what should be the future of invites? giveaways, requests or trades?

[dunson]

It is clear to me that older members of torrent communities treasure invites and guard them closely. There is obviously a great deal of concern about site security, but even on a user level, all of us want other members to share and respect the site. So it is in all of our interests to keep invites safe.

First of all, inviting friends or receiving invites from friends is always the best way, but that isn't always possible. So people end up at forums like this looking for ways to exchange invites. The question I pose is, how do we handle invites in a secure way that provides the most access to invites and the also gets the best members for the sites.

Trades are obviously frowned upon. Yet, many threads about this go up all day, so it is obvious that trading is not going to be eradicated from this forum any time soon.

Giveaways are also problematic. Many users just send an invite to whoever requests it and posts a couple of pictures. Not all giveaways are so easy, but they are still problems.

Requests have two options. Right now, most requests are for the individual. They get some luck, I know personally, but many are bumped for months unsuccessfully or just get 20 good lucks or flame wars erupt.

So what do you see as the best way of handling invites? I'm just curious because I find this forum particularly fascinating. I think that's why I spend so much time here, I'm just amazed by the economy of invites.

[Groovy]

+1 M8 positive thinking
Unfortunately there is no guideline.

[max59x]

Personally I think that if the authorityes want to enter any torrent site, they do.

I would even bet if they don't have at this moment accounts in the rarest sites (FTWR, UK-T, etc...) if they want an account, they will get an account for sure you don't doubt this.

I personally was invited by many good members here to some torrent sites that I still use at the moment and I am very gratefull for them all, and maybe if it wasn't for that giveaway I wouldn't have that movie or that game/album.

All my friends don't give a damn about trackers, lol, the few that know bittorrent only use one tracker and don't want to know about the others, so, invite friends is out of question for me. However, I do use some foruns and If I see someone that I "know" (from the forum) for a long time and i see they are good and trustfull people and need a invite for some site I don't hesitate in giving the invite to them, because I know it'll be a good adition to the site.

Cheers!

[SgtMajor]

The forum evolves into whatever it wants to be, it isn't as static as most people think and it works quite well for the majority of the time.

Who knows what the flavour of the month will be in 6 or 12 months time, this time last year it was mad, mad trading and this year is the year of the anti-trader.

The one constant is the need for invites, and they are getting fewer & harder to obtain for the more elitist sites out there compared to 12 months ago. Even harder with the demise of a lot of the older site reps who seem to have walked away from here due to the abuse they get/got from a few members, most who should have known better.

The flip side is the abundance of new sites and the need for new members to fill them slots, hence places like here do fill a need as we hear all the time of a lack of leechers everywhere we go, too many sites, not enough members to go round yet most are quite happy to have their site known here first for that initial mad rush of new members, once the site settles down and they have to deal with traders is the day the site turns it back on here, which only pisses everybody off even more. There is no happy medium.

There is no best way to do things, just to let it evolve into whatever system suits the members here is the only way, let the sites manage their members as best they can and somewhere amongst the middle ground is what will be the long term outcome.

Strangely perverse is that FST only becomes a problem once the site has matured into closing off invites, so whose fault is that?

Education and spreading the good message is a good start, and as long the good outweigh the not so good, then all is well in the world.

[Polarbear]

So what do you see as the best way of handling invites?

as stated many times before, give them to people you know and trust in private.

who you find trustworthy is everyone's individual decision.

respect the tracker rules on top, be willing to be active and help others. as a result you may get invited to every single tracker you want without even asking.

many people think the more invites they throw around, the more they get back. that's completely wrong.

the people who have invites to the best trackers are either staff or trusted members. do you really think they would risk their account and invite people who don't respect tracker rules? no way!

if you are unsure, keep the invites. i got tons of invites laying around on my trackers. do they whisper at me: "oh please polarbear, give us away. we are so lonely..."? no! just wait for the right person to give them to. if you don't know anyone - keep them, they don't hurt you.

better invite one good user every month than 20 random people whose greatest achievement is the ability to post a screenshot.

