Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
I'm trying to add a couple of upgrades to the site. This will mean the site will be a bit wonky for a couple of hours this Halloween. If all works as planned it will be worth it.
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Birchington
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Thu Mar 09, 2023 7:56 pm
- Location: South-West London
Re: Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
Thank you for your efforts. I hope that all goes well.
Re: Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
OK this is going to take a bit of time ...
Site is functional now but will resume work after tea!
Site is functional now but will resume work after tea!
Re: Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
Hiya.
We seem to have a lot of calendars on the site and none of them work very well. We're on it, and hopefully we'll have a working event calendar for you soon.
We seem to have a lot of calendars on the site and none of them work very well. We're on it, and hopefully we'll have a working event calendar for you soon.
Re: Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
At Daihard's request I've started pruning the inactive members list. I'm starting with just members who have logged in from email accounts that my verification system has recommended I remove, but if you've been an inactive member for more than four months and haven't posted more than three posts on the forum then I ask you to remember the phone call scene from the movie Taken...
I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want... skills that make me a nightmare for people like you... blah blah blah.
If you have posted more than three times on the forum since you've joined, I'll probably be leaving you alone. If you haven't, find some posts to post on (and keep the rules in mind as you do please).
I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want... skills that make me a nightmare for people like you... blah blah blah.
If you have posted more than three times on the forum since you've joined, I'll probably be leaving you alone. If you haven't, find some posts to post on (and keep the rules in mind as you do please).
Re: Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
Why would you prune inactive members? I'm sure a lot of people keep an eye on the site to keep themselves informed of events, but don't feel the need to comment on threads.
Maybe they use the site to pm their friends but without showing up on the forums?
I understand it's your site and your rules, but the pruning feels unfriendly. Surely we want to make the site feel welcoming to new people who are perhaps nervous, or afraid of making silly comments.
Maybe they use the site to pm their friends but without showing up on the forums?
I understand it's your site and your rules, but the pruning feels unfriendly. Surely we want to make the site feel welcoming to new people who are perhaps nervous, or afraid of making silly comments.
Re: Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
Hi Roger
These are not inactive members as such, but spam bots which like dormant on the site and then post spam messages in the forums. This would render the site almost inoperable.
We are pretty sure we know the names of these accounts, but some who haven't posted may be caught up in the pruning.
The site also needs people to be active. It is a community after all.
These are not inactive members as such, but spam bots which like dormant on the site and then post spam messages in the forums. This would render the site almost inoperable.
We are pretty sure we know the names of these accounts, but some who haven't posted may be caught up in the pruning.
The site also needs people to be active. It is a community after all.
Re: Site Maintenance 31 Oct 2023
Hi Roger, good to see you about again. I appreciate where you are coming from, it is a position of positivity, and I think that is admirable. In trying to be witty, I clearly haven't explained myself well.
If visitors want to come, they are more than welcome; they don't need to register to access the site. This leads to the question, why would you, under the condition that you can view the site without needing to do anything, then join that forum and fail to contribute?
I can't see a positive answer to that question, and I accept that's on me, so help me out here.
I can see the last time anyone logged in, if the last time they ever logged in was when they joined, why should I assume they want to be here? If they've PM'd people, I'll see that by their log-in credentials. If they are using chat, I'll know who they are.
I'm not entirely convinced that it's unfriendly to prune out members who have never contributed anything, or who have possibly forgotten they even joined in the first place (especially when they can view everything without logging in anyway). This is basic forum security, you can't just let everyone in and pretend everyone who signs up is a good actor, that sort of positivity is what makes any online space potentially unsafe for its actual users, the people who want to contribute and make use of the resource.
If visitors are afraid of making a mistake or that their comments might be seen as silly, then I agree that is a genuine shame. Silliness is a big part of what we do and we all make mistakes, all of us, no matter how long we've been doing this thing. We can't help people to better themselves and make them feel safer or more welcome in our community if we don't know what mistakes they are making, and they can't help us to grow if they are too afraid to speak up and call us out.
The reason I want people to post, is because I want them to be a part of the community. It's also the easiest way to prove you are a genuine person with a genuine interest.
If you are concerned about our welcome, can you offer some ideas as to what you think might make people feel more welcome here?
If visitors want to come, they are more than welcome; they don't need to register to access the site. This leads to the question, why would you, under the condition that you can view the site without needing to do anything, then join that forum and fail to contribute?
I can't see a positive answer to that question, and I accept that's on me, so help me out here.
I can see the last time anyone logged in, if the last time they ever logged in was when they joined, why should I assume they want to be here? If they've PM'd people, I'll see that by their log-in credentials. If they are using chat, I'll know who they are.
I'm not entirely convinced that it's unfriendly to prune out members who have never contributed anything, or who have possibly forgotten they even joined in the first place (especially when they can view everything without logging in anyway). This is basic forum security, you can't just let everyone in and pretend everyone who signs up is a good actor, that sort of positivity is what makes any online space potentially unsafe for its actual users, the people who want to contribute and make use of the resource.
If visitors are afraid of making a mistake or that their comments might be seen as silly, then I agree that is a genuine shame. Silliness is a big part of what we do and we all make mistakes, all of us, no matter how long we've been doing this thing. We can't help people to better themselves and make them feel safer or more welcome in our community if we don't know what mistakes they are making, and they can't help us to grow if they are too afraid to speak up and call us out.
The reason I want people to post, is because I want them to be a part of the community. It's also the easiest way to prove you are a genuine person with a genuine interest.
If you are concerned about our welcome, can you offer some ideas as to what you think might make people feel more welcome here?