Author Topic: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?  (Read 12633 times)

Sibley

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Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« on: June 21, 2020, 08:12:37 PM »
I will see threads that have been resurrected from a year or more ago, and it's by a user with 1 post or something. If it's the super obvious spam, sure I report it as spam. But sometimes it's a reasonable response, except that it was done 2 years late. I can make myself just ignore them, but it's annoying. Mods, do you want these reported? Ignored? Other?

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2020, 12:20:00 AM »
Not a mod here, but I personally report all those.

Some of it is super obvious, with crappy spam links (or sneaky ones linked in a comma or period).

Some of it is iffy (where they bump an old thread or add generic but still possibly innocent comment that just seems off somehow) and in that case, mods can check the IP  (there are databases for bad IP/spammer/emails used for registration). This generally is still a spammer, but the furtive type that posts and then waits for a day/week/month and then comes back and adds their spam to a now "aged" post so it slides under the radar since it won't pop where a moderator might catch it, but now lives forever in site archives for the purposes of ranking/SEO hijinks.

If it is someone that legit did not realize how old the thread is, the mods should be able to tell, but they might have a way to note/monitor until the person proves legitimate or spammer.


RWD

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2020, 07:49:57 AM »
A lot of these are planning on going back and editing the post with a spam link in the future. Super annoying.

Sibley

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2020, 09:13:40 AM »
Well, the specific post I saw that prompted me to ask the question was updated today with a spam link. Reported. And honestly, I'll probably just report in future unless a mod requests otherwise.

Shane

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2020, 09:23:59 AM »
Sometimes I search the board looking for old threads that are relevant to a topic I'm currently researching. If I, for example, find a two year old thread that's discussing something I'm interested in learning more about, is there a reason I shouldn't resurrect it by posting a comment? Is it better to just start a new thread? It never would've occurred to me that posting a comment in an old thread might be viewed suspiciously by some.

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2020, 09:33:33 AM »
Sometimes I accidentally respond to one of those spam posts because the date is in a much smaller font than the text, which makes it hard to see on my phone.

Dicey

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2020, 09:53:54 AM »
Sometimes I search the board looking for old threads that are relevant to a topic I'm currently researching. If I, for example, find a two year old thread that's discussing something I'm interested in learning more about, is there a reason I shouldn't resurrect it by posting a comment? Is it better to just start a new thread? It never would've occurred to me that posting a comment in an old thread might be viewed suspiciously by some.
You have enough posts that it shouldn't be an issue. Frankly, it kind of pisses me off when people start new threads on topics that have been heavily covered. Yes, our search feature is um, awfully clunky, but Sir Google is always at the ready. Example: there are many threads on the subject of engagement rings. It has all been said before. Inevitably, someone will start a new one, without bothering to check the history.

To OP's question: I report anything I see with a link. I'll be more vigilant about the more innocuous-seeming necroposts. Conversely, I love a good update, or to see a once-popular topic revived. There is merit to being able to comment on old threads. Recently, limits have been placed until new members reach 100 posts. It it possible to restrict their ability to comment on inactive threads?

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2020, 10:00:12 AM »
I will see threads that have been resurrected from a year or more ago, and it's by a user with 1 post or something. If it's the super obvious spam, sure I report it as spam. But sometimes it's a reasonable response, except that it was done 2 years late. I can make myself just ignore them, but it's annoying. Mods, do you want these reported? Ignored? Other?

Paging Mods:  @arebelspy  @FrugalToque @ForumModerator
('cause we'd all like to know...)

Recently, limits have been placed until new members reach 100 posts. It it possible to restrict their ability to comment on inactive threads?

I think this is a GREAT suggestion, if possible to execute.  Restricting a member's ability to revive an old thread until they have >100 posts would eliminate >90% of these necroposts.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2020, 10:02:45 AM by nereo »

arebelspy

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2020, 12:26:10 PM »
Yeah, go ahead and report with a "new user, 1 post, bumping years old thread" type comment so we can take a look.

