Poll question: Poll: Should I make everybody create a user account and log in to the forum? I don't particularly want to, but when people post with different names it can get kind of confusing as to who is who.

YES YES YES YES YES. Will the real halibut king please stand up?

Will I have to type in username and password evrey time? If so, NO! If not, yes.

Tight Lines,
Wade

Wade, there is an option in your user profile that allows you to stay logged in once you log in one time. I logged in once at work and once at home, and have stayed logged in for the past few months. I am going to try harder to educate people on how to use the forum with more help pages when I have a chance.

I say no for a simple reason. Most regulars on this board are very computer savvy. This is a small minority of persons who actually visit the site. Requiring all new visitors who may wish to post on the board to log-in, or the regular who is not so computer savvy, will discourage participation on the message boards. Especially if they are a newcomer. Allow discretion for creating profiles. Let those who wish to create a profile enjoy the benefit, and those who wish not to do so come and go with anonymity.

Just my .02 worth,
Terry G.

I voted "no" for the same reason.

An optional protected screen name would let the regulars make sure nobody is posting as them but would allow casual cruisers & lurkers to post, too.

Tight lines,
Fishslayer

That's what we have now. The problem is that people post as different names and it gets very confusing when there are other people posting with similar names. It is also nice sometimes to be able to view somebody's profile so you can see who they are instead of just some random person posting on the board. IMO, it really isn't brain surgery to set up an account and log in, especially if rob makes a help page. I don't think it would be that much of a problem (afterall, allcoast is setup that way) and it would be a lot of help for those of us who use the boards everyday.
-Brian

I am going to leave things how they are for the time being. Hopefully I can take some time to write up some better documentation. I need a PC at work instead of this Solaris box so I can work on the site in my spare time .... darn.