2old2play Going Invite Only
So with this switch to V3 coming along (I know its still not here) we have been talking about the ways people get involved with 2o2p, join clans, meet people etc. One of the things we noticed was how hard it is for someone to really get involved with the community and how often that person just leaves after a day or so on the site.
This is mostly do to the fact that new people have the impossible task of breaking into an already insular clan and meeting completely new people that probably don't want some new guy crashing their party. As such one of the only ways to get into the site is through hanging around the main forums or knowing someone already on the site in another clan. We tried for the longest time to figure out ways of bridging this gap but it was pointless without making drastic changes to how clans operate.
Instead we have decided to keep clans just as they are, but instead change the way people hook up with 2o2p. Starting at the launch of V3, 2old2play will go into invite only mode and new members will have to be invited by "good standing" members of 2o2p in order to participate actively in our community. We will also offer motivated new members an oppertunity to sign up via peer review in order to stream line the proccess of getting new people hooked up with the right clans.
As an example, a completely new member could request to join 2o2p by giving us a little background on what games they play, what style of player they are, and what type of clan they're looking for. From there we can use our (already in place) welcome wagon to direct that person to a clan or leader that might be able to help. This will be a very limited amount of people but in the end should produce quality over quantity while helping to grow already exsisting clans with new members directly.
Invites will be given to members based on standing within the community so any new person invited will be automaticly tagged with the person who invited them. This not only helps show off your recruiting powers, but allows a small bit of acountability to filter in when new people are linked with an older memeber. Members will be able to see who invited who and how many invites they have sent out. We will probably limit these invites in someway in order to kill spamming, but it should be fairly open.
Speaking of spam, this was another reason we decided to go invite only. Spam would basically die off completely. The remaining spam accounts that are laying dormant on the site would be caught fast simply because any invites they send out will be tagged to them. From there we can just take out the entire chain in one swoop without trying to figure out who invited who.
As for the content on 2o2p, nothing will change. Permissions as you see them now remain 100% untouched so people who like to browes the site without a membership can still fully do so. The only real difference here is how people sign up with 2o2p and interact with the community. Oddly enough, when I started 2o2p in 2005 this is really how it worked anyway. People got into the site because of word of mouth or playing with us online and I think that's how it should still be even today. If you have any thoughts on the subject please let me know in the comments below. Game on!
doodi
Comments (82)
Sounds like a solid plan. Is there any system in place to remove inactive members? If someone doesn't log in for a couple years for example do their accounts get wiped? Just wondering if that would help with future upgrades. \r
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The quality over quantity is something we added to our clan from the get go, and I swear by it. I rather have a smaller active clan than a large clan with many members not active.
Sounds reasonable. BTW Can we rename v3 to 2old2play+ ?
Brilliant!!!
I don't know if I understand this or not, but it seems like a bad idea to me. You want the main forums to grow, but it seems like you're going to stifle that growth. Maybe I'm just missing something. Or maybe you're happy with the amount of current members. I'm just not sure I like the idea.
@Geekboy\r
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I do want the main forums to grow, but I don't mind waiting for that to happen with quality over quantity. \r
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Simply put, if a new member wants to join without the invite he has the option with a peer review. That's the type of member we want anyway so it doesn't do much to hurt the active people who look for new communities. If anything it just cleans up the signal-to-noise ratio of sign ups. \r
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The thing is, you need to be a certain type of person to join up here. For a lot of people, simply being an older gamer isn't enough. There are still social hurdles to walk through that many people just don't have the time or energy for. Because of this, I'd rather have the option to take a new member by the hand and point them in the right direction then to just sit by and do nothing. \r
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As it stands now, we don't have that option with the amount of spam, 1 time accounts, or underage members we get every day. To put it into perspective, we get over 20-40 new registers every day. Of that amount, lets say may 1 is a member who wants to be active within 2o2p. How do we find that person? With all the bullshit accounts around its nearly impossible. \r
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On the flip side with a peer review system, we can take that 1 person each day and ask him/her what type of clan or gaming they are into. From there we can point them in the right direction and help to find them a great place to game. \r
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On top of all this, invites can be sent out from people within 2o2p to help the process even further. If you have a friend you know loves gaming and want to be involved, you just need their email address. You have a direct link to that person to help them along on 2o2p. In fact we can even set it up to work right through facebook and have the accounts linked on the fly.
