London Fixed-gear and Single-speed SJS Cycles

So you've just joined and you're wondering what the hell this nursery thing is all about and why this site has it when few to no other sites you've visited have such a thing.

Please read all of this post!

We had a few problems in the past with things like:

• Spammers signing up and posting adverts
  • What makes a spammer a spammer when there's a classifieds section? The difference is whether those posting items for sale take part in the wider community... if they are doing that and the majority of their posts are not spam, then they're not a spammer... if all they do is sell stuff and have no interest in the community, then they're a spammer.
• Spammers signing up and sending PMs to 60 or so people
• Invasions from other forums, so basically mass trolling
• Individual trolls
• New people asking questions that have been asked and answered what feels like a hundred times already
• New people starting little flame wars against themselves by asking such stupid questions that a quick search would've saved them embarrassment and spared their reputation

Those are a wide and varied set of problems, and we worked out that nearly all of them could be stemmed by just putting up an artificial obstacle for those joining the forums.

Effectively there is a cooling-off period in which new members should get acclimatised to the forum and get to see how it works, and the forum should get a moment to become familiar with the new person. We are basically forcing you to ease yourself in gently... but honestly, doing so is better for you, this place can be harsh so just go with it.

The name for this artificial period is "the nursery". Until you learn to walk here, you can't run.

And what does being in the nursery actually amount to?

Well members in the nursery can:

• Search the forums
• Reply to existing threads
• Upload a profile picture (non-animated)
• Join an existing social group

What nursery members can't do is:

• Start new threads
• Use Private Messaging
• Have a custom avatar
• Upload a animated profile picture
• Edit their posts (they can't undo what they say)
• Rate threads
• Give reputation
• Post on polls
• Anything else not explicitly granted to them above

What defines a "nursery member"?

It's pretty simple, you are no longer in the nursery when you have both:

• Posted 3 times
• Been on the site for 24 hours

And this is an automatic thing, as soon as that threshold is passed the system will promote you to full membership within an hour or two.

Now, a lot of people don't like the nursery. And that's very understandable, but let me just underline some qualities of this site that don't really exist elsewhere.

First up, moderators... we have none... not one, none. Other sites pride themselves on having 20 or 30 moderators, we just don't bother. We have an administrator, that's me VelocityBoy... but really I do the technical stuff like run the software and server and ensure that the place functions well and doesn't get blacklisted. What I don't do is to subjectively police the place. Point is, if we have no moderators we really do need a system that from the outset reduces the kind of work that leads to the creation of moderators... basically to reduce spam and trolling from the instant that a new member signs up.

Next up, jostling. Every forum has it's fair share of new members being initiated by the old timers by some friendly ribbing. But sometimes this can go too far, especially if (without searching first) you ask an oft-repeated, tired, or dumb question in your first post. It's not pleasant to watch new members get ripped to shreds, and really I'm doing you the biggest favour by forcing you to search first and look around before you ask... the guys here can be merciless towards the new, so say hello first and search thoroughly before you ask stuff. The result, yeah there's still some jostling, but not much, and the place is a hell of a lot friendlier for it and that is priceless.

Can you evade the nursery period?

Don't try. Really. It's a public forum which means everyone can see you do it, and if you post 5 meaningless posts in an attempt to sidestep the nursery chances are that someone will report you... when that happens, I will ban that account permanently. You're free to register again, but then you start the nursery again too. So don't try, we're not that dumb and as this is our one piece of moderation it's purposefully harsh, really, don't try.

But what if you're not a spammer, not a troll, not a internet and cycling newbie, you aren't going to ask a dumb question, and you have experience of other fixed gear forums. Well, why didn't you say? If all of this is true, then you can contact me (the administrator) using the Contact Us form at the bottom of the page and outline why you need to be out of the nursery. If you can persuade me with a paragraph that you need to start a new thread, or send a PM, or something... then I will get you out of the nursery as soon as I can (i.e. when I've checked my email and seen your message). I do this a lot, it's cool. So do just ask, I'm not that scary really.

