Post Count

[Medieval Bob]

The purpose of Zelaron (in my opinion) is the progression of ideas, the spread of thought, and the discussion of important topics.

When Zelaron experienced the rollback recently, people were dissapointed. I understand this as I was dissapointed myself. I was not angry at anyone for the crash.

The only things I view as a loss are the ideas that were lost because of it. The discussions that were active before it happened are no longer present.

The main complaints, however, that I saw from other users was that their post count had gone down or their activity bar had receded.

Medi3valBob: The post count should be a reflection of how much contribution to discussion a person has made. If someone makes a post strictly to gain a point on their post count, then the entire purpose (in my opinion) of this website has been disregarded.

Zelaron: I agree completely

Guess what I saw right after the rollback...

I move that post count should be removed completely. I'm also adverse to the activity bar, but this thread isn't concerning that. What do you think the post count is good for?

The members here know who has been here and who hasn't. We know who is active. We know who has contributed with good posts and who has spammed. What do we need a post count for?

[!King_Amazon!]

It isn't hurting anyone being there. Big deal if they complained about lost post count.

Also, you say the people here know who has been around and such. That may be true, but what about new members?

[LiveWire]

It's funny, members were more worried about a number then the acually threads being lost. I don't hear anyone saying. "Man, i made a really helpfull thread, and now it's gone". I here, in my own words: "Man, i lost a stupid little number".

If it was gone, i wouldn't care much at all. I've been here for about 1yr 1/2 now, and i broke the 1000 mark like 6 months ago. That should show what i care about a number.

I also don't think they will get rid of it, seeing that WetWired created a nice little hack to use images as the numbers, instead of using text. So i don't see it going anywhere, anytime soon.

And if they used cron jobs, this would have never happened. :p

[Acer]

It isn't hurting anyone being there. Big deal if they complained about lost post count.

Also, you say the people here know who has been around and such. That may be true, but what about new members?
Like he said tho, people do make threads/posts just to get the count up. I have to filter threw all those just to find a good thread/post to reply to.

[Medieval Bob]

LW, you don't like it, but because you think they won't remove it, you voted no?

[LiveWire]

I think they should just leave it alone. It won't slove anything.

[Titusfied]

I voted no, just because there are too many underlying issues that people will get all disgruntled about, and possibly leave for. I myself have been an avid supporter of getting rid of post count in the past, and now I just see the complete uselessness of even attempting this issue. Not because it won't happen, but because post count, for most people, at one time or another was probably a big reason for wanting to stick around.

Just because we've (Members of like 50% Longevity, give or take an arbitrary %) gotten over the "Oh my God, I want to get my post count high high high!!!" stage of Zelaron, doesn't mean that everyone else has, or that new members will.

I should close this, for it has been discussed numerous amounts of time in the public, amongst Staff, and amongst Admins, but I won't because these topic do bring up interesting points every once in a while, could spark new ideas, and reinvigorate certain issues members have.

Continue on all...

[LiveWire]

I'm with titusfied on this one...

[Demosthenes]

I vote no.

[Medieval Bob]

The previous discussion of a topic is no reason to close a thread of the same topic. I am not copying a thread, nor do I care what was decided in the past.

As I see it, people wanting to get a high post count is no reason to have post count around. Posting simply to get a number up is a waste of posts. If someone has an idea they wish to share, it should not matter if it raises their number by one, deletes it, or turns it blue for all the logic I can throw at it.

[Titusfied]

You just don't understand do you? Yes, initially people tend to care about post count. Yes, they may make bad threads and posts in the beginning. What you fail to comprehend is that not everyone here has been around as long as a lot of the members. Sure, they may be annoying at first, but eventually turn into a quality member. Isn't that worth it in the end? I think that is more than enough reason to keep post count.

Again, nothing you could possibly say, or even have up to this point is an original idea. This topic has been discussed verbatim way to many times, but for arguments sake, it will stay to get others inputs.

Activity is simply an indicator of how often you visit and show interest at Zelaron. That isn't harming anyone, its just a gauge on member's activity, obviously. So why should that be taken away as well?

