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View Full Version : we need a probationary period.



lostforawhile
03-09-2008, 05:37 PM
hey with the recent problems with 02gpt 1 or 2 or whatever his name was, and the various other SN's he has,that keep getting banned, this is a good reason to have a probationary period for new members, the people who like the cars and want to be involved in the forum wouldn't have any problem, but it would keep these idiots from getting in the general members section or joining right back up under a different SN. now we have a bunch of threads of his floating around that are worthless and have ruined otherwise good threads. someone does need to delete them, what i was thinking was a new member can only post in a certain area until he has so many posts,or has proven to the board f that he's not one of these people. An exception to this would be if someone new wants to join the foundation forum then he wouldn't need to go through the probationary period. i figure if someone wants to join and wishes to help support the site,they are probably not going to be a problem anyway. if someone in such a newbies section has an urgent car problem, i'm sure we have plenty of members that will help them of course until they are full fledged members.

frantik
03-09-2008, 06:01 PM
most n00bs are cool people i'd hate to punish them for one or two bad apples.

race12001
03-09-2008, 06:03 PM
hey with the recent problems with 02gpt 1 or 2 or whatever his name was, and the various other SN's he has,that keep getting banned, this is a good reason to have a probationary period for new members, the people who like the cars and want to be involved in the forum wouldn't have any problem, but it would keep these idiots from getting in the general members section or joining right back up under a different SN. now we have a bunch of threads of his floating around that are worthless and have ruined otherwise good threads. someone does need to delete them, what i was thinking was a new member can only post in a certain area until he has so many posts,or has proven to the board f that he's not one of these people. An exception to this would be if someone new wants to join the foundation forum then he wouldn't need to go through the probationary period. i figure if someone wants to join and wishes to help support the site,they are probably not going to be a problem anyway. if someone in such a newbies section has an urgent car problem, i'm sure we have plenty of members that will help them of course until they are full fledged members.


x2 ive been a suporter for this a long time now

cubert
03-09-2008, 06:09 PM
most n00bs are cool people i'd hate to punish them for one or two bad apples.

x2

Hash_man_Se_i
03-09-2008, 06:19 PM
Other forums I am a member of, also limit n00bs from posting in the marketplace, which IMO is a good thing. And ya should limit them to a number of posts a day or week too, i think that'd be good.

lostforawhile
03-09-2008, 06:32 PM
most n00bs are cool people i'd hate to punish them for one or two bad apples.
well thats not punishing them the good ones will get their post in and become full fledged members with no problems

gfrg88
03-09-2008, 06:46 PM
what about something like cb7tuner.com has?? i really like that :dunno:

coope
03-09-2008, 07:30 PM
i was a member for a year and didnt post should be a 2 month post limit cause most of the question are already answ. not post but make a thread

griffonks
03-09-2008, 07:38 PM
This is my first post, I thought that I should post up so that I'll be "grandfathered" out of probationary periods. I have always hated probation. Seriously, I used your site and threads to restore an 89 lx to usefullness after it sat parked on a mountain for 9 years, mice ate it up. You guys were so much help that I donated in December without ever saying a word. Now I check in now and then to see how the 3geez boys are! Thanks

Hash_man_Se_i
03-09-2008, 07:41 PM
griffonks ^^... I don't think we're talking about making it so you can't view threads and such or chime in if you need help. But a system like this is purely to help eliminate completely useless and trouble making new members.

turabaka
03-09-2008, 08:01 PM
Other forums I am a member of, also limit n00bs from posting in the marketplace, which IMO is a good thing. And ya should limit them to a number of posts a day or week too, i think that'd be good.

I actually agree with this one. keep people without at least a certain number of posts from getting into the marketplace. This makes sure that the people buying and selling there are at least somewhat known in the rest of the forum.

2drSE-i
03-09-2008, 08:51 PM
i dont think that their should be a probationary period, i just think that there should be a mandatory FAQ and Rules quiz before you are allowed to post. Chances are, rather than reading through all the FAQ's, new members will use our search function, which is what we are really aiming for anyway. I will even offer to write the quiz

2ndGenGuy
03-09-2008, 09:35 PM
Its like the screening process at the airport. Everybody treated like a criminal and the douchebags will still find a way through.

