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Post by krisbee on Aug 6, 2007 14:20:04 GMT 10
Hi All, this is something that I feel we need to address,If you have been visiting Reddo's Corner you will have noticed that once again a Guest has been able to start another bun fight, this is not the first time it has happened but I would like it to be the last. My suggestion is that we remove the ability of guests to post,this is not uncommon on other Forums,in fact a lot of them restrict guests to only being able to view the general section,the rest being member only access. During a discussion a few months ago with Mark he pointed out that non members quite often use the site to advertise a van for sale, and that this is quite obviously to our advantage.My idea is that perhaps Mark can add a couple more email contact address's to his home page , genuine people can then contact a member for help. Anyway, they are my thought's on the subject, let me know your's, both for and against,and we will see what the majority feel.
Oh, Will and Lyn, I realise that this will mean you will have to sort out your log on issues, so come on, or don't you want us to be able to PM you? ;D
One last thing, it is sad that the actions of a few impact on so many,but I would like to point out that while it is fairly rare that I have to delete anything from a member's post, the delete button gets used much more frequently for guests than you guys see behind the scene.
Bye,Kris.
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Aug 6, 2007 15:13:19 GMT 10
hi kris
i spoke to mark about restrictions for guests when we kept getting all the japanese junk last year and he gave me the same answer which i agree with.
to everyone else,
if a guest says something spiteful or derrogative, why not just ignore the comment.
to answer the person is to give him/her identity and to go into needless debate over the comment is to give him/her credibility.
i have decided to simply ignore such comments and treat them as if they were never made.
geoff
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Post by scootman on Aug 6, 2007 15:51:08 GMT 10
Im with Geoff and Jude on this one. I like that guests can come in and have thier say. I mean a lot of people dont want to become members yet perhaps on a one off have some valuable input for the group. If they were forced to become members to have a once only say, then it would send the members numbers up to a false level. Im sure we are all big enough and looking the photos reddos is certainly ugly enough to ignore , retort, or rebuff as we see fit. Scoot
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Post by tinnie on Aug 6, 2007 17:00:48 GMT 10
I realise this is a tough topic. If someone is looking to buy/sell or request info then it is nice for them to do so as a guest. I agree that by ignoring 'certain' guest posts they will eventually go away. However, given that Reddo has twice recently been the recipient of personal attacks by guest/s it would be interesting to get his feelings on this. Unfortunately it is the nature of the planet that people will attack others on a forum such as this - and it sucks.
I have a possible suggestion that Reddo's Corner could be accessed (read and post) only by signed-in-members, that will preserve his part of the world (for Reddo and the rest of us) and allow a joke or two without fear of someone taking it serious.
Second and possibly in addition to that above: all topics remain open to read by all, but guests are restricted to only being able to post on For Sale and/or Technical Stuff. At the end of the day if people want to contribute beyond that, it's not very hard to join the forum. It would be a shame to do this, but I feel it necessary to protect the site from a minority. Cheers
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Post by kingy on Aug 6, 2007 18:09:49 GMT 10
I agree with Geoff & Judes comments re. just ignoring guest's remarks, but i suppose it's easier said than done until the remarks are aimed your way - Kingy
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Post by fbmad on Aug 6, 2007 19:28:23 GMT 10
This is the only forum from a bit over a dozen that I am a member of that allows "guests" to participate and I have found this a little strange because it allows internet Sh#t stirrers to come on with anonymity and cause problems.They thrive on the conflict they create. Easy to ignore them yes, if you aren't the one copping the bagging on a public forum for all the world to see. I'm leaning toward Kris's solution to the problem.
My thoughts,
Terry.
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Post by humpty2 on Aug 6, 2007 19:43:42 GMT 10
Re people (guests) having to register so as to post on all sites............. The spam filter on some programs does not allow the registration to come through so as to participate as a member, I currently have this problem on another site. To reregister here I had to go through another provider other than my normal one to get back in ( hence Humpty2). Maybe that is why there are so many guests that don't make it to members?..................is Will & Lyn an example??
