Require membership to download torrent files

[montiman]

O.k., I just now relized that people can download torrent start files without being a member.

I have always pressed hard to suggest, (or kinda demand) that if you download a torrent start file, the least you could do is hit the thanks button.
I never could understand how there could be so many ungratefull people out there who would download a posted torrent and not hit the thanks button at a ratio of at least 5 to 10%.

But now I know why!! peeps can download the torrent whitout even being a member!, and of cource, if not a member then they cannot hit the thanks button!!
I am realy naive/dumb not to have know this sooner.

So my suggestion is that the site require membership to download a torrent start file. The only down side I can figure is that that rule would take up too many resorces for the site.

 

[techie]

The problem would be inflating the number of users whomhave to remain logged in all the time to view the pages and get the files, and that would increase the number of database errors that we have recently experienced.

I am not sure how much the guest usage inflicts in this case, but I guess, considering that AO have anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 users at a time online, it might not make a big difference.

The big effect on the server usage would be storage resources, but once the user is a member, thats it, and its not always called in every page of the site.

I doubt though, to be quite honest, that if only for the purpose to get thanks clicks, it wouldnt be worth the effort of revamping the system. I would understand it if there was a monetary value behind the number of thanks received, but that's hardly the case here.

 

[montiman]

I doubt though, to be quite honest, that if only for the purpose to get thanks clicks, it wouldnt be worth the effort of revamping the system. I would understand it if there was a monetary value behind the number of thanks received, but that's hardly the case here.

O.k. well, I understand that. But in my case and I think some others that take the time to make a half way decent presentation, the clicks on the thanks button are a matter of pride, and the fact that you know that others appreciate your efforts. :goodboy:

 

[Skyraida]

for torrents in think it's fine like that, cause the more seeds the better, even if they are non members. However to access direct downloads like MU and RS files, i think a membership should be introduced. Cause if you're too lazy to use torrents and want fast download, register then

 

[montiman]

for torrents I think it's fine like that, cause the more seeds the better, even if they are non members.

Do you really think non-members seed torrents??? Why the heck would they do that???
They have NO sence of resposability, and NO insentive to seed torrents!

They are just hit and run leachers!!!! :donotwant:

Yes, some members might also be hit and run leachers because this site does not have a ratio requirment, but I like to at least think that members are more considerate.:bow-pray:

 

[daice]

Well, A-O could always include a members only system with invite only.
That could kill the problem of inflating the number of users that have a account to simply leech, though I don't know the requeriments for implementing this kind of system.
Anyway, regarding hitting the thanks button, there's really not much to be done, unless you implement something like a code that will hide the attached file (or the link) and will only show after hitting the thanks button.

 

[montiman]

.
Anyway, regarding hitting the thanks button, there's really not much to be done, unless you implement something like a code that will hide the attached file (or the link) and will only show after hitting the thanks button.

Yes, I thought about that also, but then that would mean getting like over 500-1000 thanks on a popular torrent (takes up too much space on the page/server)

If the requirement was just that you be a member to download the torrent start file, then at least we might get like an expected minimum of 10-20% thanks as a ratio of [thanks to torrent start file downloads].

 

[Sakunyuusha]

Well, A-O could always include a members only system with invite only.

Had this plan been in effect back when I first discovered A-O, I would not have been able to gain access to the forums and would probably not be here today. Keeping the forum contents locked and/or hidden until people register is one thing, but asking them to have insider-connections or else GTFO is something completely different.

A very-harsh-but-temporary fix could be to ban foreign IPs from the top one or top two nations guilty of swamping the site MINUS those IP addresses belonging to our friends and long-time peers who live in those countries. For example, if the guilty country was the Czech Republic, what I'm saying is: "We could ban all Czech IP addresses except for those belonging to czechm8te and czechs_mix."

I don't like this myself b/c it's incredibly xenophobic. BUT. If 90%+ of the swamp traffic belongs to one specific country, it could help out. Before people bring up proxies, yes, I know, but still, I think most people are too lazy or too uninformed or too incapable of making good use of proxies to bypass national IP blocks.

Really ... I don't like blanket-bans period. :\ Banning a specific asshole for being an asshole, cool. Banning everyone from the same country that the one particular asshole comes from just because of his actions, ehhh. :\

 

[RahXephon]

Cause if you're too lazy to use torrents and want fast download

well, let me just add my half cent of personal opinion

there's also peoples that CANNOT use torrents ..... try to use a torrent with an over-psychotic net admin that hate all torrents and work almost 24/7 just having in mind how to find and kill all the torrent protocols ..... ..... (luckily at least emule traffic can be masked as work sync-server traffic, LOL ..... well, just hope that guy is not a member here, LOL2) ..... other than this, there is a lot of trackers for torrents, where there is not so much free condivision sites for direct downloads .....

so, for the other side, i don't find completely wrong the idea to "have to be members" for direct downloads ..... most of the free users, imho, take the work of the other peoples, just for set up cashlinks or pay sites ..... those ones can AT LEAST say thanks, huh ? ..... well, i know, this type of persons try always to make the less efforts in their lives, so have to click a button for login, and maybe the idea to click another one for say thanks, too, can cause them diseases .....

