Reintroducing myself after 4 years away – catching up with Bitcointalk changes

[drgomez89]

Hi everyone,
I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce myself. I’ve been inactive here for almost 4 years, mainly because I was completing my clinical oncology subspecialty training. Thankfully, that stage is now behind me, and I finally have more time to participate again.
I’m currently catching up on the changes that have happened on Bitcointalk during my absence. One thing I already noticed is the OTP / additional security measures, which weren’t in place back then.
I’d really appreciate it if some of you could share:
What major changes have taken place in the forum over the last few years?
Any new rules, systems, or best practices I should be aware of?
Tips for returning users who want to stay active and contribute meaningfully?
It’s good to be back, and I’m looking forward to being part of the discussions again.
Thanks in advance!

[Creeper0]

OTP or 2FA is used as an additional security measure during forum login. I am sharing a tutorial with you on this topic through which you can set OTP code or add 2FA security to your account.

• Newbies how to use the 2FA security system in the account?

You can read the announcement about 2FA.

• 2FA added

• A concise 2FA/TOTP implementation (SMF patch)

I can't say anything specific about the changes in the forum, because I wasn't on the forum 4 years ago and I don't know what was there then and what has been added later. You can go to the Meta board and learn about some of the helpful tools in the forum. For example, BPIP, BPIP extension, Ninjastic and Talkimg are some of the important tools.

[Alone055]

Welcome back.

Other than a few UI changes and modifications, or we could say additional features and stuff that were suggested by the community, created by PowerGlove, and implemented by theymos, there haven't been any major changes in the forum in terms of rules or new systems, etc.

As for the tips, things still work the same way as before, which means that if you are making constructive contributions and staying away from spam, scams, and other bad practices, you should be good, and you will also earn yourself some merits if you stay on the right path. Avoid posting unnecessarily, read the thread and its responses before making a response, and follow the rules, of course.

And, I forgot to mention, don't use AI to generate posts, thinking they would be considered constructive. You will get a bunch of neutral tags for being an AI-shitposter for doing that.

[Upgrade00]

You can start from this thread; Bitcointalk 2025: The Year in One Scroll. This should get you up to speed with activities from the last year.

Tips for returning users who want to stay active and contribute meaningfully?

You can only stay active if you have an interest in Bitcoin and other topics discussed here. This would also influence how you contribute to discussions.

[drgomez89]

I’m particularly interested in real-world crypto use cases with proven benefits, not just speculation.
From my medical background, one example I actively follow is Avaneer Health, a consortium-led network using decentralized ledger technology to improve secure healthcare data interoperability between major institutions.
Projects like this show how blockchain can deliver measurable value in critical sectors such as healthcare.

OTP or 2FA is used as an additional security measure during forum login. I am sharing a tutorial with you on this topic through which you can set OTP code or add 2FA security to your account.

• Newbies how to use the 2FA security system in the account?

You can read the announcement about 2FA.

• 2FA added

• A concise 2FA/TOTP implementation (SMF patch)

I can't say anything specific about the changes in the forum, because I wasn't on the forum 4 years ago and I don't know what was there then and what has been added later. You can go to the Meta board and learn about some of the helpful tools in the forum. For example, BPIP, BPIP extension, Ninjastic and Talkimg are some of the important tools.

Thank you for taking the time to explain and share the resources.
I’ve already enabled 2FA on my account — appreciate the guidance 👍
I’ll also check the Meta board and the tools you mentioned.

[mod note: Merged consecutive posts]

[SatoPrincess]

Any new rules, systems, or best practices I should be aware of?
Tips for returning users who want to stay active and contribute meaningfully?

The use of AI to generate posts is not allowed, you can use AI to research topics if you want but you can’t use it to  misrepresent your abilities. A lot has happened in the last 4-5 years that you have been away. I don’t think there is one single thread that can fill the 4 year gap you’ve been away. I suggest you take it one step at a time.
In addition to the link Upgrade provided, you might also want to check out this thread: Bitcointalk 2023 in retrospect

[nakamura12]

The use of AI to generate posts is not allowed, you can use AI to research topics if you want but you can’t use it to  misrepresent your abilities. A lot has happened in the last 4-5 years that you have been away. I don’t think there is one single thread that can fill the 4 year gap you’ve been away. I suggest you take it one step at a time.

Yes, I believe what you said and there's a lot of what happen within 4 to 5 years. Op should take a step at a time like about the 2FA and why there's (OP) in the username of the one who created the thread as an example. There's also news, crypto attacks and malwares are important. After all, it's never a waste of time to catch up. There are some forum members who uses AI generated content and never do any good for the forum.

[Popkon6]

Thank you for coming back, because this forum has provided more security with OTP even after completing security. However, additional security provides much more benefits, but if you want to know about tips, then the rules are the same as in the past. However, the rules of the past are still modern today and these modern rules will continue in the future.

[uchegod-21]

Welcome back @ op and congratulations on the completion of your training. That is indeed a great achievement to your name. 4 years is quite a long time for the forum to remain stagnant. There are some forum participants you won't be seeing anymore  people like oeleo and 1maiu who contributed meaningfully to this forum. Even though they are no longer here, their contributions to this forum are there for you to see. New personalities have arrived too so it would feel like a total new place to you.

Start with visiting those boards and subboards you are familiar with. Familiarise yourself once again with the forum rules and always know that if you don't have passion for this forum, it will be difficult for you to be committed.

[drgomez89]

Welcome back @ op and congratulations on the completion of your training. That is indeed a great achievement to your name. 4 years is quite a long time for the forum to remain stagnant. There are some forum participants you won't be seeing anymore  people like oeleo and 1maiu who contributed meaningfully to this forum. Even though they are no longer here, their contributions to this forum are there for you to see. New personalities have arrived too so it would feel like a total new place to you.

Start with visiting those boards and subboards you are familiar with. Familiarise yourself once again with the forum rules and always know that if you don't have passion for this forum, it will be difficult for you to be committed.

That’s very true. Some of the people we used to interact with are no longer around, and that really hits when you’ve been here for years.
Your comment actually made me think about an old friend from the forum named ciprian. He hasn’t logged in for about two years now, and remembering him brought a bit of nostalgia. He helped me a lot when I was just getting started in crypto mining — he even gifted me a graphics card back then so I could begin.
It’s a shame he hasn’t been around lately. I genuinely hope that, just like me after some time away, he logs in again someday and we cross paths here once more.
This forum isn’t just about Bitcoin or technology — it’s also about the people you meet along the way.

[SeriouslyGiveaway]

I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce myself. I’ve been inactive here for almost 4 years, mainly because I was completing my clinical oncology subspecialty training. Thankfully, that stage is now behind me, and I finally have more time to participate again.

Do you still speak Spanish?

What major changes have taken place in the forum over the last few years?
Any new rules, systems, or best practices I should be aware of?

Changes about forum systems, rules will be updated in some topics.
FAQ: Everything you need to know about forum 'activity, account ranks and merit.
Unofficial list of (official) asktom.cf rules, guidelines, FAQ

You can follow the admin's topic list for getting his announcements on any changes for the forum system.
https://asktom.cf/index.php?action=profile;threads;u=35;sa=showPosts

Tips for returning users who want to stay active and contribute meaningfully?

You got 26 merit and I believe you understood how merit system works and how you can contribute to the community and receive merit for ranking up.

[drgomez89]

I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce myself. I’ve been inactive here for almost 4 years, mainly because I was completing my clinical oncology subspecialty training. Thankfully, that stage is now behind me, and I finally have more time to participate again.

Do you still speak Spanish?

Yes, I still speak English 🙂
Spanish is my native language, but I developed my English proficiency while studying medicine, where most of the academic material, literature, and training were in English.
Regarding merits, thank you for pointing that out. I honestly wasn’t aware that there was a limited number of merits one could send. That part wasn’t very clear to me before, so I appreciate the clarification.

[Nadifa2030]

Welcome back and congratulations on finishing your clinical oncology subspecialty. That’s a long and demanding road so well done on reaching the end of it.

Quite a bit has changed on the forum since then but the overall culture is still familiar. Security has been tightened with things like 2FA moderation is stricter when it comes to spam and plagiarism and the merit system now plays a much bigger role in ranking.

[SatoPrincess]

Reintroducing yourself to this great forum should be done with patience, humility, and value-driven participation. Start by reviewing the forum rules and current discussions to understand what has changed. Introduce yourself briefly without overhyping your experience or asking for favors. Focus on contributing thoughtful replies, asking meaningful questions, and sharing verified knowledge rather than chasing ranks or merit. Avoid spam, plagiarism, and low-effort posts, as credibility takes time to rebuild. Be respectful in debates and consistent in activity. Over time, quality contributions will naturally earn trust, recognition, and meaningful connections within the community.

Your post reads like it was generated from ChatGPT. Just a bunch of generic phrases that don’t add anything new to the discussion. If it’s true that you’re posting AI content even after it’s been mentioned twice on this thread, then you’re not going to last very long on the forum.

Edit: I was right.

[sleepfirefly]

And, I forgot to mention, don't use AI to generate posts, thinking they would be considered constructive. You will get a bunch of neutral tags for being an AI-shitposter for doing that.

surely a doctor would know better than to use ai right? speaking of, congrats op! i am still also discovering parts of forum that may not be well known to beginners or to people coming back like yourself the general rule of upholding the rules of the forum seems to be what we should just remember

what we are mostly having to catch up on is how bitcoin has evolved these past few years

[noorman0]

- There haven't been many changes to the global rules, except for the prohibition on promoting any mixer brand.
- The use of AI text generators remains a gray area, with direct consequences only being applied by fellow members, such as tagging and ignoring.
- Several legendary, constructive members you might have seen before have left the forum for various reasons.

I've also been inactive for quite some time now due to real-world work, only occasionally checking in without logging in. So I certainly don't need as much catching up on updates as you do.

[TechGr8]

Why do I envy those of You who have been on the platform 4 years ago or earlier??Lol. I’ve always felt I should be the one asking y’all what we’ve missed because, obviously we have! Welcome, and I’m reading as well to learn and relearn from other’s expertise.

Glad to have You back and Congratulations on your milestone’s achieved over the time being.

[Daniel91]

- There haven't been many changes to the global rules, except for the prohibition on promoting any mixer brand.
- The use of AI text generators remains a gray area, with direct consequences only being applied by fellow members, such as tagging and ignoring.
- Several legendary, constructive members you might have seen before have left the forum for various reasons.

I've also been inactive for quite some time now due to real-world work, only occasionally checking in without logging in. So I certainly don't need as much catching up on updates as you do.

Yes, this is a very good summary of the main things that have happened on this forum over the past 4 years. I would add that I also returned to the forum after 2 years and it seems to me that there is less spam and less activity overall on the forum. I assume that the majority of activity on the forum still comes from members participating in signature campaigns.
On my local part of the forum, I see that some other inactive members have returned, while some other members have left, which is probably normal on any forum.

[ancafe]

What major changes have taken place in the forum over the last few years?
Any new rules, systems, or best practices I should be aware of?
Tips for returning users who want to stay active and contribute meaningfully?
It’s good to be back, and I’m looking forward to being part of the discussions again.
Thanks in advance!

OTP and 2FA are used as additional security measures, and they're quite effective in protecting our accounts. I might not be able to guide you as far as overall changes, as I sometimes miss some changes. Some people may have provided referral links, and perhaps your next task will be to re-learn what you're looking for. Welcome back, and congratulations on your achievements in your real-life work. I hope you'll be able to contribute your knowledge and dedication to clinical practice to many others so that it can be quite useful and you will get a field of rewards later.

[MusicLand]

four years is basically a century in this space so congrats on surviving the outside world for that long, to be honest the forum feels a lot more corporate in some sections and a lot more chaotic in others, you definitely need to set up that 2fa because account theft is through the roof lately, as for contributing just keep it real and do not sound like a bot since everyone is paranoid about ai generated posts now, it is kind of ironic how we have more tech but trust each other less lol, what was the biggest shock for you when you first logged back in today