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Post by scootman on Aug 6, 2007 19:51:57 GMT 10
Ok now before you all get bogged down in here and start chucking reddoes can you please go and look at my previous post and give me your opinion. Scoot
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2007 20:23:09 GMT 10
Hi All I am deeply ashamed of what has happened here.. Its all my fault... Yep.. My fault . My dear old dad drummed into me time and time again He said ... "Son.....NEVER.. I repeat NEVER argue with anyone that you consider stupider than yourself" They will drag you down to thier level and beat you with experience every time Yet what do i find myself doing time and time again ... Yep you "guest" it ;D ;D If dad was still alive he would be kicking my arse right now for not heeding his words of wisdom ;D Barring guests .... Just about every other forum i have visited or am a member of have closed sections which are only accessible to members . It costs nothing to become a member so whats the problem with making this forum read only for guests. If they are keen they will sign up.. no wuckers. Doesnt matter how many members we end up with, Sooner or later we are gunna reach 1000 registered members anyway. Law of averages say you will still only get about 3 to 5% that contribute to the forum and of that you will only get 1 or 2% that actually use thier vans on runs and events. The rest will probably just remain lookers with the dream of one day actually finishing thier vans and enjoying what some of us have already experienced... The good times . It will be up to those 1 or 2% to encourage the rest to keep chipping away at thier hobby until we see 1000 vans on the road........now wouldnt that be nice. I dont envy your task Krisbee and Mark. But... my money is on making certain parts of the forum read only for guests the rest totally members only.. Personal attacks dont bother me in the least. In fact i get a giggle out of it. With only about 40 posts I am only new at this 4ummm stuff ..Who knows by the time i reach 100 posts i might have learnt to ignore them ;)Not What bothers me is i have let my old man down.... and will probably continue to do so.........Oh the shame of it all. I need a spell in "The corner" Reddontlisten
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hknut
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Post by hknut on Aug 6, 2007 20:54:15 GMT 10
Hi all,
The recent spate of guest appearances that arrive to start a bun fight and leave before the finale are starting to become a bit to frequent. Kris B's and Gristy's comments on guests having access to the site for advertising has merit, as these people don't want to become a member other than accessing the site to sell a vintage van to someone who will restore or preserve the old vans and maybe this should be the only part of the site accessible to them? as well as the technical side of the forum for contributors wishing to pass on knowledge, information or just plain trivia.
Reddo, yep, my old man said the same thing to me as a kid so don't be ashamed. I don't tolerate fools well either.
Cheers
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lulu
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Post by lulu on Aug 6, 2007 21:08:38 GMT 10
Hi Guys Well i havent read all the post, so sorry if its been mentioned, but the one and only other forum i visit have a little section up the top right corner of a thread, that the thread author can use. Theres a little wand like thing that you can click on that can ban someone giving the author a hard time. Only the author of the thread can use it. I dont normally like to use it but had to for the first time a few months ago because this idiot was harrassing a long time user that came in and said hello to me. He doesnt like her and has it in for her, so i gave him 2 warnings and the 3rd nasty comment he made, i banned him from entering my threads/posts. A ban like this means he cant post a comment in your thread and you cant in his threads either. The ban lasts for 2 weeks. I then also deleted his comments like he never existed. ahhhh the power ;D Its a good idea worth looking into i think
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Post by Franklin1 on Aug 6, 2007 22:43:03 GMT 10
This issue reminds me of the Harry Potter movie where the hat is placed on the students to determine the House they will be put into. For Harry, the hat found it difficult,...very difficult...
In any business organisation, the higher a manager is up the ladder, the more "veto power" he/she has. So is it possible to grant "executive power of veto" to all members who have 5 stars or more against their name? That way there would be more people keeping an eye on the forum and flicking the switch on any inappropriate content.
Of course, Reddo would be included in the executive in recognition of his combined membership.
