Approving new posts

[FlipMode]

So this system has been in place for a while now, and to me it just seems... Kind of pointless to be honest with you. I have not seen this on any other forum as far as I remember, I get that it is there to stop people registering and posting a load of shock images or whatever, but its also turning away potential new members.

I was going to reply to the "Brainstorming" thread about how this approval system could be improved and all I kept coming back to was "Why do we even have it at all?" When I was on the staff, all it was really being used for was approving new welcome threads, most of which were fine. And it SO easy to work around, just sign up, make a legit post and you are still getting in any way. Also, my theory is that if a new member signs up, makes a thread and no one replies to it as they cant see the post until its approved, it might turn them away... I bet a good chunk of money we have lost potential returning members due to this.

I mean we have enough active moderators here that should anything like that happen, it be instantly dealt with so, it seems a bit odd. If people would ignore the trollers and spammers, just report it and move on then the staff can deal with it then I reckon the post approval feature could be removed. I remember Moka himself said he wanted MLK to be open to as many people as possible, and having to have your posts approved is not going to make that happen

So what do you guys think? Improve it, keep it, or get rid of it?

[DGFone]

You know... I voted for remove it.

Yes, bad posts from 13 year olds are annoying. But on the other hand, those same lids might not know that they are posting in considered bad and is simply trolling everyone else. But unless they actually want to troll people, a mod can take some time and explain to them the difference between spam and good posts, and they can learn from it. If they wish to continue trolling, well, let them deal with the consequences. Mods here on MLK shouldn't be just forces pushing the forum one way or another, but should be just as active as any other members. Teaching the younger members how to post properly should be part of the responsibility of mods. And also, think of it this way: everyone have to start somewhere. MLK is a fansite for a Disney movie. Why not let younger members start learning the ways of the internet here instead of somewhere else where it could easily be harsher for them?

Nowhere here did I mention anything about a system that forces new members to have their first post validated by the mods. And really, it's not the first post that brings trouble, but the later ones: the posts that 'members' create after they get past this system.

So yes, Flip is right. This system is quite useless in that it doesn't really deal with trolls and troublemakers. At its core, it's just a barrier to entry.

I at first thought that maybe we should keep it so that spam-bots could be kept at bay, but, well, it won't. I don't know about Flip, but all other forums I've been in had this system, and it didn't help. Think about it: Spam-bot creators need to get into forums to post spam. The forums create this system to try and block them. So the spam-bot creators make their bots more creative so that the first post gets accepted and the bot gets in. Short of having an arms race with the bots (which the only loser will be the memberbase), this system only hurts MLK.

So yes, remove it please. It doesn't do enough to justify having it.

[FlipMode]

[quote="DGFone"]At its core, it's just a barrier to entry.
[/quote]

Great post, but that line right there sums up exactly why I also voted for removal. Why make it any more complicated than just signing up, when we have active staff to deal with the spam?

[Regulus]

If I'm not mistaken, the system is only in place to prevent spambots. Before you go about saying how much it doesn't help, I'd like to know how much it actually does. Many times before I've seen forums with literally more spambots than actual people posting. Sure, I've come across a few spambots on MLK, even with this system, but who knows, without it, there might be hundreds.

[Noah]

I'm literally laughing my ass off because I *just* came from disapproving a spambot's post (On my own Q&A page coincidentally). The system works fine and is used to stop spambots, just like Regulus said. Most of the time I'm disapproving more than I am improving because it's just people going "OMG I found a great new link to find cheap discount shoes at my website"

And I'm confused how it stops people =/ If you create a new account, you can make as many posts as you want before a mod approves them. I've disapproved about 10 spam posts before from the same user and approved about 6 or so new posts from reputable members. Nothing to get really worked up about lol

[Noah]

Locked by Flipmode's request.

[Moka]

> Just wanted to confirm that this system is entirely there for spambots. Humans are smart enough to fake a good first post, get approved, and start spamming.