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[Thomas Knierim]

Hello everyone,

As thebigview.com has recently been inundated by bots and spammers, I see no other solution but to change the registration rules. We still accept new registrations, but we cannot allow new members to post to the board directly anymore. New users are now being screened before they receive full membership post privileges.

I am sorry for the inconvenience and I hope that this will not discourage anyone from joining our board. It's the spammers that prompt such restrictive action. If you are a new (legitimate) member and you encounter problems with registration or with posting, please contact me via the contact form (http://www.thebigview.com/about/contactform.php) on thebigview.com.

Cheers, Thomas

[Thomas Knierim]

Here is a brief overview of the registration process:

1. Submit your registration. During the registration you need to type a 6-letter CAPTCHA code. This exists to deter simple spam bot registration. Once you submit your registration, an email is sent to the email address you provided. Unless you activate your account according to the instructions in this email, you cannot post to the board and you have no access to any private messaging or email features.

2. Once you have activated your account, your member status is changed and you can post to the board. However, your posts will not be visible to the public immediately. At this stage, your account is being screened manually by an administrator. This restriction exists to prevent spam bots who passed the first two barriers from being able to post to the board.

3. After your new account has been screened by an administrator, your member status changes again and you become a registered member with full account privileges that allow you to use all regular features of thebigview.com discussion board.

Spammers will be blacklisted. Their accounts will be deleted and -in repeat cases- IP address and email blocking will be applied.

Cheers, Thomas