[Chruser]

And if they used cron jobs, this would have never happened. :p

We do use cron jobs to back up the databases. The incident happened because our web host was installing a control panel for the server, and he backed up all the files on the site plus the wrong database (zelaron), when the real database (zelaron_test) was not backed up. The daily backups were deleted, and restoring the board from an incorrect database obviously didn't work. Now, the backup I had on my hard drive was 9 days old... Well, you get the idea.

Anyway, I do not think the post count should be removed, we simply need a way to make users care less about keeping it high. It's just a number. I have some ideas in mind to get users to post for other reasons than keeping their post count high. For instance, it would be possible to check the length of every user's post and determine an average post length value, but that would likely just hamper the board activity, as you'd either have to post something long and useful, or get your average lowered to 10 characters per post and officially be declared a "foolish spammer". Setting a trend for book-length posts isn't good.

However, with some new board features coming up soon (such as zajako's RPG hack, which is getting really nice with random monster battles and everything), users gain gold to purchase items for every post and new thread they make. New threads, which normally require some innovativity to be made, let users gain a lot more gold than when making a simple reply. Well, it's just one example of how a board modification could alter the urge for a high post count and get users to post more interesting threads instead.

Other ideas include a download section with the latest game demos, patches and files, which may only be accessible by active users who visit the board often.

I'd be very happy to hear ANY ideas about getting the post counter to become less important.

[MarkiX]

I think post count should stay bcus it signify's seniority and participation which lets new members know who is the most knowlegable about the forum or most participant member in zelaron so that they can ask them for information and/or get a different perception on there replies/posts. Of course if ppl abuse Zelaron w/ spam and useless garbage, then they should be punished

[LiveWire]

I think post count should stay bcus it signify's seniority and participation which lets new members know who is the most knowlegable about the forum or most participant member in zelaron so that they can ask them for information and/or get a different perception on there replies/posts. Of course if ppl abuse Zelaron w/ spam and useless garbage, then they should be punished

Thats what the activity, longevity, & Member icons are all about, right?

[Acer]

I think post count should stay bcus it signify's seniority and participation which lets new members know who is the most knowlegable about the forum or most participant member in zelaron so that they can ask them for information and/or get a different perception on there replies/posts. Of course if ppl abuse Zelaron w/ spam and useless garbage, then they should be punished
Yes but people can spam and become so called "seniors" over people who been here for a long time.

[Kuja`s #1]

I voted Yes but I meant no. Don't think I love post counts or anything, but they're just a part of EVERY forum I've been in. It is something you naturally assoiciate with forums.

[LiveWire]

I voted Yes but I meant no. Don't think I love post counts or anything, but they're just a part of EVERY forum I've been in. It is something you naturally assoiciate with forums.

Being diffrent is the key!

[tidus2005]

i would have to say that post cout is not a big concern of mine and neither is the activity bar because i mean i found it interesting at first with the activity bar and i know that personally it cause me to make some "spam" post that i would not have normally made but i realized that what i was doing was not helpful. i mean i have been here a while and do not usually post unless i have something help or insight full to say, or if i need help with a problem and then i get tire of people either bring a thread that i am looking for help off topic or just filling it full of spam. so overall i have personally realized that activity and post cout dont matter to me becaue i find it slightly strange that anyone should have 100% or close to it activity it makes me wonder if they have no life outside of zelaron because i mean face it most people cannot be at or near a computer 365 days a year just to visit a site and make atleast 4 posts.


also as a side note i liked how on the old version of the forum you got a title for somany posts. this was an interest to me because i just wanted to see what the next title i got was. i know that you could change it if you wanted but i always left it the way it was because i kind of thought of it as a ranking system which was cool.

[WetWired]

I don't care about a stupid little hack to use images instead of numbers. While I hold that postcount has some amount of usefulness, I have absolutely no objection to getting rid of it, if the proposition has enough support.

[!King_Amazon!]

