Why are newcomers not "sticking"?

**claud3** · 12-20-2011

its a nice idea, sorry for thinking you suggested it to clear up the situations of trollers and other things

**ONQ** · 12-20-2011

Originally Posted by dc89

It's not for that.

The thread is about why newcomers are not sticking. If we could have some kind of guestbook we'd have a great chance of gauging why people are or are not deciding to sign up and stick around.

Yes it could be open to abuse, but if we use Captcha it will minimise that abuse.

It's just a idea.

better yet let them use their Facebook / Twitter account through Disqus
to leave feedback, people are less likely to troll when they can get trolled back lol.

**claud3** · 12-20-2011

well lets all get into the habit of using the report button and this will reduce the amount of effect on the forum and us the members, easing the minds of the staff. With are help the forum will be a positive atmosphere to be on always

**AaronSOLDIER** · 12-20-2011

**SchaffinOSX** · 12-20-2011

I like the idea of asking users why they decide not to sign up. Sure, it may be abused by some, but it could also bring in some potentially great feedback that will help us adapt to meet the interests of our viewers.

**ONQ** · 12-20-2011

Originally Posted by SchaffinOSX

I like the idea of asking users why they decide not to sign up. Sure, it may be abused by some, but it could also bring in some potentially great feedback that will help us adapt to meet the interests of our viewers.

I can see a lot of the users here logging out just to attack members that they had problems with in the Guest box or people who was banned using it to take shots at the mods. but like I was saying before if it use the Disqus log in that connects to their facebook or twitter they will be less likely to troll the site.

**claud3** · 12-21-2011

in all fairness it sounds like we all want to do a background check before we let new members in, i feel we need the trust factor to play a bigger role here. Since we all trust each other enough to prove we do not troll the forum and bad mouth other members that often or play the fanboy card towards the consoles we enjoy playing... We just accept the fact trolling and bad mouthing and attacking members is a plague that every forum and blogs sphere and social gathering out in the world wide web as a problem dealing with it

**nofear01** · 12-21-2011

Simply because this forum is not what it used to me and seems to have more mods/admin than members. Closing threads without notifying you. The forum clearly has too many technical issues too.

The rules have become too strict. It was better 2-3 years ago.

**claud3** · 12-21-2011

well thats a fair point, since i signed up in 2009. It was less stricted but i had a feeling it would be stricter over the next few years, but not on this scale i guess

**squirrelbo1** · 12-21-2011

wait so were stricter than in the days of carocat, uncool etc ? not sure thats a fair comment, although we do know we have started to get slightly tougher, but mainly because of user feedback. if you compare us to gaf or places like that then were pretty lenient.

**claud3** · 12-21-2011

their is a forum called www.gtaforums.com and they are be on any help. The admin and mods just close what they want and when they want, they never in some cases give a thread the chance to breath into life and the members are worse.

were this forum has the ability to let its members express them selfs in ways that forum does not. You are all smart and logic people on this forum, on that forum its tit for tat over who's got the biggest balls to be nasty and childish all the time every time

**Cuguy** · 12-21-2011

Originally Posted by claud3

their is a forum called www.gtaforums.com and they are be on any help. The admin and mods just close what they want and when they want, they never in some cases give a thread the chance to breath into life and the members are worse.

were this forum has the ability to let its members express them selfs in ways that forum does not. You are all smart and logic people on this forum, on that forum its tit for tat over who's got the biggest balls to be nasty and childish all the time every time

What most people don't realize, or like, is that the forums are not a free speech/democratic environment. Quite literally, we can delete or close anything at anytime. It is part of the rules and policies that we all, as members, agree to.

From the rules and policies:

The staff reserve the right to remove, edit or move posts at any time without giving a reason. Staff also reserve the right to produce custom infractions when a member behaves very inappropriately. You understand that a message board is not a democracy, as the majority does not determine the correct course of action (however action regarding important issue is often taken after user consultation).

Does this mean we do this? No, but we can. And if it happens, you can question why it was taken down/deleted and we can see if there exists a reason to make a post/thread active again.

As for are we stricter than in the past? Yes and no. We loosened, and in some instances deleted some outdated rules. However, we are clamping down tons stricter on trolls. The new auto infraction system where a member will earn bans based on non-expiring infraction points can be seen as strict, but to staff it is a way to empower members to be in control of their own fate here.

