New members

[BigBlueHen53]

A huge amount of New Members post an introduction and then are never seen again. It's a bit disheartening when you greet them cheerfully and don't get a response.

Same with a lot of folks who post an URGENT request for help, 20 of us post a helpful response, and then ... nothing. Did the chicken die? Did the OP die? What happened?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Do we have one of those "prove you're not a robot' filters when people sign up?

 

[Perris]

My concern was prompted by a rash of apparent new members - filling significant chunks of the page of 'new posts', with bland usernames, and site-supplied alphabetic avatar - that were appearing in the days before I posted (and have since ceased). I don't have access to 'new posts' more than 4 pages back so can't show you what I mean, but site admins can presumably.

I did discover that there is some robot-id-ing software somewhere on site because the stats show e.g.

It occurs to me that cheap robots may explain why greetings and answers go unacknowledged, about which BigBlueHen remarked ruefully.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I remember noticing that too and thinking Wow, look at all the new members! But I did not greet all of them, only those that had fewer than 10 greetings, which IIRC were about 2 or 3.

 

[kattabelly]

A huge amount of New Members post an introduction and then are never seen again. It's a bit disheartening when you greet them cheerfully and don't get a response.

I really wish the "ignore thread" and/or "ignore forum" options were enabled here, especially since for some reason New Posts is limited to showing only four pages.

I miss a lot of things because I tend to browse via New Posts, and threads I like to follow or questions I would've been able to answer get hidden behind a load of intro posts from someone who'll quite likely never post again and other stuff like sales/rehoming threads that are irrelevant to me because I'm on the other side of the world.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

I really wish the "ignore thread" and/or "ignore forum" options were enabled here, especially since for some reason New Posts is limited to showing only four pages.

I miss a lot of things because I tend to browse via New Posts, and threads I like to follow or questions I would've been able to answer get hidden behind a load of intro posts from someone who'll quite likely never post again and other stuff like sales/rehoming threads that are irrelevant to me because I'm on the other side of the world.

This sounds like something that should be put into its own thread as a feature request so it doesn't get buried in a thread like this.

 

[kattabelly]

This sounds like something that should be put into its own thread as a feature request so it doesn't get buried in a thread like this.

Done
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-forum-and-or-display-more-new-posts.1684478/

 

[Perris]

I am still waiting for some reassurance on real v fake members.

Members can post. I said nothing about bots 'repeatedly' or 'consistently' posting @Nifty-Chicken and your response makes quite a lot of assumptions about potential motives. A guy who hacked 7000 domestic robo-vacuums did it for fun. (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...tal-hacker-how-one-man-gained-control-robots- ) BYC offers a welcoming playground or sandpit for nefarious actors or bots to hone their skills.

To illustrate the issue, here's a little quote from a recent news item
"For years, companies have employed bots or orchestrated fake "astroturf" campaigns to create the appearance of grassroots opinion on an issue, but the introduction of AI technology could make it even harder for elected officials to engage in earnest with the public.

"What we're seeing with AI is absolutely the next step in digital astroturfing," said Samuel Woolley, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who studies disinformation and the use of emerging technology in politics."
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-southern-california-air-board-pollution.html

Is there a reliable 'are you human' hoop that new members to BYC have to jump through, or not? Was the recent purge connected to concerns about this? or should it have been?

 

[notabitail]

I am still waiting for some reassurance on real v fake members.

Members can post. I said nothing about bots 'repeatedly' or 'consistently' posting @Nifty-Chicken and your response makes quite a lot of assumptions about potential motives. A guy who hacked 7000 domestic robo-vacuums did it for fun. (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...tal-hacker-how-one-man-gained-control-robots- ) BYC offers a welcoming playground or sandpit for nefarious actors or bots to hone their skills.

To illustrate the issue, here's a little quote from a recent news item
"For years, companies have employed bots or orchestrated fake "astroturf" campaigns to create the appearance of grassroots opinion on an issue, but the introduction of AI technology could make it even harder for elected officials to engage in earnest with the public.

"What we're seeing with AI is absolutely the next step in digital astroturfing," said Samuel Woolley, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who studies disinformation and the use of emerging technology in politics."
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-southern-california-air-board-pollution.html

Is there a reliable 'are you human' hoop that new members to BYC have to jump through, or not? Was the recent purge connected to concerns about this? or should it have been?

I know it makes you verify your email.

I don't recall BYH or any of the sister sites having me verify that, though. Most of the bots that join there never ever post.

As an example, this is one of many bots:

 

[Chixnbacn]

Im a new member-ish I was here first when I got chickens in my first house three years ago, but got in a huge heated fall out with someone and decided to just be done with backyard chickens site but glad to be back. Gradually learning to understand everyone can still hold an opinion and its ok to disagree and be polite about it. Im not perfect and still make mistakes and can still be a hot head. Sorry about that