‼ IMPORTANT REWARD & BANNING CHANGES

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  • #2097353
    warrant63
    Moderator
    Rank: Rank 7

    Hello there everyone, in the recent months the number of fake ZGFX accounts and the number of re-sharing incidents have increased in huge numbers.

    These fake accounts are mostly farming accounts, whose purpose is to farm as many points as they can, so they can participate in as many requests as they can (and get the download links when the request gets filled).

    The reason for this is fairly simple: $$$. There are countless sites on the internet that sell premium passes or shove ads-for-$$$ into your face in exchange for accessing a DAZ or other 3D repo, where you can download stuff from one private host with high download speeds. I call these sites ZGFX archives because 95% of the DAZ items were shared here first by YOU.
    Fundamentally this wouldn't be a big problem because these are digital goods after all. These sooner or later will travel around the world no matter what (and we are pirates after all).
    BUT
    1, these sites are basically re-selling the pirated items without contributing anything to this community (this is why we call them leechers).
    2, a few shops implemented tracking methods. So if a kind user shares something privately (without any detracking), but it gets forcefully re-shared, the user's shopping account might get banned by the shop.
    3, you can call it a pirate code or whatever you want, but if you get something for free and the filler asks you to keep it yourself, then resharing it instantly with the world or posting it on our blog for the points (lol), well that's a straight up dick move.

    So as a countermeasure, we will try out a few things in the next few months (nothing is written in stone, so if a change isn't really working we won't stick to it).

    <<<ACTIVE FROM YESTERDAY (2024-OCT-24)>>>
    - The daily login reward (100Pts per day) was removed. From now on you can only get points with 1, Donation 2, Filling Requests, and 3, Getting points after your blog posts.
    (There are a lot of easy points around here, you can repost dead items on the blog anytime for a huge amount of points. Also, you can fill requests for very big points with a relatively low $ amount - for example, one particular request for 10000ish points is currently selling on DAZ for $1.99)

    - The "welcome points" for new members was increased from 100Pts to 500Pts. Please do not start to register multiple new accounts because of this. Your other accounts will be banned too.

    - Strict banning policy on low-level users.
    We are aware that with the daily login reward removal a lot of leechers will try to post the freshly filled items on the blog as their own for the points. We are also aware of the dual account method, where X account participates in a request, then the same person posts the download link on the blog but with an Y account. So from now on if a low-level user with no other activity (and no connection to the requests' fill in our DB), suddenly, out of nowhere starts to post freshly filled (~1-2 weeks old) items on the blog as their own, then we won't stick to the 1 warn / 1 ban policy. No question ban if necessary.
    (Obviously, we don't want to scare away new users who might just post their exact same buys on the blog, so we will still check these suspicious accounts and we will use your reports and feedback for this process as well, because 90% of the cases these were pretty accurate indicators. Sadly a lot of users took advantage of the 1 warn / 1 ban policy and just started a new account, so the change is necessary).

    <<<PLANNED "MAYBE" CHANGES (It can change according to your feedback and our experiences)>>>
    - Removing or changing the 50% tax on the blog posts to encourage the blog posting (Currently you "buy" the posts for 50Pts for 7 days, but the poster only gets 25Pts from this).
    - Maybe setting an expiration date for the collected points or adding a "tax" % to the request offers (we need a way to rotate/burn the currency to keep the microeconomy in the move - this is why we have a tax on the blog posts).
    - Increasing how many days you can set for the delayed blog posts (currently it's only 1-7 days for the blog posts but 2-30 days for the requests).
    - Raising the minimum Points amount for the request offers, from 500Pts to 1000Pts
    - Adding more notifications for the posting/filling process to prevent excuses aka the "I didn't know it's not allowed".. (About the instantly posted freshly filled (~1-2 weeks old) items on the blog OR about the filling the re-requests as our own buy.)
    - Doing special days for selected requests, where the offered points will be doubled by the site.
    - Doing special weeks for reposting dead items on the blog for extra points.
    - Adding rewards for reports: Fake fills / Scammer reporting / Requests already on the blog / Dupe blog posts / Dupe requests

    <<<DEVELOPMENT STATUS>>>
    - The update of the FAQ and the blog post + request starter forms are scheduled.
    - We will try to add an option to sort the requests by the amount of the points.
    - Sadly we didn't have time at all to work on the Selective Filling feature for the request system, it's still planned, but currently, there are no valid ETA for this.

    -----------------------------------------------------

    That's all for now.

    If you have any feedback about the active or planned changes, or any other ideas to discuss please post them in this thread, BUT please keep in mind that ZGFX is mainly a pirate community and not a download site optimized only for getting the sweat ad revenue after your visits, so our primary goal will be always to maintain the good sharing community. We are also aware that you can get the "stuff", points and work free, easy peasy on a few other sites as well, but if this community stops sharing the new DAZ items, then your easy peasy site will quickly stop posting them as well (I wonder why lol).

    ALSO please skip the usual argument about the "Everyone MUST post everything on the blog" or the "Just remove the request section", because we all know it's not that simple, both section is a vital part of our site and almost as many users oppose them as use them daily. It's not easy to please everyone, so please be civilized.

    Thanks,
    G.

    #2097588
    Ethiopia
    Participant
    Rank: Rank 3

    Thanks for the update @Warrant63.
    It'll be interesting to see how the site will evolve over the next while, and I'd love to see what the para-sites (parasitic sites) are gonna do now.