Thanks to everyone who reports things to help keep the forums clean! :)
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Shane

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2020, 07:13:53 PM »
Sometimes I search the board looking for old threads that are relevant to a topic I'm currently researching. If I, for example, find a two year old thread that's discussing something I'm interested in learning more about, is there a reason I shouldn't resurrect it by posting a comment? Is it better to just start a new thread? It never would've occurred to me that posting a comment in an old thread might be viewed suspiciously by some.
You have enough posts that it shouldn't be an issue. Frankly, it kind of pisses me off when people start new threads on topics that have been heavily covered. Yes, our search feature is um, awfully clunky, but Sir Google is always at the ready. Example: there are many threads on the subject of engagement rings. It has all been said before. Inevitably, someone will start a new one, without bothering to check the history.

To OP's question: I report anything I see with a link. I'll be more vigilant about the more innocuous-seeming necroposts. Conversely, I love a good update, or to see a once-popular topic revived. There is merit to being able to comment on old threads. Recently, limits have been placed until new members reach 100 posts. It it possible to restrict their ability to comment on inactive threads?
Thanks @Dicey .

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2020, 07:47:17 PM »
Sometimes I search the board looking for old threads that are relevant to a topic I'm currently researching. If I, for example, find a two year old thread that's discussing something I'm interested in learning more about, is there a reason I shouldn't resurrect it by posting a comment? Is it better to just start a new thread? It never would've occurred to me that posting a comment in an old thread might be viewed suspiciously by some.
You have enough posts that it shouldn't be an issue. Frankly, it kind of pisses me off when people start new threads on topics that have been heavily covered. Yes, our search feature is um, awfully clunky, but Sir Google is always at the ready. Example: there are many threads on the subject of engagement rings. It has all been said before. Inevitably, someone will start a new one, without bothering to check the history.

To OP's question: I report anything I see with a link. I'll be more vigilant about the more innocuous-seeming necroposts. Conversely, I love a good update, or to see a once-popular topic revived. There is merit to being able to comment on old threads. Recently, limits have been placed until new members reach 100 posts. It it possible to restrict their ability to comment on inactive threads?

That doesn't bother me.  Most every question on here has been asked and answered a million times.  It's a catch-22 if it's annoying to respond to an old thread but also annoying to post about something that's been discussed before. 

I think mostly people are looking for engagement (no pun intended) on their issue from real live people. 

Dicey

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2020, 08:48:34 PM »
Sometimes I search the board looking for old threads that are relevant to a topic I'm currently researching. If I, for example, find a two year old thread that's discussing something I'm interested in learning more about, is there a reason I shouldn't resurrect it by posting a comment? Is it better to just start a new thread? It never would've occurred to me that posting a comment in an old thread might be viewed suspiciously by some.
You have enough posts that it shouldn't be an issue. Frankly, it kind of pisses me off when people start new threads on topics that have been heavily covered. Yes, our search feature is um, awfully clunky, but Sir Google is always at the ready. Example: there are many threads on the subject of engagement rings. It has all been said before. Inevitably, someone will start a new one, without bothering to check the history.

To OP's question: I report anything I see with a link. I'll be more vigilant about the more innocuous-seeming necroposts. Conversely, I love a good update, or to see a once-popular topic revived. There is merit to being able to comment on old threads. Recently, limits have been placed until new members reach 100 posts. It it possible to restrict their ability to comment on inactive threads?

That doesn't bother me.  Most every question on here has been asked and answered a million times.  It's a catch-22 if it's annoying to respond to an old thread but also annoying to post about something that's been discussed before. 

I think mostly people are looking for engagement (no pun intended) on their issue from real live people.
As a long-time member, there have been some brilliant discussions on a wide variety of topics from people who are now inactive. It's nice when their wisdom gets revived and shared with a new audience.

And then there was the guy seeking permission to buy a $1000 BBQ recently...

