[SIM-2015410]

Introduction

• Welcome to my Feedback. It has been just over 3 years since I joined HF in October 2013, and in that time I have been involved in many aspects of the site. I have written numerous hacking/coding tutorials (two of which have been stickied), posted and helped in the coding sections, been in many groups and led 3 (or 4 if you include Prism separate from Divine) different groups. I have won Member of the Month (Roger Waters's Post - the award was removed), was a member of the Omnicoin Team and an editor for the HF News Team and Wiki team. I have run community events and have been gifted many awards and upgrades from members and even 3p1c, OMC and Great Thinker from Omniscient himself.
  As a feedback thread, this is about the site rather than about me, so I won't bore you with lengthy paragraphs detailing how I arrived at the site. I have said enough about me. I hope you enjoy reading.
  You can take a look at my page on the wiki for more info about my HF history or my testimonial thread (MeshCollider's Testimony)

Omnicoin

• It was an honour working on the Omnicoin Team with Crypto™, Abraham Lincoln, Doctor Blue and Magicmann. We achieved more than most altcoins ever do, and even got a plugin integrated with HF for a short time. I personally put a lot of effort into the coin, making the android wallet, java implementation of omnicoin, lightweight wallet, paper wallet and working on the MyBB plugin - all for no reward. But I do not regret any of it. I learnt a lot from the work I did and was proud of the accomplishments we achieved. It was also great for the HF community, to nurture its own coin. I want to thank everyone here who supported OMC in some way - without the community support it would never have gotten as far as it did.
  
  Yes, I am sad it is over now, but I thought long and hard about the decision before it happened, and discussed it with the team, so I know it was the right thing to do. Ever since the first warning of delisting at bittrex, the community support dropped significantly, and Omni was supporting the market almost alone. I am sure new things will arrive that will bring the the community together again, but #LongLiveOmnicoin
  

Sections

• Coding and Programming:
  • Where I started my HF activity. I will be honest, these sections aren't exactly HQ. Most members posting here are just asking for help with their homework or looking for someone to code malware for them (earning themselves a 3 day ban lol), but I still love helping out there. The sectional moderators do a great job, but personally I think the C++ section needs one too. And the android development SF should be linked under the Java section again, because that section has died after being hidden in the Tech tab.
    Many members ask me how to get started with coding. The best advice I can give is this: just get started. Read a book and then practice coding. And I can say from experience that helping in the coding forums that helping others is one of the best ways to learn.
  Hacking:
  • A few sections here are beyond hope (e.g. Beginner hacking), but that can't be fixed. The quality is only as good as the members who post there. It is really good to see HQ members helping out in those sections, and I personally enjoy reading the many tutorials there. I believe that with some dedicated moderators/mentors willing to find and organize the HQ threads, these sections could easily be given a quality boost. I have suggested this in the past, and adam has also attempted to get a team working on some stuff, but only members with actual moderator privileges will really be able to do the work required. If any sections on HF should be given a moderator, it would be these ones. I also think that the ewhoring section should be moved to the Money tab because it doesn't fall under the category of 'hacking', other than with a loose link to social engineering which is against HF rules anyway.
    In my opinion, the best SF here is the Pentesting and Forensics section. I guess its name doesn't sound as appealing to the skids and it is used for its true purpose more.
  Contests:
  • I think there should be rules restricting the 'post as many times as you like' contests, and obviously most contests are just attempts to increase advertising of products with signatures, but it is really good to see the few generous members running genuine contests. Upgrade contests really gave me the boost to get to where I am today - I was gifted both l33t and ub3r - so I am glad to see more HQ members getting the same chance I was given.
  RANF and Suggestions:
  • Most of the issues would disappear if people bothered to use the search function, but the community support here is massive. Some might call the posters here minimods (*cough* raj cough*), but I think that any help they provide is still help, so don't hate. It is good to see so many members willing to answer questions and solve issues.
  MOTM:
  • It is a common complaint that MOTM is just a popularity contest, but I think that the community could change that if more people nominated deserving members and voted objectively. Props to Froggy for putting up with all the drama around it and running it as well as possible. I look forward to seeing how Rʏᴀɴ Rᴇʏɴᴏʟᴅs ❤️ handles it, the new management is exciting news so best of luck Ryan.
  HF News and Wiki:
  • I enjoy serving on the HFNT and reading the content put out. iHydra is doing a great job with the team, and I am sure it will continue. To be honest, the weekly reports thread is better than the news itself most of the time, because site news is all that is really important.
    The Wiki is another really good community idea. neeuQ is truly dedicated to the site and doing a great job with it, it was a great idea and is an extremely helpful place to find information. I look forward to seeing the progress continue.
  Marketplace:
  • While I have not ever sold or bought in the marketplace as of yet, I have heard of numerous scam reports over recent times and am disappointed that such things are happening almost reguarly. I am also disappointed that many sellers are just selling rethemed copy+paste source code to the public, or complete rubbish in the form of an ebook, to make a quick dollar. Because of that, I really support the few coders out there like Shockwave who sell the products they have put a lot of effort and time into. While I don't think that the situation will change any time soon, I hope the vouch system Omni is working on at least reduces the amount of scamming going on. Even though staff don't get involved with disputes, more things like the trust scan and the verification secret would really help imo.
  
