Is it not possinle to have the site set up so that when you register for the first time you "MUST " make a Welcome post. and if you don`t then the account will not be made. Something with Nationality, Arm you served in, Dates of service and Theatres of combat.
When the site first started, I did this with profile fields and members cracked it bad, because not everyone wanted to share their operational time frames right from registration. Which leads into this:
The beauty of this place is that it's open to all in the hope, I would say, to attract Combat Vets with PTSD. Most of us already have issues with authority and rules and perhaps if we applied more of them some people who could really benefit from coming here might not.
PTSD Forum has strict rules, and vets have never done well on that site as a majority. Whilst some have and do play by the rules, the majority usually ended up worse and being banned as a result, because vets just don't often play nice with others, especially when you have females who find it difficult and life is all bad, etc etc etc, because they stubbed a toe or such, let alone those raped, childhood abuse, etc.
Many veterans will immediately discard such things, despising their trauma, not so much them, because when you compare some trauma to war it is insignificant in nature, yet it is significant to someone who hasn't experienced war.
Hence... this place was created specifically with no rules, not being forced to do anything, no restrictions outside spammers and trolls banned immediately, and it is only for actual veterans with PTSD, not veterans, not military with PTSD, but veterans who have PTSD as a result, being the sites focus.
When you start wanting to implement rules with veterans, in my experience, it turns out all bad.
There was actually a considerable amount of thought go into how to structure this site so it did work for veterans, discarding everyone outside that scope. Spouses whinged, they got in here... it turned out bad and the vets posted less and were supported less... it turned into a spouse support site, which spouses already have at PTSD Forum, they don't need it here, thus they got removed.
The minimalist approach of this site is what was carefully tailored... because it is easy to implement rules, this, that, and suddenly after a year you endup with a long list of rules which pisses people of more than does good.
Hence... a minimalist rules site was created, that is self-moderated by the members who's only purpose when someone is not supposed to be here or problematic, is to report their content for review.
If there is a vet with PTSD who does little than piss others off, then they still have a right to be here. So members have rights and the tools already, by clicking the ignore link on their membercard, thus you don't see their replies and it is like they never existed. Painful people eventually either go away or change to be part of a community, when nobody responds to them.
Hence... this is a self-moderated community with only an admin to review major issues... no boys club, no bias, little issues.
Like stated above, it is a minority that occur as issues here, which says a lot already about how well the community does run without interference.
