I get around, and you're right that this is the only site that uses the coin system. RW had a barrier that was activity based. I think you needed some posts, some reactions, and possibly some reputation given by other users to earn their VIP and Elite ranks for example. I know FH had an Active User rank or something like that. It was also based on activity and reactions from others as well. ATF and other sites have similar barriers.
A few posts (starting at 10, then 15) and a few likes aren't really what I'd call an access restriction or even a hurdle; Spending at most half an hour and a little effort to prove you’re not a bot is a breeze, and it doesn’t require any extra system to make it even easier for less active users to access the content they want that the site has to offer.
The user preference settings are another option that has already proven successful on other sites.
As for the VIP section on RW, I can't really comment on that; I’m a member there too, but I haven’t come across it yet.
As a new or unknown user, I would naturally wonder how one can get others to help them earn the reputation points needed to gain access to this area.
That sounds more like nepotism and seems to be reserved only for insiders, and I don't think it's a good system for helping people get started in a new community.
I would be against introducing a barrier like this one on our website.
It's not a good system, but I don't think the others are either. I also don't think I have the authority to remove the coin system either.
Well...
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But...
We’ve heard this fairy tale about “stepping back from day-to-day operations” before - and I’m sure it wasn’t the first time back then, and it won’t be the last time this time around.
@Guz89 had the task last time that you now have to take on; and he didn’t stay at the helm of that sinking ship for long, and we all remember all too well how that journey ended - at least those of us who were on board back then.
As for the story, or rather the tall tale, surrounding “Lord Drakkon,” I won’t even begin to talk about it.
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As I've said many times before, we've been going around in circles for years now, and if things continue this way, we'll never reach the goal, no matter how you define it or how high or low you set it.