LWYRUP

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2020, 09:00:05 PM »
Sometimes I search the board looking for old threads that are relevant to a topic I'm currently researching. If I, for example, find a two year old thread that's discussing something I'm interested in learning more about, is there a reason I shouldn't resurrect it by posting a comment? Is it better to just start a new thread? It never would've occurred to me that posting a comment in an old thread might be viewed suspiciously by some.
You have enough posts that it shouldn't be an issue. Frankly, it kind of pisses me off when people start new threads on topics that have been heavily covered. Yes, our search feature is um, awfully clunky, but Sir Google is always at the ready. Example: there are many threads on the subject of engagement rings. It has all been said before. Inevitably, someone will start a new one, without bothering to check the history.

To OP's question: I report anything I see with a link. I'll be more vigilant about the more innocuous-seeming necroposts. Conversely, I love a good update, or to see a once-popular topic revived. There is merit to being able to comment on old threads. Recently, limits have been placed until new members reach 100 posts. It it possible to restrict their ability to comment on inactive threads?

That doesn't bother me.  Most every question on here has been asked and answered a million times.  It's a catch-22 if it's annoying to respond to an old thread but also annoying to post about something that's been discussed before. 

I think mostly people are looking for engagement (no pun intended) on their issue from real live people.
As a long-time member, there have been some brilliant discussions on a wide variety of topics from people who are now inactive. It's nice when their wisdom gets revived and shared with a new audience.

And then there was the guy seeking permission to buy a $1000 BBQ recently...

I think I misread your critique.  You are saying you prefer that people revive old threads rather than start new ones?

I think that's fair.  I like reading old things from time to time.  The knowledge is still the same, so who cares? 

The forum has gotten less active over the years, I think, but honestly I don't mind.  It's active enough, and it's fun that since there are fewer people it's easier to "get to know" posters. 

Dicey

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2020, 09:07:23 PM »
[Snip]
I think I misread your critique.  You are saying you prefer that people revive old threads rather than start new ones? Yes, particularly if it's a subject that has been thoroughly discussed. But then, I am a big fan of libraries ;-)

I think that's fair.  I like reading old things from time to time.  The knowledge is still the same, so who cares? 

The forum has gotten less active over the years, I think, but honestly I don't mind.  It's active enough, and it's fun that since there are fewer people it's easier to "get to know" posters. See below.
OMG, there are so many more members now! By what metric has is gotten less active? Number of members? Number of posts? I'm really curious.

LWYRUP

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2020, 09:12:09 PM »
[Snip]
I think I misread your critique.  You are saying you prefer that people revive old threads rather than start new ones? Yes, particularly if it's a subject that has been thoroughly discussed. But then, I am a big fan of libraries ;-)

I think that's fair.  I like reading old things from time to time.  The knowledge is still the same, so who cares? 

The forum has gotten less active over the years, I think, but honestly I don't mind.  It's active enough, and it's fun that since there are fewer people it's easier to "get to know" posters. See below.
OMG, there are so many more members now! By what metric has is gotten less active? Number of members? Number of posts? I'm really curious.

Maybe I just waste more time on the internet so it feels less active? 

I feel like Pete was a bigger thing back 3-4 years ago.  I think he's getting bored of the blog so that's why posts are dying down.  I assumed that posters have thus since been leaving more than they are joining since the blog itself isn't in the news much.

Obviously membership keeps growing because old members aren't deleted.

I could be completely wrong about all of this, and probably am. 

terran

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #15 on: June 22, 2020, 11:12:23 PM »
Sometimes I search the board looking for old threads that are relevant to a topic I'm currently researching. If I, for example, find a two year old thread that's discussing something I'm interested in learning more about, is there a reason I shouldn't resurrect it by posting a comment? Is it better to just start a new thread? It never would've occurred to me that posting a comment in an old thread might be viewed suspiciously by some.

As others have said, you have (more than) enough posts that you're not who this thread is talking about.

You should know that people often don't notice that the thread is old and respond to the OP. If you just want to get more responses to the OP then that's fine, but if you want to get a similar, but different conversation going you'd probably be better off starting a new thread.

