Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

[Snowhog]

I've been a Ubuntuforums member since Mar 2007, although not very active - only 13 posts. Wanted to update my Profile (User CP > Edit Your Details) and change my signature. But no! I'm not permitted because I haven't posted enough!! Linux is about choices, but apparently over at Ubuntuforums, if you aren't active *enough*, your choices are limited!

Snowhog, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

[b]Your user account has [u]less than 50 posts[/u][/b].
Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

That's a pretty common thing on forums. For example, on some forums you can't send private messages until you've been a member for X amount of time or posted Y number of comments, or something else to show that you're a real person and not a bot seeking to spam.

Just for fun I went to my CP on UbuntuForums and had no trouble changing my details (it's been so long since I've posted over there, I still had Kubuntu 10.10 as my OS). However, I have ~700 posts.

[Snowhog]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

IF a forum provides for a member to setup a Personal Profile, then you should be able to update it when you want/need to, regardless of the number of posts, else why even provide the option? That's my point. Ones personal profile is just that - personal - and should be changeable by the member as, and when, needed.

[bsniadajewski]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

Agreed, Snowhog. I had the same problem myself, but then again I just joined the Ubuntuforums.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

Well, to argue the distaff side, I remember back at another forum, far far away and long long ago, that there was a big argument about what was in personal information in the form of sigs, etc. People were putting commercial adverts in them.

woodsmoke

[vinnywright]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

@Snowhog

yup I get the same $41T .......cant eddit my own info ...........just silly.

VINNY

[DoYouKubuntu]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

Hey, I'm not saying it's a *GOOD* thing to be unable to update your profile, just that it's not that uncommon for forums to have requirements, such as a minimum number of posts, before allowing certain functions. Does it make sense when it's your own profile? No, but I'm not running UbuntuForums!

[Snowhog]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

Not disagreeing with you, just expressing my dislike for the move they made. As a Global Moderator here in KFN, and one of several Administrators on what will be our new site, I appreciate the need to manage and control 'your site' so as to prevent abuse.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

Their decision shows a lack of thoughtfulness. The excuse is too much spam:

We will be taking away profile customization from users having less than 50 posts. We are quite sorry about that, but currently it takes at least one hour from 2-3 persons, each day, to clean profile spam. New users register only to fill the account with spam links, pics and things.

If they can write a script to block features (no customization) based on activity quantity (<50 posts), don't you think it's possible to add some intelligence? They worry about new accounts appearing just to lard up crap profiles. How hard would it be to change from this...

if [ account_post_count < 50 ] then;
block profile_tasks
fi

...to...

if [ account_post_count < 50 && account_age_days < 30 ] then;
block profile_tasks
fi

Cut some slack for people who've been around a while. You can beg for special dispensation in the resolution center, but that just sounds like trading one hassle (deleting spammers) for another (handling exception requests).

[DoYouKubuntu]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

If they can write a script to block features (no customization) based on activity quantity (<50 posts)

But did they? Or is that a function of the forum software they're using?

However...

, don't you think it's possible to add some intelligence? They worry about new accounts appearing just to lard up crap profiles. How hard would it be to change from this...

if [ account_post_count < 50 ] then;
block profile_tasks
fi

...to...

if [ account_post_count < 50 && account_age_days < 30 ] then;
block profile_tasks
fi

Even if their software has a built-in option, it's not like Ubuntu forums aren't filled with skilled enough mods/operators to write their own script!

[claydoh]

Re: Ubuntuforums prevents infrequent members from updating their Profile details!

That sort of functionality is built in to vbulletin itself, many many many forums use these features with even higher limits. Heck on one forum I couldn't even add an avatar or sig until I hit 100 posts, the idea there is to encourage engagement.

I actually agree with the usage over there. It may not be appropriate in other forums, however .

So you pester a mod until they let you fix it, or they do the extra work themselves! Maybe that will push a change.