Annoyances and Counter-Measures

[lfh]

Hi all,

I think very constructive discussions related to the problems we're facing have taken place over the last few days. Since related topics are discussed in separate threads, and the threads in question are rather long by now, I've made an attempt below at summarizing what has surfaced so far.

Some ideas discussed are already implemented (but perhaps not well-known / understood / respected), some have been accepted and are already being worked upon, others rejected (either for philosophical or technical reasons), and some deserve further discussion IMHO.

Clearly, there is no magic bullet: The problems are diverse (and perceived and ranked differently by the users), and naturally could be tackled with various means. All in all, I think the chances of improving the forum at a reasonable effort (for users and moderators alike) are high. For every problem listed below we can check off a solution to (or partial ditto), life in the Lansing world will be a little more pleasant :)

In order to faciliate subsequent discussions and follow-ups I've introduced references for the problems (letters A through K) as well as the proposed solutions (S1 through S20) where the latter in some cases are associated with more than one problem. I've also tried to link to particularly informative posts (e.g. original proposals / concise summaries / nice examples), and listed the current status [within brackets] to the best of my knowledge.

The objective of this thread is to collect the ideas, thereby hopefully making sure that no useful tips get lost in the noise, as well as the correponding conclusions (yes/no/later) and status such that we don't enter the dreaded circular discussion maze...

Hence, please add to / update / correct as needed the below list (but do keep OT contents to a minimum, thanks ;) )

HTH,
Fredrik




Perceived Annoyances and Proposed Counter-Measures (no particular order, examples in quotes fictious)


A. SPAM ("Free XXX videos here")

S1 Manual removal by moderators [implemented but adds to moderators workload]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=166665&postcount=30

S2 Membership fee [deemed too restrictive]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=166581&postcount=1

S3 Membership requires moderator approval
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=166636&postcount=19

S4 Membership requires users (or moderators) approval (if technically possible?)
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=166713&postcount=44

S5 Automatized deletion of reported posts (for # complaints >= X ) (if technically possible?)
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=167889&postcount=144



B. OT ("I've switched from Chevy to Ford / Governor Faubus was a racist")

S6 User policies [implemented -- but maybe not stringent and/or restrictive enough?]

S7 Locking of threads that wreak havoc [implemented]

S8 Allow and isolate OT to dedicated OT section [tested -- not deemed successful]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=15901



C. Ripoffs ("Fellow Klipsch fans, I've invented a so called charge-coupling network / Buy the 1976 JBL catalog here")

S9 Post complaints, possibly using descriptive user names (info_copied_from_lansingheritage) [partly implemented]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=168124&postcount=17

S10 Laissez faire (the truth surfaces sooner or later...)



D. Drive-by posting ("How much will my Paragon bring on eBay?")

(S2), S3, S4



E. Blogging ("In experiment #137 I changed C3 from 22 uF to 47 uF")

S6
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=167209&postcount=78

and

S11 Daily post-count restriction
See (TBD, I don't find it now)

S12 Member projects section
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=167426&postcount=80

S13 (Sister-site with) LH blogs [if someone steps up to it]
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=166937&postcount=64



[U]F. Recurring newbie questions ("How do I refurbish my L100:s?")

S14 FAQ & Newbie Links sticky thread [work ongoing]

See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=16235 and http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=166858&postcount=53



G. Naive questions ("Can I run the 2420 from 200 Hz? / Is E-130 a good substitute for 2235?")

S14



H. Naive advice ("The diaphragm should be repared with bubblegum")

S10 (let the reader draw the conclusions...)

and

S15 Corrections by senior members (as time allows) [implemented]



I. Juvenile BS ("My $99.99 Edirols eat Everests for breakfast")

S6



J. Post-count record syndrome ("Me too / me three / ROTFLMAOPIMP ")

S6, S11



K. Difficulties finding reference information

S16 Read only reference section [implemented]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=12

S17 Threads with indices / link collections [could be used to a higher extent]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=9901

S18 Single author threads by policy (write access restriction not possible) [could be used to a higher extent]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=16493

S19 Successive thread cleanup [not technically possible for ordinary users]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=16418

S20 (Sister-site with) LH wiki [if someone steps up to it]
See http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=77628&postcount=46

[Earl K]

Nice Work Fredrik :D

I feel that significant portions of the stated concerns, as outlined within
A, D, F, G, & K, would get fairly addressed if ;

- There was a 10 day waiting period for new registrants ( before they could post ).
- Newbies would be welcomed with a newly implemented, official LHF email , that includes ( among other things ) ;

(i) A comprehensive FAQ page ( such as has been recently started ) .
(ii) Hot Links into the Library and other static resources / that newbies should be made to know exist, for their perusal .
(iii) Official Encouragement to conduct their own research for their own questions / ( since a lot of it has already been covered somewhere on this site ).
(iv) Notice that their ISP address is being checked ( by staff ) & compared to known spamming sites ( & other addresses of previously banned members )
(v) An upfront notice of the need for fund raising activities to support the site .

( None of these are original ideas by me / I've seen them all come up recently here & there / plus, I see policies similar to these implemented elsewhere )

:)

[grumpy]

this would also require a reply to activate membership? I've seen this at
a number of vBulletin-driven sites now, and it seems fairly effective as a
front-line defense. -grumpy

(... and yes, nice work lfh :) )

[scott fitlin]

What we did at Wavemusic, was to have to have your registration approved. That pretty much stopped the spam. You register, but your account is not active till the sites administrator approves and activates it.

All people wanting to join can and have, only the spammers are denied access. Its pretty easy to spot the spam accounts, they sign up with names like Teensex4U, no contact information, location: USA.

This has worked for us, but is more work for whoever becomes the membership screening agent.

[Titanium Dome]

Fredrik

You did a big job there. Thank you.

I think an area that is indirectly referenced but not overtly examined is the moderator workload. It seems to be a core consideration in decisions that are made.