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Thread: New users location box

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
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    Sydney, Australia
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    244

    Default New users location box

    I am constantly seeing new members (good thing) and then them having to be reminded to fill in the location box (bad thing).

    Is there no way of making the location box a compulsory box to fill in much like their name?

    Sorry if this has been asked before, but nought was done about it.... is there a reason?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Santa Cruz, CA
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    309

    Default

    Not everyone wants to share their location with the whole internet... Its just a suggestion to fill in your location that way you can find help thats close to you.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    1,725

    Default

    It can be made compulsory *at* registration which runs up against the statement of disco.

    I was trying to find a way to make it a required check before entering certain boards, like BST, but there is no way to set a allow access if / allow post priv if conditional argument for it without setting up half a dozen internal usergroups and catching the boolean operation that way.

    It's a technically annoying mess that doesn't really serve much of a purpose. If people want their rough location known then they will enter it - conversely if they are trying to get local help it would behoove them to enter said data or reply privately if they aren't comfortable.

    I've seen a couple boards that have compulsory requirements like this and they usually end with a massive argument between the privacy minded and those that instagram their now-sepia breakfast with GPS coordinates. It's funny to watch but not fun to deal with.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Churchill(hour S from Houston)
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    Sorry to chime in here so late...

    I am having a hard time understanding why anyone would have an issue with their general location-(at PL)AND I will agree 100% that this may be wise on some other forums but this is not one of them IMHO== but i cannot understand why NOT. (unless the member is a 'contrary' --they do not like anything)

    I also agree it need not be a mandatory bit of info-- just like it's not mandatory that they get answers to their questions. Sometimes answers to their questions is impossible w/o a * general* location AND anyway..that info if not added to their personal profile is, in most situations , easy to determine by their IP.

    I admit for me it is a pet peeve- some will post location in intro about themselves as their first thread. And I have seen these where their location is in that thread=but not in their profile=so why are they to allowing us to know that at the OP but wont add it to their proflie. Maybe they are lazy?/ IDKFS--

    I was a mod at another forum- we mods took turns looking into each new members info. We would sometimes find a profile where the newcomer lied about their location-to me this is NOT a good sign. I used to be a dick (yeah, I know, hak being a DICK??) about some not giving up info that they cannot keep us from discovering anyway (in most cases< if they are making the IP in a way that keeps us from knowing the truth.. that too can be seen as a bad sign)

    Also that forum we had a filter that sent all mods and admin a daily report of duplicate IPs-- Not always a sign of a member having two accts. or a banned member returning under a new username-BUT for sure a red flag requiring something needing to be checked- you can ask DTR about this as he got temp-banned here at PL- why??/-- for living near a banned member.

    So now I respectfully ask newcomers(by PM) to finish their profile or live with not always getting correct & quick answers to their questions or pleas for help. To me its just good forum manners and shows respect to the forum.


    TBH. IMO... its naive to assume that no one ever joins a forum with bad intent-

    Also at this other forum no newcomer had access to EVERYTHING until they had posted a min of 5 posts- This, we found, kept some spammers at bay.
    Their first posts at forums is always Spammy- and they apparently don't/won't want to make those 5 posts and we got much fewer spammers after that was in place..

    it became a trade-off of extra work at first vs lots of work later..

    'Shunning' is impossible at forums-- there is always someone just trying to be helpful and friendly that will reply-BUT *IF* no member replied the OP would either go away or ask why they are being ignored- So then it becomes a Q needing an A-- and that can be handled in a PM-- and I have gotten more ='Thank you - i did not know it mattered' replies that neg ones. One member lived 10 miles from me-- who knew??

    The good side of providing location

    more accurate info

    Finding that there is a member living nearby.

    Getting invited to a LEM

    BS&T in person - hand delivery with a handshake.

    AND just having someone around that speaks 'Laser'
    and wont ask 'why lasers?'

    AND its just plain friendly manners.


    hak's 2.5 cents (inflation)

  5. #5
    soforene's Avatar
    soforene is offline The Troll formerly known as Herbert Von Poople-Futtocks
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    2,928

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    Tit.
    And yes, I do mean you !!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    1

    Default

    Just thought this maybe handy, can we swap our files or have a download section we can all tap into?
    eman

  7. #7
    soforene's Avatar
    soforene is offline The Troll formerly known as Herbert Von Poople-Futtocks
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    It already exists.

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