ArtMetal

1. You must log on to reply
1. Too many visitors reply to posts and you do not know if spam or not or just being a smart ass.
2. Too many times you see a person make a reply and then go back and say oops that was me, I forgot to log on•.
3. Maybe if you fix it so you have to log on you can change around how you filter the spam so I can log on form my work computer.
4. All of the buttons would work the same if logged on or not logged on.

Currently no requirements are necessary to reply to a post unless the post is linked to a group which has set the requirement to join the group to post or comment. This is a feature set for every new group that is created by a user. Each and every member of this community can start their very own groups and they can set the privacy levels for their groups. The original set of groups which I set up do not have required membership for comments. However, they do have joining requirements for posting to the applicable group. Note that the Drupal CMS system differentiates between "posts" and "comments."

To "post" on ArtMetal you have to have a membership account. To "comment" on a post you DO NOT have to have an account. I originally set this up so that non-registered visitors to the ArtMetal web site could actually contribute their knowledge to any post made by the membership.

Now that the site has been up for awhile I can see where problems can exist if you do not log in to your account. Your comment to a post is then included as a "visitor" and has no link to your personal account.

So the question here should be, "What type of access should ArtMetal give to non members?" Should we require anyone desiring to comment on a post registration? Note that this is an important issue which will determine the "openness" for communication on ArtMetal.com.

Please tell us what you think is the best way to handle our relationship to visitors to the ArtMetal.com web site.

UPDATE!

After listening to some of the feedback, I want to try something new. I've implemented a "remember me" check-box where you go to login. If you choose to check the "remember me" check-box, you will be remembered for ever within the browser that you logged in with. If you then go to another browser or computer, you will need to check that box again to be remembered. This should help folks that are forgetting to log in stay logged in and still give visitors the ability to post comments without having to register for an account.

Please let me know if you find any problems with logging in and the "remember me" check-box. Oh, and realize that if you click the "log out" link, you WILL be logged out. So for those of you not wanting to worry about whether you are logged in or not, DON'T LOG OUT.