Violent

Well not only the moderators have to look out for this members can also to help out moderators / admins. I mean if it looks like spam just like

" L0LZ! Th@t w@$ tottallyz p00ned lol you r0ckzors! "

Then obviously its spam... I mean if it looked along the lines of what a normal post should and was mostly done in correct grammar and no typos then thats fine by me.

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THE RULES!

Chiefblackhammer

I came in here hoping to see something fruitful yet nothing was mentioned on how to get new members, have them active and stay active. I mean how does lowering the post count limit on community status help the site...at all?

Does it really do anything to attract and KEEP members active on the boards? No it doesn't, if anything it is just the opposite. If we lowered the limit on community status it would only allow them to see aspects of the gallery or play in the arcade or enter the flash chat area SOONER...all of which are rewards for actually being active. Doesn't it seem dumb to lower the amount of activity to get those things (which currently remove you from posting here I might add) in an order to "boost site activity"?

100 posts isn't hard and there is so much on this board to post in/on it isn't funny. Like an anime? Freaking section on it. Like politics/debating yep section for that as well. Graphics/computer stuff your deal? Covered. Poetry/Lit? Yep that too. Games or music? Heck yeah!

A better question is why do the older members not post anymore and why do noobs only want to come here and spam and get all of the sites content while giving nothing to it?

IMO I think we should move to a perpetual limit where you have to post at least once in the last 24 hours to see any aspect of the gallery, arcade or flashchat

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Silverskater145

Ouch! I think we're being a little too drastic there, Chief.

I agree with everything you say. The problem here isn't giving new members more access to things. If people want access to certain features, they need to participate and show they are a member of the community. This is, after all, a community.

Some people are more popular than others, but we all know each other, some way or another. That's part of being a community. You post, you participate in other parts of the website, you remain active in the community, and doors will eventually open for you. This is the way that is has been, and personally, the way that it should be.

I remember back when I first became Community Member. That alone meant alot. I'm not sure we had too many more Member statuses back in 02-03 at AO. In fact, and correct me if I am wrong... But If I remember correctly, it was actually the staff that got together every month to vote in new Community Members after watching participation. I might be slightly wrong here, maybe an older Vet can comment on that.

Either way, 100 posts isn't that much. Some people are like chatterboxes and post frequently. Some don't, and that is OK too. All anyone could ask for is that people remain active in their own ways, and, most importantly, bring forth intelligible and high-quality posts. It's not so much for the benefit of the staff, as much as it is for the community, so that it may mature and broaden itself.

Chief's suggestion is interesting. But having to post once a day is too drastic, in my opinion. lol Bump that up to a month, and we'll talk.

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Violent

Well if you want to gain a certain loyalty from a new member your not going to get it by forcing them to reach a limit, sure setting a goal amount of posts is ideal to show someone cares about the site but when you see people spamming to get 100 posts that just makes the site look horrible.

You need members that can contribute to make the site grow and give ideas to make that happen, not morons that want to play the arcade and look at the gallery... you can play the arcade and look in the gallery I'm not saying theres anything wrong with that but to spam just so you can...? Come now...

Let me ask you a question back, does a site grow from leechers?

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Silverskater145

You make a great point. Based on what you're saying, then the amount of posts needed to achieve the new member status should be raised? It is, logically, the best solution.

I've always thought 100 posts was way to low. 300 and 2 months feels much better, to me, personally.

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Violent

There thats something more like it maybe like a trial member kind of thing? 2 weeks to a month before reaching a community status? Along with 100 posts, that should solve the problem if you honestly like the site and want to stay then you can wait yea?

I don't think raising the post count will solve much honestly, I just think it will make more people stray from the site in my mind.

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Priestess Angel

I get what you’re saying but I’m not trying to imply that the newcomers should get too many new privileges. I mean if they don’t have anything to look forward to when becoming a community member than they have nothing to work for or look forward to. I mean at least let them have a custom avatar. I remember when I was new we were at least able to do that.

And reducing the post count was just a suggestion. I lean more toward having the flashchat available to the newbies. I mean come on! That’s the perfect way for new members to meet the others. Instead of just PMing random people, they can just go on to flashchat. They will make friends and feel more like they are apart of a community and that is the goal we are striving for, correct?

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Silverskater145

I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say here...

People can't stray from what they don't know. I can imagine most new members don't even know all the technicalities, like what it takes to become a "Community member" and what that does for you.


You said it yourself,

And,

Which is why lowering the post count needed isn't ideal either. When, as you say, people simply spam their way to 50 or 100. The logical solution is to raise the count. That ensures that people won't simply spam, and that they are, after all, interested in the community and not themselves.


But honestly, this isn't a chatroom. A flashchat is a neat, little feature for everyone. I'm pretty sure the intention wasn't so that the chat would be the main focus of the website. We aren't hear for the flashchat, and neither should new members.

You post and participate, and through this, you subsequently end up meeting people.


These are all my opinions, anyway. I'm just a nobody, after all.

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