noobs and introduction section [Archive]

joyride

19-05-2005, 12:18 PM

on offtopic.com, the mods have put in some rule that noobs cannot post in other sections but their version of an 'introduction' section until they make 10 or so posts (or 2 weeks active member, cant remember)
would this be a good idea to OH?

i think this would help clear up alot of the questions the noobs ask as soon as they login. it helps the other sections (esp technical sections) keep clear of the same questions being asked time and time again.

wynode

20-05-2005, 02:42 PM

Interesting point you raise. I was actually thinking of doing something like this the other day.

Opinions???

JDM.Power

20-05-2005, 04:20 PM

sounds like a good idea! *thumbs up*

toE

20-05-2005, 10:53 PM

:thumbsup: from me :)

wynode

20-05-2005, 10:58 PM

I just realised.....there is quite abit of re-organising of the existing system involved in order to do this............dayem!

I'll add it to my 'to do' list.

bennjamin

20-05-2005, 11:59 PM

...and also , make posts in the intro section not count towards....the obvious. *to avoid spamming etc*

panda[cRx]

21-05-2005, 06:45 AM

^^^ yes just wat i was about to say after hebe the other day

J-MuN

21-05-2005, 04:12 PM

its good idea... alot of the new users use introduction just to spam to use for sale thread...

panda[cRx]

21-05-2005, 04:47 PM

maybe limit to 5 posts a day or something?

J-MuN

21-05-2005, 05:23 PM

limit posts in intros??...

joyride

21-05-2005, 05:50 PM

i wouldnt say limit their posts but just restrict them to posting in the introduction sections first.

tRipitaka

21-05-2005, 05:55 PM

i reckon the two week thing would be good..
as it gives noobs time to read over some of the info that has already been posted, to save them asking the same questions again..

J-MuN

21-05-2005, 06:20 PM

u cant really restrict new users to not being able to post though... kinda unfair... they join to post and

learn... gotta think of it if u were in their shoes...

bennjamin

21-05-2005, 06:38 PM

u cant really restrict new users to not being able to post though... kinda unfair... they join to post and

learn... gotta think of it if u were in their shoes...

no , new users CAN post- its just the "post count" factor.

Admin will have a think - and implement when he gets off his lazy can ! :D

J-MuN

21-05-2005, 07:15 PM

no , new users CAN post- its just the "post count" factor.

Admin will have a think - and implement when he gets off his lazy can ! :D
i was referring to ppl saying that new users should have a 2 weeks of No Posting...

that would just be unfair...

wynode

21-05-2005, 07:35 PM

I like the idea of getting noobs to read abit before they post but i'm also concerned about them coming on and not being able to post if they want to ask questions ETC.

Agreed on the post count thing (about having it add to your post count in the intro section) but that can be sorted easily.

Hows about a few more suggestions on how to deal with the newcommers (hope I haven't missed anything).

J-MuN

21-05-2005, 08:23 PM

wynode

21-05-2005, 10:51 PM

think it'll be best to wipe out post counts for intro... :p cos it seems to be the easy target

for users to spam and get post counts... but u can never escape spamming i guess... mods

can always delete posts but mods cant read every post, or can they?...
Post counts increments are disabled in the intro forum as of now.

And yes........mods can't look at every single post.........thats why the 'report post' feature is there :)

J-MuN

22-05-2005, 12:38 AM

Post counts increments are disabled in the intro forum as of now.

And yes........mods can't look at every single post.........thats why the 'report post' feature is there :)
good work :D i've always thought that the 'report post' feature was like a bad thing or something

absolutely terrible... not as in just for spamming... :p will keep it in mind for next time admin ;)

panda[cRx]

22-05-2005, 05:41 AM

i reckon a 5 post limit per day would be fair, seriously how much important stuff could a noob need to ask/spam everyday?

joyride

22-05-2005, 08:47 AM

i was referring to ppl saying that new users should have a 2 weeks of No Posting...

that would just be unfair...

hey guys, what i meant was the noobs can post as much as they want in the intro section (post count disabled in there) for 2 weeks before they can venture out into other sections and post.

maybe the 5 post count limit per day can be set for other things, like members who have been warned (for various reasons) by mods/admin??