  I can't say much about the other sections, as I only rarely frequent them.
  
  One general suggestion I have is this: I think a 'Sticky Suggestion' thread should be opened, similar to the Thread Prefixes thread, where it is easy to ignore the stupid suggestions but still find the good ones. From the look of things, good threads in less-visited sections are just passed over because no one notices them, so I think an official thread should be made. (I already have two sticky men so this isn't a personal plot, this is a genuine suggestion)
  
  My one complaint is similar, I see many HQ tutorials and threads buried with almost no posts or appreciation. The community would really benefit from reading these rather than just posting so I am disappointed that when members such as myself put a lot of effort into tutorials like my [Tutorial] Introduction to Unit Testing in Java with JUnit Tests [Red Lions], they receive little to no attention. It is a real shame to see the LQ threads like Facebook hacking tutorials being continuously bumped to the top while academic and HQ threads (e.g. my experiment in the community reaction to an academic computer science tutorial: [Tutorial] An introduction to Algorithm Complexity and Big O/Theta/Omega notation [LEGENDS]) are lost almost immediately. That is why I think Aurа's suggestion here: [Suggestion] Add a sticky with an index to all the tutorials in a section is a great idea. I just wish we had a few more active members / Mentors willing to make such compilations. Props to KoH for his threads in Visual Basic and Java sections, they are exactly the kind of thing I am talking about.
  

Groups

• I have been in many groups on HF and have lead a few as well, so I will just give feedback on my favourites/most important. Groups are a big part of Hack Forums. Overall, many members think group quality is low at the moment, and I do agree that many groups are not living up to their full potential, but every owner is different and the groups will only be run as the owner wishes. I don't think anyone should complain about group quality on the whole.
  
  Specialists: The first group I was ever in, a lot has changed since then but I still enjoy being part of the group, there are a lot of cool members.
  
  Legends: Still pretty new with a lot of potential, I am sure it will continue to live up to its name.
  
  Red Lions: Things are definitely taking a turn for the better with the new leadership. I am proud to be a RL.
  
  Divine: I tried my best, but Nex only cares about money, and I can see the group being milked and sold within 2 months. I wish I hadn't spent so much effort trying to make the group HQ, because it all just went to waste. EDIT: For anyone interested, they can read about some of the issues I had with Nex here: Divine update
  
  Titans: Experimenting with new things and producing some awesome events - this is definitely one of the best groups on HF.
  
  Polymath: Wish this group was still around, it was one of my all time favourites.
  
  Eclipse: Had some cool members at the start, but Views is too controlling and cares more for money, already selling buyins and his award each month. Unfortunately I see this heading rapidly toward the bottom of the groups list.
  
  Equilibrium: Excited to see a group gifted rather than bought, Kindred Spirits has some great ideas so I look forward to seeing where this goes.
  