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #16 on: June 23, 2020, 07:25:20 AM »
[Snip]
I think I misread your critique.  You are saying you prefer that people revive old threads rather than start new ones? Yes, particularly if it's a subject that has been thoroughly discussed. But then, I am a big fan of libraries ;-)

I think that's fair.  I like reading old things from time to time.  The knowledge is still the same, so who cares? 

The forum has gotten less active over the years, I think, but honestly I don't mind.  It's active enough, and it's fun that since there are fewer people it's easier to "get to know" posters. See below.
OMG, there are so many more members now! By what metric has is gotten less active? Number of members? Number of posts? I'm really curious.

I can answer this!!
* - @Dicey @LWYRUP

Using the forum's own data on new members, posts, topics and people online, we can graph out changes over time.
Admittedly I could make these graphs look much cleaner, but I'm just goofing off at the moment so generic b/w line graphs will have to do.  I might break out individual months later if I get bored.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Because 2020 is only 47.5% of the way over, all values for 2020 have been adjusted to assume a full year.  In other words, value/0.475 = projected 2020 total.

ALSO:  The big spike in 'Most Online' (top right graph) in 2019 is likely a false data-point and should be treated with extreme skepticism - likely the result of multiple DDOS attacks on the server, as outlined by RWD below.



Random conclusions:  September 29, 2019 was the busiest day ever, though I can't say why.  We saw peak membership and posting occur around 2018, with a slight decrease.  Despite my hypothesis that the stay-at-home orders would generate a ton of new members, it seems that 2020 has just been average thus far on new members and new posts.

One possibility is that we starting to see saturation among the FIRE and FIRE-curious crowd, so newer members are harder to attract now.  In other words, many people sympathetic to the cause have either already joined or decided they aren't the type to be on this forum.  This is open for discussion.

EDIT:  Original graph matrix had two of the same, and lacked another.  This has been fixed.  Graph also resized for web-viewing.

*it's nice when my skillset as a data-scientist actually lets me provide meaningful contributions to this forum :-)
« Last Edit: June 23, 2020, 07:57:22 AM by nereo »

RWD

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #17 on: June 23, 2020, 07:41:40 AM »
Random conclusions:  September 29, 2019 was the busiest day ever, though I can't say why.

We were getting DDOS'd around then which artificially spiked the online users count:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/forum-information-faqs/the-forum-is-back-up!/

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #18 on: June 23, 2020, 07:47:37 AM »
Random conclusions:  September 29, 2019 was the busiest day ever, though I can't say why.

We were getting DDOS'd around then which artificially spiked the online users count:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/forum-information-faqs/the-forum-is-back-up!/

Good to know - so that HUGE spike in "most online" graph (top right) is largely bogus and should be ignored.

In that case we HAVE seen a steady increase in the total # of members online (ignoring the 2019 false datapoint), even though new members have declined.  So more members are joining than are going dormant over time.

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #19 on: June 23, 2020, 07:51:55 AM »
I can answer this!!* -

I am delighted that you could and were minded to do this!!! I love the people on this forum. Thanks. I was interested in this too.

LWYRUP

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #20 on: June 23, 2020, 08:08:07 AM »
This is really interesting, thanks.

I think I saw the "most ever" on the bottom and assumed numbers were way down from then.

As for why there's no spike in membership in 2020, I do think that some people read articles about Pete's blog and then find the forum, so if Pete is not promoting the blog as heavily, the forum membership won't grow as fast.  Which is fine with me, I think there is a sweet spot where it is active but it is not overwhelmed with lots of random users, spam, etc. 

Like I don't really post on reddit because you never talk to the same people twice so you don't really get to know anyone.  I like that people get to know each other here. 

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #21 on: June 23, 2020, 08:44:13 AM »
This is really interesting, thanks.

Like I don't really post on reddit because you never talk to the same people twice so you don't really get to know anyone.  I like that people get to know each other here.

Yeah... if this became a 'super-forum' like Reddit I probably wouldn't like it much either. 

