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Should the Introductions Thread be culled?

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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 15/11/2018 at 11:54 #113296
postal
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We have an Introductions Thread where people put a message to try and indicate they are not a robot so that they can gain access to downloads, licences etc. This thread now spans over 52 pages and has been viewed nearly 150,000 times.

I expect that the amount of space it takes on the SimSig webspace is probably quite small within the overall picture but it would tidy things up if the Thread was culled from time to time (or is it being left as a precautionary measure in case a check back on the bona fides of a prospective user of SimSig is required)?

“In life, there is always someone out there, who won’t like you, for whatever reason, don’t let the insecurities in their lives affect yours.” – Rashida Rowe
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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 15/11/2018 at 16:30 #113301
Peter Bennet
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5355 posts
It might be the only post the new member makes and if it's deleted the count goes back to 0 and then they will revert to being unapproved.
Might be better if existing users refrained from posting, but that has its draw-backs too.

Peter

I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs!
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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 15/11/2018 at 17:02 #113303
miker15
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50 posts
It would be better if the robot check was done another way so that the introductions thread was not actually part of the forum
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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 15/11/2018 at 17:16 #113304
postal
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Peter Bennet in post 113301 said:
It might be the only post the new member makes and if it's deleted the count goes back to 0 and then they will revert to being unapproved.
Might be better if existing users refrained from posting, but that has its draw-backs too.

Peter
Peter

The incidence of existing posters among the 50+ pages is minimal. It is nearly all first time posters establishing their credentials (although they may then go on to make other posts which will increment the number of posts displayed in the Introductions thread).

“In life, there is always someone out there, who won’t like you, for whatever reason, don’t let the insecurities in their lives affect yours.” – Rashida Rowe
Last edited: 15/11/2018 at 17:18 by postal
Reason: None given

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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 15/11/2018 at 17:24 #113306
jc92
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3626 posts
Peter Bennet in post 113301 said:
It might be the only post the new member makes and if it's deleted the count goes back to 0 and then they will revert to being unapproved.
Might be better if existing users refrained from posting, but that has its draw-backs too.

Peter
If someone introduces themselves and then doesn't make any further posts within (let's say) 6 months, is the impact of requiring approval again really that high?

I would imagine some are dormant, some just choose to lurk and view posts and the remainder introduce themselves then make inevitable newbie posts on how to etc?

"We don't stop camborne wednesdays"
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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 15/11/2018 at 18:34 #113313
GeoffM
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6274 posts
Computers are better at passing (re)Captcha tests these days than humans. The "am I human" tickboxes when registering actually have a higher success rate in defeating robot sign-ups than the Captchas, but they're not enough. The hello post is the final step, and, as Peter says, deleting posts if they only post once will require them to authenticate again which is not very user friendly.

Some humans can't even be bothered to say more than a simple "hello" despite instructions otherwise. These are hard: do we reject a potential human? Usually we err on the side of "probably human".

I have ideas of a better Q/A kind of system, possibly a double email response rather than the single one. Nobody on the forum would see that exchange. Still need to work through the detail.

I also plan to cull all the former Joomla accounts who have never updated their account and have no licenses or posts.

SimSig Boss
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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 18/11/2018 at 03:49 #113375
Hawk777
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386 posts
Something I have always wondered about is why there even is an approval process? The sims are free (other than the paid ones, obviously), so why do people have to post before downloading? Had that always been the case, I might well not be here! If it’s to protect the rest of the forum, fine (I don’t know if the introduction thread is the only place new posters can post), but why the files too? To me it seems a bit unwelcoming, actually: when pondering a new hobby, I would much rather try it out alone first before getting into the community.
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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 18/11/2018 at 16:47 #113391
GeoffM
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6274 posts
Approval before downloading is something that will be changing. Opinions are split on whether it's a good policy or not.

I'm also aware of several problems, especially with Apple systems, which will also be addressed.

SimSig Boss
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Should the Introductions Thread be culled? 18/11/2018 at 16:57 #113393
Meld
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1098 posts
Rather than culling the thread - could it be auto locked say every 3/6 months and a replacement thread auto created
Passed the age to be doing 'Spoon Feeding' !!!
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