  The Rest of them... (Click to View)
  • Echo - I wish you wouldn't troll so much
    Crypto - turned out to be mostly focused on currency exchange rather than actual cryptocurrencies
    The Brotherhood - it has lasted a long time and I hope things will survive under the new leadership, but it is clear Cryptic has moved on from HF
    Royalty - I really like the variety of challenges you give the community for your recruitments.
    Archive - official minimod group but I enjoyed being part of it
    Escrow - I really don't see this group working, because it seems like Factor8 has moved on from HF and will not be active enough to run it.
    Torque - Great to see Cameron finally bought a group of his own, its an interesting choice of topic so best of luck with it.
    The Order - Was a chill group while I was there, personally not really into lounge groups but it seemed alright.
    Illuminati - I really hope Bandors keeps the community in mind for this group rather than taking it down the profit-making road.
    
  
  
  It would be nice to see another Hacking group at some point, considering this is Hack Forums. But as I said, group owners can do what they like with their groups, so if people want an improvement, they should start by providing constructive ideas rather than destructive feedback.
  

Administration & Staff

• Omniscient: nine and a half years on, the site is still going strong, so you must be doing things right. I find it hard to guess your response, and have had some unfortunate run-ins with you in the past, but I am glad things seem back to normal between us now. Sometimes you are chill and other times you seem to overreact, so I am always cautious when talking to you. But you seem to be a cool guy and you know how to run the site - you make the hard decisions and run your business well. A personal thanks from me for the support you gave OMC, and for putting up with my many PMs about it.
  
  !! Alone Vampire *!!:
  (While you were staff) Definitely the coolest staff member, I enjoy talking to you and appreciate your helpful attitude. You are exactly the kind of staff member the site should have. Rather than letting the position get to your head, you are genuinely considerate of the members. I am glad you got the position, even if it was a surprise at first.
  (Now) It is a shame you seem to have gone a bit inactive, you are a HQ member and it would be great to see you here a bit more.
  
  Roger Waters: Your 23k posts and 4.7k reported posts speaks for itself - you are dedicated to the site. The promotion might surprise some members, but you were the obvious choice in my mind, and I can see that you are going to do a great job in your new position. Just don't let the position get to your head - and I mean that in a constructive rather than rude way - remain HQ and helpful.
  (Now) Its a shame you left the site, you were one of my favourite members and HF is worse off without you. Hope life is treating you well.
  
  King of Hearts: Firstly, congratulations again. You really deserve Staff, even though I realize you weren't very well known on the site. I am just disappointed I can't nominate you for MOTM any more. I am sure you will do an awesome job on the team, because you are one of the highest quality members I know. Same category as Alone Vampire: high quality and helpful member -> surprise promotion -> friendly and considerate staff member.
  
  Minimalist: Awesome, HQ member, and a well deserved promotion. I'm so glad to see such an active pillar of the community on the staff team now. It was cool talking to you in Eclipse so I hope you will still have time to keep checking back in amongst your new duties.
  
  Mentors: A good team of members, even though a few are inactive. On the whole, you guys do a good job in the community, and I respect you all. Although Omni won't say much about your true job, I think a few more of you should follow Adam's efforts in contributing to the forum (I don't mean this as criticism, I mean it as encouragement, because you guys are the ones in the best position to do so).
  
  Sorry to the rest of the staff, I just haven't really talked to you guys so have nothing to say

