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How To Set Up A Usergroup And Moderate Their Threads & Posts
by Black Snow 14 Aug 2012
Rating: (2 votes - 3.50 average)

Seeing as I was the one who made this article/tutorial and every other vB site is using it, I thought I would add it here so people know it was me.

This tutorial will show you how to moderate new member's threads & posts so that you don't get spammers or leechers. To do this, we will use the default group "Registered Members" and create a new group call "Members".

First, go to AdminCp > Usergroups > Usergroup Manager > Add New Usergroup

Click on the drop down box at the top next to Create Usergroup Based off of Usergroup: and select Registered Members and press Go.
Change the title of the usergroup to Members as this will become your trusted member's group.
Edit the settings to give this group as many permissions as you like then press Save at the bottom.
Click Go next to your Registered Members so you are taken to the permissions page.
Under the Post / Thread Permissions, find Follow Forum Moderation Rules and select "No".
Click Save.

Now go to AdminCp > Usergroups > Usergroup Manager > Promotions

Click Add New Promotion.
Choose Registered Members in the first drop down box.
Fill the the rest of the fields with the values you want your members to achieve before they are promoted. I set mine up to 1 Rep & 2 Posts. 1 Rep because this is what they receive when they register, and 2 Posts so I know they are not Spam Bots.
Next to Promotion Type, make sure to select Primary Usergroup as your users will be moved to this group after 2 posts and 1 rep.
Next to Reputation Comparison Type, make sure to select Greater or Equal to.
Next to Move User to Usergroup, make sure to select Members.
Click Save.

Once your new users register, they will be in the Registered Members group (providing they have activated their account if you have set the option to require them to do so). Every thread/post they make will be placed into the moderation queue. You will have to go to AdminCp > Moderation > Moderate Posts to approve or unapprove their posts.

Once they have 2 approved posts and 1 rep (they usually gain 1 rep after they register), they will then be promoted to the Members usergroup where they will be allowed to make threads and posts without needing a Mod or Admin to approve them. The Promotion cron job runs once every hour so you should probably let your users know that they may be required to log out then back in to allow the system to promote them.

The whole point in this new usergroup is to stop spam bots and ensure your users are not their to leech from your site. This way, they are required to make at least 2 posts before being able to do certain things like download attachments or access specific forums.

There are many things you can use the promotion system for and you can make as many promotions as you like. If you require any additional help, please feel free to ask and I will do everything I can to help you. I hope this helped you to understand how the promotions work and how to set them up.

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