Good idea! :)
Can we uninvite existing members? Yeah, that's right Dixon, I'm looking at you..... :P
V3 like the cake is a LIE !!!!!! lol\r
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But seriously I have been a member here for something like 2 years now I have lost track somwhere along the way, and have been hearing about V3 scince joining so in all regards to that situation its time to shit or get off the pot.\r
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As far as the recruit a friend idea goes I am gonna have to side with geekboy on this, I understand that originally this site was operated in this way, but 2o2p has at least 100x the member base as what it had then. \r
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And currently it seems to be a handful with the limited staff you employ. switching to some sort of review process ultimately in my opinion will cost you members as I forsee a backlog of processing memberships.\r
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Also on that note I have heard many times how you want to break down the wall of elitism currently facing a new member as far as several clans and or members here seem to employ, but stances such as \"You need to be a certain type of gamer to join up here, simply being an older gamer is not enough\" is a direct contradiction to the very thing you are trying to eleminate.\r
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Ultimatley the decision is yours as the allseeing overlord of this site, and no matter what decision is made it will all come togethor and work in the end and 2o2p will go on being the great community that it alaways has been.\r
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If we are going to go \"invite only\" I would suggest we have a group of members with their gamertags posted somewhere on the site. If someone wants to get in they should play with one of these recruiters.\r
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I remember a saying that you can tell quite a bit about a person when you play a game with him/her.
@POWERROB_3000 \r
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The statement of \"You need to be a certain type of gamer to join up here, simply being an older gamer is not enough\" is really taken out of context or you're are completely misunderstanding the meaning. The point is, members who join here usually have to be motivated enough to weed through a lot of bullshit to fit in. We want to take down this barrier and help people find a place to call home. \r
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Again, the full quote is \"For a lot of people, simply being an older gamer isn't enough. There are still social hurdles to walk through that many people just don't have the time or energy for.\" This has nothing to do with being elitist and speaks more to a time management issue. \r
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As for shitting or getting off the pot, I'll get off when I'm ready to poop.
@Corcharo \r
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Exactly what I believe Corcharo. In fact, that is really what a peer review is. The added bonus is that members can also invite other members quickly and easily. In reality this isn't to different from how it is now. People who post in the new in town section (which will be the same section as peer review) tend to have an easier time fitting finding new gamers. This method just insures we only get these types of members.
@buckeye75 \r
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As much as I laughed my ass off there, the question is actually a good one. \r
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Because invites are tagged to the person who sent it, you have an accountability for who you invite into our home. If they suck we will obviously ban them, but we probably wont let you invite many more members either.
I'm not sure restricting membership is the best way to address a site with dwindling activity.\r
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That said I'm along for the ride and will do my part to invite some quality players to check it out.\r
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However I'm an \"active\" member of the site and have had a hard time finding a new home of like-minded players since the Art of War clan imploded due to Gears2, so I would be surprised to see the invite system fix the \"wall of elitism\" issue.\r
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Certainly a bold step and I hope it works.
it might just be my anti-social/social anxiety flaring up, but I like the idea. operate by invite only, build the community with the community we already have and eventually take over the world as the secret society of gamers who's mystique and allure brings fear to the hearts of the non-gamer we would be myth and legend....we could be the Illuminati of the gaming world.
How many current and casual members do we have now that would be considered \"active\"?\r
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I'm just wondering is all. I know the list of noob accounts with zero posts is astronomical, I was just wondering how many we actually have that are active...\r
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As a suggestion, couldn't you limit posting activity to the \"New peeps\" forums until someone has given them an \"invite\" to join 2o2play. This may eliminate the need for people to actively recruit, and allow for those noob no post accounts to be deleted anyways.\r
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Just a thought.
Hmmm. Well, Ill go ahead and out myself as someone who has very little time for actually hooking up regularly with a clan. I dont really use this site for that. But, when a specific game comes out that I like and has a co-op feature I do come here to look for partners to play through with...but that doesnt happen with any real regularity...sometime I go quite awhile between games. But I do come on here almost daily and read/post to the forums.\r
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My question I guess is am I being shown the door?
I had a question about the retention of current members and the criteria used to determine good standing. Some of us don't post or blog on a daily basis and may have no name recognition outside of their respective clan...I doubt that you have even heard of me. I am far more involved on the console side of the clan than the website side of it...I don't think that the level of site participation should necessarily be an impediment for receiving an invitation to V3 and I hope that's being taken into consideration. Will that decision ultimately be left to clan leaders who know the members the best or will standing be based on site participation? Thanks!
