favorite charity?
Another interesting idea, but it goes against the way I like to do business. I don't try to push people in certain directions. I like to them choose where they go and what they do. They can choose to sign up for my newsletter if they want to.
Quote:
The larger point is, do good publishers spend too much time worrying about the delicate sensitivities of spoiled readers? Do we undervalue our own work by begging people to take it for free?
Probably. But for me giving away a lot of stuff has proved to be a nice way of building a successful business. It helps builds trust and, much more important, I feel good about what I'm doing.
Quote:
My nature vids site got axed when my web host died. I'm not putting it back up. Not enough folks said thanks to justify the bill.
Very sorry to hear that. I'm sure you'll bounce back with something successful. _________________ Allan Gardyne
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Joined: 22 Aug 2003 Posts: 1322 Location: Gainesville Florida USA
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 1:30 am Post subject:
Hi Allan,
You should of course do whatever works for you
with this forum. I've got no complaints, to the
contrary.
I'm just using this forum as an example of a
general point.
AllanGardyne wrote:
An interesting idea, but it
sounds a bit unfriendly to me.
That's what I'm trying to get at, the psychology
of web publishing in general.
Isn't it odd that it sounds unfriendly (and I
agree many would see it that way) to ask someone
to complete a 15 second task in order to receive
26,000 pages of truly useful content that took
many people thousands of hours to create?
It's not enough that you provide this forum,
including your own 1300 posts, completely for
free. Not enough. If you require 15 seconds
of work by the user, you're a bummer creepo.
How much wealth has your site/forum created for
your readers? Dan H reports he's making almost 10
grand a month that started with your Rupert
article. There's a couple hundred grand and
growing for just one person.
But if you charged $5 per month for your site/forum
the readership would likely plummet.
If that did happen, wouldn't your readers be
telling you that a resource that probably creates
millions of dollars of wealth is worth close to
nothing?
Isn't it strange that we all consider that status
quo to be completely normal?
AllanGardyne wrote:
If we excluded guests from
viewing the forum, I think we'd also be excluding
search engines, which would be a major
disadvantage.
Ah, you're right of course. Incredible that I
would forget this given that I'm the guy who
started the monster thread that resulted in
you getting your forum in to the search engines.
Duh! _________________ Free Email Discussion Group For Your Site
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Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 5815 Location: by the beach, Australia
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 2:04 am Post subject:
Phil Tanny wrote:
But if you charged $5 per month for your site/forum
the readership would likely plummet.
I suppose one way round that problem would be to charge a fee from now on, while all founding members remained free.
We could charge, say, $10 or a year, or something small, to encourage more sign-ups. Say 2,000 new members at $10 a head...
Maybe one day. I don't feel inclined to do it today _________________ Allan Gardyne
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Joined: 22 Aug 2003 Posts: 1322 Location: Gainesville Florida USA
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 2:25 am Post subject:
Honestly, I doubt you'd like the dollar per month solution.
I learned this with OakNet. Once somebody gives you any money at all, even a buck, their expectations change. They'll require (ie. demand) support and personal attention because now they are a customer. You have to process the orders, charge backs etc etc. You can't even really pay for the money handling stuff at a buck a month.
Again, this is a general point, I'm just using your site as example because it's such an extensive resource. If your site is only worth a buck a month, what are the rest of our sites worth? _________________ Free Email Discussion Group For Your Site
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