If another thread has been made about this, then I'm sorry for "double posting". I've been starting to get some free time lately to check out the AD forums again, and as others may have noticed, we are getting a lot of spammers and idiots. Now I know, AfterDawn has become a very popular site with many members, and as any admin will tell you, the good comes with the bad. The "Report An Offensive Post" is a brilliant option and I use it almost everytime I visit AfterDawn! But is there ANY way at all to stop these goddamn spammers and idiots, apart from just report every one that comes along? Maybe we could do a "Scroll to the bottom of the page in the Terms and Conditions to register" or a "Wait 20 seconds to read the Terms and Conditions to register" so that these spammers and idiots may just say "OMGWTF?!?!?!?!?!?! Plxx help oh wait i r not in forum lolxxxx. Screw it i weel go out and do sumfing liek nuthin", making AfterDawn a better place... What do you think? P.S. On a more violent note, we should stamp everyone with a "USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION" on the head just to remind them.
one thing I remember on another forum site was making new members wait 7 days before being able to start their own thread. This did a) discourage spammers and b) force people to actually search the threads instead of posting right away. So I think that might be a good idea... edit 4 damn typos
Yea the forum isn't quite the same as it was about a year ago. I think the extreme number of new members has a great deal to do with it. DVD burnng is very popular now and getting more popular every day. When anyone needs a problem answered this is where they end up. It is the best forum on that subject available. The other problem (not wanting to bring up this subject) is the rating system for members. Once they find out all thats needed to up their rating is post count you get all kinds of spammers and useless posts that in many cases have been answered before. Its just easier to post again than use the search function. I guess we just have to deal with the changes as best we can. Jerry
True, with growth, also the problems grow -- and typically faster But then again, all of our users have been "n00bs" once, even the much respected mods and addicts True, its pain to go through 5,000 threads asking questions that have been asked previously. But it was exactly the same years ago, just in smaller scale. We've tried virtually everything -- we've had the "quarantine period", we've blocked new users from posting to old threads, we require people to activate their accounts before posting, etc etc. But the fact is that we get 800+ new members each and every single day. Maybe out of those there's only 1 or 2 guys who will become new "addicts" -- but I think then its worth it, as we get more regulars answering to questions posted by more and more newbies. Only thing that probably gets difficult as hell is navigating through the "knowledge database" that is our forum with its 600,000+ msgs.. And as far as spam goes, it is minimal in our forums -- we benefit in that from the fact that we don't use any "normal" forum software and thus spambots, etc can't work their way through to automatically posting junk to our site, but it actually has to be done manually.
Didn't really know if this was kinda like a private admin. conversation or what....but wanted to say something. After reading the post, you all are more than right about it. I know that I have probably done a double post once, and still being a "noob" it just goes to show you really have to read. I couldn't count how many times when a reply is give i see the link "read the forum rules" because some posted their email addy or something that isn't supposed to be there.... Oh yeah...lets not forget the double posts....like the one about the "Best P2P App" I mean, come on, wasn't this discussed JUST last week and it turned into a debate...just like it did last week. And I am SURE that it was on the same page. But anyways, like I was saying...it is funny that there are a CRAPLOAD of guides out there for noobs and advanced users that no one really knows...or maybe they do, they just don't want to take the time out to read them because they want help NOW instead of reading and actually learning something... But hey, that is just my opinion... I am frequently on this site, at work, and at home and find it VERY useful...I actually found this site by accident because i was looking for dvd software...and I am SO glad I found this site. So...cheers and congrats to you all and hope you come up with a good way to deal with your problem with spammers and double posts. *If I may suggest...one way to stop answering repeated questions, instead of answering them (mods/admins) just when you reply back, send them the link to the guide, and if they still have questions, then they should ask....but that might be a REAL longshot... Anyways, keep up the cool work...
dRD, My statement was just a general comment. This is still the best forum I have come across and I do check out quite a few of them. What really surprises me is when you list forum numbers (members, number of posts, etc.) the actual problems are very few when you look at those figures. Those numbers are outstanding for any forum. I doubt any other forum can come close. You guys at HQ do an excellent job so keep up the good work. We all seem to complain at times but nothing is perfect in this world and most of us realize you and your staff do a great job. Jerry
Jerry: I do appreciate criticism and even more so, all the new ideas (even if they're shot down eventually), simply wanted to point out to the fact that we acknowledge the problems, but unfortunately so far haven't found the "golden path" that would lead us into the tra-la-la land with no spammers and no morons
Yes, now I think about it, I am kinda harsh on n00bs.. =P Especially those that do not write in proper grammatical sentences... But then again I look at the amount of spammers and I realise that we do not have a lot, maybe I just log-in on moron-filled days. =D
One thing is true across just about all 21st century cultures and that is, "Generally Speaking," people are lazy; they will take the path of least resistance, not caring to read first and ask questions later. I have to mention a brief story that happened today. I wanted to purchase the new DVD just released, The Incredibles. Blockbuster is just down the street and opens at 10:00 so I drove down to their store but when walking to their front door I noticed a sign, hand written on a letter size sheet, stating that their computers were down, and they will not open until after they were back up. I got back in my car drove to a coffee shop, got a doughnut and a cup of coffee, and headed back to Blockbuster to wait. How many folks do you think actually read the sign, before trying the door? I'm talking about people from all walks of life, driving all classes of vehicles including Mercedes, BMW's and their SUV’s, and also those much older type vehicles with the mufflers hanging. I sat in my car for 20 minutes watching and laughing. Nearly all but one actually read the note first, most just tried the door, then with that puzzled look on their face, noticed the sign, tired the door again, and then walked away. I don’t believe there are anymore Dorothy’s from the Wizard of Oz out there, following that Golden Path! dRD, you have your hands full!
LOL @ Scubabud...I too have seen that as well.... Used to work for Staples along time ago....and you know how they have those automatic doors and those gates they pull out to shut the store down...well loe and behold.... This one time while we were closing...this guy walks up...BAM!!! hits the door and it didn't open....guess he thought we closed at midnight, seeing as though the place was dark and we were all waiting to leave.. Another time, there was this lady who kept walking back and forth trying to get the doors to open, THEN out of all that, saw that we were closing (yet the lights were still on cause we were cleaning up) and said..."your doors are locked...are you closed" No, lady, we just like to lock the doors so that customers can figure out a more mission impossible way in...maybe climb the roof, go through the grate...climb through the tunnels, and then drop down about 30 feet from the ceiling.... So, yeah....people should be more observant.... No prize winner myself, but hey, i can accept it
LOL @ Scubabud...I too have seen that as well.... Used to work for Staples along time ago....and you know how they have those automatic doors and those gates they pull out to shut the store down...well loe and behold.... This one time while we were closing...this guy walks up...BAM!!! hits the door and it didn't open....guess he thought we closed at midnight, seeing as though the place was dark and we were all waiting to leave.. Another time, there was this lady who kept walking back and forth trying to get the doors to open, THEN out of all that, saw that we were closing (yet the lights were still on cause we were cleaning up) and said..."your doors are locked...are you closed" No, lady, we just like to lock the doors so that customers can figure out a more mission impossible way in...maybe climb the roof, go through the grate...climb through the tunnels, and then drop down about 30 feet from the ceiling.... So, yeah....people should be more observant.... No prize winner myself, but hey, i can accept it
