Attn Cox!
Cox needs to make 2 changes to the Forum
1. Remove the following option: Click-to-Join (Membership)
2. Make the following a default option for customer accounts: File Upload option under Insert Image/Video/File
The Click-to-Join banner is confusing, not explained and aggravating if you don't know its consequence.
Confusing: If I'm already signed in the Forum, why do I need to join a Group? I can already post a question in any Group, contribute to a question, like or dislike a reply and choose an answer to my post. Aside from the File Upload option, membership offers no additional rights.
Not explained: This is self-explanatory. Where is membership to a Group explained?
Aggravating: I've read complaints of contributors being spammed with notifications. They're getting notifications to post they've never read, never contributed or ever cared about. The contributors apparently selected Click-to-Join and didn't know of its hidden consequences: notification spam.
Notification Spam: Nobody needs this because the Home page of each Group already identifies unread Posts and unread updates to previously-read Posts
If you're already a Cox customer, the File Upload option should be automatically enabled by default on your Forum account. I want to distinguish between a Cox customer and a non-Cox customer. In accordance with the Forum Guidelines, anybody in the general public can create an account on the Forum; therefore, this default right should be exclusive to only Cox customers.
With these recommended changes, the red bubbles over Notifications icon (lightning bolt) would only indicate updates to Post I have contributed. I do not want to scroll through 17 updates inside a tiny window about stuff I don't care about. In addition, Cox customers wouldn't be confused about how to insert an image from their computers.
UPDATE: We've had previous Cox customers move to geographical areas without Cox service; however, they still contribute to the Forum. These previous customers have been...are still are...highly productive in the Forum. Therefore, in addition to Customer and non-customer accounts, Cox should create a third type of account for these valuable contributors. These valuable, non-customer accounts should have additional privileges, such as posting questions and uploading images from their PC. VIP account?
