Postwhores beware!

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Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

:sigh:

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 3:31 pm

Quite frankly, I do not care either way. Probably cause I am one of those people that doesn't give a flying fart about postcount Laughing

I think it is up to the admins to decide. If they feel that postcount is overly empasized here, I am sure they know how to get rid of the number beneath the avi.

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 5:00 pm

I haven't lost a lot Laughing

I do judge the beginners in this game on their post count though, if they're below 10, I check if they applied for a mentor and type some advice or links to answer their questions. When they're over 30 I assume they have been through the mill and type only an answer when I'm bored, unfortunately that happens a lot Embarassed

And when it�s their first post and I don�t like it, I search a bit further to see what we�re dealing with. 99.9999999999999% turns out to be perfect and the rest is caught by the mods by the time I have it figured out, I�m too slow. Embarassed

Mods Rock!!

Master Baiter Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 109

To throw in another side to this, I used to belong to a fairly big site (I can post the url if wanted) that got rid of the post count off the avatar-bar, but left it on the profile.

A few people whined at first* but no one really cares anymore.

* I should point out that the site is aimed at teens who are addicted to post counts.

In terms of this site, I use post counts to roughly guess how much experience someone has when I'm reading their posts. It's not a good guide really since you can have PWs and you can have total geniuses that hardly post but it helps better isolate new from newish from set-in.

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:53 pm

All I can say about post counts is go read Scrooge McDuck's first post ever.....

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:01 pm

^^^^ ohhh yes....I remember that one.....THAT was the best proof that post count doesn�t matter.... Shocked

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:49 pm

Quote:

Do you think we should get rid of post counts?

I've suggested it a couple of times.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:16 am

fawnykate wrote:

How about the ability to rate a persons post out of 10
Based on subject matter, relevance and spelling Smile

That would make some interesting reading

And how would you rate the quality of the person who rates the post???

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:51 am

DrWho wrote:

Quote:

Do you think we should get rid of post counts?

I've suggested it a couple of times.

Woot, that means I am awesome. I really don't think any forum will use my mod...

It makes me so sad... I should just sit a home and scam people... ... ... Still no? Crying or Very sad

If you use the mod I can stop mending fences... I HAVE A FAMILY!

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

I think that some of the PWT postings were from new folks to get rid of the silly titles below our user names. I imagine that is is intimidating to be "Hello I'm new here" and "Wannabe baiter" amongst all of the "Master of Master Baiter's" I know I was. The new folks don't know that those "rankings" mean nothing at all as to the quality of baiter a poster is.

Mine should really read "Mediocre Baiter at Best" that would be a true reflection of my baiting skills, I am far from any kind of master.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 3:18 pm

Make newbs who won't get mentors attend & graduate "Baiting School" before they can post anything. It might be a fun project for admins/mods/mentors to compile a series of lessons/exams that would force mugwumps like myself to read all stickies, selected bait archives, whatever. Material could be rotated frequently to derail cheating. Lot of work to make it happen, but could be worthwhile.

OK...now you can humiliate me with the retired thread where this idea was already discussed ad nauseum. Embarassed

Master Baiter Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 109

Ginch wrote:

Make newbs who won't get mentors attend & graduate "Baiting School" before they can post anything.

I don't bait. I read, Muguito-leech and occasionally suggest ideas. Such an idea would drive prople like me away.

*** BANNED *** Joined: 02 Jan 2006 Posts: 2021

Theres really no need to get rid of post counts, just get rid of the PWT, i always disliked it and as far as i was concerned the only good it did was relieve the newbs of newbie titles, if i remember rightly it was bustyn who started it with the intention of loosing his not quite a newb title.
We have general chat where its totally acceptable to start a thread about pretty much anything you like, if people are interested they will respond, if not the thread swims with the fishes.
The PWT was nothing more than a chatroom that developed typical chatroom traits towards the end from what i gather.
Im just glad it,s gone and just hope another string of PWT is not allowed to develope.

(if i sound like a grumpy old bastard remember, im 40 next week)

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:01 pm

shakira wrote:

I have a solution to post whoring - Get rid of post counts.

Shakira,
Unfortunately that won't stop the post whores.
They are generally either more interested in seeing their posts and username in print or they get a feeling of importance by expressing their view, even when that view is something as mundane as the 'lol, nice work' type of post.
Post whoring is a state of mind and not necessarily driven by the need to see a high post count.

I agree with previously expressed opinions that post count does not imply any particular status to the member but it does let others know their degree of participation on the site.
If anyone wants to know what the quality of that participation is then they can readily check the posting history of that member.

It's just like real life.
If you get a group of friends together there will always be one who talks more than the others.
We all know that if that becomes a problem then the others will tend to ignore the talkative one and not respond to him.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:17 pm

It does seem as though others in the forums listen to you and respond to you more when your postcount is higher, like you're getting more respect from them.

