Mike
Well-Known Member
This is the most popular support question I am asked. At least 5 times each week, I get a message from the Contact Us link, from prospective members who are wondering how their e-mail account could possibly be banned, before they have even registered.
I try to make the site as easy to use as possible. I spend time creating pages with additional site information, I submit threads with additional site information and I even edit forum templates to provide additional site information. But there are always at least 5 people a week who are in a mad, headlong rush to register faster than anyone else ever has, and those people fail to miss all the help I've tried to provide. And since I'm tired of responding to all the e-mails with images, I'll put all the images in this post and then I can just respond with a single link.
In the right column of the forum home page is a navigation module that will help everyone (visitors, prospective members, new members and even the older members) find their way around the site. And look at the very first link in that module. Before You Register.
Since I'm aware some people have to get registered so quickly they cannot even scroll down the page to see this module, I've set up a link in the NavBar, right up at the top of the page, that will help everyone find the same information available from that side column module.
Anyone wanting any information about the site can click that link and visit the above page. And one of the menu links is that same Before You Register option.
I've tried to make this page as welcoming and as informational as possible. The reason I've done this is simple. I do not want anyone to blindly sign up for this site, without understanding the basic principles regarding the site. I want people to see the rules that have been established for this site. I want people to read our Terms of Service, so they can see what this site is prepared to provide and what it is not prepared to provide. I want people to read our Privacy Policy, so they will understand how seriously we take the issues of privacy. So, I've linked to all of those pages, so prospective members can be sure what they're signing on for.
And then, to eliminate all the e-mail messages asking why e-mails have been banned, I include the very concise paragraph highlighted in the image above, which clearly states we do not accept new registrations using either Yahoo or Hotmail addresses.
I wish I could say this helps people, but the truth of the matter is that it rarely does.
It's nothing personal about any one individual's e-mail address, we just do not allow new members to register using e-mail accounts from either of those throw-away e-mail providers. Both of those providers filter e-mails without the user's knowledge and e-mails from forums, containing things like e-mail confirmation links, watched thread notifications and Personal Conversation notifications get filtered into Junk folders. While it seems to make tremendous sense for Yahoo and/or Hotmail users to have the presence of mind to review their Junk folders from time to time, experience has shown me they rarely ever do. So they visit this site, register a new account, the forum software sends them a confirmation e-mail (which must be acted upon before an account is fully registered), their dodgy e-mail provider filters the message into their Junk folders and within minutes, I am getting e-mails, wanting to know why these new members cannot post.
Now I can understand how someone might not take the two minutes it would take to actually learn a little about a site they are registering for, so I take it even one step further. Look at this -
Some people cannot even manage to read the text on the actual registration page. Not even the BOLD, RED text. I always figure these are the same people who trip over their own feet to rush through the registration process and tick the checkbox to indicate they have read the forum terms and rules. I'm looking into an add-on that might reach out and punch these people on the very ends of their noses, for not taking the time to read the registration instructions.
How many of you took the time to actually read the forum rules, before you ticked that checkbox? How many of you actually read the part where the rules stated that all forum members must turn over their spouses, their firstborn child and all their beer to the owner of this site? OK, OK, so the part about the women and children was just a joke.
And whilst I'm illustrating the registration page, take a look at those links below the reCAPTCHA image. Yes, I know, the reCAPTCHA images are hard to read. That is by design. But if you get an image you simply cannot read, click the Reload link to get a new image. How hard is it? If you simply cannot find an image you can read, then click the link to listen to audio and hear what the reCAPTCHA words are. This stuff is not rocket science, people.
Here's a good example of how this usually pays out. John Doe tries to register, but ol' John doesn't have a lot of time, so he ignores all the help I've tried to provide him. And he registers with his Yahoo e-mail account, which promptly leaves him looking at a page telling him his e-mail address has been banned. Ol' John then tries to register again, thinking he's misspelled something. But he gets the message a second time, so he fires me off an e-mail (from his Yahoo account, mind) asking (in varying emotional states) why his e-mail has been banned. I realize I've yet another prospective member who will not or cannot read some simple instructions, so I try to reply, to explain if he will just take the time to read the registration page, he will find the answer to all his questions. But since he's using Yahoo, 18 times out of 20, my message gets shunted into his Junk folder (which he never feels the need to look through) and so he thinks I'm too high-handed to provide him an answer. The 19th of those times, he gets the message and fires me off a hateful message about how he doesn't want to register after all (like I need another arrogant arsehole around here anyway, right?). The 20th time, he gets the message, takes the time to read our Privacy Policy, sees we're not here to give up anyone's e-mail address and registers with the e-mail address provided by his ISP.
I have set up A records, DNS records and SPF records, all of which legitimize this site with nearly all e-mail providers. Since Yahoo and Hotmail always seem to come up short, it's easier for me to just disallow those two providers. I know that upsets and discourages some people, but it's been nearly four years since I adopted this policy and I've no plans to change it. If this gives you reason to fire off a nasty, profane message, do yourself a favor and send it to someone who might care to read it. I've heard it all before. If you cannot read some simple instructions and follow them, you're likely not going to be a good fit for this site, anyway.