Shoutouts

• In closing, I would like to make a few shoutouts to some of the many friends I have here on HF.
  .Sinister - We have been brothers from the start, and look how far we have come. It has been great having you to talk to, and I am always pleasantly surprised when I get another message from you out of the blue.
  Odus - I appreciate your friendly and helpful attitude, and the work you do moderating the .NET sections.
  Looka - One of the earliest members I got to know in the coding sections, you do a great job as Java SF moderator lookha.
  Dr.Watson - I enjoy talking to you, and look forward to the things we will accomplish together.
  Crypto™, Doctor Blue and The Omnicoin Team - It was great working with you guys, definitely an awesome and talented group. I hope we don't lose contact.
  Realizm - You are a cool guy, and are running Titans well. I enjoy talking to you.
  Wardow - One of the OG Specialists, practically keeping half the crypter market alive on his own. You seem to have annoyed many members recently but I still enjoy talking to you.
  Cooligan - :)
  xadamxk - You are a highly intelligent, active, friendly member. Your userscript skills are unmatched on HF. It is such a shame that you lost your mentor status because you were definitely the best one on HF. Hope Omni adds you back one day.
  Computer Craft - another great member from Prism, skilled coder and really friendly and helpful member. Glad I got to know you, and I look forward to seeing what you do in the future :)
  Regulus - An amazingly kind member, so glad I have got to know you a bit more in Red Lions and Eclipse.
  Kindred Spirits - Good luck with the Equilibrium, I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish there.
  neeuQ - Nice work with the wiki, I'v ereally enjoyed the times we have had together in the groups so far.
  Wander - Salem or die. No ariana account can dodge you 🎉
  Tides - Glad you finally joined HF, its been great getting to know such a good coder and active member.
  fannas1 - Honestly the most generous person I have ever met. You have done so much for this forum in the short time you have been here and its a privilege knowing you.
  Also, shoutout to Views, Eco and Ray, it is/was an honour working with you in the various groups you own. Sorry to anyone else who didn't get a shoutout, I am sure I have forgotten a few but I wanted to keep the list short.
  illuminati▲
  

Conclusion

• I look forward to the things Omni has planned, for example the upgrade to MyBB 1.8, the Paid Sticky System, Vouch system and new mobile theme. Some people say HF has changed, even so far to say that it is dying, but personally I don't see it. Yes, it has changed. It changes all the time, as members come and go, that is just the way of things, but as long as Omni remains willing to run the site, I think it will last long into the foreseeable future. We make the site content, so we have a say in the quality of the site overall - everyone has to take responsibility for maintaining a high standard of membership. I enjoy spending time here, and clearly many others do too, so I am sticking around. I love the community and the other members, the groups, and the opportunities to learn, teach and contribute here. I can't wait to see what the next big things to happen here are. Until then, see you around and thank you for reading my feedback 🤝
  

[Maximum]

First post, I would like to say OP is ugly.

[Raymond Reddington]

Great feedback Mesh.

#omnicoin4life

[Inj3ct0r]

Mesh is cute af <3 🎉

[Night Fury]

Lots of words here, Mesh. Great feedback thread buddy.

[SIM-1472133]

this is great, but where is my shout out?

[eCoLoGy]

I am in the Shoutouts, yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Good reading mate. ✌

[SIM-2015410]

this is great, but where is my shout out?

I already warned you you weren't going to make the cut 🎉. I wanted to keep the shoutouts to less than 10, that's not the real purpose of this thread,

Thanks for the replies guys 🤝

[Call-Me-V]

Enjoyed reading the thread and your feedback. Thanks for a good read and great feedback. :)

[SIM-1472133]

I already warned you you weren't going to make the cut 🎉. I wanted to keep the shoutouts to less than 10, that's not the real purpose of this thread,

Thanks for the replies guys 🤝

well that's just not good enough

[DaFreak]

damn nigga u try so hard
jk we love u mesh. See u become a fgt of the month in specialists.

[SIM-2015410]

well that's just not good enough

This was a message for you:

Sorry to anyone else who didn't get a shoutout, I am sure I have forgotten a few but I wanted to keep the list short.

---

damn nigga u try so hard
jk we love u mesh. See u become a fgt of the month in specialists.

Lol Looka will win not me 👹

[Raymond Reddington]

Lol Looka will win not me 👹

Anything to fill the second row. -RR 2015 😎

[SIM-2015410]

Anything to fill the second row. -RR 2015 😎

You voted for Lookha though 🤣

[Optimized]

Nice feedback thread. HQ Member for sure here, Mesh. Known you for ages and you've come far bud. Good to see you made a small feedback thread.