J-MuN

22-05-2005, 01:01 PM

yeh, how bout we leave it as it is, but if we notice newbie spammers then we report those posts

and then they'll be put on the '5 posts per day' punishment... :p and btw; intro's dont count no

more... :D

kvad

22-05-2005, 04:01 PM

wynode

22-05-2005, 09:24 PM

doom9 video site forum implements something like stopping the noobs from posting right after registering and it has worked wonders. if the need to ask questions becomes that desperate they could always go to the irc channel? :)
HOw long must they wait before they can post?

We'll have to think this through fully because its not a change that I can implement straight away (IE have to redesign the usergroup settings!)

kvad

23-05-2005, 12:20 AM

i couldnt remember exactly how many days so i quickly made a new account to see what they wrote :)

--

Our experience has shown that many people come to this forum for the
first time, sign up right away without bothering to read the forum rules
and post a question that has been answered at least 3 times over. This
is a waste of time for everyone reading such a post and it sets a bad
precedent. In order to prevent this from happening we have decided that
new users will have to wait for 5 days after signing up before they are
allowed to post. We apologize for the inconvenience but since we've
introduced this waiting period the amount of post that we don't want to
have has dramatically decreased and we have had some encouraging feedback
from people who have taken their time to read up because they couldn't
post and once they were allowed to post their problems had already been
solved.

z3lda

23-05-2005, 11:37 AM

what is a 'report post' ?

wynode

23-05-2005, 11:49 AM

what is a 'report post' ?
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13692&highlight=report+post

wynode

23-05-2005, 11:49 AM

kvad, that sounds like an idea.....i'll have a quick chat to the other mods and see if there are any other suggestions.

jackosimm

24-05-2005, 10:10 PM

Interesting point you raise. I was actually thinking of doing something like this the other day.

Opinions???

Great Idea, not so much like 10 posts, but atleast an intro before they can post. Brilliant idea:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Vivski

27-05-2005, 09:21 PM

Hmm, I'm not so sure. Might help the n00b problem. Don't want to restrict new users too much though, 'cos it might discourage them.

You could also make them unable to start topics in some forums. But that might end in them blatantly hijacking other threads.

I'm sure sometimes new OH members come here for the first time wanting quick answers to questions. If they post rubbish then they get flamed, but sometimes it might be worth-while.

So I guess I vote against restrictions for n00bs.

chartinael

27-05-2005, 09:25 PM

wynode

27-05-2005, 09:28 PM

well, i disagree. you are working off the presumption that people wanna join cause they have nothing better to do. I joined oz because I wanted to reply and ask things that don't belong into the newbie section. I'd not be here if I had a 2 week waiting period before I'd be able to respond to anything.

but then again, not be like anybody'd miss me ;-) But I wouldn't have my exhaust - what traumatizing thought ....

krsitin
Yeah you make a good point there krsitin.

Not all new members are clueless and at the same time we don't want to turn knowledgable members awaym. This is a big change to implement so I'd like to have something definitive set out first!

chartinael

27-05-2005, 09:30 PM

hey, don't misspell my name, bad enough that I do that all the time ;-)

EK9

28-05-2005, 02:11 AM

i think this "5 post per day" limit is stoopid... cos sumtimes say sumone asks a question/opens a thread, and they wanna elaborate or answer a reply, only another 4 tims after that during the day? poor bastards imo... especially if they REALLY need help or are desperate.

