Every valuable member on this forum started as a low post count newb. There will always be annoying posts and worthless threads, but at least in this example, they are contained to one thread. Who cares if 15 people say flippa as opposed to one highly valued member? I've gotten pretty good at skimming directly to posts from people whose opinion I value and every once in a while I see a low post count guy offer some excellent insight. There are lots of very successful and knowledgeable people in the IM community who lurk here and don't bother trying to get popular on a message board. I say let it be. This is a great board as it is. Morons always reveal themselves anyways.
What is it with people on this forum ...
- Thread starter bryanon
- Start date
verilix
Elite Member
- Sep 18, 2009
- 3,095
- 1,355
I apologize for not having the time to read through the other users' replies. I never knew it was such a huge deal to people. You know, if everyone took the time to read through all the pages of the threads they comment on, not only would none of us actually be making any money, but the amount of overall posts on the forum would drop drastically.
Yes, I posted 6 words. Was it mentioned before? Reading it now, yes it was. Did I have time to read it when I replied? No I didn't. Does that mean I shouldn't reply in the future if I don't have time to read the entire thread? No it doesn't. If I read the original post, and have a reply, and see there are already existing replies, then I will post my thoughts on the subject, regardless of whether or not I have the time to read through and find out if what I have to say has already been pointed out.
This is a forum after all, isn't it? Since when aren't we able to post our thoughts and opinions on the subject at hand? Damn. We don't all have as much free time as some people want us to have, my god.
Also, with regards to scrolling down and seeing "Flippa": When I click "reply with quote" it doesn't scroll me down the page.
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SmileAtmyWins
BANNED
- Feb 13, 2010
- 1,899
- 1,971
This right here. It happens so much it's ridiculous. All to increase a post count or even make it look like you had valuable input to in. I answered a newer members question just last night and I won't mention any names, but another member comes in a reply after me and says what I said nearly verbatim.
I support the helping of new members 100%, I even have stickied thread about it. There's no need to repeat what others say. Normally, the OP is asking a question and just wants a detailed answer. Not 5 members bombarding him with the same response. Anyways, + Rep to you OP. Been waiting for this thread to jump out.
Yep. And who decides the who what where and when of a valuable post? How many people simply echoed the opinion of the OP in this thread? Were those posts valuable? How many people pad their post count by asking a drop shipper to pm them their price list and website. Hell....one could get enough posts just by asking people to pm them in enough threads. The site is fine as it is. More rules is never a good thing. Moderators make sure that douchebags get punished. It works well.
D
Deleted member 364366
Guest
Yes that's a good idea. That also encourages them to read the forum to spend that time rather than posting, "What is SEO?" threads and expecting to be spoonfed.
ShadeDream
BANNED
- Nov 27, 2008
- 2,296
- 5,536
Nothing to apologize for, I personally don't really care, not the one that brought up the thread.
It's just that IMO replying to a thread which has posts in it without at least skimming through the thread is stupid. Not only does this clutter the forum with pointless replies but it shows you haven't even paid attention to what has been said. I understand and support those who add explanations to their posts even if what they're saying has already been said, but if your going to post a one liner then at least skim through the thread, otherwise your as good as posting a link to google.com in each post.
To those of you saying "the more the merrier", "so what that you need to scroll through some rubbish", etc. I don't think you wholly understand the true nature of the issue.
It's not all about whether the newbie's opinion is perceived to carry any weight or not, it's that most of those people in fact don't have an opinion / experience on the matter, but instead they simply mirror what was said by others before. And that's not only annoying, but also dangerous / misleading.
Imagine a scenario where someone asks a question, say "What's the best shop for buying a new computer?". Then, someone else replies and tells them that by far the best option is the hamburger kiosk down the road. They may do it because they didn't understand the question, or maybe they seriously believe that the hamburger shop down the road has kick-ass computers for sale, whatever the reason - doesn't matter.
