Edit: This post is no longer valid, as Invisionfree implimented a spam-account blocker that seems to work darn well. We went to email validation rather than admin validation. As far as I can tell Invision didn't support email validation before. I'm keeping this post just in case we have to put the forum back on admin validation sometime in the future.
New rules for getting an account are simple. Have a valid email and check it shortly after you put in a request for an account. Then follow the instructions in the email Invision sends you. It's a pretty simple procedure used by many other sites, so I don't foresee any problems.
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When attempting to create a new account on this forum, you may notice that you cannot post right away - an admin or myself must validate your account first. This isn't because we hate you, but simply because we get a lot of attempted spam. It varies a lot but I'd guess that the average is 50+ attempted spam accounts a week (and yes, that's a lot for a little forum like ours).
So if you're trying to make an account, please be aware that you're probably stuck in the middle of a list of garbage. In order to get your account properly created, follow these steps:
1) If you can, contact one of the regular forumites and ask them to vouch for you. This might be kind of difficult, but if you can do so, do it. Also, ask them to PM a mod or admin with the request (probably me), rather than posting it somewhere where it might get missed.
2) Use an email with a recognizable domain. Gmail, yahoo, and hotmail are the best options.
3) Use a name that doesn't sound like gibberish. This one is probably kind of hard to follow, as you never know what might sound like gibberish to someone else. The biggest notes are to make it pronounceable, preferably using recognizable words or names.
4) An easy way to get registered is to follow the rules above - and make your username and email match. Unless something strange happens, this will almost always guarantee validation.
5) If this is frustrating... remember, your name can always be changed later. If you end up registering under a name you really don't want to use, simply send me (or an admin) a PM after you're validated and I'll change the name.