lostforawhile
03-09-2008, 11:06 PM
This is my first post, I thought that I should post up so that I'll be "grandfathered" out of probationary periods. I have always hated probation. Seriously, I used your site and threads to restore an 89 lx to usefullness after it sat parked on a mountain for 9 years, mice ate it up. You guys were so much help that I donated in December without ever saying a word. Now I check in now and then to see how the 3geez boys are! Thanksyea i don't want to keep good members out just keep posts to a certain area for a short time, so idiots like that guy that just reregistered and got banned four times are kept out,i want to see new members that like to contribute,those are the kind we like

Cheeseburger
03-09-2008, 11:24 PM
sounds like a good idea

GraniteLXI
03-09-2008, 11:31 PM
A good idea but hard to actually do...I mean this GTP guy wasn't bad at first, just all of a sudden he just turned into a total asshole...this probation process wont help prevent people turning into jerks though once they have made it in... only slow em down a bit at first.

- I like the brainstorm going on here though, defiantly something to consider...

Cheeseburger
03-09-2008, 11:33 PM
A good idea but hard to actually do...I mean this GTP guy wasn't bad at first, just all of a sudden he just turned into a total asshole...this probation process wont help prevent people turning into jerks though once they have made it in... only slow em down a bit at first.

- I like the brainstorm going on here though, defiantly something to consider...


good point. u never know when they will turn! lol

cubert
03-09-2008, 11:55 PM
A good idea but hard to actually do...I mean this GTP guy wasn't bad at first, just all of a sudden he just turned into a total asshole

because everyone fed into what he was doing....

Hazwan
03-10-2008, 12:11 AM
because everyone fed into what he was doing....

qft

A18A
03-10-2008, 02:03 AM
most n00bs are cool people i'd hate to punish them for one or two bad apples.

x3

2oodoor
03-10-2008, 02:56 AM
i was a member for a year and didnt post should be a 2 month post limit cause most of the question are already answ. not post but make a thread

+1

2oodoor
03-10-2008, 03:00 AM
A good idea but hard to actually do...I mean this GTP guy wasn't bad at first, just all of a sudden he just turned into a total asshole...this probation process wont help prevent people turning into jerks though once they have made it in... only slow em down a bit at first.

- I like the brainstorm going on here though, defiantly something to consider...

yep this one would made it thru easy. It is apparant he had some other agenda as a troll. If he knew so much about General Junk Motors aka GTP then why would he have such meanial questions about a Honda, as well trying to discredit information provided here. His antics may have been intended to be humor, as perceived by a few here, but the way he kept pushing it I think it was mockery.

GraniteLXI
03-10-2008, 07:34 AM
yep this one would made it thru easy. It is apparant he had some other agenda as a troll. If he knew so much about General Junk Motors aka GTP then why would he have such meanial questions about a Honda, as well trying to discredit information provided here. His antics may have been intended to be humor, as perceived by a few here, but the way he kept pushing it I think it was mockery.

What he did to his car was total mockery to every 3gee out there, and possible to all Honda's in general. Something like this really is unforgivable even though yes it is his own vehicle and he can do as he pleases with it...but come on lol.

Maybe that post limit is a good idea, but I'd say at least 1ce a day for a month, and no making your own threads for that matter for a month as well, just posting in other threads.

lostforawhile
03-10-2008, 08:18 AM
What he did to his car was total mockery to every 3gee out there, and possible to all Honda's in general. Something like this really is unforgivable even though yes it is his own vehicle and he can do as he pleases with it...but come on lol.

Maybe that post limit is a good idea, but I'd say at least 1ce a day for a month, and no making your own threads for that matter for a month as well, just posting in other threads.
hey not bad,we could have a newbies section where they could post and they could post in other threads but not start their own.

lostforawhile
03-10-2008, 08:20 AM
http://enigma.dune.net/~eric/Do-not-feed-the-troll.PNG

lostforawhile
03-11-2008, 03:39 PM
hey he vanished, maby he ran out of IP adresses lol. or mommy took away his computer lol.

2drSE-i
03-11-2008, 06:40 PM
im fairly certain they dont ban IP's...wouldnt really matter anyway, most wiFi connections renew ip adresses every time you connect. You can ban an IP range, but i dont think they really cared enough to do so. He probably just gave up

Vanilla Sky
03-11-2008, 09:11 PM
IP banning doesn't ban LAN IPs (such as those from a WiFi access point), but WAN IPs, the ones that your ISP assigns to you. Most people use a dynamic IP scheme. IE, they get a new IP ever time they get reconnected (powercylce the modem and you usually have a new IP), and when the lease expires on the current IP (generally about 3 days for most ISPs).

