Unregistered Guests

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:50 am

Why does this board give them a hard time?
I came from another board and I won't mention the name, but before I went for treatment I visited every day for almost a month without ever posting because I did not know if I even had the disorder. It was a very busy forum and quite a bit of fun and very informative for someone undergoing treatment.

Now that forum is a ghost town.
Why?
Because they changes their rules and made everyone register and became clickish and rude to new people.
My wife, who was diagnosed before me by almost exactly a year,posted a question and never returned to a forum since because she was bashed so bad it made her cry. She happened to use a product who's manufacturer was not a paying sponsor of the site I would guess.

Shame on them.
Is this forum going to demand registration to the flock of Guests that have come over from the other forums? Is "research guy" really a Resmed employee looking to upgrade the site to be more user friendly (if so, your site is too darn busy with too much print, I find it a hugh turn off) and if so, are we going to be mean to him because he might be new?

Sure, there are some rude Guests. But I assure you, some regulars are much ruder.

Is the DME owner a piranha because he is not an old timer here? Is he unwelcomed, too?

I recognize some of the unregisterd posters from the old forum. They are coming here because there is life here. People are getting better here and finding the most innovative products before the masses and it's been fun. Please don't let this wonder become the members only club (one new post a day)the other forums have become with their KEEP OUT policy. Thanks for listening.

unclebob · Post by **unclebob** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:57 am

Hi Isaac,

I am not sure what prompted your post as I certainly have never noticed "regulars" giving any guests a hard time. This is especially true if the guest appears sincere and seeking knowledge. I have seen many guests post that they found responses given them most helpful and compliment the forum for the exceptional knowledge and friendliness.

I do agree with you that there is no need to be rude to anyone - registered or not. I have witnessed feuds, name calling etc on rare occasions but these always seem to work themselves out and life goes on.

There were occasions when some guests became somewhat aggressive which prompted the discussion that only members be allowed to post. This notion seemed to die a quick death and guests have been most welcome and encouraged to post. I think many found so much benefit here that they quickly chose to register and relish the idea of being a real part of a benevolent community. Many of these same people have become our "new experts" and extend another helping hand to newbies.

Of course there have been times when a complete jerk tries to stir things up. After all this is a public forum and there are those kind of people out there. These are generally rare occurences due to the serious intent of posters to gain more information on a nasty affliction. The maturity shown by virtually all members and guests tends to leave the odd jerk ignored and without recognition, they simply go away.

I wish you and anyone else visiting this forum the same enjoyment and knowledge that I have gained. It's up to you if you want to register or not but you may feel a little more committed by registering.

Thank you for posting here and expressing your thoughts.

Bob F

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:55 am

Issac wrote:Why does this board give them a hard time?

Hi Issac,

Like Bob, I'm not sure that I believe your premise. I don't recall an instance of a "regular" bashing a Guest. I'm sure that has happened though, but what I have seen a lot of is just the opposite; "Guests" taking cheap shots at regulars, and "Guests" posting false statements.

What complicates the situation more is that some "Guests" here appear to have exactly the vested interest in a particular entity you attribute to the regulars on other forums. It's a pretty good bet that since cpaptalk is, by far, the best apnea forum on the web, it's not surprising that the regulars from other forums come here to read and to post. Many are registered here, of course, but some prefer to use the "Guest" moniker to attempt to perpetuate the same silliness as on the other boards. Usually, somebody here cares enough to take the time to politely refute such postings. If anything, it seems to me that you should be thanking those who do take the time to point out the differences between truth and fiction. It's part of what makes this forum great.

Folks here do care, and they take the time to keep this forum alive and well.

Regards,
Bill

dllfo · Post by **dllfo** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:38 pm

I have asked the "Guests" to register so we can get a feel for their knowledge base.

Put another way, there are many, many machines and masks that I know NOTHING about. If one of the regulars posts an opinion on it, I can usually know they are reliable. BUT if a guest posts....I have no idea WHICH guest it is.

