Do we have a clear policy?

In the past couple of weeks I had to close and delete more topics than ever because of some people breaking our forum rules. Strangely it wasn't always someone who had a first post, the so often seen hit-and-run users (register, post and never seen again).

Taking into account the above, it makes me wonder why this is happening all of a sudden. Yes, we become more known to the world every day. Yes, we do run a site about backing up originals. Yes, making a copy of an original is not always allowed. But, does that mean you can automatically post illegal stuff on this forum?

Clearly the answer to the above-mentioned question is NO, but why do I see so many people who don't get this. The rules are clearly stated in the registration process and found in many signatures of mods/admins.

So my question is this, do we have a clear policy or are there any unclarities that we need to sort out. If the policy is clear, what should we do to prevent so many people from breaking our rules?

Currently I am a bit at a loss in this, so I ask you, visitors to our forum, what can we do to turn the tide?


ps On a side-note, but nevertheless important, if you see someone breaking the rules, please don't reply to the topic, that will only give more attention to the thread. Notify the respective forum mod or any of the (senior) admins to delete or close the topic. This is 1) more effective and 2) the forum will come accross as more friendly because users do not 'bash' each other. Thanks in advance

It's not that your policy is unclear, it's just that many don't read it. Maybe you should do something similar to www.afterdawn.com and have a splash screen (for fairly new users) telling them the most important DOs and DON'Ts before they make their post.

Da_taxman, i think the main problem is is that the newbies no nothing about internet and specifically the forums. So i guess its not really their fault but neither yours. Just ignorance i guess, but it'll become clear to them after they made a few posts, and perhaps another factor is is that some of them have really bad english...

mzzls

Damn. Just selected "No" by mistake.

The policy is very clear. I have to agree with Chriso and theunbeatable. Also, there’s absolutely nothing to blame the mods and admins regarding this issue. They're doing a great job.

I'm a mod & have been Admin on other boards

Policy must be that All Mods/Admins enforce the boards rules strictly & fairly but without any malice to members who are new (or not so new) who inadvertently transgress the board rules.A kindly warning backed up by PM can usually work wonders.

However deliberate flaunting of board rules (eg flaming/obscene remarks/racism)(U get the picture) should be stomped on without mercy & depending on the boards policy strict warnings given &/or
the ultimate sanction ban em.

The rules must be applied BY ALL STAFF if some mods etc dont bother they should (IMHO) lose their status.

So what I'm saying Da Taxman is keep at it keep preaching to the masses they will learn.

The rules are clear, but the probelm lies in getting people to read them. Most people arrive here by ways of google, register to ask their question and breeze through the whole rules page, dont really read, and post their questions or whatever. So its not that the rules are not clear its just that everyone is too lazy to read them carefully if at all.

I dont think that it is a problem that can be solved. Even though Chriso idea can be useful to get people to see the rules, it is by far not a useful way to make people follow them. In fact it will become annoying seeing that thing every time you come to the forum. Plus, it is not an indicator that it will cease all these activities. Even people who have been on the forum long enough to not be considered newbies make errors in judgement. It is up to the person to see if they respect this forum or not. It is up to the moderators to enforce the rules as they see fit and decide who is respecting the forum and who isnt and deal accordingly.

Just as RIAA has kazaa, etc. so do online forums have problems with these post and run users.

Tax, so long as you continue to terminate the newbies with extreme predjudice, CDFreaks will continue to be the best forum online.

Whenever you visit brennmeister, the first 2 lines of each page say something like "1. be friendly, 2. no insults, 3. no illegal crap".

=> good idea, isn't it

Personally, I'm much more easily tired of those that do not follow my guidelines when I run my own sites. I do not try and wait for more than a few months at any one site if things do not seriously improve. If I'm not satisfied, I either resign or shut down the site.

Compared to me, you are extremely patient and generous, deleting and warning so many posts and members for years of time.

Honestly, I do think that CDFreaks has to deal with so many topics related to copying games and movies helps more people to post in less prudent ways.