Yes
Acer, Kuja`s #1, Medieval Bob, WetWired 4 33.33%
No
!King_Amazon!, Chruser, HandOfHeaven, LiveWire, MarkiX, mjordan2nd, Penguin, Titusfied 8 66.67%

[WetWired]

Well postcount hasn't been at every forum that i've been to, and those without it do just fine, in fact they really do have less spam than those i visit that have it.

The original purpose of the activity bar was actually to increase support for the complete removal of post count--judging from the responses now and comparing them to responses before, it has... Also, the activity bar is meant to help the noobies spot the people who are active, as has been stated, the active people know who's active, but the new members do not.

[Titusfied]

Oh, and in respect to !K_A!'s post, as Kuja`s #1 stated, he meant opposite of what he voted... 9-3 in opposition.

I do agree with Tidus2005 though, I really did initally like how the member title changed with a certain amount of posts. Honestly, that is the only reason I'm still around here. I initially came for Diablo Bot help, and to leech ( :( ), but after seeing my Title constantly changing, I became intrigued.

Anyway...

[HandOfHeaven]

I came for Diablo 2 info, and i want to become a member soon.

[LiveWire]

Didn't mean to get you worked up over a Stupid Little Hack.

That fact is, if you get rid of post count. That will start a huge war for about 3 days with members pissed. Could also even lose alot of activity/members because of it.

1. I would acually like to see it go, but think it is a bad idea because of the loss of members, ect...

2. Your dealing with alot of kids on this site. Ages from 14-18. So being a forum with a dominating age rang like that, you should expect spam, and or useless post.

Which ever way the staff goes, i'm in full support with them, as i also been. I do like the idea of it leaving, i did it on my forum from the start untill we upgrading to Vb 3. No one really had any problems with it. Though my board is much smaller and not as active yet. I also have higher age rang on my site, seeing we advertise on a site where alot of older people go. And like WetWired said, it does help with spam. I go to alot of site with out the post count and there spam is much less.

Edit: Perfect example of spam - The post below me. HandOfHeaven. He needs to be in the Losers User Group. Notice how i EDITED my thread handofheaven!

[HandOfHeaven]

Like me and Kuja's #1 posting useless threads.

[Medieval Bob]

If people leave the forums because the number of posts they have made is no longer displayed below their name then they don't deserve to be here in the first place. The sheer fact that it seems that important to anyone seems reasonable grounds for removal to me.

[HandOfHeaven]

Well its not soo much the post count that i like, but its the activity that boosts you to member/senior member.

[LiveWire]

If people leave the forums because the number of posts they have made is no longer displayed below their name then they don't deserve to be here in the first place. The sheer fact that it seems that important to anyone seems reasonable grounds for removal to me.

I dissagree. There kids, and normally are ammused by the littlest things.

[HandOfHeaven]

Speak for yourself.

[Acer]

Didn't mean to get you worked up over a Stupid Little Hack.

That fact is, if you get rid of post count. That will start a huge war for about 3 days with members pissed. Could also even lose alot of activity/members because of it.

1. I would acually like to see it go, but think it is a bad idea because of the loss of members, ect...

2. Your dealing with alot of kids on this site. Ages from 14-18. So being a forum with a dominating age rang like that, you should expect spam, and or useless post.

Which ever way the staff goes, i'm in full support with them, as i also been. I do like the idea of it leaving, i did it on my forum from the start untill we upgrading to Vb 3. No one really had any problems with it. Though my board is much smaller and not as active yet. I also have higher age rang on my site, seeing we advertise on a site where alot of older people go. And like WetWired said, it does help with spam. I go to alot of site with out the post count and there spam is much less.

Edit: Perfect example of spam - The post below me. HandOfHeaven. He needs to be in the Losers User Group. Notice how i EDITED my thread handofheaven!
I think the people who would get mad are the people who are probly here for post counts(why?), and if they left I wouldnt care... but it seems senior members are wanting to keep it

My question is... even if you want to keep it, would you be mad if it was taken out?

[LiveWire]

If i was a moderator, you would have been banned along time ago. Keep spamming you will become a moderator in no time.