I like the two issues you are addressing, spam control and a little social guidance. \r
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When I signed up, it was out of pure frustration with Timmies. I instantly hit the boards looking for a Halo clan, someone pointed me in the right direction, and I had a \"home\" within a week. \r
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It would be awesome to do this for new members, both for the benefit of the members and the growth of the site. It is kind of intimidating to join a large site and find your own way....like you said, \"You need to be a certain type of gamer to join up here.\" I think this will help.\r
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Quality over quantity all the way.\r
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Wait, wait, in this context how do \"all inclusive\" and \"invite only\" work? I keep checking the calendar for confirmation this is a little prank, but I guess it's not. \r
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Seriously, wasn't the addition of more moderators and community managers and such supposed to address these issues?\r
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Are you thinking that exclusivity will be some kind of marketing tool for future members?\r
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Look, I get that you guys do this on a volunteer basis and have real jobs and such. I know from personal experience how much work it can be to maintain a website, police it, produce content and such. But I have to believe that there are plenty of other sites that overcome these same issues without basically locking the gate and making people beg for admission.\r
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I know it's a lot different these days than it was in the beginning. When I originally joined I was member # 575 and now we're up to what, over 20K? That can't be easy to manage, and I'm willing to bet, Doodi, that you never expected to be dealing with volume like you deal with today. Kudos for creating a place where so many want to come together.\r
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But this move seems to fly in the face of the effort you've made of late to get people back into the public areas. Don't you think this place is cliquish enough as it is without adding an even bigger hurdle for people to overcome to join? This, to me, just seems like it's going to essentially force people to audition for membership to the site in general instead of distributing that job out to the respective clans.\r
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Not trying to sound like a dick here, but this move seems to be a step away from what you guys have only recently been trying to do.
Although at face value the idea initially appears a bit ass-backwards it does make sense from the perspective of recruiting active quality members instead of a large quantity of inactive or casual members. No solution is going to be perfect and as much as we all like the ideal being an open community to all; the reality is that we are just too big already. If by this route we can increase the quality of topics/post in the general forums and get rid of the spam and other bullshit this \"might\" draw some folks from behind the walls of their clan forums and grow the community from within rather than from outside. i say give it an honest shake and re-evaluate in 6-8 months.
It will probably lead to a clans-only site, which is fine provided the clans are more precisely defined (regarding games played, assiduity required, etc) to encourage application.\r
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Even for someone looking for clan, and with the help of the welcome wagon, it can be very confusing to choose from all the clans.
I wouldn't have gone through a peer-review process to get into the site. It probably means I am not the type of gamer you guys are trying to recruit, but I wanted to throw in my .02. I'm not terribly active on the site and don't actively seek out new people to play with, but the group I have latched on to is a pretty tight group of guys who I'm glad I got the chance to meet. So thank you 2O2P for that.
@MiketheKnife\r
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I wouldn't have gone through the peer interview process here either. And I'm a very active member on the site.\r
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Besides, who has time to do peer interviews? Exactly where are we going to find new people? I game with only 2o2p people .
seems like alot of moderation? someone's gonna be in charge of letting the newbs in the house?....\r
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I think this is a good idea BUT I agree with Lala and Mike, if there was a review process or I had to get \"approval\" I would have probably moved on to another site. I am not a patient person and whenever I join a new site or something I want to get in right away to get my feet wet. If I had to dick around I probably would not wait around.\r
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But in saying that, it doesn't matter to me that much. As far as being a member here now I like the idea as it will cut down on the spam and keep the member base more active.
