An Open Letter to YarisBueller and VitzBoy

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I've asked YB about a Spam mod crew (if you may), but never received a response. I've been here for quite some time, and lurked for a few months before buying my Yaris, and I can really say that it has changed. The environment seems like it has gotten more hostile, and the Spam is crazy some times. But this is why we have mods, to try to keep things in order. I believe I talked to Thomas about having mods in different time zones, but forgot what he said (LOL, sorry Thomas).

I also believe that some of the hostility towards new members is because they ask questions that have been long answered. I, for one, don't mind this. Yes, sure, they can use the search function, but I'm going to assume that some may not see it. It also refreshes some topics for the new people. hehehe.

[tk-421]

Thanks for all the votes/responses so far!

Originally Posted by 47_MasoN_47

The rep level stuff, as others have mentioned, often is abused or simply turned into a "popularity contest".

I agree about that. There has to be a way to do this without abuse, however. If you have any ideas, I'd sure like to hear them!

Originally Posted by echo_hrs

We delete the spam as we see it, and our job doing this is made easier when the members alert us to it...

I agree that we have more helpful members than spammers. But how long do you think before that ratio completely changes? Spam bots are pieces of software that don't sleep. They post new threads at all times of day. And one bot can do a lot of spamming very quickly before it gets caught.

We may have one or two spam bots right now, but what if that number increases dramatically? Will YW members continue reporting them? Especially when the reporting interface actually limits members on reporting multiple posts in sequence?

Originally Posted by echo_hrs

And yes, there will always be some dummies whom create drama on the board, but I think that is necessary to keep us from getting complacent, and sometimes this board does need some humour injected into it to keep it from getting to eliteist...

There's humor, and then there's just having fun at another member's expense. All I'm saying is that there needs to be a better differentiation between the two.

Originally Posted by cali yaris

the main problem here is (1) lack of Admin presence and (2) lack of clear instructions/guidelines for the members.

Neither of which will change soon, I think. It is what it is.

I'm a bit confused... You agree with at least one of my points, but you voted that you either don't care (which I'm sure its not the case), or that you completely disagree. Care to tell me why? TIA

Originally Posted by mrbond

I think I agree most with #3, since spam is quickly gotten rid of and doesn't affect other threads. Plus, when I need to find something I looked at, say, a month ago, it starts to become a monumental pain in the ass. As for rep levels, I think it's a great idea since it's found on like Civic forums and NASIOC and all that. However, as it's been stated before, it CAN be abused. If there is a way to properly monitor and administer rep levels, then I'm all for it. Thank you, TK.

Thanks, mrbond!

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

-facepalm-

Eloquent as always, Charles...
Care to tell me why I'm so off-track?

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I also believe that some of the hostility towards new members is because they ask questions that have been long answered. I, for one, don't mind this. Yes, sure, they can use the search function, but I'm going to assume that some may not see it. It also refreshes some topics for the new people. hehehe.

Sure, but it also creates more clutter for the next guy looking for the same info, which only adds to the problem. It would me much easier to direct the person to the wiki, where he/she can make a much quicker search and get right to the meat.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I also believe that some of the hostility towards new members is because they ask questions that have been long answered..

First of all, if members don't want to answer questions, they don't have to. Nobody forces them.

If someone revives an old thread, they say "this is an old thread, what are you doing?" If someone posts a new thread about a topic that has already been discussed, they say "another useless thread about the same topic." so what are you supposed to do?

About the search function: I couldn't work it for weeks. One of my computers reformats the page in such manner that I can't see everything, no matter where I scroll. The other computer hides half the smiles... So keep in mind that just because it's obvious on your screen, doesn't mean it's obvious on someone else's screen

By the way, I'm not jumping down your throat, Kaotic, buddy , I'm just using a piece of your post to say some things that veterans members need to keep in mind, too, that's all.

One more thing about the "search" function. If you don't have exactly the right key word, then you won't find what you're looking for and even when you do, people may be talking about the same thing but that doesn't mean the exact information you're looking for is there...

Peace