I've had a few people mention the decline in the forum thanks to spammers, people not searching before starting threads, lots of rubbish being posted by trolls, etc.

And so this is the action being taken... new members will go into a nursery period before they get to have free run of the forum.

What this means is simple, new members can:

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

What new 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 "new member"?

That's also simple, you are no longer a new member when you have both:

• Posted 5 times
• Been on the site for 48 hours

So what I'm forcing is that all users have to learn how to use the site and participate before they're given free run of the place.

It's with immediate effect.

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?