Couple of things\r
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1) @SarcasmoJones had a question about the retention of current members after V3. Nothing is happening to your accounts on 2o2p. Everyone stays and we're not trying to exclude ANY members. We don't care if you never post or just stay active with your clan. In fact, invites are meant just for that reason. We want clans to be able to bring more people into the fold if need be in a fast way.\r
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2) @RyanFromVegas No one is being shown the door and no member is being devalued here. In fact, a change like this should make it easier to find more people to play with when a new co-op game comes out. We want less noise and more gamers.\r
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3) @velvet396 Dwindling site activity doesn't bother me. The only time that matters is if people genuinely don't like 2o2p and decide not to use it. If this happens I'd either close it down or move it to a smaller server and just leave a light on. I gave up a long time ago on monetizing this place and it survives only by the interest of the people on it. \r
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To be fair though, clan activity is up for the most part and if that is what the site decides is most important to them, then I feel like its in the sites best interest to play to that strength. \r
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4) @Arvind: \"Seriously, wasn't the addition of more moderators and community managers and such supposed to address these issues?\" \r
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Not really no. They serve as a way to simply moderate people around the site or work to bring more members in. In the case of bringing in more members, this method should serve an invite only structure even better. \r
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5) @shadowr4ven: \"I mostly see this as a huge spam filter, which is fine by me. I don't see Doodi denying many people\" \r
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This is an important idea. There is very little \"review\" in terms of what we are looking for in a member. In fact, if you're an older person who plays games you're in.... The point is to help guide the new player into a proper clan, forums, etc. It's not to bring about new unnecessary rules or regulations on new members. We don't want people to jump through more hoops to join, we want less.\r
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6) @bunsen27 \"i say give it an honest shake and re-evaluate in 6-8 months.\" \r
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This is probably the best quote so far from the comments. It's a test. The thing I love so much about 2o2p is how flexible it really is. If we try something out and its terrible, who cares. All we waste is a bit of time to take a chance on improving something. If i was worried about advertising, membership numbers, or traffic, I'd never have the balls to push for new ideas and features. Well I'm not. \r
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7) @MikeTheKnife I'm kind of wondering honestly. While I'm sure you wouldnt have put up a whole speech, you probably made a post on the site right? How did you get into the groups you're in now? The way I see it, that shouldn't change to much over all. If it does, we can drop it.\r
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Keep the concerns and questions coming people.
If we call v3, 2old2play +, I don't anyone pissing in my \"stream\" since they won't be able to post on my Wall. Anyhow, what exactly is a member in good standing? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I speak for a lot of us that do not want to trying logging in one day only to find that we can no longer do so because we weren't in good standing. This was already mentioned a few comments ago but many of us are pretty active in our respective clan forums and will pop in to some of the general/public forums from time-to-time but it would be nice to know what we can do to prevent ourselves from being locked out.
I really think you should reconsider locking out people who want to join without an invite. I joined last year not knowing anyone here and not even hearing of the site before. I joined a clan shortly thereafter and have been actively playing with the clan since then as well as others outside of the clan. \r
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I would guess that there are a lot of active members that joined without a referral and locking them out would only prevent many potentially active people from joining the site.
@doodirock @Powerbob. \r
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If you get off the pot when you are ready to poop YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.\r
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Otherwise, I don't know enough about what the downside is to having a lot of members joining and a few of them jumping through the hoops required to be connected vs requiring a few people to jump through hoops before joining. It seems like unnecessarily narrowing the gate and can say with certainty it's a step I never would have taken if it were required.\r
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Now that may be the point. I could be exactly the kind of person you are looking to keep out.\r
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What will we gain from this change? A more active main forum? The only way I see that happening is if the handful of people that contribute to the main forums have this vast untapped reservoir of like-minded friends that they are currently withholding knowledge of the site from because it's not an exclusive enough club.\r
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The only gaming friends I have I met here. This policy would have prevented that from happening for what I consider to be a questionable benefit.\r
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And final snarky comment...If 2o2p were \"flexible\" v3 wouldn't take 41/2 years.\r
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Sukadik.
@Cardiac_Wolf \r
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No one would be locked out. Invite or not, any member can put in a request to join the site simply by posting in our new in town forum. We wont deny anyone access to 2o2p so long as they are older gamers over the age of 25!\r
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@loki619 \r
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You guys need to look over my comments to other members, but I'll just say this again. No accounts currently with 2o2p will EVER CHANGE. What I said was only some members would be allow to invite NEW members to the site. These \"good standing\" members will probably be members with a certain post count, clan members, mods etc. \r
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There will be NO action taken against current memberships when we switch to V3. \r
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P.S. On a side not to new comments. Please read some of my responses to the other member comments as a lot of the concerns are already addressed. I'll say it one more time though. Nothing will change with your own day to day action on 2o2p other then your new ability to invite people directly to the site and into your clan. You get MORE options with this change and not less. Your accounts will not be changed in any way. \r
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The real and only change is simply how we bring in new members to the site. We are looking for more quality then just sign ups.