Other data-point:  there's currently just over 35,000 members.  BUT... over 9,000 have NEVER posted, and over 22,000 have ≤ 5 total posts.

on the high-end there's just shy of 3,000 members who have hit the 100 post threshold.  It's a very skewed distribution.  I haven't analyzed it but it looks like 50% of the total posts come from just the top  2% of posters (as measured by their post-counts). 

tl;dr - if we cut out the 'members' who never post, and those who haven't posted in >2 years, and those who post less than once per month on average this community has a group of around 1,000, with"regular, active" members, with a couple hundred doing the lion's share of the posting.

Dicey

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #22 on: June 23, 2020, 09:39:26 AM »
Thanks nereo! I knew someone would have the skills to make the words come to life. How many current members are there? If it's shown in one of the graphs, I missed it.

I think the fact that Pete has published very little during this pandemic has definitely had an impact. Also, one of our members took a job running a different blog, started a forum, and a lot of valued voices jumped ship. A few continue to hang out in both places, and their viewpoints are still very much appreciated. (I am NOT going to name it - please don't ask. I feel like this person piggybacked on MMM's success and that's about all I want to say on the topic.) We also lost a number of prolific posters, due to banning, burnout, or achievement of FIRE and general moving on.

Finally, people are accessing what I believe is similar content via FB. I mentioned somewhere that I attended the virtual Camp Mustache and everyone I spoke to in the breakout sessions knew MMM from the blog or FB. They were not forum members. I willingly contribute my time and life energy here, in hopes of being the voice I wish I'd had when I was starting out. I don't have time for FB, because I am sure it is a soul-sucking vortex.

Ladychips

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #23 on: June 23, 2020, 09:59:31 AM »
I can answer this!!* -

I am delighted that you could and were minded to do this!!! I love the people on this forum. Thanks. I was interested in this too.

+1.  I love stuff like this.  Thanks for taking the time to do and share.

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #24 on: June 23, 2020, 10:16:11 AM »
There are spammers that like registering for sites and then putting their spam into their personal/about/contact section. I am led to believe that web crawlers/SEO keywords and other things like web addresses placed in these fields will still show in results even if they never post a single time on a forum.

It's a common occurrence on another site I mod (and ban them ALL THE TIME) since spam is spam, but it does take an actual human to look at the profiles if they are using a clean IP/VPN/email that doesn't trip the automatic banning, and I'm not sure the mods on MMM review new member accounts for this type of thing.

But mostly the ones that register and never post are likely just registering to keep lurking in all the off limits for guests sections like the journals, or lost interest pretty quick which is weird since there are a few hoops to jump through that require a bit of interest/commitment to find the answers.

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #25 on: June 23, 2020, 10:37:36 AM »
Thanks nereo! I knew someone would have the skills to make the words come to life. How many current members are there? If it's shown in one of the graphs, I missed it.


Currently there are 35,094 registered members.  But as I explain above, about 9,000 of them have never made a single post, and 22,000 have five posts or fewer.  The majority of posts in the last year all come from a few hundred prolific posters (myself included). 

Shane

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #26 on: June 23, 2020, 03:41:53 PM »
Sometimes I search the board looking for old threads that are relevant to a topic I'm currently researching. If I, for example, find a two year old thread that's discussing something I'm interested in learning more about, is there a reason I shouldn't resurrect it by posting a comment? Is it better to just start a new thread? It never would've occurred to me that posting a comment in an old thread might be viewed suspiciously by some.

As others have said, you have (more than) enough posts that you're not who this thread is talking about.

You should know that people often don't notice that the thread is old and respond to the OP. If you just want to get more responses to the OP then that's fine, but if you want to get a similar, but different conversation going you'd probably be better off starting a new thread.

Got it. That makes sense. Thanks @terran

lhamo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #27 on: June 23, 2020, 07:21:02 PM »
Also, one of our members took a job running a different blog, started a forum, and a lot of valued voices jumped ship.

This is factually incorrect.  The forum in question was started as a service to a totally different site that was shutting down suddenly -- it was originally intended to be a place for the people in that community to continue to connect.  Many of us wanted to support that effort as the community there was more diverse in many ways than what tends to dominate here.  So we joined to try it out/help out and stayed because we like the community and the discussions that have emerged there. 