The ONLY time it would be effective is when the guy has a static IP. It takes an act of congress to get a new static IP from most ISPs (I work for Verizon).

Now, as for a probationary period, something like no posting for 24 hours would curb a lot of this crap. Usually after a day, a troll has forgotten all about what he was saying. Also, taking down the content until everything blows over is a good idea. That way, the guy can't come back after a day and pick up right where he left off. Derails their train of thought.

turabaka
03-11-2008, 09:29 PM
Now, as for a probationary period, something like no posting for 24 hours would curb a lot of this crap. Usually after a day, a troll has forgotten all about what he was saying. Also, taking down the content until everything blows over is a good idea. That way, the guy can't come back after a day and pick up right where he left off. Derails their train of thought.

This is because trolls are stupid hulking creatures, with tiny brains. The best way to defeat a troll is with a +2 axe of shut the hell up. (sorry for the D&D reference. I'm a gamer)

fogged
03-11-2008, 11:02 PM
My son is a member over at G2IC, and he said they have a ban on noobs posting anything for the first week or two. Now something like that might work here as well. Its not to weed out the a-holes just to help keep dwn all the usless posts, as well as getting them used to the form and search engine.

2oodoor
03-12-2008, 06:36 AM
Good post Vanilla Sky, illuminating. I was wondering about the wireless IP thing, as one of mine "gets" a new IP everytime I boot up.
As for the troll detector, you are right... I have signed up on some other forums before and quickley got misunderstood or either my question or concern was ignored and I wound up posting antagonistic replys to negative remarks sent my direction (visaversa) Got ignored, I forgot all about it quickley... mainly because I did not respect any opinion or information from that source anymore. There are other members on such forums that would eventually greet you positivley on occasion, so I eventually learned to let it ride.. if anybody wants to help or be involved in my thread post .. I need to be patient, not take things personal, and be curtious despite what they may throw at me. Shit, it works pretty good in "real" life too. :cheers:
You have to admit it is very easy to be misunderstood in written text communications. (sidebar.. superH___ sux, as does civicfor___ lol regardless IMO)
see my comment in foundation thread
All said, I am glad to be a part of this group:)

cubert
03-12-2008, 06:43 AM
My son is a member over at G2IC, and he said they have a ban on noobs posting anything for the first week or two. Now something like that might work here as well. Its not to weed out the a-holes just to help keep dwn all the usless posts, as well as getting them used to the form and search engine.


I think thats gonna turn alotta people away if they cant post for a week when they first sign up..Id be willing to bet most people find this site while searching for a problem relating to their car at that very moment. If they cant sign up and ask a question, they are gonna move on to the next website they find...

forrest89sei
03-12-2008, 07:30 AM
I think thats gonna turn alotta people away if they cant post for a week when they first sign up..Id be willing to bet most people find this site while searching for a problem relating to their car at that very moment. If they cant sign up and ask a question, they are gonna move on to the next website they find...

I agree, most of the new people we have as of now have made there first post Right after joining and finding the site, It's not worth the Loss of Good Future Members for a few bad people.

We all just need to remember the Report button under there name, let's Try in the future if we see people acting like this to Report them via that button, Via PM, Via IM Whatever, Sabz, Alex, John tend to be on AIM alot, so just learn there aim names and keep them saved incase we deal with this again.

Civic Accord Honda
03-15-2008, 01:56 PM
what about something like cb7tuner.com has?? i really like that :dunno:
indeed !

blazin3gen
04-02-2008, 05:10 PM
i think its a retarded idea sorry lol

its annoying when u cant post 3geez is supposed to be a public comunity not a gated comunity

trolls are gonna be trolls


Altho vanilla made a very well point

2oodoor
04-03-2008, 03:39 AM
i think its a retarded idea sorry lol

its annoying when u cant post 3geez is supposed to be a public comunity not a gated comunity

trolls are gonna be trolls


Altho vanilla made a very well point

Strange you should even say that since you joined way back when/????
when have you ever not been able to post on 3 geez?