Al.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 6, 2007 23:00:00 GMT 10
Hi all, Thanks for asking for our thoughts on this question Krisbee. I've read through all the posts on this subject and realise that my feelings on the matter may be influenced by the fact that I haven't been under attack from a 'guest' like Reddo or some other participants (not yet anyway!). However, I don't support the idea of preventing guests from accessing sections of the forum or being able to contribute for the following reasons: 1. Not all people are equally internet savvy, and until you develop some website experience the whole registration process can be a bit confusing and even scary. Being able to access the forum (all parts of it) and contribute as a guest allows people to dip a toe in the water before they work out how to plunge all the way in. If you have been a part of a forum like this for a while you may have forgotten how uncertain you felt about getting involved in an activity like this, but I don't. I would like us to remain as open and accessible as we can be... 2. For me the most interesting part of the forum are the members' photo album, technical and memorabilia sections. If I had been prevented from being able to follow the posts in these sections for a period of time (quite a long period of time actually...) and had been restricted to the general section, I may never have registered and become involved at all... 3. Allowing people to contribute as guests can be really handy when registered contributors are away from home on somebody else's PC or are having computer problems (as has been mentioned). If contributing as a guest was prevented, it would sometimes be a pain to registered contributors... 4. Sometimes a person only ever needs to contribute once or twice which really makes registering unnecessary. Maybe they want to sell a van, or contribute a tidbit of info which will be valuable to us all... On balance if we can learn to ignore the stirrers and the malicious guests, while leaving the forum open to guest contributors I feel we will be better off overall. After all, as we are often reminded - we aren't a club - we are a forum where all are welcome. If we had ignored the comment of the recent guest and the comments of a (registered) contributor about people who live in WA, their 'contributions' would soon have sunk into oblivion where they really belong. At the same time I feel for Reddo and a couple of other contributors who seem to be the victim of these unpleasant attacks. I really regret that there are people who feel that besmirching others is a worthy use of their time and the time of others... Guess it's human nature or something. Don Ricardo
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Post by Daggsey on Aug 6, 2007 23:30:34 GMT 10
As usual, Don Ricardo has presented a well-balanced response which I would have to agree with.
As one of the contributors who took the bait from a (registered) member and "guest", I now realise that I should have treated both with the contempt they deserve and as Don Ricardo says, their comments would have disappeared into oblivion.
I'm aware that it is impossible for the Administrator or Moderator to be watching for unnecessary/unhelpfull comments from guests 24/7, so I guess it is up to us not to fall for their trap and get caught up in futile discussions with people who have a different agenda to the rest of us.
daggsey
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2007 23:53:59 GMT 10
Absolutely supurb Don R ..............well said I've been thinking all day of how to say what you just said Thank you. Mark
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Post by 313royal on Aug 7, 2007 8:09:26 GMT 10
Are we cutting our nose to spite our face ? Guest contributions are more often than not healthy & informative, to lock them out because of a few dropkicks seems to be a negative response. Perhaps we all need to be a little less sensitive to the troublemakers & ignore their comments which should eliminate their desire to be noticed.
313
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Post by exocet on Aug 7, 2007 10:20:28 GMT 10
Well said, Don R, totally agree, as by far the majority of members and guests have something valuable and interesting to contribute to this forum.
Exocet
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Post by paulc1952car on Aug 7, 2007 21:33:00 GMT 10
Hi, I don't post much on this forum but I do enjoy reading about what's happening in the world of VV's. I find it a bit unsettling when I find a complete unknown slagging off to his or her hearts content. The other forum i'm a member of only allows registered Members to post. we found that this has stopped the ratbags from getting in. We have also found that those who wish to have input do not have a prob with registering for Membership. Just my thoughts on your problem. Cheers Paul
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2007 0:37:20 GMT 10
well, one thing is for sure, disallowing guests rapidly increases membership. In the 24 hours that guests were disallowed, membership increased from 633 to 643. A big welcome to all our new members Mark
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Post by Franklin1 on Aug 8, 2007 9:29:45 GMT 10
The other interesting point is the record number of 198 users on the 16th July during the "cyclone". Shows just how much the crowd enjoys a good punch-up! Shame we couldn't have organised a couple of raffles during the melee to support the costs of the website... Al.
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