Ok, this Anon character makes ATS less of what it was.

The "getting their feet wet" comment gave me an idea.

How about only allowing each individual a maximum number of Anonymous Posts!

Maybe something like 30, or 50 posts. (This should give them enough time to become addicted to ATS!)

This will allow these people to get their "feet wet" and decide if they want to become members. This will also stop people from never becoming a member and just always posting Anonymously, and also lightening the work load for the Mods who screen these posts!

[edit on 5/20/2008 by Keyhole]

That's a great idea, I think!
A good way to help BOTH sides.

I only wrote this because I couldn't give you a star!

reply to post by Keyhole

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i agree with clearskies, very good idea keyhole. excellent.

I think the AVATARS and the made up nick names that are shown are ANNONYMUS enough really...

....it is NOT like my 'site name' is the SAME name on my passport.......

....... and ATS is not requiring we post our real photo.


Anyway the anon posters have a way cooler avatar than I do.

I've already read several threads where the only good contributions were from the anon posters. There should be no reason to require registration to post one or two comments.

Putting anyone on ignore seems childish too, you may miss out on the worlds best advice simply because you disagree with some member, on some unrelated topic, from some previous, yet unrelated thread. If I open a thread I read the whole thing, even if I dislike a poster I still read what they have to say. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised, and GASP!!! they have changed my outlook on a subject.

It seems that people that love to argue with specific people don't like the anon postings because thay can no longer target a specific individual. I say keep it. When you are "known" for/ or related to your avatar, it's not anonymous anymore, is it?

reply to post by SantaClaus

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It's nice you wanna give a shout-out to your buddies or who you choose to value as a member but you haven't even been here a full year.

Are you really in a position to say what values or devalues the site?

It is funny how that when people just arrive at a place like ATS they have all sorts of notions on how it should work.

It is fine to let those that want to post something that is evaluated as contributory by staff, give their say. I am sure that if they participate more often than not they will feel the desire to eventually sign up. After all..we still retain a level of anonymity under our user names...as I am no more Lee Anoma as you are Santa Claus.

Should we require full and actual names now?

Does anyone know my real name?

- (Anonymous)Lee

Pretty nice quality avatar for an Anon dude.
I think it should be knocked down a few levels on the quality scale because it's too cool to be wasted on lurkers that may have no plans of registering and becomig members. Kinda like rewarding bad behaviour.

I get the Invisble Man connection but how about a more generic avatar instead.

Rather that hitting ignore, I'm starting to think of the Anon dude as someone with multiple/split personalities.

reply to post by Alxandro

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Yeah give them a really horrible looking avatar for being too chicken to register.

Anyways, I don't see a problem with anonymous posters as long as it's kept to a 2-3 post allowance. Many members have already admitted they pay less attention to anonymous posters than regular members. That in itself should serve as sufficient motivation to register as a member. Throw in the 2-3 post limit and you have a recipe for getting those folks to register as real members.

reply to post by lee anoma

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Lee, this is not only a matter of anonymity, it is a matter of owning your words, even if you are a random person.

Example... Some old guy is walking around town telling people that trees are the overseers of humanity, and someday our arboreal owners will awaken to take control of all the world's chocolate. Well I don't know his name, but I've seen his face, and I have a pretty good memory for faces. The next day I am walking around town and the man comes up and tells me that I shouldn't buy a house right now because the market might crash... Sound advice, but then again, this is the guy who think trees are watching me eat my snickers with envy.

I just think random words are nothing more than graffiti.. They might say something important, but without the owner being around, I can't question the motive....

Get my drift?

The length of my membership has nothing to do with anything. I'm a member just like you. There is no such thing as seniority here unless you're an amigo, mod, or maybe an expert.

[edit on 5/21/08 by SantaClaus]

reply to post by lee anoma

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So are you saying that a member must be a member for a set amount of time to be valued as a member ? That only members that have been here a year or longer have a right to voice thier opinions ? I wasn't aware that there was a senority order at ats, i was under the impression that all members were equally important to this site.


Wouldn't it be fair to say that each member has different quality's that they like about ats, certain things that made them want to become members. And that if something pops up that a member believes takes away from the quality of ats, that said member has a right to voice his/her opinions as a member.

I haven't noticed any of the owners, or the mods telling members that they heven't been here long enough to voice thier opinions regarding this matter, so why should you ? Nice way to make us new comers feel welcome Lee.

After living with the Anonymous feature for several days now, the only complaint I have is that, as others have posted, it makes it VERY hard to follow the flow of debate IF several anon posters are replying to the same thread.

If the feature is here to stay, is there any way that multiple anon's in one thread can be separated from one another? Numbered perhaps? Issued a randomly generated "name" that stayed unique to that IP at least for that thread or day?

Yep, I would agree (ex. Anon322, Anon666, Anon911)

Maybe have the php code generate the initial cookie and associate this with the Anon number and a random Anon avatar from an ATS avatar clearinghouse.

The collection of ATS avatars could consist of unused, unwanted or donated avatars that ATS members can create and upload.

Of course the user can remove their cookies and therefore start the whole process over.

reply to post by roadgravel

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True, but I think they will think twice about deleting cookies when they can instead take the time to register.

A pointless bit of info, but here you go. There is a construction company building a new office block across from my own place of work. That company is called Miller Contruction, yet every time I see, I think of jedimiller.

At first, I didn't know why, as to be honest I've never had that much, if any, interaction with you. Yet I knew of you enough to subconciously form the link and irritate myself for 3 weeks before figuring out it was your nick that made me think what I did! So you obviously do form an online persona that people relate too, even in the real world!

As for the anonymous posts, I complained about them from the moment they began. Hate them. Show your face, as it were!

reply to post by roadgravel

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Deleting the cookies may not do the trick. I think the database here is relatively sophisticated and I can envision a system that logs the IPs used by the Anonymous account. At least, if I were the data designer, that is what I would do. Remove as much of the client's ability to fool the server as is possible. This forum runs on PHP....server side scripting.....the server and the database call the shots.

Looks like you've been a victim of the jedi mind trick.

thats one of the funniest thing's I've read here in a long time.

let me start by saying that the tracking by cookies and/or i.p. address is a wonderful idea but it has several hole's in it. not only can i delete my cookie's but i can also change to several different i.p.'s with my wifi link here at the house by using my neighbors unprotected wifi link .so by limiting how many times someone can post in that manner would not work very well.
does anyone here really value the opinion of a person who doesn't have the gut's or the gumption to step out enough to take 10 minutes and register here??? just like the rule of no one liner's anonymous post's are in my opinion the exact same thing .
down with anonymous and up with the registered !!!!!!!!!

Embrace diversity

reply to post by MrPenny

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Sure but as ironman states above, logging IPs is also subject to error. Since HTTP is stateless, cookies, IP, form fields and referer is about it. Referer is ATS so tracking is not foolproof.

I suspect we a witnessing some growing pangs with anon. I bet the staff is giving it a least a few weeks or months before major decisions.