What's with the Guests?

[EmbraceFiction]

If you are a seasoned person of GBATemp;

You probably have noticed how many guests are always on this site, and they are never signing up. They are just leeching from all the topics, and other resources that GBATemp provides. I really think that we should bring down the lock on those guests, whom are leeching from our topics, and not allowing contributors to get as much attention as they deserve.

I think there is a couple of measures that we can put down to promote user's to the website, and to stop the leeching once and for all. For example, I know this board is powered by IPB, and I know there is a number of add-ons, and other extensions to make the people who run the board, have an easier time keeping control over their content and forum.

1) One opinion of mine, is to actually stop them from viewing the full post. If we put a limit on how much of the topic they can see, it will stop them from leeching, and perhaps to sign up instead; this would greatly reduce the number of guests viewing threads, and encouraging people to put in their opinion or input for a forum topic, or for website news and updates.

2) One more option that can be available, is to actually stop the links from being visible to un-registered users. This add-on actually provides a link to the sign-up of the forum, and makes everyone's lives easier.

3) When providing a download pack, simply place a password on the download file. This can be done using MediaFire, and it can be done using WinRar as well. Make sure that only the registered users know the password of the files, this should cut down on leeching activity as well.

This is just a few opinions that I wanted to share; because I think that leeching, is a big problem on this forum. We can act quickly, to remove the leechers, and welcome them to our community as members.

 

[Rydian]

They don't sign up because they don't have anything to contribute.

Also signing up and such is more of a load on the servers then browsing logged out.

 

[The Catboy]

I really am going to have to completely disagree with you option on the guests.
The guests are very important for this site and the more the view this site, the more money the site gets. I mean they aren't really allowed to view the forums with most features such as Avatars and signatures, as well they can't posts, which at some points could be a good thing.
Either way the guests really aren't doing any harm, other than not contributing to the forums, which as said before could be good thing.

 

[ProtoKun7]

How will people know they want to sign up if they can't read what's here? They're causing no trouble and if they want to join to contribute they will do.

If I have to register somewhere to see a download link or something like that, the first thing I'd do is go and look somewhere else. It wouldn't encourage new users, it would just deter the guests.

 

[evandixon]

I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. If you make it to where users cannot read posts, they are less likely to join. They will leave, thinking "That's so annoying, I'm not signing up here!", meaning LESS members.

 

[Bladexdsl]

well DUH some peeps like to just read and not post

 

[.Chris]

I don't mind guests and all... but what's with this?

 

[Evo.lve]

I don't mind guests and all... but what's with this?

Guests can post in certain forums and they get the prefix "Guest" on their name.

 

[Stephapanda]

If you do this, you'll be flooded with new accounts that the leechers use once, and then forget about it.
I know that that's exactly what I do if I want to dl something from a site but they want me to sign up.
I sign up, download/read what I want, and then leave and never come back.
TL;DR:Useless idea.

This. Hiding links and what not will just annoy people, who will register just to get what they want and then leave (and never come back) leaving the forums with a ton of inactive 0-post accounts. It's much better the way it is; people shouldn't feel forced to join a community. If they want to join, they will.

 

[redact]

I don't mind guests and all... but what's with this?

Guests can post in certain forums and they get the prefix "Guest" on their name.

no, the reason it says that is because a wise canadian elf once complained when a moogle raped his post count from 999 to 1000 so he requested his account be deleted

edit: evo.lve: yes, trufax
it was scuber/billys/vexten/beatrice

 

[Evo.lve]

I don't mind guests and all... but what's with this?

Guests can post in certain forums and they get the prefix "Guest" on their name.

no, the reason it says that is because a wise canadian elf once complained when a moggle raped his post count from 999 to 1000 so he requested his account be deleted

You're... you're not serious, are you?

 

[nryn99]

okay i was reading this, i was just reading. i didn't want to post because what i want to say have been said already. so this becomes a useless post. if i had not posted here would i become a leecher? because i just read and not contributed. but well now i did.

 

[zeromac]

Whenever I'm looking for information on the net and i see that information in a fourm post but i have to register to see it, makes me rage.

If your interested, an easy way to get past this is to search up that thread on google and view the cached version of it, i don't know why, but it allows you to see the thread entirly without having to log in

 

[redact]

Whenever I'm looking for information on the net and i see that information in a fourm post but i have to register to see it, makes me rage.

If your interested, an easy way to get past this is to search up that thread on google and view the cached version of it, i don't know why, but it allows you to see the thread entirly without having to log in

it's because a lot of forums let the google spider index their pages (some forums with restrictions like images and such can even be viewed just by changing your useragent to that of google spider)

 

[ProtoKun7]

I don't mind guests and all... but what's with this?

Guests can post in certain forums and they get the prefix "Guest" on their name.

Actually, that post was made by an actual member whose account has since been deleted. The posts themselves weren't deleted, and as there's no account to associate with them anymore they show up like that.

 

[The Pi]

I lurked here for months before I joined, if the threads wearn't public I would have never joined

Just now: People leave the forum and new poeple come in and stay
so things even out
If that happened: People leave the forum and few new people will come in and even fewer will stay, eventually killing the forum.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

I run across many sites that have the addons to block content to guests. I have run one of these forums that does this, and in the end I just had 10x as many inactive accounts from people just signing up to view one or 2 topics.

 

[Raika]

More guests=More people visiting the site=Site gains popularity=More people visiting the site=More moneys

And no one can get enough of moneys. :3

 

[WiiUBricker]

If you are a seasoned person of GBATemp;

You probably have noticed how many guests are always on this site, and they are never signing up. They are just leeching from all the topics, and other resources that GBATemp provides. I really think that we should bring down the lock on those guests, whom are leeching from our topics, and not allowing contributors to get as much attention as they deserve.

Guests are the main persons who cause GBAtemp money from adds, you know. Registered users cannot see as much adds as guests.

 

[tj_cool]

Guests are the main persons who cause GBAtemp money from adds, you know. Registered users cannot see as much adds as guests.

We see just as many ads, but we can hide them.

 

[WiiUBricker]

Guests are the main persons who cause GBAtemp money from adds, you know. Registered users cannot see as much adds as guests.

We see just as many ads, but we can hide them.

That's exactly the point.