Why are foreign members being so problematic recently?

[PersonOfInterest]

Originally Posted by MoviePropMaster2008

Nope POI, you're the only one!

And what effective system do you suggest? These imbeciles sign up, wreak havoc and we end up banning them.

What's worse (other than the dudes who pipe in that there is an "easy fix" but never bother to tell anyone what it is) is the guys who don't technically violate any rules. They make minor mistakes, or create crappy pages, but they never cross the line to merit punitive action.

Kinda like the neighbor who plays his stereo loudly but only for a few minutes each night. Enough to annoy everyone in the neighborhood, but not long enough to merit calling the police on a noise ordinance complaint.

Hmmmm, someone who annoys everyone, but doesn't do anything to merit administrative action. Sounds kinda like you POI LOL

I post the same thing in every thread you've posted about this problem. So here it is again, plain and simple as can be. Close registration. Only allow people to register by request. Require them to create something decent in a sandbox and submit it for admin/mod approval. If it gets the go ahead, they are free to join and make edits/create pages/be useful/etc.

[MoviePropMaster2008]

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

I post the same thing in every thread you've posted about this problem. So here it is again, plain and simple as can be. Close registration. Only allow people to register by request. Require them to create something decent in a sandbox and submit it for admin/mod approval. If it gets the go ahead, they are free to join and make edits/create pages/be useful/etc.

You DO REALIZE that it takes a ton of time to 'vett' every single person who wants to be a member? I certainly don't want to waste my time do that. In government positions or openings on the Supreme Court, all those people are PAID to screen applicants. That's what you're missing here. Being PAID to waste hours and hours of our lives each day, which is something IMFDB MODS are not (paid that is) That's the 'solution' created by someone who doesn't think things all the way through.

Your post did make me think, but these 'changes' are BEYOND my power as a mere Mod. Bunni is the overall wiki sysop on the site and he alone can do this. Remember how banks and other place have you READ a contract and click the 'agree box' before being allowed to sign up (like on news sites). It won't stop vandals from being dicks (that is BEFORE we ban them), but it may help with forcing new members (with no malice in their intent) to actually READ the rules before posting erroneous stuff. Of course, there is NO WAY to avoid malicious intent. They can just be the 'model citizen' until they decide to become raving assholes. Something you're familiar with lOL

[PersonOfInterest]

Originally Posted by MoviePropMaster2008

You DO REALIZE that it takes a ton of time to 'vett' every single person who wants to be a member? I certainly don't want to waste my time do that. In government positions or openings on the Supreme Court, all those people are PAID to screen applicants. That's what you're missing here. Being PAID to waste hours and hours of our lives each day, which is something IMFDB MODS are not (paid that is) That's the 'solution' created by someone who doesn't think things all the way through.

Your post did make me think, but these 'changes' are BEYOND my power as a mere Mod. Bunni is the overall wiki sysop on the site and he alone can do this. Remember how banks and other place have you READ a contract and click the 'agree box' before being allowed to sign up (like on news sites). It won't stop vandals from being dicks (that is BEFORE we ban them), but it may help with forcing new members (with no malice in their intent) to actually READ the rules before posting erroneous stuff. Of course, there is NO WAY to avoid malicious intent. They can just be the 'model citizen' until they decide to become raving assholes. Something you're familiar with lOL

Unlike those assholes, I care about the well being of the site and have made constructive edits. Please don't lump me with them.

Another thing I'd like to add. Do we really need this website open to anybody and everybody? It seems new releases are dealt with fairly quickly, all the great gun movies have been done already, and all that's left are foreign films and non-action movies with one or two incidental appearances of firearms. (Like a scene with police officers or a hunting rifle on a wall.) Yes we need foreigners if we want to be thorough with foreign films. But unless somebody can really wow us with a sudden influx of 80 million complete screencapped captioned bollywood action film pages, there really is no benefit to allowing 60 trolls in for every one dude from Pakistan or Guatemala who pops in to add a single photo and leave.

Put up a list of criteria for new pages, make it clear what a page should look like, and let it be known that your first contribution needs to be a near complete screencapped and captioned page. Wanna reg just to make a few grammatical edits and add a photo or two? Too bad, you're not worth the risk, don't bother applying. If somebody is interested in becoming a contributing member, they'll understand and won't have a problem with it. Any application that isn't a certain length and doesn't include a certain number of pictures would be automatically discarded by the system before ever having the chance to bug anyone.

If this sounds like too much work, just increase the number of admins. I nominate...everyone on this board who is a senior member and is not me.

Also yes it's hypocritical of me to suggest this when I haven't created any pages myself. I acknowledge this and will get around to doing something about it when I can.

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

Another thing I'd like to add. Do we really need this website open to anybody and everybody? It seems new releases are dealt with fairly quickly, all the great gun movies have been done already, and all that's left are foreign films and non-action movies with one or two incidental appearances of firearms. (Like a scene with police officers or a hunting rifle on a wall.) Yes we need foreigners if we want to be thorough with foreign films. But unless somebody can really wow us with a sudden influx of 80 million complete screencapped captioned bollywood action film pages, there really is no benefit to allowing 60 trolls in for every one dude from Pakistan or Guatemala who pops in to add a single photo and leave.

If this sounds like too much work, just increase the number of admins. I nominate...everyone on this board who is a senior member and is not me.

To put it bluntly...No, no, and HELL no. This isn't just a web site; it is a Wiki. The entire idea of Wikis is that they're intended to be open to as many people as possible, in order to take advantage of the collective knowledge of everyone online who cares about the topic.