Ontopic: He is part of the reason for the no post count rule. If it was possiable for me to change my vote to yes, i would.

[Titusfied]

I just really don't see this issue as a problem. If someone posts something that is shit, you don't have to read it. You can put members on your ignore list and their posts will never show up to you. There are so many other alternatives to getting people's spam stopped from a member's perspective, that this topic shouldn't even be feasible.

[LiveWire]

I don't like the idea of ignoring someone, sometimes they can make a very interesting thread. Most of the time that is unlikey to happen

[Titusfied]

Well, you can still read their threads/posts if you elect to. This can easily be gauged by the reaction to their post, if any, from other's posts to see if it is even worth it though.

[Arbitus]

I think post count proves how much of a life you have :) The higher the number the sader your case, unless your a real old member.

[Dan XIII]

The purpose of Zelaron (in my opinion) is the progression of ideas, the spread of thought, and the discussion of important topics.

When Zelaron experienced the rollback recently, people were dissapointed. I understand this as I was dissapointed myself. I was not angry at anyone for the crash.

The only things I view as a loss are the ideas that were lost because of it. The discussions that were active before it happened are no longer present.

The main complaints, however, that I saw from other users was that their post count had gone down or their activity bar had receded.



Guess what I saw right after the rollback...

I move that post count should be removed completely. I'm also adverse to the activity bar, but this thread isn't concerning that. What do you think the post count is good for?

The members here know who has been here and who hasn't. We know who is active. We know who has contributed with good posts and who has spammed. What do we need a post count for?in my oppinion the post count is important to any forum.I like seeing how many times I've posted.Activity is more important but post count is important too in my oppinion.

[Randuin]

Plain and simple, no

[!King_Amazon!]

I don't see how post count is hurting anyone. It doesn't cause people to spam like you might think, people would still spam after it's gone.

Instead of trying to put the fault on the numbers, put the fault on the people. Do something about the spammers. I know I use to be one. I finally chilled out. So will they. Just speed up the process.

[MarkiX]

Like he said tho, people do make threads/posts just to get the count up. I have to filter threw all those just to find a good thread/post to reply to.
Yes but people can spam and become so called "seniors" over people who been here for a long time.


then those ppl should/will be punished

[HandOfHeaven]

yeah i'll try hard not to make useless posts, and i think Kuja's should to. And why do you want me to get banned LiveWire? Is it because I'm white?

[Vollstrecker]

Well its not soo much the post count that i like, but its the activity that boosts you to member/senior member.

heh That brings into perspective the whole member/senior member thing anyway. The fact that someone can spam up the forum and gain Senior Member status is disturbing.

It should factor in Longevity, or have Mod/Admin specified titles. I've been around for a while, but I still don't really consider myself a 'Senior Member'...

[Sovereign]

They can spam to their hearts content it wont make them a senior member. The only thing major pamming will do is give them free admition to banned camp (Rurouni Storm, i just had to use that one once ^_^). Its your 6 month anniversary that will give you senior member title, that and 50+ percent activity.

[HandOfHeaven]

I guess. I won't spam cuz there is know need to. Just a few posts here and there for the next few weeks.

[WetWired]

They can spam and get the member status, but you can get the member status just as quickly without spamming. Remember, activity only counts the first 4 posts each day. The senior member status is and has always been based on longevity. You do have to already be a member to get senior member, however. This prevents leachers from getting senior member status.

Many times have I denounced the myth that spamming the hell out of the forums will get you senior member status, but apparently you are too new to have caught the last time.

[Titusfied]

There is also a member reputation thingy that isn't used. Depending on your position with the forum, your rating level varies, and the higher up, the more your rate can do good or harm someone compared to regular members. I wish that would be incorporated into the space below our avatar. That could help out new members with who to trust, and who to stay away from.

[WetWired]

Actually, it's in the templates, but not enabled. Before the switchover, I and some other members did some playing arround with it and I decided that it's mostly worthless, just like the old gold system was. It looks good on paper, but I don't think it can work in practice. Originally, I was hoping on reputation to replace postcount when I first heard it would be in vB3...

