Do new accounts still need moderator approval to post?

[Bluewall]

I feel like I should just register a new account because I think something is wrong with mine.  I've been here for 6 years and I still need moderator approval for anything to be posted

[Gorth]

Yes, new accounts need a number of approved posts before they can post without approval. In case anybody wonders why, you should see the number of unapproved spam posts by bots that gets removed before people see them

[Fluffle]

Yes, new accounts need a number of approved posts before they can post without approval. In case anybody wonders why, you should see the number of unapproved spam posts by bots that gets removed before people see them

I appreciate this approach a lot. Because I know how it is when you don't do this.

 

This way the forum feels very clean and tidy for us users

[Blarghagh]

Just make a few more posts and be aware posts in Way Off-Topic don't count because they do not increase post count.

[GetMagnaCarter]

not only do you 5 approved posts but when creating the account you have to answer an anti-bot question

(which, if I understand correctly, may be in need of an update if not changed in the last 2 weeks)

[Fionavar]

not only do you 5 approved posts but when creating the account you have to answer an anti-bot question

(which, if I understand correctly, may be in need of an update if not changed in the last 2 weeks)

Heya GetMagnaCarter,

 

Yes they do

[OrpheusM]

Completely irrelevant question, but I don't know where to post this.

 

Does anyone know how to change my forum name? It's my email currently and I don't like that. Can't seem to find any option in the profile control panel.

 

Sorry for posting here but I made two new posts with this question, and naturally didn't get approved and I don't know what to do. 

 

Thanks.

[Jorian Drake]

I suggest you discuss this with Fionavar in PMs or turn directly to admins

Edited May 20, 2018 by Jorian Drake

[ShadySands]

Fio helped me out with that

[Fionavar]

Please do contact me if there is anything you need.

[majestic]

Please do contact me if there is anything you need.

 

A bag of chips and a chili-cheese burger if you'd be so kind.

[kirottu]

I feel like I should just register a new account because I think something is wrong with mine.  I've been here for 6 years and I still need moderator approval for anything to be posted

 

Four posts in six years?

 

I hereby dub thee King of Lurkers.

[The._.Wolfman]

I'm a new member and I made a suggestion post that has yet to be moderated, I don't even know if it exists since I can't find it anywhere. I get the need to protect against bots but like this seems overkill, I've never seen or been on a site that required this much approval as I read in the post of this topic. Usually verifying can also do the trick to allow one to post, as I don't believe bots know how to verify their account do they?

[Gorth]

55 minutes ago, The._.Wolfman said:

I'm a new member and I made a suggestion post that has yet to be moderated, I don't even know if it exists since I can't find it anywhere. I get the need to protect against bots but like this seems overkill, I've never seen or been on a site that required this much approval as I read in the post of this topic. Usually verifying can also do the trick to allow one to post, as I don't believe bots know how to verify their account do they?

if you saw the lengths bots and their developers go to... no, it's not overkill at all. Yes, bots do verify their accounts in fully automated ways, including breaking just about any captcha you can think of.

 

Edit: Spam bots are the single largest drain on human resources on these forums at least.

[Gizmo]

I'd suggest a captcha of an animated flag, with a word on it that is always distorted, and never appears fully in any frame. It should confound OCR, but they would just get teenagers to read it for them.

Edited October 17, 2020 by Gizmo

[Fionavar]

SPAMbots are definitely more intrusive and smarter than they have been. As @Gorthhas shared, they are the consistent area that requires the Mod Squad's attention. Though we have a few trolls and denizens, we are generally a well behaved mischievous bunch when we are in the sandbox together  

[Amentep]

On 10/17/2020 at 4:51 AM, The._.Wolfman said:

I'm a new member and I made a suggestion post that has yet to be moderated, I don't even know if it exists since I can't find it anywhere. I get the need to protect against bots but like this seems overkill, I've never seen or been on a site that required this much approval as I read in the post of this topic. Usually verifying can also do the trick to allow one to post, as I don't believe bots know how to verify their account do they?

