"9/11/06: <chessgames.com> I don't believe you need to institute private e-mail. This is a study site and discussion forum, where it's best to share analysis and state opinions openly and thus encourage group interaction. Besides, many of us play off-site (GameKnot, QueenAlice) where we can communicate privately about whatever.

It wasn't too long ago that someone was stalking people, only to accuse his targets of being stalkers themselves. If you allow unfettered messaging, any of us might get bombarded by multiple profane comments under various and sundry handles. I believe the public nature of posting (plus your Whistle) helps keep such bad content in check.

I would rather you focus on uploading submitted games, without giving special treatment to people who complain."

*****

How prophetic.

They can code it such that an ignored user can't PM you.

????

1) The system of private messages, I have in mind, doesn't allow anyone to know your private mail-adresses or anything else you don't want to reveal yourself. You could choose to ignore messages from a certain poster in case you sense bad intent.

2) Given the way CG forums are very mildly moderated, and all degrees of trolling are quite unrestricted, I agree with you that the environment contains too many risks of transferring hostility to private messages. I don't object to this way of moderation nor complain about it since the ignore function somehow compensates. A pm system would probably requiere a more strict and closely following moderation which somehow isn't in the spiriti of CG.

Speaking of site history, as you propose private messaging, consider the public messaging. Remember those terrible things that <fab4>/<harrylime> posted about Raymond Keene on the Raymond Keene page. Remember those terrible things that <MarkFinan> posted about Nigel Short on the Nigel Short page. Remember those terrible things that <Author Jim Bartle> posted about the Wesley So player page biography (which is not the same thing as the chessgames.com Wikipedia entry). If this is what people say in public, what on earth would they say in private? Leading to another whole level of disputes requiring Moderation, which is the last thing they need.

<CG.com> would actually make more money since the premium members will continue to pay; meanwhile a percentage of the non-paying obnoxious trolls will fork over the thirty bucks. Its a win-win for <CG> but I guess they don't see it that way.

<Morf>, I'm not so sure that would work out so well. The site could die if there isn't hardly any activity on it and there are lots of alternatives nowadays in the online chess community. You need the activity of non premium members to show Google that people still come here and that this is an authority site. Otherwise this site will eventually lose rankings in the search engines and dry up.

One idea though, and you may like this, is that non premium members are restricted to x amount of posts per day. Maybe 2.

<Big Pawn: Reminds me of my uncle back in 1990. He still hadn't ever had a microwave. "I don't need no stinking MICRO wave!">

None of your business how much people post, is it?>

What is that supposed to mean?

<CG> is nothing without its community. Therefore, the user experience of the members of the community is the only business there is! You see here on this forum that paying members are voicing their opinions. These members <pay> and that is <business>. Pay = business.

I think it would be a great idea to implement a strict post restriction for non premium members. I think it would encourage a lot more people to sign up, which would make it possible to implement more changes on this site, upgrade the code and so forth, to the benefit of all.

How does that follow logically?

<WK> that's a bad sign...

<BP> is the biggest sock-puppeteer out there, and when socking/sucking he doesn't complain about getting unlimited posting privileges.

Yeah, people are going to go through the hassle to make new accounts so they can post two more times a day? I don't think so.

On the contrary, a sock account is worth it now as there is unlimited posting!

Look, chess players think they're smart and they love to hear themselves talk (or post), so there's nothing more valuable to them than to have an outlet. That is where the value is. This isn't 2002 anymore where <CG> is one of the only chess databases online. The community here is the main thing.

Two posts a day for non premium. It allows them to chime in, keep up with the current tournaments, search the database and so on, but to flap lips, it's going to cost a whopping $30 a year.