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

Originally posted by biggie smalls


I personally believe it to be cowardice. How difficult is it to register? What are the problems with registering? Oh, you have to give your email. Well, create a fake gmail or yahoo account simple.

I thought free email accounts weren't allowed to be used? I couldn't sign up right when I found the site because my student email had lapsed and I hadn't recieved one from my ISP yet. That sucked.

I have no problem with the anonymous poster. Those replies are a lot easier to understand and read than a lot of the ones from people that are registered users. You just can't debate things with them. Which should make it easy to win.

For the lurker, it's not a bad feature. I've been to many sites and have wanted to spontaneously leave a comment, but can't because I would have to go to all the trouble of creating an account, which can be a monumental pain on some sites. After, I've gone to that much trouble, the urge to leave a comment has gone kind of flat.

If a person keeps coming back and has a desire to participate, then he can go ahead and sign up.

These posts have to be approved before we see them, so that weeds out the grossly irrelevant posts.

reply to post by Sonya610


It may have reduced the number. But there are always a few posts waiting for approval, no matter when I check. I guess that shows that many have something to say. Even with a twelve hour requirement, thats two posts per day from Each IP. That can add up pretty quickly.

The overall performance and quality of the new Anonymous posting system seems to be improving.
No doubt, due to some modifications that are still being made to it.

For more info and other Admin. Comments, check out this thread
www.abovetopsecret.com...'

SkepticOverlord:

Some updates for this new feature...

Members
If our system detects the IP address of a member, their anonymous post will not be accepted.

Frequency
People making anonymous posts will be limited to one post every twelve hours. They'll be directed to create a member account if they try to post more than that.

Quality
Our staff is only approving posts that provide substantive contributions to the discussion.

I don't like anon post!!

Im whaaa and damn proud of it.

[edit on 18-5-2008 by whaaa]

I think its a great idea, and im speaking from experience not on ATS but other sites, the times ive read a post on a site and can't respond until i register makes me mad, i think its a good idea to filter out registered users also, but does this filter include proxy sites? IE if they use a proxy to use the Anon poster option will that post be rejected because of the attempt to cover their tracks?

It is easy for those in the know to get past these filters if determined enough, for instance we have quite a few pc's in our house used for different work loads but all of them are online, my daughters PC uses the neighbors WIFI because it allows her to download music, (with neighbors permission i might add) my other daughter uses our regular hub as do several of the laptops, there is one other pc here that uses the hub of a neighbor a few doors away, because she does her homework with their son, and the two comps have been set up to share homework files with about 9 kids in the street and it works pretty well each kid can access what other kids recommend, they dont have to go searching for anything, its already in the computer hard drive as a visited site, grades have become excellent since it was set up, kinda like a little wifi community we have, confusing as hell though, but i promise that none of this setup would be used to log onto ATS, my wife has an account but she has never used it to post, she got mad one day at a post she read and couldnt post to reply so created one.

So what im saying is its good the way it is set up with few restrictions and those with accounts dont need it because we have no barriers, we have done the posting already. way i see it nobody loses anything.

Thanks SC

I am on the fence about it.

I understand the reason behind and I understand it will be a tweaking process...eventually it could be different then it is now.

I am also one of those who has learned people's personalities and like to converse with them on various topics, regardless if I agree with them or not. Im on ATS A LOT. So, its like a family sort of; though a very dysfunctional family (wait, that is my real family) but I sort of see it like that.

Some people I always look forward to their posts and hate it when their avatar changes but I feel I "know" many people now. Some better then others

I admit, I pass over most ANON posts....but some have caught my eye and I think...hmmmmm, now if they would have just signed up and posted that under a registered name, I could see what else they have to say in other areas of ATS. Often, I look at my friend's list and see what posts they have made around ATS, since I tend to like their responses I can not do that with ANON people.

I also think that its important for people to be accountable for what they respond with. For example, ANON says "I work at Area51 (like anyone would ever claim that here ) and people want to question that person. Well, it would be nearly impossible to do, if the claim was made by a generic ANON person. Because how do we know if the 2nd ANON person responding is the 1st ANON person? Or is it ANON #3 claiming to be ANON #1 in order to throw us off? See what im getting at?

I understand the IP thing. But people know how to work around that....so unfortunately, I see some issues arising....as im sure admin already is looking into this

Ok. Anyways, that is my worthless American $.02


p.s. Also, I commend the MODS having to go thru all of these ANON posts....what a lot of work...thanks

[edit on 18-5-2008 by greeneyedleo]

I personally wonder how often the mods take advantage of the ability to post anonymously. (Can they?) Of all the registered members it would seem to me that they would benefit most, I see them get a lot of aggro sometimes in threads simply for having their own opinion and having that be misconstrued as a "moderator" position.

Although they also get more than a little sucking up too. Depending on their ego's that could (or not) also be annoying.

reply to post by spacedoubt





THANK YOU for asking that question, i have seen two threads on this subject and yours is the first reply that seems to actually care what we members think about it, and ask us what would make it more acceptable to us. First let me explain what i don't like about the anonymous posts and then i will tell you what would make it more palatable for me.


