Contributors-only forum.

[Alex Zee]

IDEA: A forum where only people who have actually contributed something to BitCoin have write access.


This current forum is way too noisy. There are many smart and decent people here, who are putting their personal time and money to create something for BitCoin.

Wouldn't you like to see a place where such people could have a discussion without having to deal with all the noise, all the scandals and freemason bullshit, same newbie questions over and over again, etc.?

Well, as usual, if you want something done – do it yourself  
So here it is – I’ve installed an SMF 2.0 forum for this:

http://forum.qbizy.com

(If this project takes off I will move it to a separate domain and hosting).

So if you think it's a good idea to have such a place – register with an email from the site where one can see your contribution or drop me a line at bitcoin@qbizy.com.


You're probably thinking "what, some schmuck with less than 50 posts will now judge my contribution and decide who’s in and who’s out?"  

You're right I am not a hero member here, and I am in no position to determine how valuable your contribution is. I will just try to check that there is a contribution, that's all.


I love the BitCoin idea. I want it to succeed. Workers of the BitCoin world – unite!  

Seriously. Go register.

[BitcoinPorn]

http://forum.qbizy.com

Adding to the list

http://reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/
http://bitcoin.org.uk/forums/
http://www.anoncoin.org/
http://www.bitcoinforums.net/
http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/
http://tweetforum.com/bitcoin

[Vod]

Please add the GuildMiners forum to the list.  We're not competing directly with Bitcoin Forum traffic, as most of our users are going to be bitcoin newbies that we draw in via offline advertising.

http://forum.guildminers.com/

Thanks!

[greyhawk]

So this is going to be like a Soviet of Bitcoiners?

[Alex Zee]

I am not sure what you mean

I just thought a place where all the people are guaranteed to have contributed at least something to Bitcoin is a nice idea.

This simple check alone can cut lots of noise and bullshit.

[niko]

IDEA: A forum where only people who have actually contributed something to BitCoin have write access.

So, we extend the "proof of work" concept...   

Seriously, though, this is a good idea. Especially if by "contributing" you mean contributing over a significant period of time, and contributing something significant. I am not a developer, nor do I run a Bitcoin business, but I will definitely be lurking if this takes off.

[Alex Zee]

I more than welcome any ideas about what to consider "contribution".

Obvious cases, like big-shot sites, is a no-brainer.

Simply mining should not be a contribution , but operating a mining pool should.

All real-life merchants that accept bitcoins is probably a no-brainer too.

Overall, I promise to apply my best judgment and ask the community for advice in difficult cases.

[Alex Zee]

Ok, here's my first question about contributions:

If a person did some clearly non-trivial projects, but didn't actually contribute anything to Bitcoin (yet?) - should such person be entitled to join?

On one hand - the forum is clearly for "Bitcoin Contributors". On the other hand - if a person is an able developer, maybe he will do something soon.
On yet another hand - there are plenty of developers out there, so it can dilute the forum and add some off-topic posts

This is tough one for me to decide. Personally, I lean towards strict "bitcoin contribution is a must" policy.

What's your ideas?

[Cryptoman]

There are plenty of people who offer useful contributions to the discussion but who don't actually write code or have merchant sites.  Make it invite only, with a team of moderators that you trust to do the invites.

[Alex Zee]

And we have our very first member.

Also, as a precedent - if you have organized a successful Bitcoin meet-up - that is, I think, a sufficient contribution to be entitled to join.

Organizing things is hard

Come on, guys, don't wait, join!

This is a chicken and egg problem, you know. For this to be useful we need people and people won't join unless it is useful.
Let's jump-start it!

[Alex Zee]

There are plenty of people who offer useful contributions to the discussion but who don't actually write code or have merchant sites.  Make it invite only, with a team of moderators that you trust to do the invites.

Yes, I thought of it. Some form of invites by voting or trusted mods will be implemented, of course.

But for now it just basically needs ordinary members to solve the chicken and egg problem (and also to have a voting quorum about who to invite).

[mike678]

What if it was a forum section where hero member are the only ones who have write access? I know there are some users who have hero member status that spam but we could use a strict set of rules to prevent spam. There could also be a white list where people who have proven themselves to be knowledgeable and helpful to the bitcoin community can join.

[Meni Rosenfeld]

This is a chicken and egg problem, you know. For this to be useful we need people and people won't join unless it is useful.

I'll bite, but if you want active participation you'll have to provide some reason why we should expect this forum to be more successful than all the other alternative forums.

Also, as a precedent - if you have organized a successful Bitcoin meet-up - that is, I think, a sufficient contribution to be entitled to join.

Does a meetup where 3 people show up (including myself) count?

I kid, my contributions to Bitcoin are overwhelming, as is my humility.