    A point you mentioned is about the newbies screaming about not knowing. I'm sure a lot of folks,
    have no idea about forum etiquette and what a FAQ is. Could we possibly have a HUGE banner or sign emailed to them and popping up in their face for the first few times with the FAQ? Tell them to read it all, follow it all, or be banned instantly. If we scare them a bit when they first join, maybe they'll actually read the thing and you won't be so busy constantly fixing their posts in the requests or posts threads.

    #2097631
    scoobydude51
    Participant
    Rank: Rank 4

    Now, with the 100 point login bonus removed, I wonder if you could increase the points that people receive from a blog post from 25 to 100? Meaning you could get a lot of points from this after it’s been posted on the blog. I remember that I’ve been getting random points from stuff I’ve posted a long time ago, and I only get 25 points for it? It doesn’t really make it motivating to post more here.

    #2097658
    Fallen
    Participant
    Rank: Rank 3

    Can I say, I don't agree with the expiration date on points?

    I have a couple of reason one, I have a tendency to disappear from here every 6moths, cause I cycle through my hobbies so I just kind of poof, every so often for a certain time, so points expiration date terrible, wouldn't work.

    Also I like seeing my points, whenever I see my points drop to a certain level I go forth, fill request and post stuff I have. So it really doesn't make sense for me to continue doing so if they expired. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable without seeing those points there.

    This is also one of my pet peeve when it comes to food apps and their damn expiration dates on points, ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

    #2097659
    scoobydude51
    Participant
    Rank: Rank 4

    yeah, having them expire isn't a good idea TBH

    #2097728
    sandeep
    Participant
    Rank: Rank-2

    The discontinuation of the free daily points would make users frugal with their existing points balance. This frugality would then have consequences similar to a stagnating economy.

    New users or those with less points would gravitate more towards alternate free sources, more so now than ever before.

    #2097729
    PeepShow45
    Participant
    Rank: Rank 5

    I'm happy that some potential new changes are coming about when it comes to the points and fill system. I do wonder that with the lost of daily points are people going to be even more conservative when it comes to simple things like adding points to a request. User may now think longer and harder about which assets they're interested in.

    The flipside is that pirates are going to pirate no matter what so getting something for free is always going to be the top priority.

    #2097732
    Rakib
    Participant
    Rank: Rank-1

    I read this large post with taking time. I am new member of here. I got this site from searching iclone material. I was very happy by getting this site. Where all members are very active and giving premium post with their hard work. I was very enjoying that daily login points. But from tomorrow i was login then i see no points added. i thought it's only for 2 days login. but today i login and see this post. now i understand why i didn't getting points. I have only one accounts. i have updated my profile picture and see 100 points added. thanks ZGFX.
    I hope ZGFX will consider me. if any mistake happen please forgive me.
    Thanks ZGFX

    #2097737
    Bofadeez
    Participant
    Rank: Rank 4

    Is there a reason we even need *any* points economy? Can't we just have a "share something or fill a request to get free access to the blog" parameter? And if (last_share_date > 1 year) or whatever, they lose access? Like, genuinely, what is the point of gamifying/economizing the process? It doesn't build the community. It just incentivizes finding loopholes and ways to cheat the system. Like, it's fun to see number get bigger but anyone that thinks that matters is cringier than people in gacha game ads.

    #2097761
    ItsMeNotYou
    Participant
    Rank: Rank 4

    I have a few issues with the planned site changes :
    #1 points expire - there will be no point in posting or sharing if points expire unless you get rid of the pts system altogether which will probably stop some from sharing and reposting.
    #2 increase request amount - I already have probably close to if not 100,000 points tied up on requests which some probably will never be filled , that's a lot of pts and I'm always joining different requests burning threw my pts.
    #3 tax's on requests , once again ppl already have lots of points on requests
    #4 selective filling opt - does this mean you can choose who you share with ? if so that would mean someone will not share with some of the ppl just to be a jerk or cause they don't trust them or whatever reason .

    #2097777
    angrymogli
    Participant
    Rank: Rank-1

    I have seen many new small websites who download content from these websites and post on theirs..

    #2097798
    Wonlee
    Participant
    Rank: Rank-1

    This, the many should suffer for the mistakes of the few, never goes well, better take advantage of the traffic generated from those daily logins and work on strengthening the site and community and find a better way to deal with the bots, just my thoughts.

    #2097816
    ulysses
    Participant
    Rank: Rank 3

    @urosd2024 Dude, get this post removed. No one here needs to know your real name. @eelgoo @warrant63


    @wflg-gm
    , I used to think the same thing. But no one could come up with a better system than what Hunter has here. Is somewhat maddening, but true. Points are the reward system for people who don't want to share just to share. It's worked for years here.

    #2097822
    Kerwidwen
    Participant
    Rank: Rank Overload

    Expiration of points? While I'm not here for the points, I do like having them on hand for when I want something. I don't think it'll incentivize anyone, and more likely to piss people off.

    The items in the works I do understand.

    #2097823
    Fa0056
    Participant
    Rank: Rank-2

    One effect will be that I (and others?) will not be checking in daily if there is no reason. Once or twice a week will be enough to check posts and requests.

    One alternative is to give daily points only to those who have posted items within a time period. Six months maybe?

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