We have some guests who are REALLY knowledgable and some who just make snide remarks. Some forums allow the person who starts a thread to block people who are not contributing anything positive to the thread. And I have used the block feature in that forum 3 times in a year. I wish we had it here.

I also wish guests could not post. You can call yourself superman if you want, who cares? But we can then judge the value of "Superman" inputs. Let a guest read all they want. Even let them PM people, but not post. I may be wrong Isaac, but I can't see a good reason for not registering IF you want to contribute positive comments to the forum.

I am not trying to argue with you and I hope I have not offended you, but you did ask. This is one of the best forums on the internet and I would like to see it stay that way.

In closing, I agree with NightHawkeye, the guests are normally not bashed by the regulars. Just the opposite from my observations. Can you please give a specific thread where you saw the guests being bashed by our regulars? Again, maybe I am wrong. Please show us where.....

scotty · Post by **scotty** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:46 pm

While I haven't been here a particularly long time and I've only posted a dozen or so times, I do read though a lot of the threads. I've never noticed anything to suggest that unregistered guests are given a hard time. On the contrary, the general feeling I get here is that it's a very supportive community with a lot of open discussions.

You mentioned things in that other forum, but nothing about this one. Just a lot of speculation. ????? If there's a problem, people want to help. You just have to let them know what happened in this forum, not the other one.

Bookbear · Post by **Bookbear** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:55 pm

The issue originally was spam, NOT regulars being rude to guests (something I haven't seen happen at all here). For example, the fifth post on dilfo's topic of inverted pillows on a Comfortlite II. It is nothing more than an nearly endless string of llinks pushing car and auto loan sites, all hosted by bizs-host.cv.ua I think any 'hostility' expressed towards Guest postings stems from irritation with such spam, and not the posts by guests seeking information.

Since it is so easy to set up an account (but could be made nearly impossible for spam bots such as the one mentioned above), it might be worth at least considering requiring guests to register to post. Guests could still visit the site and get TONS of information without registering. If they felt the site was worthwhile and if they felt the need to ask questions on their own, they could then register. I doubt that anyone seeking information on OSA or xPAP threapy would be put off by the need to register to be able to post on the forum.

My 37 cents, ymmv.

Snoozy Q · Post by **Snoozy Q** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:28 pm

When someone responds to a guest with “Who are you?” that could be read to mean “Tell us a little about yourself so we can help you better,” or it could be read to mean “In this forum the local custom is to register so please do so”, or it could be read to mean “Who the #&%@ are you?” --even if it wasn't intended that way . In an internet forum like this, statements are made with only a few lines of text to provide context, no body language, and no tone of voice to give clues on what is meant.

I appreciate frequent posters who are registered. I look forward to some folk’s posts because I enjoy their humor, or I am interested in following their progress in therapy, or I know they always have great tips on how to modify masks and hang hoses. But, I don’t see any problem with people posting as guest. If you're not posting frequently enough to build up a history and track record, I don’t see where registering gives you any more or any less credibility

Rastaman · Post by **Rastaman** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:58 pm

Yeah, we get alot of spam here but we're never banning guests that I heard of. So all's well that ends in the well.

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:38 pm

I have read some very good posts by guests.

I have also observed individuals hiding behind the "guest" being rude and offensive to regular posters.

When I "converse" with someone on the forum I would prefer knowing who it is.

Otherwise, which "guest" am I communicating with.

Is it guest1 or guest2?

I'd like to know who's on first, but not at the ex[ense of restricting the community.

Tom

MandoJohnny · Post by **MandoJohnny** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:28 pm

I am on a lot of forums on different topics. Most of the ones I am on will not let you post at all as a guest. You have to be registered and logged in to post. All you can do as a guest is browse and read. There are even some that have parts of the forum guests can't even read. I was surprised at the freedom guests have here. I think it is not a coincidence that this board also has way, way more spam than any other forum I'm on. There are also a lot of guest posts that are "ax grinding" where people don't want to take responsibility. My unsolicited advice to the moderator is tighten the rules, but that is up to him.

