John:
Great to see you read my post - it surely was written to save new members from an accidental pruning using the future software - you are now SAFE and a welcomed member of our community.
A great way I like to think of it is: you don't have to EARN a right to be here, you only need to lose it from violating the basic rights of common decency, good manners and fellowship through communicating ideas which interest others and educate us all. Sounds Utopian, it isn't, but family values are an important part of our forums.
I look at the photos recently posted by friends and members (actually all friends met through this forum) and to see their children and the closeness and bonds they share, I would never allow anyone to prevent either parent or child from coming here and subjecting them to vulgar, rude and illegal behavior - that is why our forum software has reached it's life span.
PHPBB (what we use now) has served us well, but it is full of gaps which are now allowing videos to be posted almost randomly across the forums by human spammers. These videos (luckily) require a special Codec upgrade to start playing the video, and I strongly suggest if ANYONE come across a post with a ADULT NATURE VIDEO only a few clicks away, report it to any admin or mod ASAP.
These types of HUMAN spam are NOT stoppable from getting into the forum, but tracking down and deleting them is NOT an easy feat with PHPBB - I have not mentioned the software name yet (purposely) which we will be switching to, but IF I RECEIVE A SINGLE REQUEST from ANY MEMBER concerning a suspicious post, I can immediately bring up EACH POST by this villain, and even if he/she spammed a dozen forum and a dozen posts in each forum - I can RID THE FORUMS of EVERY POST with 2 simple mouse clicks, saving dozens of man hours hunting and pecking and possibly missing a post or two.
As you see, I may not write replies to EVERY POST, although I would love to, but I do write lengthy replies when I do. Replies I hope MANY MEMBERS READ, even-though it is written to you John, generally speaking letters from the Admin. get some attention and hopefully everyone will understand that the morals of this forum are strong and shall remain so to the best of the dedicated members who have stepped forward to keep the trash from getting to the eyes of the members.
I see a much easier forum to moderate, although the VAST MEMBERSHIP here has no hatred, never gone Postal and rarely left topic other than to communicate on like-interests outside beekeeping. Those who have disavowed the rules have been booted, banned and sent on their way - either by a popular vote through Private Messages to me and the mod-squad or immediate dismissal due to blatant actions on their part.
I even enforce a BUCK STOPS HERE policy which has upset several mods and many members from time to time, but if I get a feeling that a member is using the forum for person gain, exploiting some self-visualized "Better than thou" attitude, I will see they never return to these places of learning and friendship.
So, there is a mouthful, I'm glad to see you stand-up and come forward to say hello, I'm sure it was pain free and it becomes easier with every keystroke. Welcome aboard John and may 2007 be a banner year for your bees, by then I know you will have read enough to have confidence in your decisions and a quick reference for any unanswered or questionable behaviour of our hairy little friends who bring us so much wonder.
Topic: new member post as requested by Beemaster (Read 3441 times)