What's this e-mail deal???

[JD]

<div class='quotetop'>(dualedge @ Oct 23 2006, 01:14 PM) [snapback]1343440[/snapback]</div>

:rolleyes
It's hardly a silly, useless rule and hardly based in paranoia.[/b]

Then how is productive? How is it not a reaction to combating the fear of sockpuppets?

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And exo, despite your obvious professional expertise in every field known to man, there actually are benefits to a rule like this. You don't have to have a way to automatically check if an email is "free" or not. If something looks suspicious, it's usually not that hard to find out if it's worthy of giving the benefit of the doubt to.[/b]

Huh? Then why not simply investigate what is suspicious rather than throw down a blanket rule as has been done?

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None of you guys would even be affected as it'd obviously only apply to new members according to Gita's note and I've seen as many complaints about new members as I've seen from new members. That argument swings both ways.[/b]

It looks like we're being told two different things. A rule like this should not be necessary if a staff was willing to do the jobs that they've accepted. Maybe it's time to explore alternative methods of enrolling new members?

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There's no ironclad way of preventing sockpuppets and scammers but if asking for a verifiable email address sets off your "big brother alarm", heaven help you. That's just sad IMHO. [/b]

What's really sad is that the RPF is blanketing itself with more and more silly, stupid and useless rules like this one. What's nearly as sad is that you are buying that company line (hook, line and sinker) and attacking another member in the process ("your obvious professional expertise in every field known to man").

 

[Jedirick]

Good gigglebees.

The last batch of new users signed up under this stipulation. No paranoia. :lol Just trying to find ways to sort out some chaffe that comes with new membership registration.

That was also before AOL did their free email bit and frankly as far as I know all AOL accounts are now free. I know I don't pay for mine anymore.

Continuation of this as a sign up requirement is a topic in the staff forum. We have another registration period starting in a few days and so it' remained the same it was from last registration. Since it does not affect anyone currently registered it's not exactly been considered a priority.

 

[exoray]

<div class='quotetop'>(Jedirick @ Oct 24 2006, 06:35 PM) [snapback]1344234[/snapback]</div>

That was also before AOL did their free email bit and frankly as far as I know all AOL accounts are now free. I know I don't pay for mine anymore.
[/b]

It goes beyond AOL, an example would be Rogers Internet has partnered with Yahoo for webased email as well...

And BTW AOL has been offering free email service since early/mid last year, it was just hidden behind the @aim domain, but @aim and @aol work universal and mirror each other...

Like I said there is no benefit to the rule...

 

[rocketeer25]

Over the years the staff have discussed various ways to keep the villians of the hobby from gaining access to the RPF. This particular policy was setup on a trial basis the last time we opened up registration because of the Guy Raz revelation.

If you remember the marathon threads that were started after the Prop Runner/Guy Raz unmasking, you'll remember that many people were concerned about identity verification. We had some members suggesting that driver's licenses be scanned and emailed to staff for identity verification. Others suggested that paypal accounts should be required and that mandatory donations of $1 be put in place to confirm member's identities. Other ideas were tossed about, too.

Instead of going to those extremes, we decided to try what some other online forums use, and that is to ban free email addys. No one on staff believes that it will keep out anyone really determined to cause mischief. It's like locking your car. Will it keep out anyone who really wants to get in? Of course not. Will it keep out the casual criminal? Well, it'll give him something to have to think about.

And we still registered over 400 new members in two weeks during the last registration with the trial policy in place.

 

[Cenobyte]

I think it is in the wording that people had real questions.

The way it appears to be worded is that no matter what, after the date of 10/31/06 anyone with a free email address will be removed, not people registering after that date.

(I am guilty also and "tee-hee" ing to myself today that I was not removed because of my Hotmail account I have had for 10 years as I read it that anyone having that would be removed) :lol

 

[Lord_Gita]

<div class='quotetop'>(Cenobyte @ Nov 1 2006, 06:53 PM) [snapback]1349000[/snapback]</div>

I think it is in the wording that people had real questions.

The way it appears to be worded is that no matter what, after the date of 10/31/06 anyone with a free email address will be removed, not people registering after that date.

(I am guilty also and "tee-hee" ing to myself today that I was not removed because of my Hotmail account I have had for 10 years as I read it that anyone having that would be removed) :lol
[/b]

"Any active user account found with a FREE email account registered after 10/31/06 will be locked and/or removed. "

I don't understand how that does not say "people registering after that date?"

 

[BackOfTheHearse]

I am a new user, so I realize I don't really have "weight" in this matter. But it would be nice to be able to change emails after a period of time (i.e. a way to "prove" yourself in a sense).

I obviously have an ISP email, as I am here. But the main email I use is a Hotmail account. I've had my Hotmail account for many years, and I'd rather not give it up because it has served me well. My ISP email is mainly for spam and such. Thus if I am replying to threads here, I get my topic reply notifications in my ISP email, and I have to sift through countless bits of spam to find it. If I could forward emails from the RPF to my Hotmail account, I'd do it. But as far as I know, I can only forward every message that comes into the ISP account, not just single out certain addresses for forwarding.

It's a bit of an inconvenience, but it's one I am willing to put up with in order to be able to interact with the folks here. I just wish the inconvenience wasn't there.

Anywho, n00b "rant" over.

 

[amish]

I think BackOfTheHearse has a good point. Once registered with a verified ISP email, I dont think there should be any issues with anyone changing their primary email to what they prefer.

I understand the RPF's need to limit some people's access to posting in this forum, however; the idea of forcing people to use email that they either seldom use or dont use at all is just silly. As well, eliminating people who actually have AOL as their ISP because the AOL free mail and ISP email has the same "aol.com" tag really does not sit well either.

Anyway, I would hope for the benefit of the newer registrants you would allow them to change their email once they are members.

Thanks for listening..

Tom

 

[Archie Opteryx]

<div class='quotetop'>(amish @ Nov 15 2006, 09:46 AM) [snapback]1358085[/snapback]</div>

I think BackOfTheHearse has a good point. Once registered with a verified ISP email, I dont think there should be any issues with anyone changing their primary email to what they prefer.[/b]

Other on-line venues don't have a problem with this, one would think the RPF wouldn't either. Can't recall which, but it was Paypal, or Amazon, e-Bay, or some other site where ISP e-mail was required for registration, but I was later able to switch it to my hotmail account. Seems reasonable.