Just an idea - Mods?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

The above is a recent example of how a kid came and wreaked havoc on the forum toying with an extremely sensitive subject in a rather bizarre and sad attention seeking effort to pawn as many genuine members into expressing sympathy as the OP clocked up page after page of gullible replies.

In light of this, and seeing how the OP was found out and rightly banned, should there (or is there) an age limit for ATS members?
Perhaps the introduction of an age limit of say 16 would help prevent a repeat of the above or at least deter it. Of course when filling in discreet profiles one can be any age they choose but I'm sure you can see my point.
Before anyone thinks I'm being ageist my next suggestion would be perhaps a junior section, say in the 'general' for the younger members of say 13-16 or 17 which could act as a type of trial area and once the member has spent 'x' amount of time or amassed enough points or made a positive contribution to the site they can then gain full member privileges and can enter and post in the main forums etc.
Just my two cents.

Verifying someones age would be a nightmare. Teenagers live to go around such restrictions. Sadly, most are tech savvy enough to do just that.

ATS is a site that is open to anyone who can live within the T&C's of the board.

If they cannot live within the guidelines, they don't last long.

Heck, many people complain that this board is over moderated, we are too strict.

That is not true, All we ask is civility among our members and that they stay within the T&C's.

Age is not an issue.

Originally posted by mrwupy
Verifying someones age would be a nightmare. Teenagers live to go around such restrictions. Sadly, most are tech savvy enough to do just that.

ATS is a site that is open to anyone who can live within the T&C's of the board.

If they cannot live within the guidelines, they don't last long.

Heck, many people complain that this board is over moderated, we are too strict.

That is not true, All we ask is civility among our members and that they stay within the T&C's.

Age is not an issue.

Glad to hear it MrWupy.
And I would add that that is what adds to the appeal of ATS, the membership base is so broad and diverse aswell as being international.
I guess my post was influenced by the thread which I linked to which I know you guys are looking into. I think the banned member admitted he was 14 or something, although I know he is not representative of the young members here as a whole, I was worried other new young users might start trying to take advantage in similiar ways, but he was banned so I guess that's the most important factor.

I do not think age should be a restrictive requirement here, just because one kid was caught hoaxing, many more were perpetrated here by adults.

While I would not say that our staff and members at ATS have nabbed every hoaxer, this site has been a very good place to throw mental barbs and a place where views are debated without prejudice.

I would love to see our youth join and learn in an open and unbiased forum, as most do not have that opportunity at their own institutions of learning these days...

We just have to be a little patient and keep our eyes open for those trying to spoil our quest for knowledge....

[edit on 2007/3/21 by JacKatMtn]

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
I do not think age should be a restrictive requirement here, just because one kid was caught hoaxing, many more were perpetrated here by adults.

While I would not say that our staff and members at ATS have nabbed every hoaxer, this site has been a very good place to throw mental barbs and a place where views are debated without prejudice.

I would love to see our youth join and learn in an open and unbiased forum, as most do not have that opportunity at their own institutions of learning these days...

We just have to be a little patient and keep our eyes open for those trying to spoil our quest for knowledge....

[edit on 2007/3/21 by JacKatMtn]

Agreed.

Amen to brother Wupy. ... well said.

There are some amazing minds amongst the younger members of ATS, and to limit access at any level would seem a direct contradiction to Deny Ignorance.

Actually, considering they're the ones who Will be shaping our future, I kinda like being able to keep tabs on the, uhm ... challenged ones. While they're a miniscule minority, it's nice to be able to gauge whether they're gaining any ground.

Hats Off to youthful Deniers of Ignorance.

[edit on 21-3-2007 by 12m8keall2c]

I personally like the idea of an 18 and above section..

Perhaps an area where members can post essays in more scholarly works around other like minded people?

Nothing against the younger people, I just think that if there where a 18 and above area, like in PTS or something, it could be used for more schollarly purposes then ATS where some..... interesting stuff is usually the hottest topic..

I am not so sure Gooey was a kid, anyway.

He definitely has major issues in a social manner and has a strong desire to put himself above others.

As far as calling members gullible and such, I will always err on the side of compassion when it comes to the pain another human expresses in my presence and if I am made a fool of in the process, so be it.

He said he was in high school?

Of course he coulda lied.

Who knows.

Sometimes younger poeple bring childish behavior.... of course many adults do to! haha..

Originally posted by interestedalways
I am not so sure Gooey was a kid, anyway.

