The problem with removing spam threads is that there are a lot of older Silk Road members who do not post a lot, and are therefore 'younger' in terms of post count, and they are quite knowledgeable in the areas that they would have learned in the newbie section. They already know what they would have picked up participating in discussions anyway, and they find it frustrating that they A) cannot post in the regular section, and B) have to struggle with an unworkable Catchpa difficulty. It is on a high setting and refreshes too fast to allow regular posting. In addition to this, newbies are not even told of the reason why, and what is worse, though mods answer technical issues (depending on who posted it), they no longer answer questions about this 50 post requirement, leaving it up to us older members to explain, as best we can, why it is there. If WE do not tell them, then they are left without an answer, which in turn accounts for a lot of anger from newbies over this. You will notice some older members regularly in the newbie sections trying to answer questions on this. It is not our fucking job though.
I fully understand where you're coming from, and am in discussion with the moderating team and admins to see what we can do about the entire 'spam to 50' situation as a whole. I have suggested perhaps having one or two mega-threads that will be tolerated as long as people leave the actual discussion threads spam-free. When we have direction on that we will let people know.
The captcha can be quite difficult at times (I had to go through captcha hell myself with this new account so I can definitely empathise with members who don't appreciate it) but it is an unfortunate necessity to combat spambots. There are many programs available that can defeat captchas with ever-increasing accuracy and having it on a lower difficulty would negate the reason for having a Newbie forum in the first place as the spambots could hit 50 posts in a matter of seconds.
I also understand what you're saying about this not being explained to new members; I will see when we receive direction about the spam issue if it is appropriate to place a Sticky informing them as to the reasons they are restricted to this forum. I spent the majority of my time helping members out from my previous forum identity and appreciate the others who take the time to do so as well. However you are right, it is not your job to do it - however the contribution that older members make is essential to a well formed community. I will attempt to contribute more in this regard so that others do not have to.
I applaud your values, it is some time since we have have a mod that actually answers questions regardless of who asked them. (+K). In fact, I am sure that this post will either be deleted for simply posting something that is actually from the perspective of a long time vet (no, I did NOT join in December by the way, some of us gave been here longer than the registration date.) I have tried to help out as much as I can, but sometimes helping out can threaten people. (I have a lot of sympathy for microRNA (former mod), they, and a lot of others, had the same issue.) To be honest I try to avoid any trouble on the forums by placing people in Iggy where I am absolutely forced to, but it is sometimes not so easy.
I wish you well in your moderating and hope that you are given some respect here on the forums as, unlike others around here, from your posts you are an overdue breath of fresh air, and actually deserve some respect for your efforts..
Piece, Love, and Fuck Haters.
I appreciate your comments, but the other members of the moderating team do a great job - it's impossible to answer all questions given the size and scope of this place; it is a relatively large forum and the moderating team is kept low in numbers for very good reasons.
Regarding deletion of your post, that will certainly not happen, at least not by me (and I highly doubt the other moderators would do so either).
If people feel threatened by you helping out, then let them! It is their problem and in a free community such as this, it is something that they will simply have to learn to deal with! We enjoy great freedom here, and that is something that I will vehemently defend for all. This forum is not just a forum for people to discuss drugs, it is a place where we can speak freely and openly on any topic without fear of retribution or censorship and that is incredibly, incredibly important. Not just for Silk Road but also for the future of free speech.
Thank you for the kind words, and regardless of whether I receive respect from others or not for doing so, I will serve this community as best I can for as long as I am permitted to.
Libertas
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) saying, blah blah you have to Finalize Early because certain people with certain buyer stats have to Finalize Early. I responded by asking them to cancel my order, to which they responded by marking it, "in transit." That was about 20-30 days ago now, and this entity's profile has since dissapeared, and I have recieved neither hide nor hair of this promised shipment. There was no response to my emails, explaining that if they were happy with me finalizing The Day I receive product (as I ALWAYS do) than I would be happy to work with them. Nothing. I went to the Resolution Center... which I'll admit I'm new enough not to know what the heck I was doing on there. Typing a bunch of words into the abyss? Not sure. So I read an FAQ and decided I'd drop a line here before I go further to SR support. Can buyers see their own buyer "stats"? I've made 6+ purchases total between 350 and 550 US. Had about three, maybe four or five months on. All 5/5, often detailed reviewed, never leave things to escrow. IDK. If there is some one out there who has any ideas on how to get my money back, I'm all on it. Thanks