I think back to when I joined, and quite honestly, it was very much like a 'Peer Review', even back then.\r
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I lurked for a few months, then one day decided to apply to DivXX. Ran around in Halo2 with a bunch of great guys and gals, enjoyed Halo2 even more than I had before.\r
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After that, most games I've tried have been with other 2o2p'ers, though these days it's mostly wow ;)\r
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So I don't see much of a change from how things have worked practically in the past, as opposed to what will happen in the future, other than making it a forced process rather than a natural one.
@FreynApThyr The biggest down side is probably spam. \r
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Aside from that the only real hoop here is a person making that first post saying \"what's up.\" I'm fairly sure that most active members, including yourself, made a similar post when joining. That's really all a \"peer review\" is. It means we are able to pick up the people that want to learn more about 2o2p right away. It basically weeds out spam, dormant accounts, and disinterested parties right off the bat. The people you are left with are the ones that take a second to post a thread in new in town. I'd venture to say that is about 90% of the people I see comment on this blog as well.\r
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As for the invite side of things, it just speeds up the process even further since members who invite others already have someone to help them around the site and into clans. They don't need to waste time posting in new in town or introducing themselves. \r
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When i weigh the pros and cons I actually see a lot more pros on the table. I think the real issue is that people see the word \"peer review\" and think of some type of test. That's my fault on using terrible wording and the truth is I would never join a site that I had to apply for either. It would probably be better to call it membership request or introduction membership. It's simply allowing a new member to say hi before they have a chance to join. I don't think that is much different then what most active members did when they first got here. \r
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Will it stifle the growth of the site a bit? Probably. I'm just not sure that is a bad thing. A slower more manageable growth cycle with almost no spam is a fairly decent up side. If the down side is 1 or 2 less members a month, I'm kinda ok with that.
Cool, thumbs up, let's do this.
What if I invite myself? Will that throw the site into a never ending loop and rip a hole in the space and time continuum???\r
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Sounds like a good plan. Dood, you rock and 2old2pwn kicks ass. \r
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I am active on and off depending on work, but it sounds like that will still be ok. I can live with the suggested changes.\r
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I would say that doing some bi-annual or quarterly 'advertising' (just something simple like a post at the current FOTM game forum) for the site might help membership. I had never even hear about the site until someone (penguin avatar?) had their blog linked at hbo. Seriously - it was like where have you been all of my life. I wish i had found this in 2005...
Interesting idea, hopefully it works out well.
I agree something needs to be done about spammers, but you're walking a fine line here, and I'm not sure this is the right move. I'm sorry, but when I hear \"peer review\", I think exclusivity. Show us why you belong at 2o2p. It's like an old boys club. People aren't going to research further, and you're going to lose some people who could have been good members of 2o2p. I'm with Mike, Lala, and others here...I would have gone elsewhere if I heard there would be some sort of peer review. There are other ways to deal with spammers - other sites don't have the problem, and they don't go the invite only or peer review route to do it.
I'm kind of torn over this idea. I'm one of those \"didn't know anyone on the site when I joined\" members. If I'd read that I needed to pass a peer review to gain access, I'm not sure thAt I would have proceeded forward. Even though I understood a peer review would come with a request to join a clan, at that point I'd be asking for entry to a smaller tight knit group; if all I wanted to do was find some generally interesting adults to game with then this new scheme would totally turn me away. I don't think that's the intent, but I can see that happening.\r
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How can I become a supporter of the invite scheme? To begin, there needs to be written clarification of what exactly constitutes peer review. If all you need is a post in the new in town forum, then we haven't stopped the spammers from getting in the door. If more is required, then exactly what?? 2 posts, 20 posts, a PM to a moderator or clan overlord? What if I want to join 2o2p but not join a clan- same process or not? I'm asking that you give this a thorough think and define exactly what you intend of the applicant and the site staff...\r
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No one seems to have hit on the idea of pointing the noobs to the clans. Not all the clans are open to new members. So, even with an invite, there'd still be a hurdle for newbies to get into clans. Or, are you suggesting that all clans will need (read 'be required') to open their membership doors?