I think that covers all of the basics about the nursery... key thing, just say hi, chat to us... the nursery period will fly by before you know it. It's the best way, and it's the one that works best for everyone.

woot!

Nice one VB!

excellent, stops instant aliases as crappy replies too

Good call VB.

sounds good

Nope. Aliases can still reply to things, they will just be new members so cannot start threads or do anything else for a couple of days.

I'm in pedant mode today; what stops newbs from asking off topic questions as part of their first five posts - e.g wandering into Ray's onanistic beach volleyball thread with a 'which OTP will match my lycra hotpants?' type question...

apart from that VB, it sounds peachy.

oh yeah, der!

Praise the fucking Lord.

good stuff VB!
what if they don't know what to search for?


... guess the'll just start a thread... ie whats this bit called?

they have to post 5 times before they can start a thread

they must search b4 they can post ;)

so have you decided on what you're goin to do with aliases, VB?

BAN

Nice one! I can retire as a 'Use the Search' pedant.

Good work

Brilliant solution... Thou art a God

ok, but how are new members, going to be able to introduce themselves???
or ask for help, before having to post 5 unnecessary posts to do so?

Nice one Centurion.

I guess they'll have to introduce themselves on their first post.

Mandatory first post on the names and faces thread!

With pictures.

Nekkid pictures

I'd suggest cranking that up to 10. I'd also suggest a bit of a limit between postings (5 minutes at least). Would rule out spree postings a la the VD board raid.

@murtle: Let them post in particular forum sections? don't know how much of an admin nightmare that'd be for VB. Bump up the info in the registration email too to support all of the suggestions in this and the other flaming thread?

I don't much care for formal introductions. This site is not an online dating service, personally speaking.

And in the course of using Google etc to find enough info to facilitate contributing 5 posts, the new member will probably find the answer to their original lazycuntquestion®.

top work.

some kind of 'read here first' thingy with links to all the OTP threads, sheldon, and the fixed wiki FAQ thing (if there is one?) gear inch table and the chainline table, ours as well as the list of cog/hub/bb specs. i can't remember which site that is on?

Introductions can wait 48 hours. In fact they might become of better quality.

As for asking for help, I'd reccomend an ettiquette page as part of the signing on process. Other than that, it wouldn't be too unreasonable for a newbie to highjack a similar thread, or post in a sticky newbie questions thread (which as a ban on calling people cunts unless they really deserve it).

all good stuff

Duh - use Google, you lazy cunt.

The 5 post mark will be the same as the 0 post mark...
ie profile visit 5 posts = flaming?

I don't flame by numbers.

to clarify, 6th post could be the same as anyones first post.

transmission database

but what BMMF said :)

Have a "introduce yourself" thread?

i didn't ask for the link, i know the webpages are out there, if i need them i know how to find them.
i have a perfect chainline thanks.
:-)

Bollox. What a load of elitist crap.

Errr.

I mean, what an excellent idea.

@fatboyralph, he does you know

miche + campag record 111m + goldtec + EAI = MrSmith

:)

why not limit it by thread - have to post 5 times on 5 separate threads?

maybe that's too complex. and BTW I quite enjoyed repelling the VD raiders / that thread.

Sure the VD thing was fun but I wouldn't want to buckle the forum swash with any sense of regularity.

Hooray for common sense.

Suppose it's a good thing.

Can you also work out a way to stop me posting after midnight, so I can get some sleep?

Have you tried turning the computer off?

Don't be ridiculous.

Sorry, don't know what I was thinking.

Call your ISP and report yourself for internet grooming at 11.59 every night.

hurray. cool. i know this comes up a lot, but can we also sort out a faq?

Hey VB! Will new members be told this is what is happening to them, when they sign up, and will they be sent through any sort of FAQ, etiquette, type email/link so they can become fully fledged sarcastic, pisstaking members of our forum, without some of the character scorching that has taken place in the past...

good solution, VB. my compliments.