"Heading off topic"

[bottle]

Hi Cheshire rose

 

If it is only your password that you have forgotten you can find it if you know your previous i.d..

 

Start by being 'logged out' go to 'home' page and click on 'log in'.

 

On that page there is 'I have forgotten my password click here'.

 

Not had to use it myself so do not know if it works.

 

good luck

[magnetman]

Hi Cheshire rose

 

If it is only your password that you have forgotten you can find it if you know your previous i.d..

 

Start by being 'logged out' go to 'home' page and click on 'log in'.

 

On that page there is 'I have forgotten my password click here'.

 

Not had to use it myself so do not know if it works.

 

good luck

 

It does work - sends an automatically generated password to the email address originally used so as long as you still have access to that email address you will get a replacement password. Apparently usernames cannot be deleted from the system so it is up to users to leave second user names dormant.

 

edited for error

Edited January 29, 2007 by magnetman

[NB Alnwick]

My point is I suspect there are a number of people who have accidentally found themselves with dual id's for no sinister reason at all.

 

I doubt if that would ever be a major problem - except for some added admin load. The real problem is when someone adopts a second i.d. for mischievous reasons - I suppose in the most extreme case you could have someone developing a thread all on their own - there are people around who are sad enough to do that.

[magnetman]

I doubt if that would ever be a major problem - except for some added admin load. The real problem is when someone adopts a second i.d. for mischievous reasons - I suppose in the most extreme case you could have someone developing a thread all on their own - there are people around who are sad enough to do that.

 

Out of interest, is there actually any way of stopping this problem? What I don't get is that there is the option to never receive communication from the admin. Why is there this option? Surely use of the forum, by actually adding to it, should be subject to some sort of control and verification.

 

I know whats going to happen, its obvious, money talks after all and at certain times it's voice is heard above everyone else.

[Richard Fairhurst]

As for re-registering under a different name, this is a problem all forums have and there is very little we can do to prevent it. I ask people not to do it please because it just creates more of a headache for me.

We had a problem on our town website a while back where people were trying that. We've largely solved it by making people's IP addresses public, and displaying them next to every post. It's not 100% foolproof but does make people think twice.

[alan_fincher]

We've largely solved it by making people's IP addresses public, and displaying them next to every post. It's not 100% foolproof but does make people think twice.

 

I'd be surprised if it didn't make lots of people think twice about posting....... At all !

 

Obviously I realise admins must be able to see things like my IP address, but I for one would not want it openly displayed to the world.

 

That said, I don't have another instant solution to the type of crap that has been going down recently.

 

I fear the action of a few is in great danger of completely ruining the forum for it's vast majority of well behaved users.

 

Perhaps that's what they want ?. If so, I feel they must lead rather sad lives....

 

Finally I add my voice of total support to Jon and his crew for continuing to try and sort this out. I realise a few posts will inevitably get deleted, or a few threads closed, that some people will feel should not have done. But it is clear that some people have recently deliberately abused the more tolerant line often taken up until now, so, if what you are doing isn't working, it's not unreasonable to try something else.

 

Alan

[minerva]

We had a problem on our town website a while back where people were trying that. We've largely solved it by making people's IP addresses public, and displaying them next to every post. It's not 100% foolproof but does make people think twice.

 

 

that is a cracking idea!

 

on my website, there is a guestbook where you can see IP addresses publically...

Edited January 29, 2007 by minerva

[Bones]

that is a cracking idea!

 

on my website, there is a guestbook where you can see IP addresses publically...

 

I'd probably be totally put off by my IP address being posted.

[Moley]

on my website, there is a guestbook where you can see IP addresses publically...

 

I don't think I like that idea one little bit.

 

What are the security implications?

[tomsk]

I think Minerva has the basis of a good idea there except that deleting everyone might be a bit extreme.

 

If non-active members were deleted automatically after, say, six weeks of complete inactivity - that would help to keep a good handle on the real size of the group.

 

There probably ought to be a way of controlling new members to prevent Trolls, trouble makers and dual identities. There are several ways of doing this but here are some from other groups that I have belonged to:

 

New members have to wait 48 hours before they are allowed to respond to any thread or post a new topic.

 

New members have to be proposed by an existing member and then approved by the moderator.

 

The first (or first three) new topic(s) posted by a new member must first be approved by the moderator.

 

Things like this may seem draconian but I've been in one newsgroup for nearly ten years and it runs very smoothly after having imposed similar rules many years ago.

 

Most of the ideas above appear sound, but the highlighted one would IMHO be a faux pas of massive proportions, there has been talk of things getting a bit clique'y occasionally, and if the 'suggested member proposal' route was taken the whole thing could turn into a massive mutual-backslapping excercise. If people use there common sense and don't rise to the trolls bait, they will troll-off to find a site wherethey can garner more of a reaction.

[Jon]

Sorry guys, I normally like to keep these sorts of topics open as we get valuable feedback, but at present these threads are like a ticking timebomb so I'm making a pre-emtive strike and closing the thread now having addressed the issues raised in my post above. If anyone has anything further to add then please do so in private to me, Bernie, Allan or Daniel. Thanks for all of your suggestions.

 

Jon