Joe888888 Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Hello Everyone!The Admins over at desktopessentials.info are having a debate over whether to let guests view or not view the site, there are good points on each side:My points:I think a majority of major forums let guests see there posts, but here is my PERSONAL reasons:1.) Registering makes a LOT of users turn away, if they are looking for quick, free software, odds are they will go with the QUICKEST way.2.) We can keep it so that guests can view now, but later on, if our site really gets there, then we can worry about what type of visitor receive, the current issue is GETTING any visitors.3.) Guests can still click on adsense, which will probably be incorporated later ;)Sythe's points:How are we supposed to get huge if nobody ever registers? Being forced to register has rarely turned me away from any site.And if they aren't forced to register, guests can just steal our content and post it on their websites.I just showed you those opinions just for validity, or something xDBase your answer on the question itself, just pretend your going to a forum that you could find some information on, register, or no register? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balliztik1 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Sythe's points are pretty unfounded here. I tend to agree with the allowing anyone to view the forum. If you look at Eclipse, for example, nearly all boards are viewable by guests, yet we're still a huge forum. If you think about it, think about it in terms of marketing. Have you ever had a "free sample" of anything? How can a company afford to do that? You could argue that by giving away things for free, they would not make any money, but companies that offer things like these continue to grow.Case-in-point: DDO. Dungeons and Dragons Online has recently gone from a subscription-only game to being free to play with a cash shop option and still a subscription service. While one would think that with the game going free, subscriptions would drop. However, subscriptions have gone up since the introduction of F2P. Why? First of all, it brought in a larger base. People who wanted to play the game can now, without having to pay to try it. Once they get a taste for the game, many subscribe to get the premium content, even though this was once a concern for them. It doesn't make too much sense, numerically, but it's how things work.In regard to a forum, the same could apply. If you go to a forum and you can't see anything, why take the time to register? If you don't know what you're getting, what incentive do you have to even become a part of the community? By allowing access to your forum to guests, people can see what the deal is. This way, you're selling the forum on its content, not by containing secrets. This also prevents you from getting members you don't want. If people see that you're a community they like, they will join. If not, it'll naturally filter those members away. Regarding the stealing of work, it happens. You'll just have to deal with that. Requiring registration means that someone will have to take like 2 minutes before they can steal. If someone wanted to steal your work, registration won't deter them, and if they intend to steal it anyway, it's pointless to put up a wall that will only hurt potential members. There's no way to stop plagiarism on the internet, but anyone can do a simple Google search to see that you are the original creator. And just searching, yourself, you can find people that steal your work and report them to whatever site they are on, or to their ISP.Consider if a store locked its doors 24/7 and required a screening process to shop there. Yes, it would keep every thief out of the store, but you lose more money from the number of customers turned away. Same with a forum. You'll lose less members to people stealing your work than you will from restricting access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe888888 Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Wowzah, nice post man! xD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeross Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Ye and you could always put some kind of license on there that states they have to link back to your forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balliztik1 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 @Joe:> Wowzah, nice post man! xDThanks. ;D Just figured I'd give my two cents.And just to clarify, on this part "This way, you're selling the forum on its content, not by containing secrets."…Think of it like this. If someone says "we've got a cool club; you should join." as opposed to "here, check this out, and if you like it, join us", which are you more likely to join? Instead of the reason to join to be to not be left out, you're joining because you want to. This is just another way that the system logically filters in members that are an active part of a community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Crusade Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Just registering have its incentives. For example, on our forum you can't download any testing clients unless your a registered member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe888888 Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 ok, its been decided, you do not have to register, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsh Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I hate sites that make you register to look at anything, unless i really need something on it i wont bother signing up.I think the best method for you would be let guests view all the boards but then have a mod in place so that you can download attachments or click on links. That way they can view everything to find out if you have what they need but to actually download the software they must register. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe888888 Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 that is already done, i dont use smf, i use invision power board which in my opinion is beastier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Comnena Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Yeah I like IPB… but it stopped being free awhile ago. ;)I agree with Marsh. I think Guest viewing is important, but they don't have to be able to see everything nor have access to the resources the community creates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe888888 Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Yes, totally agree, we already decided that as well, but yah it costs a whopping $150 dollars now, but one of our staff members bought it…very nice of him XDBut the themes that come with ipb are insanely good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruins of Hell Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 @Joe:> Yes, totally agree, we already decided that as well, but yah it costs a whopping $150 dollars now, but one of our staff members bought it…very nice of him XD> But the themes that come with ipb are insanely good$150 dollars? Wow… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe888888 Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 I know…its crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jna Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 He could have spent it on pot… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruins of Hell Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 @Jna:> He could have spent it on pot…/agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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