As an aside, there's only one post in your history (this one), so I'm thinking whatever you tried to post didn't save in the system, or we'd see it in the moderation queue. 

EDIT: Also AFAIK you should be able to edit posts that are in the queue, so you should see them too.

[Uden]

Far as I'm concerned it is overkill, and it's not very conducive to new members. Arrive somewhere and feel like you're being punished before you've even said a single word.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, and again, and again: Blanket ruling, is lazy ruling.

[majestic]

3 hours ago, Uden said:

Far as I'm concerned it is overkill, and it's not very conducive to new members. Arrive somewhere and feel like you're being punished before you've even said a single word.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, and again, and again: Blanket ruling, is lazy ruling.

This is a community filled with ossified posters who have been talking to each other since before the dawn of these hallowed halls. Do not be so hasty to dismiss the five post rule as overkill, once you have been around for a quarter of a decade you might even appreciate the peace and quiet it brings, a bulwark against the storm. A storm only getting worse, as recently it became grave enough to break through the walls and blow unwanted posts across the forums, like so many fallen leaves in autumn.

[Gorth]

2 hours ago, majestic said:

This is a community filled with ossified posters who have been talking to each other since before the dawn of these hallowed halls. Do not be so hasty to dismiss the five post rule as overkill, once you have been around for a quarter of a decade you might even appreciate the peace and quiet it brings, a bulwark against the storm. A storm only getting worse, as recently it became grave enough to break through the walls and blow unwanted posts across the forums, like so many fallen leaves in autumn.

I consider it a compliment. If people are ignorant of what happens behind the scenes, then it works as intended

 

…unless you’re a SEO shill

[Gromnir]

90% o' the time am guessing the new poster limitations is unnecessary, but particular nowadays, if a new game is released by a developer, there is gonna be a predictable influx o' bots and vandals whose existence is predicated on maximizing harm. most new posters arriving at the obsidian boards simultaneous with a new game release will be legit contributors with real concerns even if those concerns do not paint obsidian in a favorable light. am also suspecting the new poster limits become a real headache for the mods when a fresh title is published as their workload increases exponential... am just guessing. regardless, these boards exist to promote the obsidian brand, so is hardly shocking that obsidian would want to exorcise vandals and bots before they can cause damage to the brand. 

no doubt the new poster limits is a source of frustration for the applicant and possible for the mods if they are needing deal with a new game deluge. am convinced that if the developer could think of a better and less labor intensive protocol for weeding out malicious (subtle different than malcontent) posters, they would implement such a process. got suggestions?

if we had a better method in mind for separating wheat from chaff, we would share such... well, we would share if we had a better notion and we didn't take perverse pleasure at the thought o' the mods needing deal with the hassle o' reviewing every new poster during those admitted rare times when a new game is released. 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited December 23, 2023 by Gromnir

[Gorth]

7 hours ago, Gromnir said:

90% o' the time am guessing the new poster limitations is unnecessary, but particular nowadays, if a new game is released by a developer, there is gonna be a predictable influx o' bots and vandals whose existence is predicated on maximizing harm. most new posters arriving at the obsidian boards simultaneous with a new game release will be legit contributors with real concerns even if those concerns do not paint obsidian in a favorable light. am also suspecting the new poster limits become a real headache for the mods when a fresh title is published as their workload increases exponential... am just guessing. regardless, these boards exist to promote the obsidian brand, so is hardly shocking that obsidian would want to exorcise vandals and bots before they can cause damage to the brand.

Indeed. Obsidian does not sell cocaine, viagra, escort services by underage girls, unregistered guns, butterfly knives, knuckle dusters, viagra, fake permanent residency papers to the US, fake passports, fake university test results... you name it. On a good day, we get less than a handful, around new games or even major updates, it can be a score+ of new bot accounts. Daily

 

Edit: Not to mention, the 5 unapproved post limit means bots, that would otherwise literally flood the forum with 100+ advertising posts, stops dead in the their tracks at 5, making the clean up a bit less ornery.