As to bad "netiquitte" in regards to guests, I haven't noticed it. However, if it has happened, I would remind the complainers that this is the internet, which is never a place for the thin-skinned. IMHO, if you haven't been "flamed" a few times, you are still a novice. I stay pretty much "extra crispy" all the time!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:03 pm

Snoozy Q wrote:I don’t see any problem with people posting as guest.

I agree, Snoozy. I think that allowing guest posts encourages some people who are newly diagnosed and new to message boards to feel more comfortable about posting their first questions.

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:44 pm

I agree-guest status is a way of asking first questions. The few who come to insult people and be generally obnoxious-I assume they are 9 year olds on the internet without parental consent or supervision.

Sleepy-in-AL · Post by **Sleepy-in-AL** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:01 pm

I also agree there is some value to allowing guests. However, all to often guest privileges are abused to SPAM us or to intentionally obscure the poster's history.

Registered users have the ability to identify the equipment they use and demonstrate a historical knowledgebase which we can use to determine the basis for the poster's point of view. All to often "guest" comes into an established thread and posts a snide comment or a "baiting" or "trolling" point of view with no way for us to determine whether their point of view is genuine or they are just stirring up trouble.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:32 pm

I must admit, I almost backed out of this forum (my first and only involvement with such) and it would have been a great loss to me because of all the valuable information and support I've received. Because of some posts I had seen and being limited in knowledge about the subject, I was afraid if I said something in innocent ignorance I'd get blasted. The pattern I've seen is that 99.9% of all responses are at least tolerant. That .1% will be in response to a guest's posting. (Okay, I made those numbers up - just my estimation.) But it appears that registered users are given more grace, or the benefit of the doubt, whereas there can be a rush to judgement when in doubt on a guest's posting. Sometimes I'll read a guest's input and cringe, almost dreading to read the next posts. Fortunately what usually happens is those "in the know" just put forth the facts, and they speak for themselves.

What I haven't been around long enough to see is how to spot a guest with ulterior motives, which I've figured out must be the case based on some responses. That is why I take some complaints with a grain of salt (what's that saying mean anyhow?) because the poster could be a plant doing a little reverse advertising for the competition. But I have seen a few exchanges hit the skids to varying degrees. Since I have a bad case of "defend the underdog" syndrome, I've stuck my nose where it wasn't my battle. Good thing I'm registered!
Kathy

Darth Vader Look · Post by **Darth Vader Look** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:25 am

Issac wrote:My wife, who was diagnosed before me by almost exactly a year,posted a question and never returned to a forum since because she was bashed so bad it made her cry.

Issac, I originally came from the TAS forum which at the time had guest posting. The problem with guest posting IMO (it has been mentioned many times here) is the generalization of the profile name. Anyone and everyone can be guest unless a second name is added by the guest. This really makes it hard to identify with this person. It also is conducive to spambots and spammers which is a big problem here.

I'm really sorry to hear about your wife and her experience. It would be good to know which forum this happened to her on. I use to post to 3 (TAS, cpaptalk.com & ASAA) out of 4 of OSA forums that I know about (TAS, cpaptalk.com, ASAA & sleepnet) using the same profile name, okay DVL on ASAA.

TAS totally eliminated guest posting and as a result it has gone down the tubes in regards to posting (they appear to be having an apnea event in postings ). There is still a lot of great people on that site though.

ASAA is overly moderated and big brother like at least to a few of us and as such I and others have left that forum. You would think that if they moderate it as much as they do they would at least answer some of the people who get no answers at all on that forum.

Sleepnet has some good people but again I didn't like the general environment of the forum there.

This site is by far the best forum for SDB. Lots of knowledgeable people who like to help out and you don't have moderators breathing down your back so to speak. None of the other sites go to the lengths that they do here to help you out. That is why this forum is so great. Lots of comradery. Ya we have a few heated moments but it all works itself out in the end. I know your wife would be welcomed in this forum as all are, with open arms, well with exception to Booty 1996 (damn it I had to bring that one into the post ).

Unregistered Guests

Unregistered Guests

Re: Unregistered Guests

Why even have guests?

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