I think its a good thing. I dont think the peer review is what it means. Its not a fuckin phd thesis. Basically, a post in the new in town forums introducing yourself is pretty easy. I think anyone that invites someone will take a more proactive role in helping them find a niche in 2o2p instead of someone just joining up and being overwhelmed by the 200 clans and all the 70 billion diff forums on here. There is no shortage of 'old' 2o2p members posting welcomes in the new in town forums...they're like the walmart greeters. We've got a good department for that going now. Just need to put in a little to your online gaming community to get more out of it. 2o2p is what you make it. \r
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Its less a peer review and more a 2o2p mentor program, IMO. Its heavily dependent on the community to be...a community. I have no plans on opening my clan to everyone. If you're new, you'll have to go through the same crap everyone else does. Game with us, see if you fit, etc. If not, I'll point you in a direction more suited to you.\r
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2o2p is definitely going through some growing pains and I think the mentor program is a good step toward a tighter more helpful community. The kinder, gentler, 2o2p. You invite someone, they're tied to you. Be their guide. Help them along in the sea of crap on here. Introduce them to people you know, host a game night, etc.\r
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Stopping spammers is a welcome side effect of this.\r
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^^^^ What ATC said...
@doodirock I'm all for this in theory. The question I have is, who gets to do all this extra work? The site is a labor of love as it is. I am all for reducing spam but with everything else going on who is going to take on the responsibility of \"working the door\"?\r
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Do you have a plan in place or will you be looking for volunteers? If there is a plan in place and I can commit to help support it, I'd be happy to volunteer.
As a newer member to 202P I think that this sounds like a good idea. I think the problem here is the terminology used (as has been commented earlier) people are seeing the \"peer review\" as some kind of test which does not seem to be the case. I see it as a tool to help a new member quickly find people that they can play the games they want to play with. I did post on new in town and was made to feel very welcome and have been able to get online with likeminded gamers. I think that this review would just streamline the process which would benefit everyone involved.
Back when I was wanting to join a COD Clan I went with PCP, and let me tell you, trying to join was like signing my soul over to the devil with their bullshit contract I had to sign. The process of joining was ridiculous. So as far as invite only, as long as we don't make new people feel the way I felt well I say why not lets go invite only.\r
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So instead of just filling out some info and clicking join; you are now going to have to fill out some info and submit it to a group that does a \"Spam Review,\" and then you get an invite.\r
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Plus, instead of just a welcome, you will get pointed toward the clans and forums you might be interested in.\r
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Sounds like a win to me.
Just an informal poll of the results...\r
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Positive comments are outweighing negative comments (or maybe \"for\" and \"against\" would be a better way of looking at it, almost everyone has been pretty positive) by a 3:2 margin.\r
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Of course the majority is absolutely wrong and my viewpoint is the best so far, but once again doodi is a better gauge of the pulse of what adult gamers want then I am.\r
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Wwe are sacrificing a lot of functionality lately in the quest to get rid of spam that ultimately does not take away as much enjoyment from the site as do missing comments on the front page and an open enrollment process. \r
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That being said, thanks for taking the time to not just write all this shit up, but to also monitor the feedback and respond. I'm sure most sites would have just made the change without inviting any feedback at all *cough* netflix *cough*\r
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The terrorists have won.\r
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This site still sucks.
I agree with Armada99. i think Peer Review is the wrong word to use. That seems a little extreme, if all you are referring to is a post in the forum introducing yourself sate it simply as that. \r
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peer review give the notion of an interview and i don't think that is what you guys are looking at. if understand that correctly.
Great idea Snuphy. Like Doodi said in his response to my post, I did make a 'howdy do' post when I got to the site. However, if I had felt like I was making an 'application' or something like that it would have turned me off. So I think Snuphy hit it on the head--it's the idea of 'Peer Review' that turns me off. If it was renamed as a trial membership, or even a 'new recruit' type thing, I'd be a lot more in favor of that then making it sound like I have to go before a Judgment Council of my Peers just to get in the door.
One addition--I don't like the idea of calling it a mentor program, just because that smells of 'you need to be taught a thing or two'. If you are truly looking for mature and independent gamers, I don't know how many will want to feel like children getting taught lessons. But that could just be my personal interpretation of the word 'mentor'.
Lets do this!
+1 to Snuphy's idea of the trial membership! like others it's the words \"peer review\" that would have turned me away...\r
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And, with a trial membership, the site can cut down on the only 1 or 2 visit ever members because their memberships will expire if they don't make an intro or other SIMPLE next step to obtain the \"full membership\"\r
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I just don't want to see people turning away because they think the 2o2p community is going to judge them personally or their playing or posting ability.
