One frustrating aspect of many websites, especially smaller websites, is every single one of them seems to require your username, password, and email.
Of course, you might think "Oh, this is the way of the world, it's the age we live in, it's required for security, etc." Nothing could be further from the truth.
Requiring users to register on your site has never protected anyone from much, and given the low barrier of entry anyhow, all it does is take up time when you only want to do one thing. And why in the heck do they require that much information, anyway? What do they even do with it?!
So, effective now, you do not need an account to use these forums like a regular user. This is being done as a trial for now - if I like how it turns out, this may well stick forever.
You will need to make an account if any of the following become true, however:
You are involved with a project hosted on DRD Team and need access to private forums
You wish to send a private message
You wish to protect your username (please make a post, too, so your account isn't pruned if you do that)
You want your posts to appear instantly. Posts are entered into a queue to prevent spam until your registered account has reached at least one post to ensure you are not a spam bot.
You need a user's contact information (info made public, such as email, IM, personal website, etc)
Because of this, the rules for keeping an account are going to become a little more strictly enforced:
You will still need to email verify your account - failure to do so will result in it being pruned, eventually
You will need to make at least one post on your account in order to keep it. Accounts more than a year old with 0 posts are typically removed. Make at least 1 post on your account, and you're good.
Please be aware that it is still just as easy to ban guests as it is a regular user. Because the warning system cannot be applied to guests, temp-bans will be more frequent for Guests since it's the only way we can tell you "don't do that!" - so don't abuse this privilege.
Spoiler: Zen Sarcasm
1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.
3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
5. No one is listening until you fart.
6. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
7. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
8. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
9. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
10. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
11. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
12. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
13. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
14. Sex is like air. It's not important unless you aren't getting any.
15. Don't squat with your spurs on.
16. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
17. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
18. Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
19. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
20. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
21. Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
22. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
23. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
24. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
25. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
26. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our behind. Then things get worse.
27. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
28. There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
29. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
30. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday...around age 12.
31. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them
I decided that the hassle users have to go through to properly register and activate an account is not worth it. If someone wants to create one anyway, they are welcome to.
If you think there are reasons why I shouldn't, though, I am always open to suggestions.
In my opinion, forcing registrations just leaves your user database with useless clutter that no one (not even the original owner) will ever use.
Spoiler: Zen Sarcasm
1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.
3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
5. No one is listening until you fart.
6. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
7. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
8. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
9. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
10. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
11. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
12. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
13. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
14. Sex is like air. It's not important unless you aren't getting any.
15. Don't squat with your spurs on.
16. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
17. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
18. Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
19. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
20. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
21. Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
22. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
23. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
24. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
25. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
26. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our behind. Then things get worse.
27. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
28. There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
29. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
30. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday...around age 12.
31. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them
Heck we've seen recently on the ZDoom forums that abandoned accounts originally made just to report a bug several years ago and then forgotten about are an easy prey for bruteforce kiddies.
I can't dictate to the internet what everyone else should do, nor would I ever try.
But personally, I would like to see more webmasters follow in my footsteps, and try this. It makes a site so much more friendly to a casual visitor and it doesn't cause that much of a moderation headache except possibly on really big forums that see hundreds of posts per day. But even on those forums I'd imagine that approving posts from new accounts is still a bit of a headache anyway.
Spoiler: Zen Sarcasm
1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.
3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
5. No one is listening until you fart.
6. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
7. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
8. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
9. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
10. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
11. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
12. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
13. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
14. Sex is like air. It's not important unless you aren't getting any.
15. Don't squat with your spurs on.
16. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
17. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
18. Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
19. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
20. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
21. Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
22. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
23. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
24. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
25. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
26. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our behind. Then things get worse.
27. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
28. There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
29. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
30. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday...around age 12.
31. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them
