Reviving Roman Army Talk

[SAJID]

Hi to all,
               very interesting topic discussion going on & i am full agree of dear Admin post -
               I think you're right that we might have to consider something. RAT suffers from the same issue most forums have/had: the competition from Facebook and other Social Media.
 The present age is the age of competition that is why you will i will request if 
it is good (Make it interesting )
it need to be reformed  (Welcome)   it is time demand


with best regards-Sajid
It is good as it is
It is good as it is

[17_Jäger]

Hello,

Iam pretty new to this and it could be, that you don´t hear about this when joining this hobby.
I got this forum recommended by a youtuber, that already has a loadout and therefore doesn´t use forums anymore. He told me his buddy uses this forum and said it is good.
The problem is that when you search for roman stuff on google facebook groups or similar appear first, which could drag the attention away from this forum.
Atleast this is what I think, since I found this threw a recommendation, not research.

With kind regards

[Praefectusclassis]

It's hard to compete with Facebook, though it would help if they took some more 'snow days'. :-D

[Simplex]

It's hard to compete with Facebook, though it would help if they took some more 'snow days'. :-D

Hi, 
As far as I'm concerned, I don't go for Facebook spreading my personal data without my consent.
Therefore: No Facebook on my side.

[Eleatic Guest]

What did George Clooney say again of Facebook? ;-)

[jmsilvacross]

As an old lurker on this forum (been here since mid 2000's) but now a "registered" member, I thought I'd offer my two cents.

First, the registration process is far too much of a hassle. It's 2021. Things need to be quick and snappy. I understand the need for anti-spam measures, but if this comes at the price of irking and putting off potential new members, is it worth it? For example, my own registration.

Step 1: Create an account. OK, so far, so simple.
Step 2: Captcha.
Step 3: Somewhat ambiguous security question - How many men in a centuria? I'm not sure. Isn't there a discussion about whether it was 80 or 100? What if I came here to find the answer to that very question?
Step 4: Submit.
Step 5: Incorrect captcha. Please resubmit.
Step 6: You posted too fast compared to the minimum (30 seconds) required. Restart the whole process. (Yes, because the only field that needed changing was the captcha?)
Step 7: Redo everything.
Step 8: New security question - who was the first emperor? Augustus, but I know some will say Caesar and fall foul of Step 6.
Step 9: Incorrect captcha. Please resubmit.
Step 10: Starting to get a little annoyed now. Redo everything. Forget about Step 6 because I'm annoyed.
Step 11: Really start to breathe deeply and exhale in frustration here.
Step 12: Redo everything. Wait 30 seconds. Ensure everything is correct.
Step 13: Congrats! You can post now.
Step 14: But every post so far requires moderator approval...

You can see how for a new user, this is just too much. Then there is the obligation of having a real name (In 2021?) but you are not allowed to even have a signature before five posts, all of which need to be moderated. This post included. And this is OK if you have a moderator online for most time zones, like both sides of the US, Europe, maybe Asia, etc. But it's been more than 12 hours since I registered, and so far none of my posts are even public. I don't mean this in a nasty way, but again - 2021, this is just too much. This just reminds most younger users (I'm 33 by the way) why forums are in decline.

And it's a vicious circle - I come here, see only a few people online. OK, not a problem. Then I have a registration that is just waaay too complicated and annoying (by comparison with other platforms/sites) for it's own good. Then I am told a rule I can't even fulfil, that in itself seems very questionable for 2021. People value their privacy. There is nothing stopping myself or others from giving fake names, so I don't know why this is enforced. RAT isn't (or at least, doesn't want to be) a tiny community anymore. Perhaps changing that rule could be a part of this, because I gather most people simply use fake names anyway to get around this. And then when I finally register, I can't even post immediately. Then I check who is online - and there is only me, telling me there are no moderators online. Then I check again in 2, 4, 6 hours, and still see that my posts haven't been approved. And then I wonder if this is why as old members leave, lose interest, pass away and so on, why new members aren't joining too.

So yes, this is a little rant, but also I think many of the older members who haven't had to re-register don't know that the process right now is not conducive to new membership. It's not friendly and I can only imagine how many people give up halfway or think it's not worth the effort.

