Registered Users

[DavidT]

What are the pro's and con's of obliging people to register to read posts on the forum ?

I ask because as I write this, there are 23 unregistered users here.

Surely they are more likely to post if registration is required to read ?

[Bushy]

well some people will not register if they dont know what they are letting themselves in for I guess

Also we do have a registered user area

We may change this in the future if we think it is required

Does this mean we think you need this to be implimented?

[DavidT]

Not sure to be honest.

It just occurred to me that there were 23 unregistered users benefiting from reading posts. Would they post if they were obliged to register before they could read ?

I remember another site getting busier when people had to register to get access.

Just thought I would mention it incase it could help the site.

[Hopsta]

It could be just the search engine bots (or whatever they are called) doing the sweep on the posts. Not sure what would happen to them if you make it so that you have to register to read.

Graham

[Taipan]

I'm a strong believer that "your product is your best advertising", especially on the web.

So by keeping the entrance "free" to visitors, there's a better chance to convert a share of them into qualified members.

Plus I personnally need to be seriously convinced by the quality of a site before registering.
Every time I bump into a site who requires pre-reg to visit, I simply move on.
Except if I MUST enter it because I have no other choice/place to go and find what I need.

Eric

[Andiroo]

Good point Eric [img]images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Andiroo

[PhilT]

I'm a strong believer that "your product is your best advertising", especially on the web.

So by keeping the entrance "free" to visitors, there's a better chance to convert a share of them into qualified members.

Plus I personnally need to be seriously convinced by the quality of a site before registering.
Every time I bump into a site who requires pre-reg to visit, I simply move on.
Except if I MUST enter it because I have no other choice/place to go and find what I need.

I agree. We discussed this some time ago and decided that it was best to use the registered user area to add a level of security to posts relating to meets etc... Best to leave it as is I think.

[Rob_O]

I think the biggest advantage to required registration is that it keeps the majority of trolls out and prevents spammers from posting randomly. There's an inherent level of thread quality acheived through registration ... only those with something to contribute or are seeking contribution will take the time to register.

I've participated in "open" message boards and it can get nasty. Users have the ability to post under different screen names (even within a single thread someone could pose as 10 different people if they chose), lots of noise from spammers, etc.

Registration's not perfect of course, as anyone can sign on then do as they please within the confines of alert moderators. I too am selective about registering for sites I come across requesting me to do so ... but, in general, it's better than allowing unregistered users to participate IMO.