It may not be your cup of tea but please get the facts straight.

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #28 on: June 23, 2020, 07:34:31 PM »
Um.... who are we talking about here?
Thanks for the PMs.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2020, 08:45:34 AM by nereo »

Dicey

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #29 on: June 23, 2020, 08:25:24 PM »
Also, one of our members took a job running a different blog, started a forum, and a lot of valued voices jumped ship.

This is factually incorrect.  The forum in question was started as a service to a totally different site that was shutting down suddenly -- it was originally intended to be a place for the people in that community to continue to connect.  Many of us wanted to support that effort as the community there was more diverse in many ways than what tends to dominate here.  So we joined to try it out/help out and stayed because we like the community and the discussions that have emerged there. 

It may not be your cup of tea but please get the facts straight.
Okay, I stand corrected. I must have missed the memo that explained that. My comment is based on the impression I got, by reading what was available when I eventually found the site.

@lhamo, you are exactly the person I had in mind. I appreciate that you still share your wisdom here on the regular. At the time I checked it out, I was sad to see how many people who felt like friends had gone, never to return.

Also, exactly which part did I get wrong? The fact that the forum was apparently already in existence? Since I'm pretty sure the other two thirds of my statement are correct, when the forum began isn't exactly the key takeaway.

And if my comment generates conversation over there, please tell them they are missed. I absolutely feel their absence, because their viewpoints and their stories were very much appreciated here. By me, for sure. And that was my main point. Y'all are missed.

Shane

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #30 on: June 23, 2020, 09:03:54 PM »
So, what's this other site, and who left to run it? Why not just give us the URL, so we can have a look for ourselves? Why would it be a secret?

lhamo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #31 on: June 23, 2020, 09:55:14 PM »
The forum in question is linked to a podcast that started airing in late 2016, and is high quality enough to have been recommended in two recent major media outlet articles on diverse voices in the personal finance space (NYT and Forbes). It isn't hard to find if that is something you are interested in. I think the fact that the person who runs it has never actively recruited people from here speaks to their integrity and demonstrates that they never intended to poach people from this community. 

deborah

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #32 on: June 23, 2020, 11:03:33 PM »
I think those graphs might be incorrect because, if I remember correctly, a lot of users were deleted several years ago. At the time there were problems with the forum crashing, and it was suggested that everyone who had no posts? less than five posts? be deleted to increase the speed of the forum. This worked remarkably well.

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #33 on: June 24, 2020, 04:40:42 AM »
I think those graphs might be incorrect because, if I remember correctly, a lot of users were deleted several years ago. At the time there were problems with the forum crashing, and it was suggested that everyone who had no posts? less than five posts? be deleted to increase the speed of the forum. This worked remarkably well.

See remarks above.  The discrepancy is with DDoS attacks, and the server problems ha to do with this plus the hosting IIRC.  While deleting non-posting members was discussed, it did not happen.  As I’ve outlined, there remains over 9k members with zero posts, many of them members since 2012 or 2013.  About 2/3rds of the total members have less than five posts.


deborah

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #34 on: June 24, 2020, 04:47:54 AM »
Thanks!

marty998

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #35 on: June 24, 2020, 06:09:11 AM »

Finally, people are accessing what I believe is similar content via FB. I mentioned somewhere that I attended the virtual Camp Mustache and everyone I spoke to in the breakout sessions knew MMM from the blog or FB. They were not forum members. I willingly contribute my time and life energy here, in hopes of being the voice I wish I'd had when I was starting out. I don't have time for FB, because I am sure it is a soul-sucking vortex.

I can agree to this. I just joined a whole bunch of FIRE and Investment groups on FB, just to see what is out there.

It's a shitshow. The quality is super bad... example post:

"Hi guys, I'm new to investing. Should I buy <Insert index fund>? Thoughts?"

No context, no background, asking for financial advice which is illegal to give here without a licence, no effort.

I love this forum because people educate themselves, inform themselves, and if they don't know they generally listen, learn, and apply.