One way we can all stop people being post-whores is to make sure we're not discriminating against those with low postcounts and making them feel as though they need to have 500 odd posts to have others take them seriously.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:41 pm

johnny5 wrote:

Ginch wrote:

Make newbs who won't get mentors attend & graduate "Baiting School" before they can post anything.

I don't bait. I read, Muguito-leech and occasionally suggest ideas. Such an idea would drive prople like me away.

Good point, johnny5. And, since yours is the only response to my idea, it's axiomatic that I have failed and must, therefore, be destroyed.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:15 am

Josh wrote:

One way we can all stop people being post-whores is to make sure we're not discriminating against those with low postcounts and making them feel as though they need to have 500 odd posts to have others take them seriously.

Sensible people don't. A post worthy being taken notice of can be made as either a gazzilith post or a first post. Some of the more respected and knowlegeable members here have very low postcounts and hardly post at all, but their input in invaluable.

The only people who think post count matters are those who gaze at their own navels thinking their fluff ball is somthing special. But that's my opinion.

Quality, not quantity people. Unless you want fluff balls. Because that's when size does matter.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 3:17 am

Well from personal experience I found that my posts seemed to start getting noticed a lot more once I was over the 100 post mark. Perhaps they increased in quality, perhaps it was just my perception.... who knows? I guess I'm just saying that when you've got hardly any posts against your name you do feel inferior and want to lose that feeling as quickly as possible.

Now that I have a reasonable number of (hopefully decent quality) posts I try to make sure the newbies feel important and well noticed.

In saying that, I don't really see there being a huge postwhore problem on this forum, especially now the PWT is dead. It's very rare to find a post that was obviously just made to boost someone's postcount. Even Red, who seems to post about a hundred times a day, writes worthwhile posts.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:50 am

Quote:

It does seem as though others in the forums listen to you and respond to you more when your postcount is higher, like you're getting more respect from them.

Not too sure about that. Of course, when you post a bit more on the forums, people recognize you and maybe remember a thing or two you may have said in the past. It is true that when I see a post by BC, or Weas, people I know a little better, I am inclined to take a better look and notice it a bit more. That can also be why I am more inclined to click on a thread started for instance by Eliza or BW than someone whose name I have not come across before. It is a sense of familiarity and has nothing to do with their postcount. It does not mean that I do not respect posts by people who have a low postcount or do not value their input.

Maybe above theory is why your perception is a bit different that the opinion expressed in this thread. I normally post to the content of a post, no matter who posted it.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:42 am

Josh wrote:

It does seem as though others in the forums listen to you and respond to you more when your postcount is higher, like you're getting more respect from them.

I think you are mistaken. Postcount and respect have nothing to do with each other. If you have noticed an increase in the attention paid to your posts, its simply because you have established yourself as a contributing member of this community.

This is the point. Joining here is much like moving into a new house in an established community, or joining a local hobby club. Babbling one's head off all over the place about nothing and anything and how cool you are is NOT a great idea, and certainly will not get you respect. Rather: kick back, let us get to know you, and post on topic; preferably not just in GenChat.

JMHO

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:14 am

I try to read any and all posts in fakebanks and any seeming tech related ones, and for the rest it pretty much just depends on if the title is of interest or is of curiosity to me. Except for Reprob8's posts, those I definately read. So many time it's just Shocked

to realize someone else seems to have some of the same kinds of encounters Smile

Sometime's I post to just make a smart-ass comment meant jokingly, but even then usually try to contribute something (even if just my point of view) , impart information, or ask a question.

Unlike the grumpy old bastard 'youngster' Smile

above, currently anyways, I usually am grumpy. (Doesn't being 56 give you some kind of benefits, at least like calling people youngster?) Very Happy

Grabs up his cane, and hobbles in the general direction of where he thought the door was ...

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:39 am

When I come across someone who I haven't seen before, I don't judge them on postcount. However, post-rate (postcount taken together with join-date) is a more interesting measure - it's a rough indicator of how active a member is.

I also look at which forums members posts in - if more than 50% of their posts are in General Crap, then (IMO) their opinions are probably not worth reading and their questions aren't worth answering. This is a baiting site after all - non-baiting forums are for R&R while baiting, not the main event.

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

I only read posts from people with higher postcounts than mine.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:50 pm

Postcount should stay.

I mean, if I'm looking for some advice about baiting or wanting to read something interesting and absorbing about scammers, then how else am I to make the best decision unless I know exactly who can post the most number of "Good work!", "My cat did a cute thing today", "I bought a new computer and it's not working, please help", and "Happy birthday, Baiter-whose-bday-it-is" posts?

This is a clear indication of quality knowledge about baiting and I, for one, would hate to see such valuable statistics removed.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

^^^ I smell the sweet scent of sarcasm