Reposts and reprimands.

[devilot]

You could make a thread asking people to rate you from 1-5 in a number of categories:

1. Relevance of posts to thread topic
2. Appropriate interaction with other members
3. Interest level in threads started by you
4. Looks "exotic" despite being vertically challenged

What? And get wastelanded in under an half an hour? Seriously though, thanks to the mods who do a great job of staying on top of "garbage" worthy threads. Whew, sure makes our lives simpler and less stressful. Haha, and thanks emw, for that last one. But come on, who said anything about being vertically challenged? *whistling while walking quickly away*

 

[stridey]

Sorry, I disagree with the lot of ya.

MR members can sometimes get a little snippy when a new member bursts onto the scene, posting away, completely ignorant of our community, its rules, and its traditions.

If newbs like to learn about MR, have a technical question about how to do things on the forum, are curious about how things work, or wonder whether their question's already been discussed (sometimes to death) here's what they can do:

*Go to the FAQ! It's rather comprehensive!
*Do a search to see if we've talked about their subject before. The search link is atop of every page.
*Post here! Friendly moderators can patrol the forum just to help them along.

The New Member forum should be created because some new members are rather shy about posting. It would also be a safe, warm, place to have their first experience. We want them to become an active member, and a part of this magnficent community!

This would also solve the problem of regular posters attacking a newbie. This forum is where new members drive the discussions and where regular posters are discouraged from posting new threads but encouraged to visit and help out the newbies.

My idea makes perfect sense! Don't be dissing it.

Well, there's already a newbie thread. Sheesh you could have just done a search! (Just kidding, just kidding! )

 

[njmac]

I wish there was some way I could see how other members perceive others, but more importantly, how others perceive me.

I've wondered that many times myself, that just comes from being a little self conscious . I don't think anyone really wants to know what others on an anonymous forum think. things could get ugly

 

[Lacero]

One of the main problems with your idea, is that it completely disregards the fact that someone may be joining (after lurking for years) to discuss something that is already in discussion in the "main" forums. They would have to post a new thread (in the newbies forum) that would possibly duplicate a thread in the existing forums...

Newbies can post in the main forums, they just can't make new threads, until some arbitrary number of posts or time limit. I just threw out some numbers. I don't think I've ever said anything about excluding them from the main forums.

That would also confine those hit and run spammers posting across multiple forums.

 

[eva01]

the search feature in vB is very powerful, just members don't know how to use it properly. And the next version of vB is in the alpha stages with 3.5 build 1, currently i do not have access to the members area because my year ran out and i am deciding wether or not to pay the 30 dollars for another year.

it works well, just people don't know how to use it is all

 

[mad jew]

I'm slowly warming to your idea Lacero, but I don't think it could be that easy. I still think it'd probably encourage spamming in current threads a little bit too much.

 

[eva01]

you know there is a way to have it with vB that a new member must read the FAQ before they can post

 

[devilot]

you know there is a way to have it with vB that a new member must read the FAQ before they can post

Ooh, that's a good idea. But I'm one of those freaks who likes reading that kinda stuff beforehand. Haha, my bf can't stand it. If anything ever needs assembly/ setup, I refuse to let anyone begin until I carefully look over the manual and whatnot. But I understand that a lot of people aren't like this... so that would be a really cool idea.

Hmm, but then maybe people would just click the little box that says they have read and understand the terms, w/out actually doing so?

 

[eva01]

there is always a way to circumvent something, but it helps, you could have it so that they have to click the links before posting

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

One of the main problems with your idea, is that it completely disregards the fact that someone may be joining (after lurking for years) to discuss something that is already in discussion in the "main" forums. They would have to post a new thread (in the newbies forum) that would possibly duplicate a thread in the existing forums, just because they had insight or specifics regarding their own problem.

Well, they could be allowed to post in existing threads, but not start new ones (apart from maybe Mac Basic and Help)...

Edit: Way to slow, but I still think it's a good idea that there's restrictions in all but the Mac Basic and Help, which could function as Lacero's Newbie forum. No need for a new forum.

 

[mad jew]

Well, they could be allowed to post in existing threads, but not start new ones (apart from maybe Mac Basic and Help)...

But then we'll get threads like this:

Okay, well I couldn't post in the other areas for some reason so I have to use the Help forum instead. My friends says new iBooks will be coming out next Tues...

