>Message #780210 from someone claiming to be Eric Johnson is a blatant troll (not known at the phone number given, address is a PO Box, no company name, no response from e-mail, and the UT account is very new).
>
>With the great publicity that VFP is getting on http://slashdot.org/, www.LinuxWorld.com, www.TheRegister.Com, etc. we can expect more of the same, especially originating from new accounts created specifically for the purpose of trolling (Joe Bob springs to mind).
>
>Can anything be done to the message title area to indicate that the member is:
> - very new (account less than a month old)
> - Or their post is one of the first say ten posts, etc.
>Here is one idea: In the U.K. learner drivers must display a large red L on a white background.
>
>Another possibility might be to have a nominal charge (say $5) for non PUTM's, that must be paid by credit card - this being a mechanism by which some form of identity can be verified (even if the credit card is not in the same name as the UT member).
>
>Or, the sign-up process could be made a little more onerous.
>
>Anything that can be done to reduce the time wasted by the likes of Ken Levy when responding to asinine imbeciles is a step in the right direction.

I can see that there is potential for problems, but a credit card would cause problems to an international audience. I, for instance, simply have no credit card (my PUTM is in exchange for services). And many people from third-world countries, who would otherwise be legitimate users, would hesitate to pay even the nominal 5 dollars you mention.

Hilmar.