FAQ: New Members - Posts Awaiting Moderation / Posts Not Showing Up - READ HERE FIRST

If you've been an internet user for any length of time you'll know that spam is prevalent all around us. Most people are familiar with e-mail spam. These messages usually contain viruses or links to sites which attempt to phish personal information. What people may not realize is that spammers also target online communities such as blogs and web forums in an effort to get large numbers of unsuspecting people to visit these phishing sites. Unfortunately, the methods used by spammers are becoming more sophisticated -- they are able to get around most roadblocks in registration processes (CAPTCHA images, human verification systems, etc.) and are now even trying to pass off their posts as real discussion in an effort to seem credible and trustworthy. The more convincing they can be, the less likely they will get banned, increasing the likelihood that you will see their post and click on a link.


Why are all new registrations screened here?

As stated above, spammers are becoming more crafty and sophisticated, making it harder to detect when and how they will strike. They often register several weeks (or even months) before spamming the forum with posts. Others will attempt to use the Visitor Messaging (VM) or Private Messaging (PM) systems to contact members directly in an effort to remain undetected by moderators. Some simply add a spam link into their signature and post seemingly on-topic replies in an effort to fool people into thinking they are ordinary members.

The best method of preventing this is to automatically moderate all new members. This allows us to weed out spammers from those who genuinely want to participate in SimplyDiscus.


As a new member, are there any forum features or content that are unavailable to me?

Yes. Due to the abuse of the Visitor Messaging (VM) and Private Messaging (PM) systems, these are disabled for all new members. Signatures are also disabled to prevent spammers from inserting links. New Members will not be able to purchase Premium Memberships or post in the Homesteader section of the forum.


Are all of my posts moderated? Why do some show of my posts show up immediately while others do not?

Text-only posts are not moderated. These will show up immediately once you have posted them.

If your message includes any type of link (URL) it will be sent to a moderation queue where it must be approved by a moderator or administrator. This includes links to other websites, links to other threads here on SimplyDiscus, embedded links to images/pictures from sites like PhotoBucket or Facebook, and even links that are quoted in replies to other members. This means that if you use the Reply With Quote feature to quote another member, and their original post contains a link, your reply will be sent to the moderation queue. To prevent this from happening, you can manually delete the link out of the quoted message or avoid using the Reply With Quote feature altogether.


I posted a thread or reply containing links and my post hasn't shown up yet. When will it be approved?

Please understand that SimplyDiscus is run by administrators and moderators who volunteer their time here. We all have jobs, families, and other priorities to which we must attend. Moderated posts are usually approved within a few hours of being submitted, but this varies based on moderator/administrator availability. We will do our best to approve your posts as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please do not attempt a duplicate posting.

If you are in need of urgent or timely responses, it is best to avoid posting threads which contain images or links.


How long will I be considered a new member? When can I post links and use PM/VM/signatures without being moderated?

Currently, each new member is upgraded to a full registered member after 11 posts. Once you've reached the 11 post requirement, your account should be fully functional -- you can post links, embed images, use attachments, send Visitor Messages (VMs) and Private Messages (PMs), and customize your forum signature.


I have over 10 posts but I am still having trouble accessing certain features. What's wrong?

Please be aware that the forum uses an automatic promotions system. It checks several times a day to see if any new member has the required 11 posts, then automatically promotes those members to full registered members. If you've made it to 11 posts and are still being moderated, it's most likely that the forum hasn't reviewed and upgraded your account yet. This usually happens within a few hours but can take up to a full day. If you are still having issues with your account after 24 hours of reaching the 11 post limit, please post a thread in Site Feedback and a moderator or administrator will look into it.

Following feedback from members in respect of the Disease and Sickness section of the forum we have now made some further changes to what New Members can and cannot do in that forum.

Additional Restrictions
New Members cannot post on other peoples threads in the Disease Section.

Relaxed Restrictions
New Members can now post pictures directly in the Disease Section

Please note these are changes to the previous restrictions and permissions for New Members. A New Member can still start a thread in the Disease Section and they can reply to their own threads.