How Can Forum Rules Be Improved for Newcomers?

[mikeym]

Hi,

Sorry about this but I'm finding as a new person to the forum that the rules are quite obstructive. I have a serious post to make about the physics involved in climbing and I would like to post a couple of diagrams to make my point clear.

Now I can't post images directly apparently and it seems I'm also not allowed to post a link to them until I've made 15 posts. I thought I'd get this out of the way by making a junk thread and requesting people just to ignore it but that got closed.

Is all this really necessary?

The first diagram I'm trying to link to is the combination of these 2 addresses:

getoutofglasgow .com/mikey/fallfactor.png

 

[mikeym]

In the meantime it would be nice to be able to make my posts.

 

[cristo]

Of course you're not allowed to start a junk thread to bump your post count! If you really want to post a link, then feel free to post a broken link and then report your post so that one of the mentors can change it.

 

[Hootenanny]

Hi mikeym,

The 15 post URL rule was introduced to prevent spam storms and as far as I know, we haven't had one since the rule was introduced.

Note that you can attach an image to a thread by using the paper clip icon when composing. I should mention that all attachments are moderated and need to be approved before they are viewable.

 

[mikeym]

OK, but how do I report it to you?

 

[Hootenanny]

OK, but how do I report it to you?

Using the report button in the lower left hand corner of each post.

 

[Kurdt]

There was a similar thread this afternoon.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=1728304

 

[cristo]

OK, but how do I report it to you?

Hit the red "report" button on the left of your post.

 

[vanesch]

To the OP: this rule was set up rather recently, because we had a lot of "one-hit" spammer posts, and most spammers want to post a link to this or that website. Of course, moderators removed them by hand each time, but this automatic thing has been quite effective at demotivating spammers.

Usually, when you are a true member of PF, you reach your 15 posts quite quickly, so this is, for each new member, only a short burden, while it cleans out very efficiently most spammers.

BTW, note that your postcount doesn't increase when you post in general discussion...

 

[mikeym]

I have to admit that I am probably a one poster as I have one very specific question, but I think that my post is perfectly valid, in which case as I said the rules are quite obstructive. (I've spend a couple of hours messing about with something that should have taken a couple of minutes.)

 

[Kurdt]

I have to admit that I am probably a one poster as I have one very specific question, but I think that my post is perfectly valid, in which case as I said the rules are quite obstructive. (I've spend a couple of hours messing about with something that should have taken a couple of minutes.)

I'm sorry it took you so long and I can imagine it is frustrating for you, but this is in place to maintain the quality of the forum. I'm sure that is something you can appreciate more than mere convenience.

 

[Evo]

I have to admit that I am probably a one poster as I have one very specific question, but I think that my post is perfectly valid, in which case as I said the rules are quite obstructive. (I've spend a couple of hours messing about with something that should have taken a couple of minutes.)

Mikey, how long does it take to type www dot mystuf dot com? Also, if you weren't sure how to contact a mentor, or how to write out a URL without the "."'s you could have just asked in your post.

 

[Redbelly98]

By the way, mikeym's question is an interesting one and it's always refreshing to see somebody using or trying to understand physics in a real-life example.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=234907

 

[mikeym]

Time to type the original + Time to try my way of getting 15 posts + Time to work out why I'd been locked out of that post + Time to post a new thread complaining about it + Time to work out what was and was not counted as a web address (apparently and thing with www[dot]anthing is enough) + Time to wait for a reply + a few more posts and replies + Time to retype my post because I'd lost the original by this point + Time to report my post so that it could be fixed.

And yes I'm a very slow typer :)

 

[cristo]

I'm sorry you wasted your time with this, mikey. You'll soon have posts so this won't happen again

 

[Evo]

Time to type the original + Time to try my way of getting 15 posts + Time to work out why I'd been locked out of that post + Time to post a new thread complaining about it + Time to work out what was and was not counted as a web address (apparently and thing with www[dot]anthing is enough) + Time to wait for a reply + a few more posts and replies + Time to retype my post because I'd lost the original by this point + Time to report my post so that it could be fixed.

And yes I'm a very slow typer :)

Oh no, that *is* a lot of work. Hopefully it will turn out to be worth the effort! Sorry you had to go through so much.