We would like to try an experiment with the Lets Talk BBQ Forum.
Up to this point, anytime that anyone would like to join the Forum, they would fill out the request and it would be sent to the Administrator for manual approval. He would then send a message to the applicant asking for personal information which would then be returned for approval. This is all done to prevent Spammers and Scammers from intruding on this forum.
The downside to this is that anytime that TeeSquare has been unavailable -sick, traveling, etc. - the application languishes in limbo until he is available, sometimes for several days. It can also have a delay if the approval email goes into the applicant's Junk Mail folder, etc. Bottom line, it gets delayed.
The experiment we would like to attempt is to have the Forum software itself handle new applicants. Most of you are familiar with the process, You apply for permission to get into a private area and the system sends you an email for you to click on a link verifying that it is a valid email account. When this is done, they have access to the site.
This is like any other system in that it is not 100% guaranteed, not even the manual system. That said, it is less labor intensive and much quicker to respond.
What we would like from you is your opinion on whether you think we should do this and make it easier for others to join. When/If we go ahead with this, we would also depend on you to let us know if you are getting spammed or scammed and reporting
those posts and message if it does occur.
What do you think?