I personally don't like the anonymous post, it's very impersonnal, and i think it's a bad way for ats to go. Sure it may be appealing to non members, but a lot of members don't like it, so what don't our opinions as actual members count for anything? We all have anonymity, but a user name and avatars that make us individual, give us some kind of an identity, gives other members a sense of who we are. I haven't been here long, but i kinda like the fact that i'm already getting a sense of what other members think like, what thier beliefs and interests are by reading what they have posted on certain threads.


We have a sense of community here because of that. We come here knowing that for the most part there will be somebody here that agrees with us, or understands us, people that we can gather information from. I think that the anonymous poster takes away a little bit of that sense of community from us. Even new members like me have some kind of identity, a long time member may not know who i am, but they can see my user name, when i joined, location, etc. With the anonymous posts it's kinda like standing around with a group of friends and a stranger walks up and with out even introducing themselves just jumps right in with thier comments, most people don't take kindly to that.


As i stated in my post on the other thread concerning anonymous posters, i think it may make people more accepting if there was some kind of id attached to them, even something so simple as anonymous #1, anonymous #2, anonymous # 3, etc. A way that we would know exactly which anonymous poster we were hearing from and replying to.


Maybe they shouldn't have to wait 12 hours to post again. How can you interact with someone when you have to wait 12 hours for a reply? It doesn't give me very much incentive to reply to, or even read an anonymous post when i know that i will have to wait in most cases until the next day to get a response.


We all know that members can post anonymously, even had some of them admit to doing it. I think in those cases they should let us know that in the post, ie hey guys this is ,,,,,,,, i can't log in right now.


There should be a limit on how long someone can post anonymously. Maybe 2 months or so that gives them ample time to check out the site and see if they want to be a member or not. If they don't want to be a member after that time then they shouldn't be allowed to post here anymore. We all became members it's only fair that they should.


And i don't think that they should be allowed to post on a thread like this. This is a thread for members concerns and only members should be allowed to contribute. If they want to be included in threads that address members concerns then they should have to be actual members to do so.


Maybe the owners could post two different threads, one for anonymous posters, and one against anonymous posters, and let the members have some kind of vote on it. And actually pay attention to the results you know keep our sense of community alive and well. We kinda like to feel like our opinions as members matter.


I don't know about anyone else, but i personally feel that the sense of community at ats is one of the things that makes it such a great place to be.


I know that i'm not an owner, just a member, just my 2 cents.


Sorry forgot something. I don't know if they are allowed to do it now, but i don't think that anonymous posters should be allowed to flag threads, or give stars.

[edit on 18/5/08 by chise61]







Mod Edit: Quote formatting error - full quote of post removed. Reply to function used. - Jak

[edit on 19/5/08 by JAK]

I haven't read the entire thread but will say this, the anonymous player sounds the same in other threads it posts in. The writing style and demeanor is eerily the same. Its a shill thrown in to manipulate the debate.

Originally posted by Peepers
I haven't read the entire thread but will say this, the anonymous player sounds the same in other threads it posts in. The writing style and demeanor is eerily the same. Its a shill thrown in to manipulate the debate.

And your evidence of this is where?

Please, share with us why you feel the writing styles are of one person and how you know that the ANON person is a shill thrown in to manipulte us?

THANKS

[edit on 18-5-2008 by greeneyedleo]

I see both sides of the story.

But lets look at ATS history, and when you do, it is quite inconsistent with it.
Does it mean that Anon does not work? Not necessarily.

I will say, I dont really see a purpose for it, beyond the fact that it is bothersome to have to register now days for every site you visit.

But beyond that, you are an anon even when you register.
No one is required, nor do they typically use their real name...nor do they typically show their photo in the avatar...

In fact most of you create a new online identity here, so to speak.

I will say this - the Anon poster is a bit confusing, as each time you read it, especially within a thread, you dont know if its the same Anon who posted just a page before or a new one...that is bothering and detracts from conversation as you dont know who your responding to.

So in short, conversation with an Anon is a bit limited, and really can only make one short point. After all if someone disagrees you cant carry on a debate...for who knows if the same Anon is posting or not.
Sound confusing, well in this aspect Anon is confusing.

Again, in one aspect Anon is a one hit wonder - they throw a great thought, but cant continue a conversation with you...or it will be hard as heck knowing if its the same person your replying to.

At the end of the day, why be Anon was my point.
Is it because your too lazy to register? I have to admit, I do understand this in a day and age where every site requires your to 'log-in'.

In regards to the above, the reason I (and many others) dont go to BTS is because who wants to log-in twice. - Who cares if it uses your same name or not...the fact it uses the same name is even more silly for making one have to log in again. You guys may want to seriously reconsider how people have access across the boards as you may pick up more traffic for BTS.

Otherwise, whats the point for not registering?
It is an online community, and as one person pointed out, in real life your not 'Anon'.

Peace

dAlen

edit: An example is Robbie williams.
He has a name that no one would guess it was him. Chrisonbike.
(so the user name is basically an Anon for him...or was)

The only thing that happened when he came out and used his name is that there is a thread spanning pages where everyone ask the same question about something that isnt much more out there then post by other members here at ATS.