[kukushka]

first of all, i like the what.cd pu forum system where implemented the system of one thread for one site. here could be the same system with requesters on the one side of the thread and inviters on the other..
second, it's funny how rep system works here. it's much abused. i've been asked twice for repping before other side will give me something. on the first occasion i just tried to persuade guy not to do this again, the second time with the other one i repped Mansour with you can see what and reported him.. traders are far more honest - they trade openly and some of the guys are trading for rep points... with the same blindliness to whom they offer goods.

second of all, it would be nice to see that ga process will go within trackers rules.. because if it's violate it - it's unsafe for tracker from their staff point of view, and for both sides of inviting process. it's not that hard to make it within rules - to post request,by pming - direct links to profiles and then on common trackers transfer codes/emails...


right now the system is very uncomfortable. it's very hard to understand if user is okay.. and if he will have a private profile with the trackers where he is registered that could be opened to specific user upon request - it would be easier..

i'm planning giveaways and i'm already afraid of how hard it will be to find a correct user and do it correct way.. the way i received here some of the invites - i would never give it away the same way..

i think it's all has been said before more than once and for sure there's a better way to write it - 2'o clock midnight and i need to sleep, sorry ))))

[kojin]

Personally I think that if the authorityes want to enter any torrent site, they do.

I would even bet if they don't have at this moment accounts in the rarest sites (FTWR, UK-T, etc...) if they want an account, they will get an account for sure you don't doubt this.

/agreed

They will eventually get access to any sites they want, thats inevitable, but its also necessary that trackers try to retain a certain amount of secrecy, because more publicity = more risk.

The major point to be taken into account is that the authorities are only after two things:

1. the FTP scene.
2. well known trackers/p2papps (regardless of content), as a widespread statement to all illegal downloaders.

The main concern shouldn't be about site security, it should be about public image, and making sure said trackers are kept out of the limelight.
The FBI couldn't give a fuck about a private tracker if it isn't well known.

[kukushka]

So what do you see as the best way of handling invites?

do they whisper at me: "oh please polarbear, give us away. we are so lonely..."? no! just wait for the right person to give them to. if you don't know anyone - keep them, they don't hurt you.

aren't they whisper go find somebody who deserve it?
yeah, there's nothing bad in keeping them, but we're here to share, aren't we... and this is fun to help right people until you get tired of it...

[simplton]

I am in the same boat as Max59x. My friends dont care about torrents or trackers and without FST I wouldnt have had anything beyond a Demonoid account. I hope you never lose your internet for any length of time Polarbear. RL can throw you a curve ball and I lost alot of good accounts from inactivity. Now that I have the internet back I have to start from scratch. Even though I maintain good ratios on even public trackers, follow all the rules,and try to give back I dont stand a chance without some kind soul on the inside sending me an invite. There has to be a happy medium.

[colombianino]

this is how it is:
it starts out usually like this...
you want a way to get movies,programs,music,games, etc. free, that's a fact.
if unexperienced, you will have to reinstall your computer from time to time until you realize the viruses are coming from those "cracked.com" or similar.

then you find out about torrents: what's a .torrent? is it like a zip file? is it the program but i need another program to install it? where do i find torrents at?
-these emerge from inexperience with torrents.

then you realize how to actually download the file, get the torrent, open it with the client, etc... but speed is slower than dial-up, why??
-at this point you realize how torrents work (usually those in doubt research, or ask around..)

ok, so i now know everything, how do i get good torrents where people actually have it and are willing to give me the file? (trackers???)
-now you know about trackers. <--Period.

after some more research (or told by a friend like me) you see your friend grab a torrent and you are amazed by the outstanding speed, how come?
-"well, its private". <--Period.

now you realize that you want yourself in and would be proud to be in just one to get all those files and don't have to bother ever again to go to that "cracked.com" site.

many (as usual) go around to get invited, "cool i got invited to Torrents.net..." but whats this TL, S*T, FTN, BMTV. i don't get that???!?!?! someone help me!.
and some more research is done, and you learn the 10 amendments of trackers...(and also the about the ten).

so sure, all this, including forums as awesome as this one (don't think there's better than this one) and you realize you have sacred rules that are not to be broken, and those worthy the invite are sure to get one regardless of how much has he given (invites).

so here we are all trying to get into one website to be one of those 4000,8000, w.e, and being proud of having and account. "i am one out of the 8000 in tracker.net/com/etc. and i am proud to be there and happy that i get what i wanted free of charge and 0day, not only that, but i luv it!.
-that being music,special stuff,tv packs, e-books, etc...

and that mates, its what its all about