[Vollstrecker]

Many times have I denounced the myth that spamming the hell out of the forums will get you senior member status, but apparently you are too new to have caught the last time.

Probably. I haven't hit 1 year yet. It has been mentioned that you get 'Senior Member' at 6 months before, I just forgot.

As far as the Reliability thingy goes, would there be a way for Staff to award members "points" per se, to show reliabilty? It may be a bit of work or such, but if a member makes contributions to the forums and such, they should be given some sort of rating or title to designate them as being helpful and reliable members.

I don't know how possible it would be, but it may cut down on the post-mongering.

[LiveWire]

I think that has there goods and bads. Honesty if a forum member and a staff member have some kind of beef, then that would be a disadvange for that member, and vise-versa. If a Staff member liked a forum member, then they would be in advantage, to other members acually trying.

[Vollstrecker]

To clear it up, I meant kind of a "score" from like 1-10. Like a Poll, staff would be able to vote once, and edit their vote at any point. That way, if there's beef between a staff member and a member, it really doesn't affect their rating, unless it was a problem with multiple staff members.

To make it reasonable, it would only apply to Senior Members, or something. That way, the entire staff wouldn't need to vote on all 4000+ members.

[Adrenachrome]

All this complicated shit... Just leave it be.

If something comes along that's revolutionaryly (is that a word?) better than post count, I'm positive WW will let us know untill then I'd like to see this thread die, I'm over the post count debate it's taken place well too much.

[Raziel]

"Revolutionarily" would be the correct spelling of that word, Chrome. And yes, it is a word.

[!King_Amazon!]

When post count starts endangering Zelaron, then we should do something about it. Right now it just annoys a few people who seem to have problems with everything.

[LiveWire]

The question is, how many would acually leave zelaron if they were taking away? :x

[HandOfHeaven]

The question is, how many would acually leave zelaron if they were taking away? :x this is sad. I am posting at school!!!

[Grav]

I have yet to see ANY forum properly use the reputation system.

[EX-Mania]

I think post count should stay bcus it signify's seniority and participation which lets new members know who is the most knowlegable about the forum or most participant member in zelaron so that they can ask them for information and/or get a different perception on there replies/posts. Of course if ppl abuse Zelaron w/ spam and useless garbage, then they should be punished

Doesn't represent seniority... I have lower post count than alot of members here.. yet I am sup mod... status = seniority... quality of post = seniority..

I don't post super often... yet I am here... i sorta roam around not posting and just checking out threads

[LiveWire]

kinda what i do, i roam around. I spend most my time in this forum. =\

[!King_Amazon!]

Your status doesn't show Seniority Ex, there were a few people who were mods before they even had any posts(I'm pretty sure shinto was one.) Like volstrecker said, he's a mod but he doesn't consider himself Senior member.

I'm not a mod and I consider myself a senior member.

[Vollstrecker]

I mainly don't feel like a Senior Member mainly because I'm not exactly recognized outside of the Diablo forums.

A true Senior Member (in my opinion) is recognized everywhere (if not respected). Give me a little while, and I'll be there.

Also, I would like to point out that being Senior Member shouldn't be confused with a contributing member, in general. ^_^

As far as the debate considering Post Count vs. Member Status, it's really hard to think of a better way.

[Tyrannicide]

yea, i am a senior member apperently, and i have just over 200 posts. lol.

I just roam around and post something if it interest me or something like this thread, a discussion on stuff.

[Titusfied]

I actually never really noticed much about you Strecker until recently. I honestly thought you were some 16 year old Diablo freak that had the intelligence of slaynish. I'm delightfully surprised though. :D

[Vollstrecker]

I honestly thought you were some 16 year old Diablo freak that had the intelligence of slaynish. I'm delightfully surprised though. :D

Nope. I'm a 20-year old Diablo freak. :(

It won't let go...

[Titusfied]

Its alright, up until almost 2 months ago, I was a 22 year old Diablo freak... :(

I finally let go after seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! :D Best damn decision of my life so far. ;)