[edit on 18-5-2008 by dAlen]

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
I understand the IP thing.

Well I truly dont understand the IP thing. Maybe someone can enlighten me - but first here is why I dont get it.

When I lived stateside my IP was never the same each time I turned on the internet.
I figure its because I did not have a static IP which you have to pay extra for anyway.

Then here, my IP is more stable, I suppose - but it does change.
So what in the world is the fuss about IP. Its supposed to be your internet address...again, don't know how things have changed, and it doesnt seem to have changed that much - but it appears static IP addresses are still something you have to pay to get.

(I know its the case in this country if you want a static IP - dont konw if it changed stateside)

So anyone care to explain really why IP matters here?
Im sure they are able, to some extent know the address of each poster...but it cant be that consistent with what I outlined above.

Peace

dAlen

[edit on 19-5-2008 by dAlen]

Originally posted by dAlen
So anyone care to explain really why IP matters here?
[edit on 19-5-2008 by dAlen]

With large ISP's and dynamic IP's it is not reliable, that is true. However many of us end up signing on automatically, which means the dynamic IP we are using at that time IS picked up. If I were to pull up this site (and it logs me on automatically) and then logout and try to post anonymously it would be noticed.

Likewise, if someone posts anonymously and then tries again 2 minutes later without logging off thier ISP and getting a new IP# it would be noticed. Of course it is NOT foolproof, and it would be easy to get around, but since the posts are moderated anyway it would be a hassle for most to post Anon multiple times.

Now if cookies were used here that might make it much easier (haha..just imagine the paranoia!). It always freaks me out a bit when I visit an amazon related site without logging in and it suddenly throws up my name and address, or when visiting a "new" random site and the ads throw up dating info for my particular town. I guess it just shows how many sites are owned by the same people.

reply to post by Sonya610


Typically, and I do not know how ATS does it, a board will log the IP you used when you signed up and not the IP you are using currently, though it may be possible to also detect the IP currently being used.

So, if you go to someone's house and use their PC, say a friend or relative, and then you log onto the board under your normal user name, the board will not see this as two people using the same IP. If any IP matching or scanning is performed, they will be looking at the IP used when the two people signed up originally.

ATS may be different, who knows. YMMV.




[edit on 19-5-2008 by Badge01]

Honestly, while it is in good faith this opens up the floodgates to abuse from those who want to discredit their enemies and give themselves some more ammo and backing.

I don't think monitoring IP Addresses is a big deterrent either. That means bupkus.
Any joe-blow can find out how to set up a Dynamic IP and change theirs within 10 minutes or so, it's not that hard.
This way they can circumvent any time-limit restrictions.

Then anytime their posts aren't approved for violating T&C they can just change their IP and try again, maybe a more lenient Moderator will let them slide or they'll reword them a bit.

And lastly Anon users just make things even more confusing in heated debates. Everything goes fine until 10 anonymous users show up and you can't tell if it's one guy who wants to be a part of the whole debate or 10 people throwing in similiar views or what...
I like many others on this forum find myself scrolling past the Anonymous posts because their just not worth replying to because there's a good chance that Anonymous user won't post again, or if they do, you don't know if it's really them.

It's like a Boxing Match where you let the crowd thrown in a few kicks to the loser.

Personally it should be scrapped. It takes 5 minutes to register an account, if your that freakin' lazy that you can't bother to sign up to make one post on ATS then you shouldn't be here. This is a dedicated Conspiracy Forum, not a chat room.

Posting anonymously is like flying a ship under false flags... it's dishonest & sneaky.

Originally posted by Sonya610
Now if cookies were used here that might make it much easier (haha..just imagine the paranoia!).

Examine the cookies in your browser and you question will be answered.

And now a question about anonymous posts future:

Since it has been stated that members are not to be using the anonymous post feature, will it eventually become against the T & C to post using the anonymous feature once a person has registered?

Can anyone point to a few Anonymous posts in the past 48 hours that showcase the concerns you're raising here?

I dsagree.

Lets break this down.

ATS is a conspiracy theory discussion board, correct?

The best conspriacies are discovered from leaked information. Example:
If you had proof that the CIA was mind controlling GWB to get him to do what they want. would you register a account and post it? hell no you wouldn't. I know my example was a wild one, but you get my point.

Besides, as paranoid as "some" of us are anyway....

all in all, as long as its not abused, I see no problem with it.

KJ

Originally posted by killjoy45
I dsagree.

Lets break this down.

ATS is a conspiracy theory discussion board, correct?

The best conspriacies are discovered from leaked information. Example:
If you had proof that the CIA was mind controlling GWB to get him to do what they want. would you register a account and post it? hell no you wouldn't. I know my example was a wild one, but you get my point.

Besides, as paranoid as "some" of us are anyway....

all in all, as long as its not abused, I see no problem with it.

KJ

Registering doesn't "expose" you. We are anonymous to a certain degree. Only out IP address are tracked by ATS. It doesn't matter if you post as anonymous user or "georgecheesehead"