..... sorry for the sarcasm, but if i write clearly that what i really think about those "almost humans" that steal the work of other peoples, or put in condivision fake releases pw-protected and ask to pay or register on pay sites for get the pw, then the mods may have to wear asbest gloves for delete my post erhaps: (LOL)

 

[guy]

I'd be willing to bet that most of torrent files here are reposts from other sites (especially the vast majority of the JAV torrents). For those, hit and run doesn't really matter because the torrents are already well-seeded from other trackers, and if they don't leech from here they'll leech from other forums.

Even for torrents that are started and superseeded by members here (myself included, on many occasions), other members take the torrents and repost them elsewhere for other people to freely leech, and limiting access isn't going to change that. And clicking on Thanks doesn't mean a person will help seed.

IMO, the Thanks button is really just there for damage control (preventing people from needlessly spamming threads with "Thanks" messages over and over again). As a superseeder, I don't care about how many Thanks I get. Actually, I only care about getting a file out as soon as possible, and once it's out there, my job is done. It's up to the swarm to keep the torrent healthy, and if the files lose popularity the torrent will naturally die.



If you want to get people to help seed and/or if you want credit for the files, attach a txt file torrent, tag yourself and a "Seed or die!" message in the comments field when you create the torrent, and add a disclaimer to your post that you will only seed for a certain amount of time.
:goodboy:

 

[CL™©®]

Can we get a VIP section not just for Torrents but Direct Downloads as well?
Somewhere we can post our files where only respected members can view & share.
I think this would encourage in "silent" members to contribute & decrease the many errors we've encountered as of lately.

 

[montiman]

IMO, the Thanks button is really just there for damage control (preventing people from needlessly spamming threads with "Thanks" messages over and over again).

They do that anyway! I am constantly trying to suggest that peeps leave proactive comments and not just take up space by saying thanks when they could just as well hit the thanks button.

As a superseeder, I don't care about how many Thanks I get.

Well, I do care about the "thanks" cuz I take the time to make a good presentation. (I want to encourage a download so I can share what I think is too good to miss)

 

[techie]

Actually quite right you are montiman.
The space on the server is more affected by the posts than the thanks button.
Perhaps there should be a feature where you ca click thanks but not post any further sub topic posts to the topic. In this way the only way to say thanks is the click, or a combination, autothanks for every download click.

 

[RahXephon]

..... autothanks for every download click

er, sorry, but this don't cause more db errors ?

i mean, for do this, i think you need a supplement of script, for detect the clicks, and for aviod leechers, you also need some other db fields, one for record why clicked woat, another for record links already clicked from why (for avoid peoples do multiple clicks on their own posts or on friends posts just for see the thanks counter increasing ), and so on ..... this is not a possible cause for more overload and db errors ?

 

[techie]

No its a simple download click link, and a query to update a single database entry like that would consume about 0.001 seconds of time.
After all to track thanks and linkage shouldn't take more than storing a uid/post-id pair, whereas a whole new post creates a full text row entry to the forum thread post table. This in turn can be well over a 1024 bytes even if you just say "Thanks" = 6 bytes

Thats why you can only click thanks once per post and not insert hundreds of thanks in a row.

The actual download script is then at the same time retrieving a file ID from a so-called blob on the database and creating a downloadable file in PHP.

PHP uses more resources than MySQL but not database resources.

 

[guy]

Perhaps there should be a feature where you ca click thanks but not post any further sub topic posts to the topic.

This was (mostly) covered here:
http://www.akiba-online.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34223

In short, there are lots of good reasons to keep topics open to replies -- forum functionality is not just about pure server-side (PHP/MySQL) performance.

 

[techie]

True indeed guy.
I am all for having the posts open, but its a matter of finding a balance.
I can for te life of me not understand why some find it "easier" to enter apost, typing "thanks" and sending it off rather than clicking the thanks button.
As the original poster stated, not getting thanks for the posts may be annoying, but that never bothered me much personally.

What is mind boggeling to say the least is that you get a typed thanks but not a clicked thanks. That just seems a bit "odd" to say the least (^^)

 

[montiman]

or a combination, autothanks for every download click.

Well, that would solve the problem of not getting a “thanks” for a torrent download. But I have some questions about that plan:
1. Would that mean that the “thanks” count would be completely anonymous?
2. Or would it be a combination of total count plus the names of the registered members who gave thanks?

What is mind boggeling to say the least is that you get a typed thanks but not a clicked thanks. That just seems a bit "odd" to say the least (^^)

Yes it is mind boggling! I have read in other sites that the reason some peeps do this is so that they can easily find torrents that they like buy going back to the list of comments that they made. (some sites have a “wish list” button)

Perhaps some people don’t see the “thanks” button or cant read English? Some suggestions are:
1.Write “thanks” on the button in both English AND Japanese.

2. Make the “thanks” button a little bigger AND in red color.

 

[Sakunyuusha]

Red is typically a color of warning or danger. (Case in point, check out the color of the Report button. ;p) I don't think foreigners would click on a red-colored "thanks", but I also don't think inability to read the text is the problem.

 

[montiman]

Red is typically a color of warning or danger. I don't think foreigners would click on a red-colored "thanks".

Well then make it green "Thanks!" and/or flashing! Anything to bring it to attention!