I fink a combined Intro/Newbie section would be excellent... y the hell didn't we think of this earlier? :D We can use this for intro's AND for newbies to ask those ridiculously repeated questions without having ppl say "wot a noob" or "search is ur friend". We can actually answer them properly wifout making feel like sh!t sumtimes. to be honest... sum ppl can be real harsh to noobs, lol. Regarding post counts, if sumfing like this is setup, posts shouldn't count cos of spamming for sales, etc... so maybe a time restriction (say 2 weeks) so only posting in this area is allowed and they can still read other forums...

that's my coupla cents ;)

EK9

28-05-2005, 02:18 AM

oops, i didn't realise there was another page before i posted :rolleyes: sorry if i repeated anything and suggested sumfing stoopid :p

ok, i c kristen (err, i cant remember if it was kristin or kristen... sorry :o ) has raised a good point... so maybe a shorter limit like 2-3 days would be better then the 2 weeks i said. this'll give them an opportunity to READ THE T+C! and other stuff like stickies of course... anyway, i still fink a Newbie section is cool.

wynode

28-05-2005, 03:39 PM

They should be readin the T&C on signup!

bennjamin

28-05-2005, 06:08 PM

They should be readin the T&C on signup!

Yup. You have the terms and conditions right infront of you listed - as you "agree" to sign up. Perhaps, like some websites Win - you should implement a small flag that reads "IF entirely scrolled, then allow AGREE" ( if u understand what i mean lol). Besides, I get a fair few PM's per week from noob users - complaining that they cannot sell their car or sell items in the for sale section....*throws rule book at them*

OR maybe....we should hire some nazi-esque mods to control the world ? :D:rolleyes:

chartinael

29-05-2005, 12:02 AM

Yup. You have the terms and conditions right infront of you listed - as you "agree" to sign up. Perhaps, like some websites Win - you should implement a small flag that reads "IF entirely scrolled, then allow AGREE" ( if u understand what i mean lol). Besides, I get a fair few PM's per week from noob users - complaining that they cannot sell their car or sell items in the for sale section....*throws rule book at them*

OR maybe....we should hire some nazi-esque mods to control the world ? :D:rolleyes:

Hahaha, aren't you about as close as they come Mister:chartinael, you have an australian isp and post german pics ;-) Anyways, OzHonda seems to me to be a rather harmless board with not much spamming/e-thugging going on. I am amazed however, how "german" everything is meaning rules, rules, enforcement, engineering, defecting and the like.

kristin

EK9

29-05-2005, 12:16 AM

Hahaha, aren't you about as close as they come Mister:chartinael, you have an australian isp and post german pics ;-) Anyways, OzHonda seems to me to be a rather harmless board with not much spamming/e-thugging going on.
That's the way we want it to be ;) So i guess it's working so far... :thumbsup:

I am amazed however, how "german" everything is meaning rules, rules, enforcement, engineering, defecting and the like.

kristin

jackosimm

29-05-2005, 02:56 PM

Im still going with itd be a great idea to make them introduce themselves as their first post somehow

joyride

31-05-2005, 08:39 AM

I fink a combined Intro/Newbie section would be excellent... y the hell didn't we think of this earlier? :D We can use this for intro's AND for newbies to ask those ridiculously repeated questions without having ppl say "wot a noob" or "search is ur friend". We can actually answer them properly wifout making feel like sh!t sumtimes. to be honest... sum ppl can be real harsh to noobs, lol. Regarding post counts, if sumfing like this is setup, posts shouldn't count cos of spamming for sales, etc... so maybe a time restriction (say 2 weeks) so only posting in this area is allowed and they can still read other forums...

that's my coupla cents ;)
thats what i was trying to say lol

EuroAccord13

31-05-2005, 02:31 PM

Good Idea... Stop em posting intros in the Accord Section :P

panda[cRx]

31-05-2005, 08:27 PM

so maybe a time restriction (say 2 weeks) so only posting in this area is allowed and they can still read other forums...

or even a month or so. if they need to sell something so bad they can use firesport or the trading post or whatever