theres that alltime favorite phrase.....still kills me...

Lep, my epidermally impaired brother, you are one of the most even handed forum jockeys i have ever encountered....personally, i think this is one of the most well managed, and all matter encompassing places to go.....yes, there are "asshats" that drop in from time to time, (the many faces of Rugal jumps to mind) but overall, you and your crew do a fine job...nothing is perfect, utopia is but a dream....keep up the good work, and may the mapping Gods smite the loquasious few who endeavor to f**k it up for the rest of us....

and jon, we still love ya....//// runs

Dr Brasso...

>>>edit>>> i still want my dadgum snarkmarks back tho bud....///runs again

umm...you have big feet, and they make big noise... ...and it isnt quite the same without ya bud.....

***waves, throws box of Kleenex at Jon, and re-commences marathon....

Doc B...

sometimes a new member will come crashing in the door, arse over tit, but still get enough chances to satisfy even the most forgiving of members, before Lep will hit the big red button.

i'd say the 'give a guy a chance' attitude that the pit has is better than you'll find anywhere else, and doesn't need to be extended to include any kind of screening.

I don't think it's necessary to screen people, just to clearly state what we expect of a regular and to enforce that behavior. Stuff like decent spelling/grammar, spending time on posts, at least somewhat prolonged involvement in the community (not just coming to post a map or an editing question), and contributing helpful comments on maps or on the site in general should be written standards, not unwritten ones, for new members.

Screening could work. Honestly, it's not that often that a new member of exceptional talent comes around (have there been any in the last year or so besides keved?) and it's very often that somebody completely ignorant to our 'unwritten standards' comes around and pisses us all off. 'Applying Members' would show that they have quality material to contribute, in whatever form that may take.

It would be much easier to make some things that disruptive new members do against the rules. Here are my suggestions:

1. No posting mod ideas or recruitment threads without a website and media to show.

2. Be civil and fair in both reviewing maps and responding to criticism.

3. Spelling and grammar should be kept to a level where it does not distract from the content or tone of a post.

4. All personal arguments should be kept to PM's (I'm terrible at this, I know, but I try).

5. Some standard for image sizes - perhaps not catering to even the s**ttiest connection, but keeping an image as small as possible without distracting from the content of the shot.

6. Some standard of community involvement should be expected - posting a map or editing question and then leaving should not be simply looked down upon, but against the rules. To get comments on a map, it should be required of new members to make comments on other maps. (Perhaps that should be the probation - new users should be prevented from posting threads in Editing and Maps for a month, and General for a shorter period of time).

And if somebody goes against those standards knowingly, they should be put on posting probation, SA Forums style. Honestly, it would cause us more grief to yell at each disruptive member individually for not acting within 'unwritten standards' than to simply silence people for purposefully being asses.