And so on and so forth.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

But then we'll get threads like this:

And so on and so forth.

Well, if they're limited to one forum the harm is minimal, and they shouldn't be to hard to find and then close and/or wasteland...

 

[mad jew]

But then it's pretty much just a newbie forum, which would be a bit pretentious IMO.

I don't think we have a major problem with newbies at the moment. The current system is working really quite well.

 

[bousozoku]

sheesh... even yesterday i was guilty of starting the 'how did you find macrumors' thread... did a search, couldn't find it... i've been around for a few years now and have way too many posts to my name...

the threads that bug me are the "WHAT KIND OF RAM DO I NEED!??!!1!" and anything with "UPDATES ON TUESDAY!!!1!" in the title...

obviously hot news stories are going to be posted more than once, but it's usually in an excited rush to break the news first.

i think that Lacero's forum idea is interesting, worth considering

Part of the problem is that people don't change the timeframe. I kept missing old threads when I searched because they were further back than the default.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

I don't think I've ever said anything about excluding them from the main forums.

True, but you never said explicitly that's not what you meant. It's how I interpreted what you said.

That aside, I still dont' think it's a good idea to create some sort of artificial barrier between newbies and "the rest of us". That's just not cool. Would it be great if newbies read FAQs? Searched? Sure. But it's not like it's a plague right now. The mods do a great job of taking care of Wasteland threads/posts, and the rest of us can be tolerant a tad, can't we?

 

[dubbz]

Part of the problem is that people don't change the timeframe. I kept missing old threads when I searched because they were further back than the default.

My default is "Any date" and I don't remember changing it (is that even possible?). How could you miss old threads?

I kind of like Lacero's idea. As long as it's possible to reply to a thread, then delaying the ability to create New Threads doesn't seem so bad.
And while we're at it, how about some check that prevent people from creating threads with such wonderful titles as "Please help!"

It's a thin line though. Don't want to become percieved as newbie hostile... Everybody's been a newbie at some time. Without fresh meat (cue Diablo's "Butcher" voice), MR whould slowly die.

 

[eva01]

ooo just thought of a modification that i have on my site

when you are coming up with a title for a thread you can click on an icon and show if the same words were used in a different thread title. that way they can find that thread easier and get the answers without posting a new thread

 

[rainman::|:|]

If this were a Linux forum, two different search methods hidden away (or using google to search from external) would be a fine expectation. This is a Mac forum, Mac users want things to WORK. and the search functions don't, at least cohesively. So yes, i think we need to stop slamming people for it. Also, if people start a discussion when a previous thread discussed the same thing? So what! It's a forum, people, jesus! im guessing being a newb here is a lot like this:

"Hey, guys, I'm new here, I've tried to sift through the .5 million posts and everything but I have a question on how to clean the speaker grills on my Powerbook..."

"WE AT MACRUMORS HAVE ALREADY DISCUSSED POWERBOOK CLEANING. IT SHOULD NOT BE DISCUSSED AGAIN. ALSO YOU POSTED IN THE WRONG FORUM. PLEASE COME BACK WHEN YOU HAVE A THREAD THAT IS NOT DUPLICATE, AS WELL AS PROOF FOR THIS"

I'm amazed we have any new members at all with that kind of attitude.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

"Hey, guys, I'm new here, I've tried to sift through the .5 million posts and everything but I have a question on how to clean the speaker grills on my Powerbook..."

"WE AT MACRUMORS HAVE ALREADY DISCUSSED POWERBOOK CLEANING. IT SHOULD NOT BE DISCUSSED AGAIN. ALSO YOU POSTED IN THE WRONG FORUM. PLEASE COME BACK WHEN YOU HAVE A THREAD THAT IS NOT DUPLICATE, AS WELL AS PROOF FOR THIS"

That's maybe just a tad harsh...

Which is why I, as mentioned earlier, try to be patient with (most) newbies. But it has to allowed (after answering the question and/or posting link(s) where a solution can be found) to point out that the search function is there...

 

[rainman::|:|]

Well yeah, of course people should be reminded to search. But surely even the regulars here must have noticed how hard it is to find a single piece of data in the massive database we've formed.