But now a whole enchilada of people jump on the same thread saying "yes, yes, the hamburger shop down the road is awesome. You should definitely get your new PC from there".
I don't think I need to explain any further.
That's a bit of a lame example but I needed to somehow illustrate that the issue at hand isn't really all that innocent as some people believe it to be.
I love it how this thread is turning into a brainstorming session! There have been some decent ideas thrown around (the more I think about streetballs' idea of imposing a character limit on newbies' posts the more I like it) and I'm sure there's more to come.
A time restraint could also be a decent thing to consider - it's already in place for Jr VIP and there haven't been many people complaining over having to wait 2 months before they can upgrade.
Just while I was typing this, my girlfriend glanced over my shoulder, asked me what the thread was all about and proposed an idea which actually sounds quite promising -
What if privileges weren't determined by post counts and time, but instead by thanks and/or rep? I kind of like the idea as this way only those who deserve to have certain privileges have them. On the other hand, I can see several issues with it:
a) Massive increase in begging for thanks/rep (a bit of a pseudo-issue, though. That's by far less annoying than pointless posts);
b) Possible fraud attempts (multiple accounts being created for the purpose of exchanging thanks/rep / "rep rings" popping up, etc.)
c) Most importantly, since privileges (such as the possibility to upgrade to Jr VIP) would be more difficult to come by, there would be less people upgrading and therefore less revenue for the forum.
I think this idea is something the forum as a whole would benefit from, and that there's a way of making it work, but "c" is probably the reason why it will never go through. At the end of the day, the forum is here for its owners to profit and there is no sane reason in the world for the owners to make a decision that would possibly reduce the revenue figures, in exchange for making a group of senior members a bit happier.
Just thought I'd throw the idea out there either way.
It's not all about whether the newbie's opinion is perceived to carry any weight or not, it's that most of those people in fact don't have an opinion / experience on the matter, but instead they simply mirror what was said by others before. And that's not only annoying, but also dangerous / misleading.
Imagine a scenario where someone asks a question, say "What's the best shop for buying a new computer?". Then, someone else replies and tells them that by far the best option is the hamburger kiosk down the road. They may do it because they didn't understand the question, or maybe they seriously believe that the hamburger shop down the road has kick-ass computers for sale, whatever the reason - doesn't matter.
But now a whole enchilada of people jump on the same thread saying "yes, yes, the hamburger shop down the road is awesome. You should definitely get your new PC from there".
I don't think I need to explain any further.
That's a bit of a lame example but I needed to somehow illustrate that the issue at hand isn't really all that innocent as some people believe it to be.
I love it how this thread is turning into a brainstorming session! There have been some decent ideas thrown around (the more I think about streetballs' idea of imposing a character limit on newbies' posts the more I like it) and I'm sure there's more to come.
A time restraint could also be a decent thing to consider - it's already in place for Jr VIP and there haven't been many people complaining over having to wait 2 months before they can upgrade.
Just while I was typing this, my girlfriend glanced over my shoulder, asked me what the thread was all about and proposed an idea which actually sounds quite promising -
What if privileges weren't determined by post counts and time, but instead by thanks and/or rep? I kind of like the idea as this way only those who deserve to have certain privileges have them. On the other hand, I can see several issues with it:
a) Massive increase in begging for thanks/rep (a bit of a pseudo-issue, though. That's by far less annoying than pointless posts);
b) Possible fraud attempts (multiple accounts being created for the purpose of exchanging thanks/rep / "rep rings" popping up, etc.)
c) Most importantly, since privileges (such as the possibility to upgrade to Jr VIP) would be more difficult to come by, there would be less people upgrading and therefore less revenue for the forum.
I think this idea is something the forum as a whole would benefit from, and that there's a way of making it work, but "c" is probably the reason why it will never go through. At the end of the day, the forum is here for its owners to profit and there is no sane reason in the world for the owners to make a decision that would possibly reduce the revenue figures, in exchange for making a group of senior members a bit happier.
