In the last couple months, we've had a number of new members who go on posting sprees. While I want the forum to be a welcoming place, it’s becoming a bit much, so I'm creating this thread so I can point to it when I ask people to slow down.
Threads like this (or any “rules” announcements) are difficult, because hard numbers for questions like “How many posts per day are okay?” are impossible, since context is the overriding factor. So instead, it’s more important to get a feel for the forum before going on a spree of “Here are all my thoughts and questions!” posts. Here are some basic things to know:
1. The VI-Control membership is more sophisticated than most other sites. Although we have around 45,000 members, we have a few hundred people here with real knowledge about various topics, and that's what makes this forum the resource that it is.
But if the forum turns into a chat zone, they're not likely to stay. So we don’t want the forum devolving into endless chit chat amongst people with nothing else to do all day. That’s not to say “fun” topics, or jokes, or general musings are verboten, but most of us who have been here a while have a feel for how much is too much.
2. VI-Control is busier than I would like, and getting busier. You have to scan over a hundred thread titles just to see what's new in the last 24 hours. That's too many, since it results in a lot of worthwhile topics getting lost in the mix. We are most definitely *not* starved for content. (Or as one over-posting newcomer put it when I told him to slow the f down, "I thought the more discourse the better." Yikes!)
So I've been more aggressive in eliminating some of the more annoying threads. I’ll toot my own horn here and add that that includes excessive commercial announcement and deals threads (even from paying advertisers), where you may notice there are about half as many deals/announcements threads as there were a few months ago.
Now, my goal in writing this isn’t that I want to intimidate you or scare you off. (And FWIW, I still have some work to do in slowing down the “Gosh, what do you think Spitfire will release next!” threads and various other over-posting problems from some of the more veteran members.)
But I would like you to take a breath and let your first couple months lean more towards being a reading thing, rather than a posting thing. Posting an Introduce Yourself post right away (or later) is fine, of course. And maybe you do have some thoughts or questions worthy of posting … but in moderation, please. I know I said I don’t want to use hard numbers, but … if you’re a new member, more than 5 posts per day would be a lot. But I’m not trying to silence you completely.
So, unwelcoming as this post may seem, welcome to the forum! I hope your experience here is a positive one.
Threads like this (or any “rules” announcements) are difficult, because hard numbers for questions like “How many posts per day are okay?” are impossible, since context is the overriding factor. So instead, it’s more important to get a feel for the forum before going on a spree of “Here are all my thoughts and questions!” posts. Here are some basic things to know:
1. The VI-Control membership is more sophisticated than most other sites. Although we have around 45,000 members, we have a few hundred people here with real knowledge about various topics, and that's what makes this forum the resource that it is.
But if the forum turns into a chat zone, they're not likely to stay. So we don’t want the forum devolving into endless chit chat amongst people with nothing else to do all day. That’s not to say “fun” topics, or jokes, or general musings are verboten, but most of us who have been here a while have a feel for how much is too much.
2. VI-Control is busier than I would like, and getting busier. You have to scan over a hundred thread titles just to see what's new in the last 24 hours. That's too many, since it results in a lot of worthwhile topics getting lost in the mix. We are most definitely *not* starved for content. (Or as one over-posting newcomer put it when I told him to slow the f down, "I thought the more discourse the better." Yikes!)
So I've been more aggressive in eliminating some of the more annoying threads. I’ll toot my own horn here and add that that includes excessive commercial announcement and deals threads (even from paying advertisers), where you may notice there are about half as many deals/announcements threads as there were a few months ago.
Now, my goal in writing this isn’t that I want to intimidate you or scare you off. (And FWIW, I still have some work to do in slowing down the “Gosh, what do you think Spitfire will release next!” threads and various other over-posting problems from some of the more veteran members.)
But I would like you to take a breath and let your first couple months lean more towards being a reading thing, rather than a posting thing. Posting an Introduce Yourself post right away (or later) is fine, of course. And maybe you do have some thoughts or questions worthy of posting … but in moderation, please. I know I said I don’t want to use hard numbers, but … if you’re a new member, more than 5 posts per day would be a lot. But I’m not trying to silence you completely.
So, unwelcoming as this post may seem, welcome to the forum! I hope your experience here is a positive one.
