There needs to be both a post and time limitation, so trolls can't "age" many accounts. I'd do that if SMF supported it.
Agreed. However, the trolls mostly came in because of the news about bitcoins. Any troll who registered long before the news influx happened would actually be a troll that requires very serious examination. That would imply some type of pre-knowledge of the news push.
This is much more than an attempt to keep trolls to a minimum, It is an attempt to keep anything out that disagrees with the whim of the current mod on duty. It is ironic to see this happen at a forum about an open-source program. I'm not saying the troll issue should not be dealt with, but a simple +/- system where too many minuses ends your thread or at least moves it to junk would suffice. what we are seeing is this - mods think trolls caused decline, mods obviously want btc to go up, mods begin censoring in hopes btc will go back up. however, artificial manipulation of the markets will not work long run. go ahead and delete this now if you must, if one person sees it is was worth it.
There is a balance between a group-think echo chamber and the need to allow intelligent challenges.
I'm not seeing evidence that intelligent counter discussion threads are being wiped out.
You need to realize that for months the bulk of the users of this forum have developed a community with a definite identity and sense of unwritten rules. The dual influx of active trolls attempting to disrupt that and clueless newbies shifting that zeitgeist, has seriously altered that online community.
I've been reading for just a few weeks and posting for less than a day. I like the community the way it was when I started reading.
We're seeing a reaction that isn't ideal, but is better than what we had before this newbie ghetto was created.
In the end, I suspect the requirements for posting will change as will the community. But, I hope that they continue to actively work against trolling that is trying to destroy the community.