But I do miss the "debt emergency, your hair is on fire and you're being swarmed by killer bees, here's a big punch to the face" attitude this forum used to have. It seems the current generation is quite happy to drive SUVs and run the AC on high and spend up big if it "brings them joy" or whatever instagram slogan is de rigueur these days.

A big part of the blog and 'the brand' is environmental awareness and the minimisation of waste, and that seems to be lost on many people. Suffice to say I want to come here and specifically not tolerate the 'diverse' views who don't like that message.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2020, 06:12:35 AM by marty998 »

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #36 on: June 24, 2020, 06:26:46 AM »
I’ve encountered many new posters who have not read one word of Pete’s blog, who objected to the idea that there is an environmental bent, and that excessive luxury is to be avoided even if you have the means (we all the parts about having >$4MM in assets).

The average post here sure is different from the earlier years

Metta

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #37 on: June 24, 2020, 07:13:20 AM »
Thanks nereo! I knew someone would have the skills to make the words come to life. How many current members are there? If it's shown in one of the graphs, I missed it.


Currently there are 35,094 registered members.  But as I explain above, about 9,000 of them have never made a single post, and 22,000 have five posts or fewer.  The majority of posts in the last year all come from a few hundred prolific posters (myself included). 

As one of the people who has been here since 2014, who achieved FIRE and stopped posting as much, I want to explain. I still read the forum almost every day. But I participate less.

Part of it is that some ideas and arguments have calcified. I know what I think of those issues and I don’t want to argue about that issue if I come to talk about other things. The two primary things are whether or not to own a house without a mortgage and whether or not to ever invest in individual stocks. I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority in wanting a house without a mortgage and in having a portfolio of individual stocks in addition to mutual funds. I also don’t want to argue about politics, though I enjoy reading posts of people who do.

So whenever I contemplate making a post, I always ask myself, “Will this activate those discussions? Will this help anyone or is it just for my personal aggrandizement? Is it kind? Has it already been said by someone?” Most of the time the answer comes out to “don’t post.”

Also, I’m not too sure how mustachian I am. I spend a fair amount of money on educational products because my primary interest is in learning. I don’t spend more than I can afford and at this point I have $2.2 million dollars and it keeps growing, so I kind of think that if my hobbies are art, writing, and learning about art and writing, I can afford that.

I still love the people here and I feel a special fondness for those who achieved FIRE in the same two year period I did.


Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #38 on: June 24, 2020, 08:40:51 AM »
I willingly contribute my time and life energy here, in hopes of being the voice I wish I'd had when I was starting out.

Thanks so much for your time and wisdom. It's appreciated.

solon

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #39 on: June 24, 2020, 10:39:52 AM »
The forum in question is linked to a podcast that started airing in late 2016, and is high quality enough to have been recommended in two recent major media outlet articles on diverse voices in the personal finance space (NYT and Forbes). It isn't hard to find if that is something you are interested in. I think the fact that the person who runs it has never actively recruited people from here speaks to their integrity and demonstrates that they never intended to poach people from this community.

Can you give us anything more to go on?

arebelspy

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #40 on: July 01, 2020, 07:07:11 AM »
I think those graphs might be incorrect because, if I remember correctly, a lot of users were deleted several years ago. At the time there were problems with the forum crashing, and it was suggested that everyone who had no posts? less than five posts? be deleted to increase the speed of the forum. This worked remarkably well.

See remarks above.  The discrepancy is with DDoS attacks, and the server problems ha to do with this plus the hosting IIRC.  While deleting non-posting members was discussed, it did not happen.  As I’ve outlined, there remains over 9k members with zero posts, many of them members since 2012 or 2013.  About 2/3rds of the total members have less than five posts.

It actually did happen. Was a couple years ago, don't remember when. The deletions were based on people with no posts AND who hadn't logged in in a certain time frame (1 year? 2 maybe?). This was to avoid deleting accounts of people who logged in to lurk, but not post. The accounts with 0 posts now must have been newly created since then, or at the time had been on recently enough to not be deleted.