And of course, this is just one facet, besides the already mentioned competition from Facebook, other platforms, etc. These days, accessibility and ease of use are at the top of young people's needs when it comes to media, and forums (not just this one) have been very slow to adapt to this.

Anyway, I hope this helps.

[Praefectusclassis]

Hi Julian
That's all in the department of 'fair enough'. I know an upgrade to the forum system (by the developers, not me) is in the works. The post approval should really have gone faster, but it's very effective in combating drive-by spam. You'll have to take it from me, but if we relaxed such measures, it'd be covered in all kinds of crap here in no time flat.

[jmsilvacross]

Hi Julian
That's all in the department of 'fair enough'. I know an upgrade to the forum system (by the developers, not me) is in the works. The post approval should really have gone faster, but it's very effective in combating drive-by spam. You'll have to take it from me, but if we relaxed such measures, it'd be covered in all kinds of crap here in no time flat.

Thanks for the reply Jasper. I understand it is there as an anti-spam measure and what a nuisance that could be. Could more moderators be recruited perhaps, so as to speed up the process?

I also realise the last two years with the pandemic and the lack of re-enactment events (and of other kinds too) probably hasn't done the forum any favours either. In any case, I hope we manage to find solutions, because I too miss the days when this forum was a lot more active 

[Praefectusclassis]

We have more, but they too spend more time on Evilbook. ;-)

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Julian,

I agree with some of your points - the captcha, the first 5 post, those could be altered. After all, we're trying to keep the bots out, not new members.

As for the real name, that's not a 'still doing that in 2021?' thing. Of course we do not ask your real name but a real name. Simply put, discussion with 'Julian' (even if you may not be called that) instead of discussion with Trojanslayer3000 or MightyCaesar (you get the point) has made discussing a lot more civil. This also means we do not need to enforce anything, except a real name in your username or signature. So it's not a questionable rule after all

I don't know how often my fellow mods check the forum, for me there's a reason why I'm only checking in today - this week I'm on holiday.

[Condottiero Magno]

The name requirement isn't enforced like in the old days, such as with that character from the Balzac novella, when users were called out in threads by mods and other members. The minimum requirement for signatures is an hassle, though easy to get around, simply by posting an introduction in the Round Table.

[jmsilvacross]

We have more, but they too spend more time on Evilbook. ;-)

Is there a RAT Facebook? 

Hi Julian,

I agree with some of your points - the captcha, the first 5 post, those could be altered. After all, we're trying to keep the bots out, not new members.

As for the real name, that's not a 'still doing that in 2021?' thing. Of course we do not ask your real name but a real name. Simply put, discussion with 'Julian' (even if you may not be called that) instead of discussion with Trojanslayer3000 or MightyCaesar (you get the point) has made discussing a lot more civil. This also means we do not need to enforce anything, except a real name in your username or signature. So it's not a questionable rule after all

I don't know how often my fellow mods check the forum, for me there's a reason why I'm only checking in today - this week I'm on holiday.

Fair enough. 

On the last point though, I would argue if every first 5 posts need to be moderated, and there isn't a guarantee a mod will be online daily, either that rule should be amended or more mods created. 

The name requirement isn't enforced like in the old days, such as with that character from the Balzac novella, when users were called out in threads by mods and other members. The minimum requirement for signatures is an hassle, though easy to get around, simply by posting an introduction in the Round Table.

Well, you have to post an introduction, then four more posts to get to the minimum of five.

[Praefectusclassis]

I hate to 'well, actually' but since I'm the only one who can actually know: the limit was always only 2 posts. It's now been set to one as we've never had any spammers who managed to convince us they were legit with their first post only to prove a wolf in sheep's clothing on the second. So it's not that bad.

And yes, there is a RAT Facebook group.

[jmsilvacross]

I hate to 'well, actually' but since I'm the only one who can actually know: the limit was always only 2 posts. It's now been set to one as we've never had any spammers who managed to convince us they were legit with their first post only to prove a wolf in sheep's clothing on the second. So it's not that bad.

And yes, there is a RAT Facebook group.

I must have conflated the number of moderation posts with the ones required for the signature, my bad. 

But thanks Jasper, a step in the right direction I think. I'll check it out later today.

[Praefectusclassis]

You weren't the only one talking about higher numbers. :-)