Also, just because we've had a few problems with "foreigners" lately does not mean that we're going to block them all out. You are encouraging a ridiculous (dare I say retarded) over-reaction to a minor problem, which would only introduce a host of new problems for those of us who are Admins. And as for increasing the number of Admins; in order to become an Admin, a person has to have contributed a substantial body of work (all matching our quality criteria) before they can be nominated.

We don't need to start implementing Soviet-style bureaucratic control every time we have a couple users who give us problems. And personally, I'd prefer that people stop suggesting this kind of shit whenever we do.

[PersonOfInterest]

Originally Posted by MT2008

The entire idea of Wikis is that they're intended to be open to as many people as possible, in order to take advantage of the collective knowledge of everyone online who cares about the topic.

Being open to everybody doesn't work too well. It's made wikipedia into a mishmash clusterfuck of unreliable information, which is why they're starting to crack down on their users. Blocking ip addresses linked to Scientologists, deleting the massive catalog of homemade nude photos, policing edits of religious fanatics to the point that those people ran away and made their own wiki in some dark exiled corner of the internet, not exactly things that are in the spirit of being free and open, but necessary to ensure the integrity and reliability of the site.

Also, imfdb is a much smaller site, with a very specific focus. It's simply not necessary to have the website open to every single person on the planet. My idea might even reduce the workload of the admins. If the application process is automated in some way to screen out obviously poor applications, the number that are actually viewed by human beings would be minimal. Additionally, with a better ratio of good contributors, there would be a reduced amount of poor or malicious submissions.

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

Being open to everybody doesn't work too well. It's made wikipedia into a mishmash clusterfuck of unreliable information, which is why they're starting to crack down on their users. Blocking ip addresses linked to Scientologists, deleting the massive catalog of homemade nude photos, policing edits of religious fanatics to the point that those people ran away and made their own wiki in some dark exiled corner of the internet, not exactly things that are in the spirit of being free and open, but necessary to ensure the integrity and reliability of the site.

Last I checked, Wikipedia also doesn't require Admins to approve all new users. Unless something's changed since I first signed up over there.

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Block the trolls out before they can get in and you'll reduce your workload. And this website already bans people, that's not my suggestion. My idea would probably decrease the number of bans. That's not draconian at all, considering the admins already have (and wield) the power to ban.

...which is assuming guilt before innocence. Sounds quite draconian to me. Most people who join are not trolls and make useful edits. Sorry, but once again, NO.

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

It's my solution to your problemYou came to the forums with a complaint, I answered with the best solution I could think of. I only champion this cause in threads you post.

At this point, what you are doing is "championing" a cause because you can't seem to admit you're wrong.

[MoviePropMaster2008]

Originally Posted by MT2008

To put it bluntly...No, no, and HELL no. This isn't just a web site; it is a Wiki. The entire idea of Wikis is that they're intended to be open to as many people as possible, in order to take advantage of the collective knowledge of everyone online who cares about the topic.

Also, just because we've had a few problems with "foreigners" lately does not mean that we're going to block them all out. You are encouraging a ridiculous (dare I say retarded) over-reaction to a minor problem, which would only introduce a host of new problems for those of us who are Admins. And as for increasing the number of Admins; in order to become an Admin, a person has to have contributed a substantial body of work (all matching our quality criteria) before they can be nominated.

We don't need to start implementing Soviet-style bureaucratic control every time we have a couple users who give us problems. And personally, I'd prefer that people stop suggesting this kind of shit whenever we do.

Also remember ..... pretty much only PersonOfInterest is the only one who keeps on bringing this up. Apparently he thinks that we are some sort of leviathan website with tons of paid staff with the manhours to institute draconian rules and punishments. Be aware of where the 'idea' comes from

[PersonOfInterest]

Originally Posted by Spartan198

I have to disagree with this suggestion. If it was a rule in place when I registered, I wouldn't be here.

Neither would I, and again the question is do we even need anymore new people if they're only going to make a few minor edits.

Originally Posted by MoviePropMaster2008

Also remember ..... pretty much only PersonOfInterest is the only one who keeps on bringing this up. Apparently he thinks that we are some sort of leviathan website with tons of paid staff with the manhours to institute draconian rules and punishments. Be aware of where the 'idea' comes from

It's my solution to your problem. I wouldn't have even said anything if you hadn't brought it up. You came to the forums with a complaint, I answered with the best solution I could think of. I only champion this cause in threads you post.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Block the trolls out before they can get in and you'll reduce your workload. And this website already bans people, that's not my suggestion. My idea would probably decrease the number of bans. That's not draconian at all, considering the admins already have (and wield) the power to ban.

[MoviePropMaster2008]

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

It's my solution to your problem. I wouldn't have even said anything if you hadn't brought it up. You came to the forums with a complaint, I answered with the best solution I could think of. I only champion this cause in threads you post.

And it's a impractical THEN as it is NOW. In the future, FIGHT the urge to respond to my rants.

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Sure. Except it's not an OUNCE of prevention. It's three hundred TONS of "prevention" versus a Pound of "Cure". It's hundreds and hundreds of extra MANHOURS. A point which you doggedly refuse to see.

[Spartan198]

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

and let it be known that your first contribution needs to be a near complete screencapped and captioned page.

I have to disagree with this suggestion. If it was a rule in place when I registered, I wouldn't be here.