As to the issue of regulars constantly reposting the same Current Events, stuff like that. While it's fun to discuss this stuff, this is NOT cnn, we don't need to race each other to be the first one to share. It reminds me of gossipy old biddies, they hear the tiniest piece of news and they have to tell EVERYONE, right away, so everyone else knows how THEY knew first.

In reality, it just makes people look like attention whores.

 

[Sun Baked]

Usually it takes more that a couple new posts to figure out if the newbies are clueless or just plain stupid humans (though many might just think they are plain trolls.)

Think of all the extra work for the mods if they have to read all the newbie drool, and all the goofy wasteland posts we'd miss.

 

[devilot]

I'm amazed we have any new members at all with that kind of attitude.

I don't think everyone has that attitude towards newbies, at least I hope not because I'm probably going to be a newbie for a long time.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

I'm slowly warming to your idea Lacero, but I don't think it could be that easy. I still think it'd probably encourage spamming in current threads a little bit too much.

I tend to agree. I can see the pros to the idea, but...

There's already the avatar limit set at 500 posts, which unfortunately does tempt some members to spam to try to reach that level. I can't help but feel that having a limit established before you can post a thread would encourage similar behaviour – and the only newbies who are going to be penalised are those good members who don't spam and take their time to increase their post count by genuinely contributing to the forum. It could also actually discourage some people from signing up in the first place. From a personal point of view, my first post on this forum was in a thread I started because I needed some quick technical advice (and before you ask, yes I did do a search ). With a limit in place I wouldn't have been able to do that, with the result that I probably wouldn't have got signed up and wouldn't be a member today – although some might use that to argue in favour of a thread-starting limit...

 

[vniow]

There will always be newbies. There will always be newbies that do stupid things. There will always be newbies that don't do stupid things. Unfortunately the search feature in the newest version of vBulletin doesn't search all the way back to when a lot of our regular members were newbies doing stupid things. There's a lot of different kinds of newbies, those who are new to Macs and the site or those who have used Macs for awhile but are new to the site, those who are looking to switch but may be PC experts, etc etc, the list goes on...

My point being that what's considered a newbie here isn't necessarally true in regards to their actual experience, therefore making a newbie-only forum a bad idea. Even limiting the numbers of posts they can make until they can create a thread is pushing it, even if they're able to only create threads in certain sections until then. There's lots of reasons people come to this site and post so limiting them to certain sections based on how long they were registered no matter what they are going to post or how experienced or mature they are just sounds like guilty before proven innocent to me. We're assuming you're going to be some sort of newbie that posts multiple threads in multiple sections asking the same question and who doesn't even know how to search, that just sounds like we're punishing the more mature and experienced users because of the behaviour of a few immature newbies.

The only forum where this makes sense are the politicals, you have to have at least 100 posts before you can post there, that was put into place when the thing was overridden with spam and trolls that were registering just to post crap. This is primarally a Mac site and arn wants to keep it that way, therefore having the restrictions on that forum is a Good Thing™.

Look, I get as pissed off at the NEW POWERBOOKS NEXT TUESDAY!!!!!??!1111 type as anyone else here but those posters are more often than not doing this to piss us off here. There are a lot of newbies here that are just that, newbies. And they deserve the same amount of respect as the rest of the members here because chances are they're here for the same reasons.

Perhaps an extended FAQ should be in order, one that is required reading before any new member makes a single post and that includes the oft-repeated questions that seem to annoy the regulars here.

 

[andiwm2003]

............................. Unfortunately the search feature in the newest version of vBulletin doesn't search all the way back to when a lot of our regular members were newbies doing stupid things. There's a lot of different kinds of newbies, those who are new to Macs and the site or those who have used Macs for awhile but are new to the site, those who are looking to switch but may be PC experts, etc etc, the list goes on...

My point being that what's considered a newbie here isn't necessarally true in regards to their actual experience, therefore making a newbie-only forum a bad idea. .............................................................

very good post. being a regular at macrumors doesn't make you in any way more experienced in using message boards than any other user of the internet. there are newbies here on the board who run their own forums or are mod somewhere else.
also, you could be for 3 years on this forum but still have only 10 posts. should you therefore be banned from asking questions? if yes then everybody is going to create as many spamposts as needed to meet the requirement to post in the forums.

newbie restrictions are counter productive.

btw.: i like the part about the search function