Total Members Voted: 318
I’d say no, but with some exceptions. It should by default NOT be restricted, but perhaps with some way to turn on restriction temporarily if mods see it’s a big problem.I have accidentally posted in the updates before but I quickly move it over to discussion.
As someone who has been lurking this forum for quite a few years now (I don't really have anything interesting to say, so that probably won't change) I do feel like part of the issue comes down to just how crowded this specific sub-section has become over the few years. There's a ton of threads with extremely similar sounding titles to the point where even I have difficulty keeping track of which thread I'm looking at, everything simply moves too quickly with threads constantly jumping up and down the stack every time you refresh the page. I was going to suggest building some kind of colour coded tagging system to make it easy to see the topic of each thread at a glance (I still think that would be useful) but really a easier solution might be to just use the thread sticky/pinning feature more effectively - What I mean by that is if the most recent Updates & Discussion threads were pinned to the top of the sub forum then they would be fixed into place on the page, becoming fixed points of reference which users would see as distinct from the regular threads that make up this forum - you could have something like:1: Starship SN11 Test Launch Campaign - UPDATES2: SpaceX Boca Chica - Production Updates - MASTER Thread (4)3: SpaceX Starship : Texas Prototype(s) Thread 20 : DiscussionetcBut I'd also make sure that the threads follow the same naming convections as well. I'd also put UPDATES or DISCUSSION in all caps either at the start or end of each thread title, along with the thread no. in a fixed position, for example. So: 1: "SpaceX Boca Chica - Production Updates - MASTER Thread (4)"2: "SpaceX Starship : Texas Prototype(s) Thread 20 : Discussion"becomes: 1: "SpaceX Boca Chica : Production Master Thread 4 : UPDATES"2: "SpaceX Starship : Texas Prototype(s) Thread 20 : DISCUSSION"or maybe just: 1: "Starship Production Thread 4 : UPDATES"2: "Starship Prototype Thread 20 : DISCUSSION"Or something of that sort. Any new "official" threads for other topics (Superheavy?) could then follow a similar convention.Regardless I do think a large amount of the offtopic posting comes from just how busy this subforum is and how much threads jump around as a result, you shouldn't really have to dig for the correct thread when the thread in question is supposed to be the official discussion page for example. Currently I don't think the pins aren't really being used particularly well - I mean half the pinned threads right now are locked due to being years out of date.And yeah, as a lurker seeing threads constantly delve into off topic arguments has become very disheartening. Unfortunately as this forum continues to become more and more popular this doesn't seem like something that's going to change any time soon - I can't imagine the traffic when SpaceX eventually get to the point of full production orbital flights. The mods have done a great job keeping the forum relatively under control given the circumstances, but at some point I think some large scale rejuggling of the SpaceX section may need necessary to stop the whole thing spiralling out of the control. Perhaps the Starship sub-section has become so busy it needs to be split into multiple subforums, dare I suggest?Anyway, back to lurking.
Possibly the only limitation I can see is minimum number of posts such as 100 posts or something similar. Many of the people making the mistake are new to the forums and don't fully understand the rules as many other forums do not have these types of posting rules. Veteran posters do occasionally make this mistake also (including myself), but usually remove it as soon as they realize the mistake. It's easy to make this mistake due to the number of threads many of us have open due to the limited scope of threads. But I think a certain amount of experience in the forum is the best way to handle this.Edit: if a new user does have a useful update, they could always post in the discussion area for a veteran or mod to repost in updates.
No - Absolutely notIf we're going to start gate-keeping here, why not just drop the pretence and make the site read-only except to L2 members and verified aerospace professionals?
This forum does have the most strict and "precise" (and numerous) rules I have ever seen for a forum. It's like a condo HOA on steroids.
However, when you factor in the plethora of rules in combination of what is likely MANY new members that join specifically out of SpaceX interest...you are going to need more moderation than usual in the SpaceX forums.
Voted YES.The number of concern-trolling m*rons is becoming absolutely horrendous in launch updates threads.No matter how often you tell them NOT to post their idiotic arm-chair 'analyses' in the updates thread, they still do. It's annoying, it's tiring and worst of all it degrades the quality of this forum.So, for potentially 'exciting' update threads, such as the launch of Starship prototypes, I would very much like to see a limitation on who can post. Preferably a limitation to NSF staff only.
If they really have new info (like found debris or an image different than the dozens already there) they should be able to send it to a mod. No, you don't need to post right this second. What happens if your post is delayed? Does the world stop spinning? What happens if you have to post in the discussion thread? Does the world stop spinning?