So...the site is cliche-y. And that is going to be solved by *increasing* the barrier to entry?\r
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And the site is spammy, but you're not going to solve that problem by increasing security features? \r
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Seems opposite of what is logical in my brain, but I've always said, \"eh, not my site\". \r
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I like the evil version of peer review.\r
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I picture a new person sitting in a chair in a very dark room with one spotlight on them. They are faced by a semicircle shaped elevated table with 5 shadowy hooded figures staring down at them. The new person must answer a barrage of questions fired at them or a button is pushed and they are dropped through a trap door never to be seen again. I think it works.\r
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People love to join stuff where they need an invite imo. Look at Google + for fucks sake. You can't go a forum anywhere without reading posts of people asking for invites.
Alright... I don't really have an opinion on the invite situation. However...\r
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When is the design and functionality of the site changing? Or is it? \r
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Thanks.
I've been here six years and still don't know any of you old fogeys. I like the \"get off my lawn\" idea being presented here. Keep out the riff-raff and flush anyone who isn't able to crack a beer, say hello and take the guided tour. There WILL be a guided tour of v3 right? And beer? And cake and balloons?
As a new member that joined this past weekend, I can say that this is a great idea. \r
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The recruitment process was a bit unintuitive and convoluted but eventually I started to get in contact with some folks that had similar gaming interests. \r
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The \"peer review\" idea may very well streamline this process by, as doodirock says, holding the hands of the new recruits and pointing them in the direction that they should look. \r
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Just the 2 cents of a newb :)
As an active member who fights for time to able to connect with clan & site, i think i get what trying to be done and understand why. I myself don't shit, eat, and breathe being on my console (due to time restrictions) but when i do get the time i would like to click online with people who want to shoot the shit and kick a bit of ass. This site provides that and for it i'm grateful! If the objective is to provide that, i'm down. I hope you get to clean up spam & 1 timers! This site should be for the hardcore and the when possible ass kicker. Clans separate the 2 but everbody's welcome. Keep up the good work & good luck balancing the bullshit and different:)
Everything sounds good!\r
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I am maybe one of the few members that takes prolonged breaks though. I'm currently on the last leg of a seven-month deployment to the Middle East & I'll be back soon, but I'd be terribly disappointed to come back & have had my inactivity be a cause for removal. \r
Even now, this message is coming to you from 2o2p member LOKI619 after informing me of the possible changes.\r
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Thanks for everything you & your crew do Doodi. 2o2p is a home away from home!\r
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-Jay CoqRocket
I have registered on the site, but find it frustrating that I cant even look at the forums to establish where I should belong. I know other members from the site, but I wouldn't want them to stake their \"reputation\" on me, as I don't know if the racing in my case is what I am after.\r
I can't even get past the profile settings as it resets to default after each entry.\r
Someone help please!\r
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Viking_Supreme
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Gamers will get in...spam will stay out...guaranteed.... right?
Uhm...\r
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Postcount might constitute a member in good standing? You serious, doodi? So some peabrain spamming lolcats in the unrelated thread ten times a day becomes a member in good standing and a solid, clan involved gamer with little BBS-involvement gets to look in from the outside?\r
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Anyway, count me out of the recruiting by peer-review. No way I'm gonna stake my rep within 2o2p by bringing in people I have no control over, but can catch the backlash for. I wanna game with people in my age bracket, not dodge bullets because one guy I bring in looks funny at some uptight overlord of the barbie horse adventures clan.\r
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Basically, I'm not willing to ruin 5 years of being 2o2p. It means too much to me.\r
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Could you define \"Good Standing\"? It sounds like \"Incrowd close to doodi\" to me, for some reason.\r
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Could you define \"Quality\"? It sounds to me only 1 game forever gamers fit that bill. That is, peeps who religeously play Halo, Gow or COD BOPS exclusively and as such pwn the high heavens in those games.\r
What about gamers with a broad interest and as such can do well in afore mentioned games but never at the same plateau?\r
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I agree with the fact that spammers must be stomped out the root but asking the current group to stake their rep on new and unproven members is taking things a bit far.\r
Should you go forward with this idea I know one thing for sure; there is not enough pop-corn in the world to go with the future drama.