Maybe alexnoe's suggestion is best? To let every poster clearly read the warning sign every time one posts. While I am typing this, I can read this message only that is closest to that effect:

The system I mention earlier works quite well on afterdawn.com (although it was to encourage searching).

Here is a link to the page you would see:

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_c...fm?forum_id=12

i suggested a while ago that new members should be shown the rules before they register (if that's possible), so they'd really have no excuse to have not seen the rules. i like Chriso's idea too, but only if it's shown to newbies (ie: someone who has yet to make maybe 5 posts); i'm sure veterans would get annoyed at having to go through such a page each time they want to post.

other than that, as others have already mentioned, the policy here is totally clear to me and anyone else who bothers to pay attention. it's just that the newbs are too used to their warez forums that have no real rules, so they feel like they can post whatever they want.

Me too and I'm somewhat more tolerant than Tax.

No idea why we've suddenly had a flood of posts making illegal requests. I suspect that it's just coincidence though.

The policy is clear enough. I suppose that the problem really is that many new users (and a few older ones regrettably ) just haven't read and aren't aware of the rules.

I agree there have been a lot of posts recently, and yes the rules are perfectly clear. I think it has to do with the upsurge of things like Kazzaa etal *spit* where 'n00bs' are getting their new fangled wares and dont know what to do with them. Ive commented in a few threads when they ask why their copy wont work, to reread the original, or check if the original works. Most of the instigators of those threads dont reply back as they obviously know they are using a 'dodgy copy'

As Chriso mentioned, maybe put a page up before each new thread re-iterating the rules with a button basically saying I have read and agree to abide by them before being able to start the thread. I dont know about logistics, but maybe show this to all the members who have say less than 10-20 posts? Thats a fairly low number, but high enough that by the time the page isnt shown anymore they know the rules?

Just my tuppence worth.

Putting a readme or warning thread in each and every section is useless. If people want to read them, they would've read them w/o saying. Most of the rules they break are common fscking sense. I mean if this is a warez site, woudn't it say so on the title?

Solution: Delete thread and ban.

next time you drive 1 km/h too fast your car will be taken by the police and you are NEVER getting it back again lol

I don't think so, we drive by the mph here in the US, wise guy.

What he means is that a very restrictive policy isn't the solution, always give a warning first. I believe in this kind of matter everybody deserves a second chance.

@Tax: I think the policy is very clear. Problem is that like in most things of life, there isn't just black-white. Often threads are in a grey area. Sometimes mods/admins leave it to that. Sometimes they intervene. I have been here for quite some time now and there are still threads where I don't see why one is closed and the other stays open. But after all, you guys are only human.

you guys are always different..... lol

Here's an idea, what if as part of the registration process, new users would have to take a quiz over the rules. Unless they pass the quiz, they can't join. This would therefore force the users to read the rules and take the quiz.

I believe this would cut down drastically on people who break our rules. Even if they pass, and break the rules, they have even less of an excuse and therefore banning them becomes much less of a thought provoking process.

Would it be that hard to implement??

All right, I admit it, I'm a freaking Commie when it comes to policies...

yeah and no-one wants to become a member anymore. It isnt school!!! Come on its a very childish way to enforce the rules.

greetz

In my opinion it is a very good idea. Just a brief quiz, no 5000 word essays or anything like that.

Let's incorporate it in the SATs

Hmm, an essay on the rules of engagement...I mean CDFreaks membership sounds interesting. I wonder, can we have a panel of readers who review each of these essays and form their own opinions on whether or not someone is prone to ask illegal questions. We could even have that with current members. It will be the Salem witch trials/McCarthy hearings all over again.

I do declare that warez pushers have inflitrated the ranks of the senior members of CDFreaks.com and need to be purged! Hearings start as soon as possible.

You don't need any essay tests. Simply give them two links when they sign up, one says Frozen Throne Cracked, the other says CD Freak 4 Life, and let the noob choose. You can pretty much figure out whom will most likely break the rule on their first post and who won't.