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Subject: 
Re: LUGNET in its Senior Years? (was Re: How to properly "announce" MOC's)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.general
Date: 
Mon, 7 Jul 2008 01:04:10 GMT
Viewed: 
8363 times
  
In lugnet.general, Gereon Stein wrote:
   In lugnet.general, Jim DeVona wrote:
   The web/email authentication system strikes me as an unnecessary obstacle to casual discussion. Before I obtained a Lugnet membership last year (inspired by the Great Brickshelf Crisis of ‘07), I often had difficulty posting messages. Sometimes I chose not bother after my initial attempts failed.

Is that system in place for compatibility with the Lugnet news-by-email option? My opinion is that a simpler login and posting mechanism would be nice.

Hi Jim,

as a matter of fact, LUGNET members do not need to authenticate posts if they sign into the web interface and post from there (as I am doing right now).

I know; I am a member. As I said, the difficulties I experienced occurred before I became a member.

   However, unregistered users just cannot sign into the web interface and thus will have to authenticate posts sent via the web as well. The reason behind all this is simple: We need to be able to 1) prevent spam and 2) prove that posts came from someone with a valid email address. LUGNET posters are encouraged (read: required) to post with their real names, and a validated email address is (and always has been) a prerequisite for being able to post.

I do not advocate posting privileges for anonymous visitors either.

   Just btw., for just about any forum software and in just about any legislation it is highly recommended if not required that only logged-in users are allowed to post, and that accounts are activated through checking the validity of the signed-up email address.

Indeed. Elsewhere, this is done with a one-time email confirmation when you sign up for an account. Here, my experience before becoming a paid member was that I had to confirm each message posted on the web site by email.

If a simpler procedure was possible, it was not evident to me.

   What LUGNET does not currently have is a simple sign-up process - since acquiring a life-time membership currently still requires payment of a small one-time (!) fee. Since membership also buys you out of having to view advertisements on LUGNET pages, it’s probably an investment worth considering.

What I meant by my “simpler login and posting mechanism” suggestion was simply that anyone wishing to participate in discussions at LUGNET could sign up for an account, confirmed once by email, and thereafter post messages by signing in. Paid accounts would retain the other advantages they enjoy today.

I concede that my argument boils down to “why can’t LUGNET work more like other forums” - at least in terms of registration and posting. I concur that LUGNET’s content and organization are valuable assets. I just think it would be beneficial to the site’s vitality if it was easier for new people to contribute to that content.

Thanks for your response,

Jim



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: LUGNET in its Senior Years? (was Re: How to properly "announce" MOC's)
 
(...) Hi Jim, as a matter of fact, LUGNET members do not need to authenticate posts if they sign into the web interface and post from there (as I am doing right now). Only the news (NNTP) and mail interfaces require authentication even for (...) (16 years ago, 6-Jul-08, to lugnet.general, FTX)

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