I registered last summer and have done several successful trades via PM in the last few days. But I guess running at the mouth about nothing in particular is what I really should have done to be trusted!
The forum moderators have put this system in place quickly in response to an obvious attack.
My suspicion is that it will be tweaked in the coming days and weeks.
Honestly, it has improved the quality of the main boards.
It's inherent in any online community that becomes popular or experiences quick growth. Newbies come in and ask the same questions over and over. Mix in the chance for big profits and loss in fiat currency, and the problem gets really big. Anyone who has ever looked at a Yahoo Finance board for a thinly traded stock that is experiencing huge volatility will know that what we've seen here is mild.
I remember helping to deal with this issue in the late 80's (pre-http) on a mailing list. We ultimately moved to a moderation system that would not work here, but we were only dealing with OT and repetitive posts, not the active attempt to manipulate the price or trust in the system.
Yeah, I've run a forum for several years myself, and I know how annoying it is dealing with a flood of idiots or spambots registering. But I've always been a fan of using time registered, coupled with a little posting to prove you're not a bot, instead of post counts. People who post inane stuff 100 times are worth far less than people who make a few decent posts. Giving out favors for high post counts just encourages white noise posting.