Author Topic: SIT: New Members and Surname Interest Table  (Read 18238 times)

Offline DudleyWinchurch

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SIT: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« on: Wednesday 09 September 09 11:21 BST (UK) »
Hi all,

was not sure whether this belongs here or on the Beginners board but just wanted to ask if it would be possible to mention the PM spam eliminator in the instructions for the SIT (or have I missed this).

The story is that I got quite excited today when I checked the SIT for the first time in a while and found not one, but two, new additions, one certain and one extremely probable for my family.

However, both are new members with NO POSTS, so I can't PM them so how can I get in touch?  Clearly they have no posts to respond to so I can't get around it that way.

The certainty may well be someone that I know and have advised to join RootsChat so I will try to find out by more direct means if it is who I think it is but the other is more tantalising, could be the same situation or could be yet another line of my second cousins that i have not ye made contact with.

Any beginners who read this, it's great to see your interests on the SIT, but you won't get responses through the private message system until you make three forum posts.  As longstanding members generally know this, we are quite happy for you to just make very general posts in the common room or on the beginners board to say hello or similar.
McDonough, Oliver, McLoughlin, O'Brien, Cuthbert, Keegan, Quirk(e), O'Malley, McGuirk (Ireland)
Dudley, Winchurch, Wolverson, Brookes (Black Country)
Concannon, Moore, Markowski (Markesky), Mottram, Lawton (Black Country)

Offline DudleyWinchurch

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Re: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 26 June 11 07:34 BST (UK) »
Hi all,

I'm deliberately reviving this thread as I have just reviewed my SIT entries, as I do several times a year, and found yet more new entries that seem to relate to my family.  However, I am unable to follow these up, as again, none have as yet posted any messages.

As these folk have all indicated a wish to be contacted (by adding to the SIT) I'm wondering if the moderators would consider some exemption of the 3-posts rule.

After all, it takes some effort to key in the details for each name added which would probably, of itself, prevent auto-spam from using it to access the post system.  Perhaps an alternative criterion of enabling post for those who have added at least three surnames could be considered?

What does anyone else think?

It's now looking to me as if, a lot of people join the site just to register their interests in order for people to find them, but then cannot be contacted because of the anti-spam system - and I do understand the need for protection in this way - but it seems to be becoming self-defeating for the SIT.

Another (though to me, possibly less effective) alternative would be, if some sort of auto-thank-you response could be generated for people joining SIT, direct to their email contact address, just to remind them that they will receive no contact messages until they have made several posts.  The reason that I think this would be less effective is that I think there may be lots of people out there who like to follow discussions, and would like to be contacted privately by people who have shared interests, but don't like to publish their views.

Again, feed-back from other researchers to this suggestion would be good.
McDonough, Oliver, McLoughlin, O'Brien, Cuthbert, Keegan, Quirk(e), O'Malley, McGuirk (Ireland)
Dudley, Winchurch, Wolverson, Brookes (Black Country)
Concannon, Moore, Markowski (Markesky), Mottram, Lawton (Black Country)

Offline Berlin-Bob

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Re: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 26 June 11 09:40 BST (UK) »
As you say, it's very likely that some new members join, add their names, and then sit (SIT ?) back and wait for someone to contact them. 

The SIT was created before the anti-spam measure was introduced, and, under present conditions, it is not possible to restrict entries only to members with 3 or more PMs.

Unfortunately it is not possible to send an e-mail to new SIT users with zero postings, and it would be self-defeating to explain anti-spam measures too often, publicly.

I agree that it is more awkward now, but as the spam is worse, at the moment this is "the lesser of two evils".

Bob
Any UK Census Data included in this post is Crown Copyright (see: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk)

Offline DudleyWinchurch

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Re: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 26 June 11 18:12 BST (UK) »
Hi Bob,

have just reread your response above and think that I have not made myself very clear.

I was not suggesting that people be excluded from the SIT until after posting 3 messages, rather the other way around. 

Would it be possible to use (a minimum of) three names in the SIT as an alternative criteria for unlocking the PM system, as this involves several deliberate selections, to discourage any automated attempts, and implies a wish to be contactible?
McDonough, Oliver, McLoughlin, O'Brien, Cuthbert, Keegan, Quirk(e), O'Malley, McGuirk (Ireland)
Dudley, Winchurch, Wolverson, Brookes (Black Country)
Concannon, Moore, Markowski (Markesky), Mottram, Lawton (Black Country)


Offline Pejic

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Re: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 26 June 11 19:14 BST (UK) »
If you think they are waiting for someone to contact them, why not post something they would seize upon and remind them of the 3 postings convention?
Richard Wernham (Berkshire 18th century),
William Hissey (1805 to 1813, Hampstead Norris),
Kapirin (Siberia 19th Century),
Kitching 1850,
Mary Howse born 1806 ish,
Chris Truelove marr. John Pocock 2-7-1696, Kintbury, Berks

Offline Pejic

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Re: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 26 June 11 19:18 BST (UK) »
Would it be possible for all changes to the SIT to be posted automatically to the forum?
Richard Wernham (Berkshire 18th century),
William Hissey (1805 to 1813, Hampstead Norris),
Kapirin (Siberia 19th Century),
Kitching 1850,
Mary Howse born 1806 ish,
Chris Truelove marr. John Pocock 2-7-1696, Kintbury, Berks

Offline Berlin-Bob

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Re: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 26 June 11 20:47 BST (UK) »
Quote
Would it be possible to use (a minimum of) three names in the SIT as an alternative criteria for unlocking the PM system, as this involves several deliberate selections, to discourage any automated attempts, and implies a wish to be contactible?
Not possible without rewiting the forum software.

Quote
Would it be possible for all changes to the SIT to be posted automatically to the forum?
Not possible without a major re-write of the SIT software

Sorry,
Bob

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Offline DudleyWinchurch

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Re: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« Reply #7 on: Friday 20 April 12 14:54 BST (UK) »
Would the addition of a brief message (in a bright colour) to remind people that they need 3 postings before they can be contacted, be at all possible, without major changes to the software?
McDonough, Oliver, McLoughlin, O'Brien, Cuthbert, Keegan, Quirk(e), O'Malley, McGuirk (Ireland)
Dudley, Winchurch, Wolverson, Brookes (Black Country)
Concannon, Moore, Markowski (Markesky), Mottram, Lawton (Black Country)

Offline Berlin-Bob

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Re: New Members and Surname Interest Table
« Reply #8 on: Friday 20 April 12 15:42 BST (UK) »
I'll think about that one :)

I sometimes feel that it doesn't matter what I write ("how to ..."),
or where I write it, people don't read it :(

yours in hope,
Bob
Any UK Census Data included in this post is Crown Copyright (see: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk)