Should Postcounts Be Switched Off?

[indra]

Christ! I killed the thread!

 

[nbcrusader]

What is the harm of post counts?

If anything, they may help distinguish between long standing active members and the random troll....

 

[~BrightestStar~]

*sniffle*
Don't take my post count from me..It's all I have!!!

 

[indra]

*sniffle*
Don't take my post count from me..It's all I have!!!

awww...

That's when you know you might need rehab...

 

[Elvis]

Folks, post counts will not be turned off for currently existing forums. There may however be a time where a forum or sub-forum is created where post counts won't be counted.

Joel

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

I think they should be turned off for certain threads/forums.

 

[anitram]

I'm a member of another board where you posts are counted in your user CP but not displayed on the forums. Most other boards show them.

Don't really care, but sometimes the postwhoring is irritating.

 

[lmjhitman]

I personally don't care. I'm well aware that the majority of my posts have come from the Band Name/Song Title game, and that I have contributed nothing meaningful to this forum whatsoever.

And I'm OK with that!

But seriously, I think that the bottom line is that we should just respect people regardless of what number is under their name.

 

[Elvis]

But seriously, I think that the bottom line is that we should just respect people regardless of what number is under their name.

Yep.

 

[U2Girl1978]

I like the post counts!

 

[beli]

Folks, post counts will not be turned off for currently existing forums. There may however be a time where a forum or sub-forum is created where post counts won't be counted.

Joel

Thanks. I was just curious to see if anyone actually values postcounts. And it appears quite a percentage of people do.

 

[biff]

I voted for the undies myself, but I've seen many instances of people being treated badly solely because they have a low post count. That's always bothered me. Clearly, though, it's an important feature to many people here who have "worked hard" for their high numbers. This is a competitive place.

Beli, can I join your Ave Maria fan club? I could be the secretary; I take great minutes!

 

[beli]

Done!

 

[biff]

Thanks, I'm so proud!

 

[sallycinnamon78]

Why are posts counted? What is the point, please? For those who aren't aware everytime a user posts the number of posts displayed under their avatar/picture/icon increases ie their postcount increases

I have seen peoples opinions ripped to shreds because the user has a single digit postcount. I have also witnessed people getting stuck into users with high postcounts.

Participants in long chain threads (eg chat threads, game threads) cop a bit of flak for "postwhoring" with the apparent goal of increasing their postcount. Is this really the case? Or do some people just "talk" more than others?

What is your view on Interference turning off the postcounter?

NB. I haven't asked Elvis if he even wants to/or is able to disable the postcounter . Theres a few of us trying to gauge the "popularity" of this concept.

All opinions welcome. Thank you.

The hierarchy of social class continues in the division of board users into "premium members" and, effectively, "non-premium members", ie those with fewer posting privileges. The post count adds to this social snobbery.

Okay, so that was probably a lot of nonsense. Maybe not, but probably so. Seriously though, I don't see much point in the postcounts. It would form some kind of barrier, if anyone was strange enough to allow that to happen, between us.

That said, I honestly don't believe anyone over the age of 9 would be that dim.

 

[sallycinnamon78]

i'm gonna vote dont care.
not because i dont actually care about the topic on hand but because i dont think post counts should matter.
personally i like keeping track of my own post count and hitting "mile stones" but i also dont like the generalisation that goes with high/low post counts ie: low = you dont know what you're talking about, high = you have no life.

so i'm neither here nor there on this but i personally don't care what your post count is because i'm not the kind of person to call you stupid because you've only posted 3 times. i dont think it should matter therefore i vote "dont care2

did that make sense - its monday after all and i'm rambling

It makes perfect sense if you ask me!

 

[Elvis]

Re: Re: Should Postcounts Be Switched Off?

The hierarchy of social class continues in the division of board users into "premium members" and, effectively, "non-premium members", ie those with fewer posting privileges. The post count adds to this social snobbery.

Okay, so that was probably a lot of nonsense. Maybe not, but probably so. Seriously though, I don't see much point in the postcounts. It would form some kind of barrier, if anyone was strange enough to allow that to happen, between us.

That said, I honestly don't believe anyone over the age of 9 would be that dim.

Some people are that dim... hence why I believe the topic was brought up in the first place.

 

[indra]

Re: Re: Re: Should Postcounts Be Switched Off?

Some people are that dim... hence why I believe the topic was brought up in the first place.

Actually the topic is brought up all the time, most often when one poster writes something another poster doesn't like. And the spat always goes something like this: "I could tell by your post count, you're just a troll, you don't know what's going on here!" to which the first poster retorts: "Oh yeah? Well at least I have a life, unlike all you idiots with insanely high post counts!" And so on and so on.

The spats, although incredibly juvenile, can be a whole lot of fun though.

 

[sallycinnamon78]

Re: Re: Re: Should Postcounts Be Switched Off?

Some people are that dim... hence why I believe the topic was brought up in the first place.

Well, they ought to go form an anarchosyndicalist commune, taking it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer. But all the decisions by that officer must be approved at a bi-weekly meeting by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs but a two-thirds majority ..

I freely admit to plagiarism, in this particular case!

 

[beegee]

seriously, though. is there truly a "social snobbery"?

it's a message board. and just like everywhere else in life, it takes time to get familiar with the place, and even more time to get familiar/friendly with the people. many of us have been here for years. it took me a long time to make the friends i've made. it wasn't like i signed up one day and was immediately best friends with everyone.

sometimes i think that what are often referred to as "cliques" are simply groups of posters who have discovered that they have different things in common, so they branch off into their own groups.

it's not some sort of conspiracy, it's just the way life is.

 

[Sicy]

bg

 

[sallycinnamon78]

Well. I wasn't being serious... but, now you come to mention it...

the majority here is fine. Regardless, I've seen a few threads created purely to bash the hell out of newbies. They refer not only to pointless troll newbies: it's just newbies in general get insulted by being grouped under one banner in such threads - despite the fact that many of them offer rational and well thought out points of view.

These threads are hypocritical (unless they're a huge joke, in which case I hope you'll forgive me for having a sense of humour bypass right now). I've seen plenty of regulars on this board post nonsense, just as frequently as the new members - but they criticise the newbies for doing so.

Apart from what I mentioned just then, I agree with you about the clique thing not actually being a "clique thing", bonogirl - I think (well, I hope) that we're past that kind of playground behaviour. I've only been here a couple of months or so, and am starting to develop friendships here - it's natural that we get drawn to likeminded people.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

it's a message board. and just like everywhere else in life, it takes time to get familiar with the place, and even more time to get familiar/friendly with the people. many of us have been here for years. it took me a long time to make the friends i've made. it wasn't like i signed up one day and was immediately best friends with everyone.

THANK YOU. i'm not naming any names here (because i can't think of anything specific, really) but i've seen countless threads and replies of people saying "i'm leaving, no one here likes me." they usually have less than 25 posts and have been a member for a couple months. i'm sorry but how does one become popular? it sure isn't by sitting in the corner of a room waiting for people to come say hi. you have to get yourself out there and post. now if you get yourself out there and have 5000 posts and still think we're cliquey, maybe you have a point. i do think some people here are a bit cliquey but it doesn't bother me. you get that everywhere. i just hope i'm cool enough that someone considers me part of their clique.

 

[~BrightestStar~]

Well, I figure I'm in a pretty good position to comment.
I have not found that my post count has hindered me in any way. Anyone I've encountered around here has been utterly friendy to me despite my "newbie" status. I've had a low post count and I now (clearly) have a much higher one, no one has treated my comments, opinions any differently due to whatever number is there.
Post counts are fun to joke about, look at, etc. I persocnally enjoy celebrating my or others reaching "milestones".
As for people using them against you, that's just the way life is, people, often like to take a cheap shot, so buck up and ignore it.
Anyhoo..I guess that would be a vote for keeping them around
*steps off soap box and runs away*

 

[beli]

For the record, this thread evolved out of the "Get the Games out of the Bang and Clatter Thread".

There is often the implication that people who post in chat and game threads do so to increase their postcount, there can't be any other reason as these threads are meaningless, to paraphrase regular complaints

As a previous participant in a chat thread on this site I find the implication that some threads are more worthy than others a little not pleasant.

My thoughts when I started this poll were:

1.) prove that people aren't interested in poscounts.

2) hopefully Elvis would see that no one wants postcounts and turn them off

3) people would still continue to post in chat and game threads thereby shooting down the theory that these threads exist solely for postwhoring.

Obviously I have been proven wrong on the first step.

I do still honestly believe that some people participate in chat and game threads because they like chatting and playing games. Nothing more, nothing less. Escapism away from the daily grind. I also believe that these threads have just as much value as any other thread on this forum.

As for cliques. This place is full of them, and not just in the chat and game threads either. FYM is a clique, so is the Bang and the Clatter (the serious threads), the Goal is Soul, etc. But whooptidiedoo, who cares. As long as everyone can find their own place in here thats all that matters.

Which brings me back to the slaughtering of newbies. Yep, occasionally a dumb one gets in, but not often. I really wish there was more respect for em, and a little more tolerance for intial bloopers. This is a large site, and it takes a little while to work out where to post what. The attitude that some people hold that people who have been here longer have some kind of superiority is nasty. As is the attitude of some people that people with high post counts have no life.