I think the public should learn that fourms, any kind, are for information sharing.. and if anyone is REALLY interested in the subjects of a forum, they will read and read, and read...That seems to be the issue, nobody is reading and they want instant gratification. Then there are those that just want create choas because that is the only way they know how... they think a chaotic enviornment is normal or makes them feel at home.
Sure there is nothing wrong with wanting to post and join the crowd, but why ask the same question that has been asked hundreds of times, and then try to discredit that information... As well.. there are questions that have been asked that were never really answered clearly or need updated information , or the thread got whored to death so it is hard to follow the topic. I recently discovered that first hand in the B20 forums.
Probationary period, certainly hell yes..ration it out like a pusher getting you hooked.. lol
Oh and yes, there are those that probably won't even read this post, it goes over two sentences.. their attention span expired after the first and then. Talk about a wasted space of bandwith. f150online forums.. the 2004 section is a solid repetition of zero information and questions asked over and over. It is friggen unreal, the threads will be on the same thing, noobs post them up, same answers as last month and the month before that ;to infinity, I don't see how they keep it up, it has got to be the worst I guess because of the amount of those vehicles that were sold. You can see it on HT as well, but that one just comes off as pure arrogance of the members, but yes, dumb ass questions over and over, like people just want to see thier typing up on the screen, "hey that's me" heeeeegh hehh heeehhhheeeeeghhhhh (in the most peter griffen laugh sequence you can imagine)

All of that said, there is not that big of a problem here compared to other forums, regarding noobs or trolls stirring up trouble or wasting time. Yes a few here and there, just makes it interesting. .the noobs ,hehhh heeeghhh heheheeeee.

race12001
04-03-2008, 06:24 AM
lol nice roodoo with the peter griffen referance but i think ant the least we should have a quiz on the faq and the search almost like cb7 does in there market place wher you have to find the password or somthing to that effect i belive if they want to become a member than they will do it but if they dont they can still use the search function to help them out with there cars hell i didnt hardly ever post when i first joined so if they need help the help is there it aint like this will create the down fall of 3geez but just keep some of the morons out and sorry for all the bad spelling

88ctlxi
04-27-2008, 10:08 AM
i dont think that their should be a probationary period, i just think that there should be a mandatory FAQ and Rules quiz before you are allowed to post. Chances are, rather than reading through all the FAQ's, new members will use our search function, which is what we are really aiming for anyway. I will even offer to write the quiz

im a n00b here and im goin to put in my 2 cents as if it matters but i agree with 2drsei hes right but the search engine doesnt always help because of the off topic posts in the threads but i have used the search engine as much as i could and got alot of useful information out of it. the thing is you should be limited to just the subjects of new threads and nort be allowed to wander like take for example the thread i started about clear corner lights then it moved to headlights and all kinds of other things but whatever this site is deff. pants hahaha thanx alot everyone for there patience with me and my questins i have started new threads about:cheers:

Strahan
04-28-2008, 04:05 PM
The ONLY time it would be effective is when the guy has a static IP. It takes an act of congress to get a new static IP from most ISPs (I work for Verizon).

As long as you're paying it isn't that hard, hehe. Comcast hooked me up with six statics for $100/mo.

Anyway, problem with faqs and such is that people generally don't read them. You can write rules until your fingers are aching, but if it's just a pinned post or a faq it's likely they won't get read most of the time. There is no real easy answer aside from having moderators zealously keeping tabs on things. Well, I did see on another forum, I think cb7tuner.com, they had a special newb section that you had to stay in until you posted enough to be let into the main section. Sorta makes sense I guess, you can try to judge within their 50 posts or whatever in the "sandbox" if they are a tool or not heh.

A18A
04-28-2008, 05:25 PM
yeah the search engine isnt the greatest

markmdz89hatch
05-02-2008, 06:07 AM
guys, I don't know. As has been said already by at least a few members, there's no 'right answer' in this case.

I belong to a number of other forums, and all have various rules for posting, etc. Although I initially felt limited by them, I completely understood and appreciated why it was done.

Personally, I like the idea of a per-day posting limit, and restricting where the new member can post to. The only posting location restriction I feel would be needed is in the marketplace (which is now just the Trading Post, so I suppose just limit any new ad postings).

We have to be very careful not to scare off new members, or make it too difficult to really get help when/if it's needed.

This being said, although I'm also a huge fan of the search utility, I have a problem when someone can read a post that someone makes asking for something, and take the time to respond with 'use the search button' especially when it takes only that much time to actually provide an answer to the persons questions.

If a question comes up that's been previously answered, all of us as more veteran members can take a pro-active role in offering a helping hand to new members instead of immediately putting them on the defensive by telling someone to 'just search' (which has proven to be a real cause of some newbs getting warned, because they immeditely try to defend their posting). Think about it, we flame members for posting without searching, but suppose they did search, and post on a thread that partially answers their question, but they need a little clarification on, but the thread is 3 years old. What would happen then? You guessed it, they'd most likely be flamed for bringing back a dead thread.

