can we force new posters to read forum stickies?

Is it feasible to MAKE new posters read the 'how to use this forum' stickies before they are allowed to open a new topic? I'm envisaging something similar to the way some forums require users to read and accept terms of use when they start posting. I think it would save a lot of frustration from newcomers asking questions poorly, and probably save the long-suffering mods hours of working inserting all those code tags.

i think the mods enjoy it :wink:

It could work the same way that software companies make people read the license agreements :wink:

Yep... if you don't tick the box, "Continue" button remains greyed-out; no reading required....

What about people like me i mean half brother..

who ticks the box regardless just to see "continue" highlight? :smiley:

i think the mods enjoy it

No, we don't.
All that effort for nothing.
Makes me very, very, very, very mad indeed.

There are times when I have to restrain myself from hitting the "remove topic" button.

AWOL:
There are times when I have to restrain myself from hitting the "remove topic" button.

Maybe you should not do so?

Maybe you should not do so?

No, because then they'd just repost in the same way, and I'd have to delete it again, or I'd get a whiny PM asking me why I'd done that, and why was I being nasty to noobs, or...

Three-strikes-and-out has a certain attraction, though.

AWOL:

Maybe you should not do so?

No, because then they'd just repost in the same way, and I'd have to delete it again, or I'd get a whiny PM asking me why I'd done that, and why was I being nasty to noobs, or...

Three-strikes-and-out has a certain attraction, though.

What about locking the thread with a remark why it is locked? => no PM but you probably are still nasty to noobs ]:smiley:

A check box to confirm that they have read it, and a statement to the effect that any posts not conforming will be deleted? That way the mods have a bit of leeway!

We don't need no steekin' leeway.

We don't need any new steekin' rules. :wink:

We don't need any new steekin' rules

No disagreement here.

Just an idea… what if they had to read the rules for a certain amount of time? They could not post until they had been on the page for a few minutes, or maybe they should have to pass a small test?

"Against fools even the gods fight in vain"

Looking it up on wikiquote I get
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens.
Against stupidity the very gods Themselves contend in vain.
Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.
Against stupidity the gods themselves labor in vain.
Against stupidity the gods themselves fight unvictorious
Against stupidity even the gods contend in vain.
Against stupidity gods themselves contend in vain.
With stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.
With stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.

PeterH:
Is it feasible to MAKE new posters read the 'how to use this forum' stickies before they are allowed to open a new topic?

There are ways to do this, yes. But they'd have to upgrade the forum (which they aren't interested in doing) and even if they did upgrade it, they wouldn't listen to me. =(

So I'm afraid nothing will change here, as the powers that be seem to know it all already. :~