NB This post is not directed to anyone posting in the Get the Games out of the Bang and Clatter thread. If it was, I would have posted this over there instead of here.

peace

 

[sallycinnamon78]

I think I enjoyed this thread much more when I was taking the piss out of the so-called "conspiracy"!

Which brings me back to the slaughtering of newbies. Yep, occasionally a dumb one gets in, but not often. I really wish there was more respect for em, and a little more tolerance for intial bloopers. This is a large site, and it takes a little while to work out where to post what. The attitude that some people hold that people who have been here longer have some kind of superiority is nasty. As is the attitude of some people that people with high post counts have no life.

I agree with that completely. I haven't had any problem fitting in here - most people are really nice - in fact, I can only think of one person who's been nasty to me, and it's quite possible that they were just having a bad day.

Bashing newbies just cos they're newbies is just Numptyism, and it pisses me off, on behalf of others. That's what I was banging on about.

Anyway -

THANK YOU. i'm not naming any names here (because i can't think of anything specific, really) but i've seen countless threads and replies of people saying "i'm leaving, no one here likes me." t

Good grief. Now, that really IS pathetic! I've had the good fortune not to have seen any posts of that nature yet... if I did, I'd probably cyberslap them with a wet kipper.

 

[indra]

Originally posted by KhanadaRhodes
THANK YOU. i'm not naming any names here (because i can't think of anything specific, really) but i've seen countless threads and replies of people saying "i'm leaving, no one here likes me."

[B
Good grief. Now, that really IS pathetic! I've had the good fortune not to have seen any posts of that nature yet... if I did, I'd probably cyberslap them with a wet kipper. [/B]

I post on another board where we had a "serial leaver." The little weenie would pick fights with people, attack everyone, including the people who would defend him, and then post his "I'm-leaving-because-you-people-are-all-out-to-get-me, you-intolerant-bastards!" thread. For a while people would post "Oh don't leave, your opinion is valued blah, blah, blah" replies, but after he kept doing it every few months the replies became more on the "Thank God!" and "good riddance" lines. He's actually been pretty scarce for the past six months or so. It got pretty funny.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

I post on another board where we had a "serial leaver." The little weenie would pick fights with people, attack everyone, including the people who would defend him, and then post his "I'm-leaving-because-you-people-are-all-out-to-get-me, you-intolerant-bastards!" thread. For a while people would post "Oh don't leave, your opinion is valued blah, blah, blah" replies, but after he kept doing it every few months the replies became more on the "Thank God!" and "good riddance" lines. He's actually been pretty scarce for the past six months or so. It got pretty funny.

haha, yes i've seen them before. years ago in a U2 chat (not the one for interference) we had people like that. they'd get all huffy and say they were never coming back. people would beg them to stay, and they "left." this mysterious new person would then enter the chat. sure enough, when i was a mod of the chat, i'd do an ip search and it was the same person.

i think that happened too at another forum i go to. although in that case the thread was pretty much met with the "thank god!" and "good riddance!" replies you spoke of and the guy was pretty much humiliated. the guy was then permabanned, if memory serves me right. he must've been, because there goodbye threads = permanent ban.

 

[Salome]

great post beli

 

[Elvis]

My thoughts when I started this poll were:

1.) prove that people aren't interested in poscounts.

2) hopefully Elvis would see that no one wants postcounts and turn them off

3) people would still continue to post in chat and game threads thereby shooting down the theory that these threads exist solely for postwhoring.

Hi beli...

While I agreed with most of your post, I found the the above part slightly presuming of yourself ... and would like to lend a little bit of insight into the 'how' and 'why' I do certain things as far as the forum goes. There are obviously multiple reasons for having such things as 'status', 'post counts', 'premium' (or non), 'avatars', various forums (and sub-forums), etc.... but mostly because these things tend to emulate 'real life' and social interaction in one way or another. This combination creates a sense of community, personal 'ownership', 'status', and value for both the forum and the site and is part of what keeps people coming back.

The Inteference community has obviously been around a good number of years, and well before the true popularity of 'online communities' became a buzzword. Over the years I've not only observed, and even 'studied' the behavorial patterns and movements within this community, but also MANY others (other sites) which I've either helped to build and/or refine. Over the years countless books have popped up about related topics, many of which I have also read and taken into consideration when deciding how things 'work' here (as well as other places).

All this said, let me tie it back to the original topic.... post counts, as stupid or important as they may be to some, are actually an important variable when it comes to online communities. While I do listen to peoples suggestions (hence the suggestion forum), please dont assume that I am simply going to start turning off long standing features of this site because a few people dont like it. A LOT of thought, effort, and time has gone into building the Interference community into what it is, not only on my part... but also to the thanks and hard work of the administators and moderators both past and present. When it comes to online U2 fan communities, I have no problem saying that 'Interference is second to none'. I'm extremely proud of that.

Joel