He definitely has major issues in a social manner and has a strong desire to put himself above others.

As far as calling members gullible and such, I will always err on the side of compassion when it comes to the pain another human expresses in my presence and if I am made a fool of in the process, so be it.

I totally see your p.o.v but there seemed to be a nasty undercurrent to his
postings which surfaced towards the end of that thread.It's hard to feel sympathy towards someone who is getting a kick out of toying with people's genuine emotions.
I would mostly feel apathetic towards the guy, he obviously has some kind of issues,in terms of vocabulary he certainly seemed to be more mature than your average 14yo, either that or he's been listening to too much Marilyn Manson and the like.

Yeah, I've been surprised a few times after I found out that I had been conversing with someone that barely had hair below the belt, but it's changed my perception of todays youth.

I realize now that many young people can be very intelligent, and they've afforded me a view of the world that I wouldn't normally have.

I'd have to say no to any age limit on ATS.
I think these boards are a wonderful source of information for people growing up in todays world, and should be freely available. An important part of learning is being able to see both sides of the story, and understanding how to sort the wheat from the chafe.


And hey, what future would the world have without our children.

no, no, and no for an age limit...

i started here (as a member) when i was 15...

i will admit, at times, i was un-mature on ATS

after three years of being a member, i have been properly socialized to fit right here on ATS

of course, it didn't take that long (but you get my drift)...

if one is reasonable (mature and willing to learn and all that), he / she will fit right in after a while...




[edit on 21-3-2007 by they see ALL]

Originally posted by anxietydisorder
And hey, what future would the world have without our children.

Yes, I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside, give them a sense of pride to make it easier...

In other words, don't put a blanket ban on them

plus, in the mentioned thread, the hoaxer could have been lying about his age...

he could have been an adult...

we shouldn't ban any age because of maybe 10 hoaxers in the history of ATS...

thinking about it, there was a hoaxer here that tricked many for a long time...

his ATS name was, maybe, "dragon rider" and he did a real number on ATS...

well, i don' think i am thinking of the greatest example (there was an even better hoaxer here, but i forgot his ATS name)...

thus, would you say we should ban people with the credentials to tick many???

see where i am going???

Another point to be made is that we all learn from the hoaxes.

We become better at spotting the descrepancies in stories and practice our skills of decernment.

Live and let live, learning all the while.........................

People of all ages are capable of gross misconduct.

Really, an age limit is pointless, and I am not saying this because of my age, I am saying it because for one, I for one am very very very capable of getting past age verfication and restrictions, and I am not that great, and for two, if you deny the children the ability to deny ignorance with the rest of the ignorance denying population, arent you just being ignorant yourself, now I am NOT calling anyone ignorant, making a junior section or age restriction has its pro's and con's, but it really would be ignorant to make all youngens suffer because someone who is probably not even in school decided they would have some obscure fun of their own and mess around with peoples heads.

Also, some of the smartest and most gifted people I have ever met were younger then me (16 by the by), so yeah, thats just my long drawn out 2 cents.

I'd like to take this topic one step further.

I think ATS should encourage more young members by having a forum specific to their age group, and perhaps also a chat room restricted only to them.

Maybe Asala or someone would be willing to moderate over a chat room for the kids, and entry to this chat room would be only for the children of ATS members that have been around for a while.

Something like this could be a safe moderated space on the net that parents wouldn't have to worry about their kids running into perverts.

Just a thought, what do you think ?



edit: I missed a vowel



[edit on 24/3/2007 by anxietydisorder]

I have to oppose it. Mainly because I feel any young person who does register, should not disclose their age. I was 19 when I registered, and I was very hesistant to disclose that initially. I was under the impression that most of this board was in their late 30's at least. As a "youngster" I felt that my opinions would go unnoticed and I'd be inundated with the, "Someday you'll know" speech. Age is just a number, nothing more. I know plenty of kids who are much brighter and opinionated than most adults. Even if our intentions are good natured, ultimately I think creating this group of young people on ATS would be a discredit to themselves.

Focusing on anything other than the post itself is a no no in my opinion. Our posts speak for themselves. Whether it is a twelve year old child or a sixty year old grandfather, neither opinion is more valid than the other, based on their age.

Edit: Typo

[edit on 24-3-2007 by chissler]

Originally posted by chissler
I was 19 when I registered, and I was very hesistant to disclose that initially. I was under the impression that most of this board was in their late 30's at least.

i felt exactly as you have felt

w0w, i thought i was the only one...