It used to be you needed X posts before being able to post in marketplace. From what I have seen this rule seems to have gone away. The reasons for the original rule were obvious and should be reinstated.

The Off Topic forum is a lot of fun. It lets us get to know one another but that is not the purpose of this forum in general. We have had a rash of new users that are coming here just to discuss trivial social media issues. That is not the purpose of this forum and should be discouraged.

Posting in Off Topic (and market place) should be a privilege that is earned be discussing relevant subjects of the forum and that is electronics. I think, you should be required to have X number of posts before being able to post in these forums. Perhaps that number should be low, say 5 or 10 posts but there should still be at least some limit.

 

Posting in Off Topic (and market place) should be a privilege that is earned be discussing relevant subjects of the forum and that is electronics.

I agree with this, 1000%; I think of the Off Topic forum as a courtesy provided to the regular members of AAC who stick around here to discuss matters related to electronics, to learn or to teach (or both)-- NOT as a place where any old dork can wander in off the Interwebz and try to start a conversation about his pet non-electronic subject.

 

I agree.

I'd also like the ability to ignore certain threads. That would increase the usefulness of this site because you wouldn't have to see off-topic, or other posts that don't interest you, being bumped to New Posts.

 

I'd also like the ability to ignore certain threads.

Amen to that! I'd love to see a button at the top of each thread (or alongside its listing in the New Posts or Recent Posts lists, which effectively says, "Don't show me any further updates to this thread."

It would make a MAJOR improvement.

 

I also have to agree with both subjects. Posting in the Off Topic section should require a number of post in any of the regular sections, additionally I like the addition of an ignore or unsubscribe button. I agree for the reasons already mentioned.

Although we can click More Options and uncheck the notification boxes.

Ron

 

Here is a good exhibit.

Ron

 

hi,
The problem of new members posting only to the Off Topic Forum is currently under consideration by the Administrators.
Hopefully a minimum number of posts to the Technical Forums will be required before a member can start posting to Off Topic.
E

 

The problem of new members posting only to the Off Topic Forum is currently under consideration by the Administrators.
Hopefully a minimum number of posts to the Technical Forums will be required before a member can start posting to Off Topic.

Were it up to me, I wouldn't even allow then to view the Off Topic forum until they'd reached the required number of postings in the technical forums. That would likely reduce the amount of dross even further.

 

hi OBW,
A number of suggestions from the Mods are on the table for Admin to decide, they include a minimum tech post count.
Eric

 

A number of suggestions from the Mods are on the table for Admin to decide

Is ignore thread one of them?