What if it was a forum section where hero member are the only ones who have write access? I know there are some users who have hero member status that spam but we could use a strict set of rules to prevent spam. There could also be a white list where people who have proven themselves to be knowledgeable and helpful to the bitcoin community can join.

Being a hero member is a very bad proxy for making useful contributions, both ways. I don't think it will be good to start with this and then add exceptions.

[Alex Zee]

What if it was a forum section where hero member are the only ones who have write access? I know there are some users who have hero member status that spam but we could use a strict set of rules to prevent spam. There could also be a white list where people who have proven themselves to be knowledgeable and helpful to the bitcoin community can join.

Do you know how long it takes for something to be done here?

They can't add a simple Announcements section for months!

I promise one thing for sure - I'll be damn more responsive.

[Meni Rosenfeld]

Is it possible in whatever smf version / mods / whatever you are using, to remove a thread from the list of threads that show up in "Show new replies to your posts."? That this is impossible is one of the major problems with bitcointalk. If this is impossible with smf, I recommend using a different software (though I've never been as active in a forum as here, so I should be careful what I wish for...)

[Alex Zee]

I'll bite, but if you want active participation you'll have to provide some reason why we should expect this forum to be more successful than all the other alternative forums.

Meni, the major reason is the whole idea of restricted access. I don't think I need to do anything special, except to provide a place for discussions and don't get in the way

Those, who contribute, are smart and mostly good people
This place is bound to be better. Useful stuff will happen automatically.

Also, guys, it's much faster for me to approve you if you use email form the site that is one of your contributions, so I don't have to send you an email and ask for links to prove your contributions.

[Alex Zee]

Is it possible in whatever smf version / mods / whatever you are using, to remove a thread from the list of threads that show up in "Show new replies to your posts."? That this is impossible is one of the major problems with bitcointalk. If this is impossible with smf, I recommend using a different software (though I've never been as active in a forum as here, so I should be careful what I wish for...)

Nothing is impossible, if there is no such feature, I'll code it

I'm just not sure what you mean. I am not very familiar with version 2.0 myself, so it will take some time to properly configure it.

[andrewbadr]

smart and mostly good people

This seems like a better requirement. The problem with a new forum is getting that critical mass of contributors. Better to invite more people and then uninvite them if they don't meet the community's standards than have an empty forum.

[Meni Rosenfeld]

I'll bite, but if you want active participation you'll have to provide some reason why we should expect this forum to be more successful than all the other alternative forums.

Meni, the major reason is the whole idea of restricted access. I don't think I need to do anything special, except to provide a place for discussions and don't get in the way

We need more. Mostly an indication of your level of commitment to promote the forum and proactively contact prominent figures about joining it. Chicken-and-egg problems don't solve themselves without strong intervention.

Is it possible in whatever smf version / mods / whatever you are using, to remove a thread from the list of threads that show up in "Show new replies to your posts."? That this is impossible is one of the major problems with bitcointalk. If this is impossible with smf, I recommend using a different software (though I've never been as active in a forum as here, so I should be careful what I wish for...)

Nothing is impossible, if there is no such feature, I'll code it

I'm just not sure what you mean. I am not very familiar with version 2.0 myself, so it will take some time to properly configure it.

Whenever I post in a thread, it is added to my watch list. By clicking on the "Show new replies to your posts." link, I can see a list of threads in my watchlist to which a new reply was added that I haven't read yet. It is impossible to remove threads from the watchlist, so if I made a youthful mistake of posting in slush's pool thread, notifications of new replies clutter my view pretty much every time I look at my watchlist.

[Synaptic]

IDEA: A forum where only people who have actually contributed something to BitCoin have write access.


This current forum is way too noisy. There are many smart and decent people here, who are putting their personal time and money to create something for BitCoin.

Wouldn't you like to see a place where such people could have a discussion without having to deal with all the noise, all the scandals and freemason bullshit, same newbie questions over and over again, etc.?

Well, as usual, if you want something done – do it yourself  
So here it is – I’ve installed an SMF 2.0 forum for this:

http://forum.qbizy.com

(If this project takes off I will move it to a separate domain and hosting).

So if you think it's a good idea to have such a place – register with an email from the site where one can see your contribution or drop me a line at bitcoin@qbizy.com.


You're probably thinking "what, some schmuck with less than 50 posts will now judge my contribution and decide who’s in and who’s out?"  

You're right I am not a hero member here, and I am in no position to determine how valuable your contribution is. I will just try to check that there is a contribution, that's all.


I love the BitCoin idea. I want it to succeed. Workers of the BitCoin world – unite!  

Seriously. Go register.

td;lr:

"Dissenting opinions inflame our sense of worth, let's create a insular place where we won't be exposed."