Forum accessibility survey

[Anthony Williams]

Hello Everybody,

The admins have been discussing the possibility of setting the forum to Membership By Approval (MBA). Some of you who have been around here longer than others, may remember that back in the ezBoard days we were Membership By Approval.

MBA simply means that casual browsers (and people not logged in) would not be able to see the majority of the forum. New joiners would first need to register, and then one of the Admins/Mods would need to grant them access to the forums. We would be keeping the News and Announcements and PS Audio forums open to all, and restrict the rest.

We've found that Membership By Approval is something that the majority of Doctor Who forums on the internet do.

However, before we do this, we want to consult with you, our posters, about this. Please can you answer the following questions and let us know what you think/how this sounds/how you feel about this?

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?

Thank you for your time,

Anthony Williams
Chief Admin, on behalf of all the PS Staff

[tony ingram]

MBA is a pain, but it has one major advantage: it stops spambots.

[tony ingram]

Incidentally, thanks for the email: I'm a member of several Who boards and I'd forgotten this one existed, somehow...(sorry)

[Anthony Williams]

Incidentally, thanks for the email: I'm a member of several Who boards and I'd forgotten this one existed, somehow...(sorry)

No problem, Tony - welcome back!

[TonyE]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?
2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?
3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?
4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?

1. After the move to vBulletin
2. It wouldn't stop me from joining but it is a bit more hassle, especially for the admins. What prompted you to consider this?
3. Yes. Then again, it might weed out the riff raff!
4. No. It won't make a difference to me.

Cheers!

[shada pavlova]

I don't think MBA would be a good idea. It might so easily make this place end up as Nineteen-Brenty-Four.

[Alex]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?

The old one. But I don't think I'd have ever found it without Paul introducing me to it to be honest.

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?

No, not if I'd heard good things about the forum.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?

It's possible. But then again another forum I'm a member off recently set it so that people could see the forums, and the topics, but not the actual content of those threads, and apparently that's led to a strong increase in the number of members. But I'm not sure how easy that would be to do.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?

It wouldn't affect me either way.

[MacNimon]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?

Ezboard. But like Alex, I would probably never have found it if it wasn't for the likes of Wayne and Logo.

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?
No.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?

Possibly, but it depends on how interested they REALLY are. It would keep out spammers etc, though.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?

I don't think so, but it would certainly give us a bit more privacy though, wouldn't it? It wouldn't be open for anyone in the world to see?

[Nyder]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?

1. After 2006

2. No it wouldn't stop me

3. It probably would have an adverse effect - but would casual surfers stick around for long anyway?

4. Yes I would feel more comfortable. Although I don't post under my real name (what, really?? ) you never know who's watching you on t'internet!

[Junkyard]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ? After 2006.

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?Speaking for myself, no. If I want to join a forum I simply accept any reasonable conditions that may apply to joining.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up? Possibly, but I agree with Nyder on this point.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA? It wouldn't make a great differance to me

[Stuart Wallis]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?

God help us, you know how to make us old-timers feel really past it, don't you?

I remember the prehistoric age of ezboard, but I wouldn't have found the place if it hadn't been advertised on the BBC boards.

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?

From what I remember, there wasn't that much rigmarole beforehand.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?

We're obviously not like this, and maybe the whole Ian Levine saga has left a bitter taste, but I wonder whether seeing the weatherboards and blackout sheets might give us a pretense of snobbishness/elitism? I suppose there's a security issue involved though, so I could see the logic in it if there were one.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?

Wouldn't bother me either way.

Then again, it might weed out the riff raff!

we're already here sir!

[Paul Clement]

1. Ezboard days.
2. It may have done at other sites, but I had already had my interest piqued at the BBC boards and Tardisite for here.
3. Yes it probably would. People who are encouraged to join by current members will probably still join, but casual observers may decide not to join.
4. I don't think a blanket MBA is the answer. I don't think anything more than a specific MBA for certain areas such as Centre of Leisure, Temple of Secrets are needed.

[Philipnet]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?
EzBoard days

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?
It didn't stop me as I knew Si Hart, and that got me in pretty quickly.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?
It will have an effect on casual surfers - but hopefully the right effect. We want people come in and participate in the community rather than just lurk.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?
Not fussed either way.

[SiHart]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?

I have always been here- from the very beginning.

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?

I had to in the first place, so probably not.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?

Possibly. I have waited for membership approval from other forums and to be honest that put me off posting to those forums. There has to be a quick turn around to the approval process to make it work, or else you just get people's backs up.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?

Not more than I currently do. I'm happy for anyone to read what I write and if I'm not, then I'll pop them in the forums that are closed to non-members.

[acrodrome]

Sorry...been onto building the Dark Dimensions Special Weapons Dalek.
Thus, it's been a while since last visiting...

PS is a wonderful site..please don't change anything, irregardless of
any past histories...Forums are like software..they're constantly evolving.

[Anthony Williams]

Sorry...been onto building the Dark Dimensions Special Weapons Dalek.
Thus, it's been a while since last visiting...

That was you that built that!? That thing is SERIOUSLY cool!

PS is a wonderful site..please don't change anything, irregardless of
any past histories...Forums are like software..they're constantly evolving.

Thank you very much!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?

Post 2006, I was aware of PS for a long time before joining but that's a long story that most have heard before.

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?

No, I was drawn in by the audios so I don't see why others shouldn't be.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?

Hopefully not. It would surely be beneficial to weed out non-posting lurkers and hopefully encourage genuine newcomers.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?

Frankly yes. I enjoy being able to share openly with the other members many of whom I've come to consider friends but being open access to anyone who signs up makes this something of a risk.

[starfury]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?
After.

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?
Depends on how quick the approval process is.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?
It will effect casual surfers - It maybe good to have a weeding-out process but we don't want to become insular.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?
Makes no difference.

[Dirk Gently]

1. Did you join PS in the old incarnation when we were with ezBoard, or after the 2006 move to vBulletin and planetskaro.org.uk ?
I joined the September after it started...so long ago.

2. Under MBA, would the extra effort of having to sign up and be approved, stop you from joining?
It never did the first time.

3. Under MBA, do you think that it would have an adverse effect on casual surfers signing up?
I shouldn't think so. We have members who do nothing anyway.

4. Would you feel more comfortable posting if Planet Skaro were MBA?
I don't use my name here because we went without MBA on this site. So as it stands now I don't see any reason that it would make me feel too different.

It might be an idea to have the Doctor Who Forums 'public' but have the rest MBA, with the temple remaining the same as it is now.

[Stuart Wallis]

We have members who do nothing anyway.

We still love Mr. Hunt nevertheless! (Any room behind the sofa...?)

[Alex Me]

1. I was a member of the old board, but then left for quite a large while. Rejoined a few months back after a recommendation by Richard BJ.

2. Not for this board, as I already knew some people or posted on it. If it was just a random board I cam across whilst browsing however It might, as it may feel like a lot of effort to register when then their are a lot of boards that are more accessible.

3. Possibly, see my answer above, but if your only a casual sign up you might not post much (if at all), so it might not lead to much of a reduction in post counts.

4. Maybe, it would mean my posts are not public accessible, but I try to avoid saying anything that I would not like other people seeing I had said anyway.