'Probie' Status for New Members

[Bagpuss]

LOL ! My pleasure ( and Skydiver's) to help you get launched .

I forgot to give you the link to the Welcome New Members thread, so here y'go...Welcome New Members
Dive in,have fun ,and beware of the cookies,the Flying monkeys and Pie -stealers...

Oh and good luck with the studying.

[Skydiver]

Just a note, probies will TEMPORARILY not have the ability to make new threads. This is in response to the multitude of new threads every single probie feels that they just HAVE to make about SGU. It's practically a full time job for the mods to clear the threads or merge them into existing threads on the same topic (for example I merged nine 'this is how the story should continue' threads in the SGU folder.

We'll change it back to probies being able to make new threads in a little bit, few days to a few weeks at the most. But our hope is that those new members take a moment and join a discussion...rather than trying to make one of their own then being mocked by existing members that seem to rather want to mock than educate new folks in 'hey, this topic exists here'

(honestly, rather than mocking them, you 'old timers' should be reporting the duplicate posts, be part of the solution rather than part of the problem)

[Skydiver]

A little note

Probies

If you have established members urging you to spam game threads, or to beg for green to 'earn' your way off probie faster...it doesn't work. In fact, those that spam dozens of posts in a few hours are more likely to be tagged as 'spammer trying to beat the system' than 'eager legit user'.

so those users urging you to spam your way to basic trainee...ignore them. They literally do not know what they are talking about. In fact, we urge probies to NOT participate in the game threads, simply because the delay involved in getting your post cleared can often mess up the game, which does not endear yourself to your forum mates.

So don't spam please. And don't try to green your way to basic trainee status. Both are wasted efforts.

[Asrial]

'Probie' status is intended to be short-term. It is a measure to help protect our community from spammers and other abusive users, and by no means punitive.

So yeah.. obviously I'm not a spammer or abusive user. Can I be taken off probie status please?

[Thunderstorm]

So yeah.. obviously I'm not a spammer or abusive user. Can I be taken off probie status please?

How do we know that? Because you say so? And the answer is no. Sadly spammers have been known to wait days or more and then once active spam away, so if you read thru the posts in this thread, you'll find that they take no chances now.

Edit: I just saw your join Date of over year ago. It's not just time but post count that moves you off probie status. So you'll not to post more.

[Skydiver]

Right now, and we're probably going to change that soon, probies can't start threads. It was a temporary measure due to, in the wake of SGU ending, we had countless threads a day, all started on the same topic of the show being over and a person's thoughts....but instead of joining an existing discussion we had numerous posters a day - probies - join just to start their own thread, pretty much ignoring the numerous existing ones on the very same topic.

The mods were literally spending a couple of hours every day merging those threads to keep the clutter down.

Probies can post to threads. There is a delay until the mod can approve them, but they can post to threads. And they will regain thread making access soon.

While I do totally appreciate the frustration of posters not being spammers and having to wait through the probie status, we have literally had spammers that join in, post and try to work their way off probie status and the first post they make as soon as they are 'free' are to spam websites, porn sites, virus sites or other junk.

The spammers that like to visit here are very persistent little souls. they send PM's to people, they put spam links in their profiles, they try to slip them into posts, they'd fill their sigs full of spam links, we've even caught a few trying to slip 'invisible' graphics into their posts.

[StargateAtlantis17]

I understand why we need 'probie' status, and thanks to the mod's for doing a good job reveiwing the posts so quickly!!

[Skydiver]

And, I gotta say, aggressive attitudes do not speak well for someone wanting to 'play nice with others' as we expect our users to do here.

We have very good reasons for our probie system, and if you ask anyone that was here during a spam attack, they can back us up. and, the cynic in me, is very suspicious of anyone that joins and starts to make demands and bluster. even if that person may not be a spammer, they may have the aggressive and confrontational attitude that doesn't fit in with our 'respect others' rule.

[loserinc]

I understand the need for the "probie" status, I just wish we could actually work on our profile, and have a user pic. I am happy I can look at the pics of pretty boys though, and I can share through photobucket.

I'm a mod on another forum for Sims 3 stuff, and may suggest to the forum owner that we do something like this, as we have been bombarded a couple of times so far. It is definitely time consuming and annoying to have to ban and clear a ton of threads.

I do think the mods on here are doing a wonderful job. I have looked all over this forum, and have not found anything questionable, my virus scanner hasn't blocked anything, and the forum is actually full of nice people instead of being infested with trolls.

[WraithCommander]

Fair enough, sucks to be a probie. However, I shall avail!

[Skydiver]

Thanks to both of you.

Unfortunately, I've even had to suggest to people that own yahoo mailing lists to moderate all new posts, even as those seem to be low priority targets anymore.

The utter devotion of spammers (i read once that 60-80% of all e-mail sent is spam) along with the horriblness of what they post (active links to virus sites, etc) and the apparent total inability of any authorities anywhere to do anything about it (or, in my cynical mind, many companies don't want to do anything....if 80% of mail on yahoo is spammers, yet they still rack up ad views when they send, yahoo would be cutting their own bottom line if they cut out the spam, thus I don't think they care to)...it's horrible but the internet makes the 'wild, wild west' look really tame.

If users can just be patient, participate and join in, they'll be off probie status in no time.

[WraithCommander]

Thanks to both of you.

Unfortunately, I've even had to suggest to people that own yahoo mailing lists to moderate all new posts, even as those seem to be low priority targets anymore.

The utter devotion of spammers (i read once that 60-80% of all e-mail sent is spam) along with the horriblness of what they post (active links to virus sites, etc) and the apparent total inability of any authorities anywhere to do anything about it (or, in my cynical mind, many companies don't want to do anything....if 80% of mail on yahoo is spammers, yet they still rack up ad views when they send, yahoo would be cutting their own bottom line if they cut out the spam, thus I don't think they care to)...it's horrible but the internet makes the 'wild, wild west' look really tame.

If users can just be patient, participate and join in, they'll be off probie status in no time.

It really is the best way, a fair system.

[WraithCommander]

Hey!

I'm no longer a probie!

But I am still unable to edit my profile, avatar, etc.

Help?

[jelgate]

The title under your name is not the same as probie status that gives you limitation. Only Darren knows the formula where you are off probie status

[Bagpuss]

Your Post rank is Airman but your post status is Probie.

Getting off Probie involves a randomised post ,reputation ,and time factor .See Post 1.

*Waves to Jel*