Okay, I've checked the options on the forum, but want to know what people think. personally I'm not keen on forums that require registration, as I think it puts people off, and I'm all for ease of use and open discussion, but here are the three available alternatives (other than the current "open" forum:
Approval Required:
means that when a new user applies to join the Group, you can review and accept or deny their application before they receive any Group privileges or special access.
Valid Email Required:
means that a random key will be sent to the email of the Group applicant, which they can use to then gain membership into the Group (this verifies that the email used in the Group application is a valid address).
Approval + Valid Email:
means that you can check the validated email address before adding a member to your group. This ensures that Group applicants don't use an anonymous email service to provide a validated email address.
Please let me know, via a response to this post, if you think any of these are viable/acceptable. I know it's a hassle, but otherwise I will have to delet all "bogus "posts. Or as I said below, not post at all... Valid e-mail is the easiest (and requires the least work from me) but I'm dubious about e-mail addresses on forums as thay can be "harvested" by spammers.
i dont have a problem with giving up my email address. fair enough i might end up on another spam list as a result of it, but at the end of the day, its just one more spam list, and everyone is on thousands anyway, thats life these days
Im ok with a registration forum, i think most people that actually value what is said on this board would take the trouble to sign up, it takes like 5 minutes
I dont like the way the threads run onto consecutive pages, cos they usually die as soon as that happens
A style where you click on the subject and displays all the responses on the same page is much easier to read, and looks better anyway
If it is possible to have a registration thing where every user has their own name and you have to log in, then great, as long as it is possible to keep this particular style of forum.Dont get me wrong, im not trying to take the piss, but, i have used several types and this one is by far the best.
I don't think that you should should change the forum just cos 1 or 2 twats are spoiling it for everyone else, give it a few days and who ever has been acting gay will give up and go back to their gay porn or what ever they do on the net.
A few days has slowly developed into a few months already.
I've no problem giving up my email address to register, but I can see it now..
People will sign up with hotmail especially just so they can get a nickname on the board, then still slag everyone off.
trust me i've seen it happen, people with nothing better to do DO go to the trouble....
The other alternatives, where a user name and e-mail are registered (like on 'vbulletin' or 'infopop' based boards) will most likely cost money for Reg to set up.
I'd even contribute to the cost if it helped control the idiots, and would certainly help moderate a new board set up under one of the above systems
I like the slightly anarchic feel to this message board
and wouldn't want any replacement to loose that.
So if the valid e-mail option means that a post can be traced to the e-mail address then I vote for that option.
Folks can go and set up a hotmail account or similar if they're worried about spam, and use that to post on this forum.
I'm totally for this new forum it will help get rid of cunts like that munky guy who used to let out his agression on everyone, but since the festival he's fucked off somewhere, aahhhh well probably see him back in 11 months again with his ever so witty comments