Unless it's an act of complete stupidity, why not help the person out, then maybe do that task that's so easy for us to charge someone else with (search), and offer the answer, or a simple link to the thread that does answer it, and tacktfully remind the person to search, and reference the effectiveness of it.

A simple PM to a moderator, or a reported post (with explanation of why it's being reported), and we can merge, lock, etc. the thread as seen fit.

I know for absolute fact, having been in the situation in the past, someone may actually search, but not know exactly what to search for, then decide to post a thread after having searched, only to get flamed for not searching. The member doing the flaming might know exactly what to search for, or simply remember that the topic had been covered in the past, but that doesn't warrant the flaming in all cases.

What about, along with the posting restrictions, also have an extra window whenever a new thread is created by anyone saying something like "REMINDER: Did you try the search utility for an answer to your question? If not, please type your search below before starting a new thread." The window might then just have an OK button as well as a search field, and the default button could be set as the 'go' button on the search field rather than the 'OK' button.

Sorry for the long post guys, but I'm a big fan of 'kill em with kindness' rather then 'club the baby seals'. gtp was and is a troll, and a royal pain in the ass (which is why he was banned numerous times), but in review of his many posts, I can't help but claim that he was not at least slightly provoked by others.

2drSE-i
05-02-2008, 07:19 AM
im with you big guy. I try very hard not to post "SEARCH". Usually though, i use the search function to find them a thread and let them know how easy it was for me to find it (most of the time not as tactfully as i should...)

Most of us are pretty guilty of this, and with these cars fading away into nothing, we need to do all we can to keep members rather than push them away.

Nice to have you chime in Mark, make it a habit ;-)

2oodoor
05-02-2008, 08:35 AM
I agree there are legitimate noobs who do not quite understand something. I am always glad to help those people personally. It is pretty obvious to me when someone is at least trying to be genuinely interested in finding out information.
Another thing, and I may be a lil guilty, is sometimes noobs post this BS that , well to a trained or experienced eye, appears to be untruths or just plain not cool or stupid , so they get flamed or called out on it. I don't directly insult or accuse but I guess in my own way try to get them to say more so I can put together where they are coming from.
But there are also tool noobs that obiviously do not try and do not listen, contradict experienced advice, and post off topic threads for no usefull purpose other than making hits on somebodys search engine //:gathering IPs for spamming// clogging up servers, etc what ever anarchy possible.
Just my 2 cent,
I agree somewhat with what your are saying markmdzhatch, as to your ideas and perspectives of potential entheusiist members. I think it may take a certain level of maturity to drive, appreciate, and understand cars. That said who do you want next to you at the red light, in the stands, in the car club, in the forum, at the steak house, coming at you on the highway? Some of this subject is a matter of personal choice and the mob rules.

2oodoor
05-02-2008, 08:40 AM
..club the baby seals. lmao.. good one :)

markmdz89hatch
05-02-2008, 08:54 AM
...and rest assured, it's those 'tool noobs' that show themselves quickly, and are dealt with just as quickly.

Honestly, like you said, much of this is personal choice.

No one should have to feel like they've got to walk on eggshells, or that they can't call bs on a mr.know-it-all.

For me or anyone to think that there will never be arguments, or 'differences in opinion' about something, or just two people that don't get along is just ignorant. We've got thousands of members here, and not everyone gets along, which is a tiny part of what makes our board as good as it is.

To get back to Tims point, I like the idea of some sort of check for noobs. What, if anything, will be done about it? Who knows right now.

But keep the ideas flowing.

2oodoor
05-02-2008, 09:18 AM
[QUOTE=markmdz89hatch;874450
No one should have to feel like they've got to walk on eggshells, or that they can't call bs on a mr.know-it-all.

For me or anyone to think that there will never be arguments, or 'differences in opinion' about something, or just two people that don't get along is just ignorant. We've got thousands of members here, and not everyone gets along, which is a tiny part of what makes our board as good as it is.

To get back to Tims point, I like the idea of some sort of check for noobs. What, if anything, will be done about it? Who knows right now.

.[/QUOTE]

:rockon:
they shoulld not be allowed to post off topics like other cars besides 1,2,3 geez (grand ams, Nissan Z, ah hem, subies) no political subjects, no who's favorite ice cream BS, worship no pagen gods, etc.. lol