In all the years I've been operating forums, I've found the people who take the time to acquaint themselves with a new site are the ones who rarely ever have a problem.
I try to make the site as easy to use as possible. I spend time creating pages with additional site information, I submit threads with additional site information and I even edit forum templates to provide additional site information. But there are always at least 5 people a week who are in a mad, headlong rush to register faster than anyone else ever has, and those people fail to miss all the help I've tried to provide. And since I'm tired of responding to all the e-mails with images, I'll put all the images in this post and then I can just respond with a single link.
In the right column of the forum home page is a navigation module that will help everyone (visitors, prospective members, new members and even the older members) find their way around the site. And look at the very first link in that module. Before You Register.
Since I'm aware some people have to get registered so quickly they cannot even scroll down the page to see this module, I've set up a link in the NavBar, right up at the top of the page, that will help everyone find the same information available from that side column module.
Anyone wanting any information about the site can click that link and visit the above page. And one of the menu links is that same Before You Register option.
I've tried to make this page as welcoming and as informational as possible. The reason I've done this is simple. I do not want anyone to blindly sign up for this site, without understanding the basic principles regarding the site. I want people to see the rules that have been established for this site. I want people to read our Terms of Service, so they can see what this site is prepared to provide and what it is not prepared to provide. I want people to read our Privacy Policy, so they will understand how seriously we take the issues of privacy. So, I've linked to all of those pages, so prospective members can be sure what they're signing on for.
And then, to eliminate all the e-mail messages asking why e-mails have been banned, I include the very concise paragraph highlighted in the image above, which clearly states we do not accept new registrations using either Yahoo or Hotmail addresses.
I wish I could say this helps people, but the truth of the matter is that it rarely does.
It's nothing personal about any one individual's e-mail address, we just do not allow new members to register using e-mail accounts from either of those throw-away e-mail providers. Both of those providers filter e-mails without the user's knowledge and e-mails from forums, containing things like e-mail confirmation links, watched thread notifications and Personal Conversation notifications get filtered into Junk folders. While it seems to make tremendous sense for Yahoo and/or Hotmail users to have the presence of mind to review their Junk folders from time to time, experience has shown me they rarely ever do. So they visit this site, register a new account, the forum software sends them a confirmation e-mail (which must be acted upon before an account is fully registered), their dodgy e-mail provider filters the message into their Junk folders and within minutes, I am getting e-mails, wanting to know why these new members cannot post.
Now I can understand how someone might not take the two minutes it would take to actually learn a little about a site they are registering for, so I take it even one step further. Look at this -
Some people cannot even manage to read the text on the actual registration page. Not even the BOLD, RED text. I always figure these are the same people who trip over their own feet to rush through the registration process and tick the checkbox to indicate they have read the forum terms and rules. I'm looking into an add-on that might reach out and punch these people on the very ends of their noses, for not taking the time to read the registration instructions.
How many of you took the time to actually read the forum rules, before you ticked that checkbox? How many of you actually read the part where the rules stated that all forum members must turn over their spouses, their firstborn child and all their beer to the owner of this site? OK, OK, so the part about the women and children was just a joke.
And whilst I'm illustrating the registration page, take a look at those links below the reCAPTCHA image. Yes, I know, the reCAPTCHA images are hard to read. That is by design. But if you get an image you simply cannot read, click the Reload link to get a new image. How hard is it? If you simply cannot find an image you can read, then click the link to listen to audio and hear what the reCAPTCHA words are. This stuff is not rocket science, people.
Here's a good example of how this usually pays out. John Doe tries to register, but ol' John doesn't have a lot of time, so he ignores all the help I've tried to provide him. And he registers with his Yahoo e-mail account, which promptly leaves him looking at a page telling him his e-mail address has been banned. Ol' John then tries to register again, thinking he's misspelled something. But he gets the message a second time, so he fires me off an e-mail (from his Yahoo account, mind) asking (in varying emotional states) why his e-mail has been banned. I realize I've yet another prospective member who will not or cannot read some simple instructions, so I try to reply, to explain if he will just take the time to read the registration page, he will find the answer to all his questions. But since he's using Yahoo, 18 times out of 20, my message gets shunted into his Junk folder (which he never feels the need to look through) and so he thinks I'm too high-handed to provide him an answer. The 19th of those times, he gets the message and fires me off a hateful message about how he doesn't want to register after all (like I need another arrogant arsehole around here anyway, right?). The 20th time, he gets the message, takes the time to read our Privacy Policy, sees we're not here to give up anyone's e-mail address and registers with the e-mail address provided by his ISP.
I have set up A records, DNS records and SPF records, all of which legitimize this site with nearly all e-mail providers. Since Yahoo and Hotmail always seem to come up short, it's easier for me to just disallow those two providers. I know that upsets and discourages some people, but it's been nearly four years since I adopted this policy and I've no plans to change it. If this gives you reason to fire off a nasty, profane message, do yourself a favor and send it to someone who might care to read it. I've heard it all before. If you cannot read some simple instructions and follow them, you're likely not going to be a good fit for this site, anyway.
In all the years I've been operating forums, I've found the people who take the time to acquaint themselves with a new site are the ones who rarely ever have a problem.