The forum in question is linked to a podcast that started airing in late 2016, and is high quality enough to have been recommended in two recent major media outlet articles on diverse voices in the personal finance space (NYT and Forbes). It isn't hard to find if that is something you are interested in. I think the fact that the person who runs it has never actively recruited people from here speaks to their integrity and demonstrates that they never intended to poach people from this community.

Can you give us anything more to go on?

Oh My Dollar.

The quality and contributions of its founder, and the people who post there now, are top notch. In particular, there were a group of ladies (Oro, MJ, GDog, Ducky, Happier@H, planejane, and many more) that add a lot of spirit and amazing energy.

It is sad not hearing them over here any more, but I completely get the desire to be in a smaller group with more compatible opinions. The forums back in 2013-2014 were much different than they are today, for example.

I personally would enjoy myself much more over there in terms of social aspects, if I had time for any forums these days. Alas, with three kids, time is limited, and my participation there, here, or anywhere, is pretty low.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2020, 07:26:07 AM by arebelspy »
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #41 on: July 01, 2020, 07:14:10 AM »
Thanks for the correction @arebelspy. I think my mistake was at looking at all the 9,000+ members who have never posted and noticed that hundreds date back from 2016 or earlier (some from 2012 - the beginning of the forum) and concluding no purge has been made.
Your explanation makes sense - the criteria was last time logged in, not post count. Which is fair, I suppose

Are you prepared to cede your title as top poster to Guitarstv in a year or two?

arebelspy

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #42 on: July 01, 2020, 07:30:28 AM »
Are you prepared to cede your title as top poster to Guitarstv in a year or two?

Wow, is it getting that close?

Thanks for your contributions @GuitarStv !
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Shane

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #43 on: July 01, 2020, 07:35:50 AM »
Thank you @arebelspy for sharing the name of the forums some members have moved to. I still don't understand why anyone thought it might be necessary to keep it a secret.

That's pretty crazy you guys already have 3 kids! Congratulations! Seems like just the other day I read your account of your experiences giving birth to your first child in Turkey.

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #44 on: July 01, 2020, 07:44:06 AM »
I keep thinking back to arebelspy's gif when he finally and official announced FIRE. 
...yeah, I've been around too long.


RWD

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #45 on: July 01, 2020, 07:58:41 AM »
Are you prepared to cede your title as top poster to Guitarstv in a year or two?

Wow, is it getting that close?

Thanks for your contributions @GuitarStv !

At his average rate of posting it will take over 6 years to catch up to you if you stopped posting entirely.

arebelspy

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #46 on: July 01, 2020, 08:16:21 AM »
I keep thinking back to arebelspy's gif when he finally and official announced FIRE. 
...yeah, I've been around too long.

That was over five years ago.

Time flies. :)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

nereo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #47 on: July 01, 2020, 08:31:30 AM »
Are you prepared to cede your title as top poster to Guitarstv in a year or two?

Wow, is it getting that close?

Thanks for your contributions @GuitarStv !

At his average rate of posting it will take over 6 years to catch up to you if you stopped posting entirely.

His posting has accelerated - big time - over the last two years. 
He's made > 1,000 posts in the last 110 days, a rate of over 9 per day, close to doubling his long-term average.

Will current trends continue?  Who knows... 

lhamo

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #48 on: July 01, 2020, 09:09:03 AM »
Thank you @arebelspy for sharing the name of the forums some members have moved to. I still don't understand why anyone thought it might be necessary to keep it a secret.



One of the criticisms being made was that there was some kind of deliberate attempt or strategy to siphon people off this site.  Didn't want to do anything that would give that idea further weight.

GuitarStv

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Re: Do mods have a preference re reporting this?
« Reply #49 on: July 01, 2020, 12:14:43 PM »
Are you prepared to cede your title as top poster to Guitarstv in a year or two?

Wow, is it getting that close?

Thanks for your contributions @GuitarStv !

Don't thank me.  It's largely been cranky covid lockdown posts.  Hopefully this will drop back to pre-lockdown levels (and joviality) soon, as I've hooked up my heavy bag again as an alternate method of working off frustrations.  :P