Registration required?
 

Ok, I'm not going to beat this to death. I just want to post my opinion on this topic. Mind you this in my personal opinion. Please, lets keep this a friendly debate. If it turns ugly, I will punch the thread.

If I was a casual surfer who was browsing the web, a search would pull up the OSO site. When I click on the link to OSO I wouldn't know what to expect. If I see that I'm not allowed to view the site because I'm not registered I will move on. No matter how easy the registration is. No matter what the cost is to register. Why should I bother to register to view the site? I have no idea what the site is about or if it's of interest to me. How do I know that I can trust OSO to not sell my info or spam me? Oh, yes you can call yourself the premier boating information site, but is it really? Or is it just a wanna-be site? There are many guests on a site like this one that would rather lurk than become a member. That's fine. What harm are they causing? On occasion you even find the new member who's initial post admits that they used to be a lurker but are now happily a member. Thats cool. Really cool. But, if that person was required to become a member immediately, would they be on the board today? I rather doubt it. I know why the registration was added. It's amazing how one member can change things. But I don't see the advantage to having even viewers need to register. Now this not my site, I'm only a privileged user, but I know that this is a decision that I wouldn't of made. Discuss among yourselves...

cord you hit the nail on the head

Iwas a lurker for about 1 1/2 years

I lurked for a while too. I joined shortly after the board was reset. I wasn't interested in being a member with all the bashing that was going on.

even as a registered member i can't view attached images! [see question/comments forum for more info]
forget trying to show a friend a page on oso. i don't have my pass memorized so i have to reset it whenever i need to show anyone a thread!

I have to agree too. I dont know why that was done, but I tell alot of people about this site and if they come here to browse, and cant until they register, they may just go away. I think register to post is ok, but not to browse.

I was going to post something on this topic in the suggestion area. I'll put my $.02 in here though.

I agree with everything that's been said. If I hadn't been able to read to begin with, I wouldn't have seen the benefits of registering.

There is another large, non-boat related forum that I frequent. On this site they allow you to view the forum something like 10-15 times before you are not allowed in anymore. This allows the person on opportunity to see if they like the forum and care to join. I was going to suggest we do that here. Allow someone to view a handful of times to at least see the benefits.

Not my site, just a suggestion. Carry on.

Buck

I lurked for a little over a year before registering.

buck183 - Best answer yet, especially to the whole argument of the pictures also!

I have no problem paying for the white meat but let'm browse without the registration hurdle for the dark meat.

Conversely, generally the good or high value threads are the longer ones. Why not let browsers only view a portion of each thread...show 'em some leg;)

What started this thread?? and OSO thread???

It's gone now, but one of the board god's had posted a thread on the topic. It basically said that they were now requiring a lurker to register as a member to view the board. Not post, but to view.

Not good. Please reconsider. I lurked for a while untill I got tired of Cashbrains constant hounding! I think this was a bad move and counter productive for the site.

As the member with the 2nd most posts, and at LEAST a half dozen members that I have recruited to this site (recruited??...yeah that's the way I see it!!) I have to agree with Cord. Let em lurk, what POSSIBLE harm could it do? The lurkers may even be doing business with the sponsors because of stumbling onto or being refered to this site.

I will say I lurked for....oh, about 10 minutes before joining!! :D

'Foul

Cord, What did you mean by this comment in your original thread:

"It's amazing how one member can change things. " ?

I agree that for this forum to continue to grow, people need to be able to look at the threads free of charge and without registering. I, like many of you, lurked for a couple of months before registering. And that was only because I wanted to post:D

Entice them in with the great conversation and information value that the forum provides, but do not let them participate until they register. I like the model, and it appears to have worked for some time now.

You stop people from even being able to see the site, and you take away the draw, the hook, the catch and more than likely the number of new members will decline over time.:(

A member by the name of "newspeed" came on the board and tried to take it over by posting. He'd post a new thread every minute. That's how the need to register and provide your e-mail address came about.

and did all of the reigning post whores ban to gether to protect their status???:D

OK, but what was the reason to require registration to view, bandwith??

I don't know why the chose to require registration. I also don't know if it's still in effect. Maybe one of the board gods could enlighten us?

Hey Steve
Ya screwed me up...I cant register from work for some reason, but at least I used to be able to read. Now I cant and my puter at home is too damn slow.
Change it back, just dont let em post if they dont register, who gives a **** what they read?

Dan

Cord, I agree with your statement.

Alot of you don't even know about the early days of OSO before this new message board. Cord does I know that. Man that was a real fist fight everytime you got on the board. Finally back in 2000, Jeffery decided to initiate this new register message board that requires e-mail addresses so that people could not hide behind their names and bash others under different names continuously.

Eventough I disagree with OSO's new register policy, this is still much better than the old days. That's for sure.

I'll go by whatever rules come up, we are, after all,guests in someones house with only a $20 entry fee.I am comfortable with that.