Maybe a place for guests to ask questions?

by AnonymousMouseOwner Mon 09 Jan 2017, 4:20 pm

I have noticed a lot of people will join just because they want to ask a question, and once they get their answer, they never post again. Maybe we should make a section for guests to ask a quick question about something without having to go through all the trouble of making an account? Maybe there is some way you could make it so they'd have to accept the rules before posting though, to avoid guests making posts against the rules. Just an idea, I think it would be very helpful to people who don't plan to stay on the forum long Smile

by Peachy Mon 09 Jan 2017, 9:39 pm

I've thought about this... this section is open to guests for posting, and a few people have used it when they need mouse related help. For the most part, I'd rather have people join and never come back. I worry that a guest section would be something that rarely gets used, and then the forum will look all cluttered... but I'd be interested in other thoughts and opinions if anyone else wants to share. Smile

by CinnamonPearl Tue 10 Jan 2017, 5:56 am

I'd be wary of a guest section. Anonymous posting often leads to trolling or slander. Give people the option to post anonymously easily and they will take advantage of it. Sure, people can just make an account if they wanted to post bad things, but more would if it was so readily accessible. I vote no on it.

by CallaLily Tue 10 Jan 2017, 8:49 am

I'm with Cinna and honestly, making an account here is not that hard. As for inactuve users, most forums remove accounts after a certain amount of time of inactivity. Or at least that's how it was done on another forum I was Admin for.

by AnonymousMouseOwner Tue 10 Jan 2017, 3:20 pm

Trolling and spamming is why I said there should be something to make them accept the rules before posting, though. But yeah, some people still probably won't follow the rules. To stop spammers I was thinking maybe they'd have to complete a Captcha before posting, if that's possible somehow. Really? Are accounts removed after being inactive? Shocked

by CallaLily Tue 10 Jan 2017, 3:26 pm

AnonymousMouseOwner wrote: Are accounts removed after being inactive?

I can't speak for this forum. Or any other really, as I'm no longer Admin over on the other.....but there, accounts that were inactive for a certain amount of time -not logging in at all- were removed. I can't remember how long they had to be inactive but we're talking multiple months of zero activity. Kept things neater.

by CinnamonPearl Tue 10 Jan 2017, 3:33 pm

It's pretty easy to just click a checkbox saying you'll be nice and go on with your trolling though. I think having a guest section could only invite disaster. People who want to ask questions get by fine just making a quick account to ask them. It's ultimately up to the mods though.

by Peachy Tue 10 Jan 2017, 4:00 pm

There's not much I can do to make anyone accept rules, but I think a Captcha is already there. Accounts that have posted at least once are safe, but if you don't have any posts and have been inactive for 30 days you'll get pruned. I usually try to send a warning email first. Smile

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Maybe a place for guests to ask questions?

Maybe a place for guests to ask questions?

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