Algodritmo said:
Mmm... yes, I can think of a better system, just the normal system used forever in every forum: let people post freely, and moderate, and even ban if needed. Or at least after a reasonable number of posts, 10 or so in different days, showing that it's not mere spam.
So why not instead join any other forum that you think has a better system? I don´t mean that in an aggressive way.... Im just wondering why you think this forum is so different than others? I don´t know about you, but one of the main differences I see between the Nexus and other forums is the general attitude, the friendly atmosphere that remains even with thousands of users, and the quality of posts. This system of selecting who is a full mebmer is in great part responsible for that.
As you can see, this forum is over a decade old, and you can bet we tried many different ways, from ¨free for all¨, to mod-only approval, to weekend-only joining, eventually to this system where all members can vote for your promotion, not just mods.In this process, there has been a lot of discussion in the background on how to improve things. This system we are pretty confident is working well.
See, we are not just looking for numbers, more people to join in that simply ¨arent spam¨. We are actually looking for people with a specific attitude, that will post quality posts, and even if they aren´t yet knowledgeable, that they will maintain the atmosphere, ask good questions, eventually help others with what they learn, etc. And this is certainly not possible if everyone is allowed in after a few posts.
Now, is this a perfect system, or is there even such a thing as a perfect system? Probably not, but we are trying to get it as best as possible. We get a lot of benefits in maintaining the quality of community.. The main problem in this system I see is that people don´t have the patience to wait and we end up losing some possible valuable members (then again, is it possible at least in some of those cases we are eliminating some impatient people we are better off without? ).. It´s a price we pay, but we hope that the people who will really contribute will understand this system and will be patient and eventually be promoted.
As downwardsfromzero said, you can always post in the welcome area regarding a topic that you don´t yet have access to, just reference it in the title. Also, im not sure if you noticed but the research subforum is open to all members (and on a personal note that´s my favorite subforum)