I can say with utmost certainty this forum was a lot more strict when Aje, Reflex, and Cat were here. Dave was strictest of them all. We don't even come close to the level of infractions and enforcement those guys were dealing out.

And no, this is not the same forum it was 3 yrs ago. IN many ways we are better, but in some we are worse off. Technical side of things, yes we are worse off but improving everyday. The site was botched all to hell by the previous owners hacked upgrade to VB4.0. So when Mr. B and co took over, they inherited a dozen page bug list to fix with more popping up as things become settled in. The amount of work they have done so far just to make us THIS stable is nothing short of epic. Now, they are planning a new hosting solution to prevent sluggish behavior and downtime, but that isn't a simple "hey let's move the forum" thing.. it takes a little time.

**claud3** · 12-21-2011

i get what you are saying, just stating the fact that this site has smart and logic members and the staff in some case's are neutral and fair

**keefy** · 12-21-2011

Just like server rules on video games they kick ban ho ever they like and make up sill y rules that everyone has to adhere to or gets banned.
Not arf.

**claud3** · 12-22-2011

well lets put it like this, we all would not still be here if we hated the way things are. I would have left in 2009 if i knew it was like this now, but i stick around because i would not leave a forum just because a few tough rules are in place to help the forum out. We all know its hard to understand why things are the way they are, but we stick around because are passion for gaming and game info plus social interaction with each other is so great on this forum why go anywhere else. Yes in case's the rules do seem unjust and not fair, but we sign up and a bay to the rules because we accept the terms & conditions there for we accept the rules. I acknowledge the rules inflame members and the one side system some staff have when situation araise and how trolling and fanboyism is a problem and less active members and slow sections of the forum are a situation we can deal with. We just have to understand why we signed up in the first place and that is gaming and social interaction with one another,to share are passion for gaming, info, knowledge of topics we are not afraid to bring up. Because we know we will have a smart discussion about it or have a bit of fun with it. Yes some threads like some of mine like the thread ( What would you rather have cancer or Aids ) was way over the line and not the smartest thing i every made... But one's about the birds and the bee's and others that stand the test of time on the forum. It shows we are smart grown ups and are up for it getting the mickey taking out of us for posting fun or stupid posts . What i am trying to say is that don't judge a book by its cover for that cover is the rules that the forum staff stand for and we would not still be around if we never accepted the rules in the first place.

So we ask why are we still here and the answer is, we are here because we accept the rules and terms & conditions to be here

And that is what i believe

**SchaffinOSX** · 12-22-2011

The rules aren't here to oppress a certain group of people, or to get rid of all members of a certain group, etc., etc. The rules are what they are because the administration and staff saw it necessary for said rules to be in place in order for intelligent discussion to continue without being hindered. I realize that this does not always seem to be the case, and acknowledge that to many, the rules are not perfect. It is virtually impossible to devise a list of rules that everyone is happy with, and sometimes, we all have to maike some sacrifices in order to ensure PSU remains a place where intellectual, interesting discussions and debates are held.

I admit that the rules are not perfect, but an immense amount of thought has gone into each and every single one. I cannot speak for the rules this forum was founded on, but in the past few months that we've seen a couple of new rules added to the boards, there has been immense amounts of discussion concerning the rules before they are implemented. We do our best to keep the forums stable, as well as give people a fair amount of leniency necessary for people to enjoy themselves.

**Bligmerk** · 12-22-2011

Originally Posted by keefy

Just like server rules on video games they kick ban ho ever they like and make up sill y rules that everyone has to adhere to or gets banned.
Not arf.

It's the way the world is going, like Arab Spring to get rid of the old dictator to be replaced by fascist rule that kills even more of the citizens. Soon, free speech and common courtesy will be regarded as fantasy legends from a previous more primitive time.

This place really does need Captcha. It is amazing how nobody notices a lot of these "newcomers" are just getting enough posts to start spamming their site or pursue some other agenda, which thankfully appears to be some activity of attention deficit disorder people that quickly forgot where they were and move on to their next site to take a dump on. The Interwebz is the most magic window into the true inner character of homo sapiens.