Just thought I'd throw the idea out there either way.
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- Nov 2, 2008
- 59,190
- 26,676
reminds me of a guy i saw last night with 12 posts...
he posted about some website he just found and wanted
to share it with bhw.
problem was same user posted same thing 1 week b4 and
had the site link removed.
and a quick glance at his profile showed he had pushed the site
on bhw 4 times since April
new my ass, and yeh i reported him both times and both times
the links are gone.
i cant abide liars . fck em ban em all
he posted about some website he just found and wanted
to share it with bhw.
problem was same user posted same thing 1 week b4 and
had the site link removed.
and a quick glance at his profile showed he had pushed the site
on bhw 4 times since April
new my ass, and yeh i reported him both times and both times
the links are gone.
i cant abide liars . fck em ban em all
MP123
Junior Member
- Nov 12, 2011
- 163
- 308
Amen to that brother!
On a side note,
I believe their is certain *cliques* through skype doing this.
It's pretty sad that people have to fake & manipulate their stats.
What really counts is your knowledge, contributions, self belief.
However, it's messing the *Flow* so to speak of BHW. So if it effects flow, it will eventually effect the profits. Would be a shame to see the minority, effecting other members & such a great site.
But! 1 bad apple will bring the cart down.
Last edited:
- Nov 2, 2008
- 59,190
- 26,676
agreed, personally ive never run with a click, to many complications
do it your self - work for yourself - be yourself -
and dont try and be something you aint .
be decent to bhw and in return you will be treated the same
qrazy
Senior Member
- Mar 19, 2012
- 1,113
- 1,738
IMO, it's better to move the threads with too obvious & repetitive questions to the lounge to keep the main sections of the forum clean and maintain the quality of the threads. This way (I think) post count won't be increased and people obsessed with post counts are forced to contribute in a better way. Also this reduces the efforts of moderators to go thru all of the posts in these threads.
Not quite sure what it is that you're suggesting.
The issue we're discussing is repetitive, low-value posts within threads, rather than repetitive threads. Repetitive threads are a separate issue and mods are doing a pretty good job closing/deleting/moving them. But you can't move threads that contain some rubbish posts to the lounge as that would obviously be grossly unfair to the starter of the thread, as well as others who have either posted in it or found the thread helpful.
SmartMan
BANNED
- Jul 25, 2012
- 673
- 1,253
Black.Cat
Junior Member
- Jan 4, 2013
- 169
- 178
Suggestion 1: (-1) button = hides the post
Like in YT, spam comments are hidden from view. If people can (-1) other's posts, it would accomplish at least 2 things.
1. Reduce the eyesore from seeing garbage posts
2. Hopefully the user takes a hint and not do it anymore once he sees the community's reaction
Suggestion 2: Use the neg rep button and on the comment write "for useless comment (Post#__)"
Think about it. If they're posting garbage to get their post count up so they could scam people, they wouldn't be able to do much scamming with a low reputation. If they're posting garbage to get to PM people, the one's they're PM-ing will see their rep too. If they're making multiple accounts just to get their reps back up, it would take more work than if they just posted something useful.
I know, A high rep count does not equal trustworthiness. There have been lots of cases to prove that. However, a bad rep count might be different. Why? Because (most) people wouldn't beg for neg reps and as such, most neg reps we see would most likely be genuine.
Suggestion 3: Steelballs suggestion for word count. I like it. In the example given, if someone posts "Flippa", they would have to post something to justify it just so it would fit the word count. Of course, there's always the danger that we just might get a lot of "I really really really really really really really really really really really really really really definitely superbly superduperally etc. like Flippa".
That's just my 2 cents worth.
P.S. if you found this post to be useless, please hit the NEG REP button.
Like in YT, spam comments are hidden from view. If people can (-1) other's posts, it would accomplish at least 2 things.
1. Reduce the eyesore from seeing garbage posts
2. Hopefully the user takes a hint and not do it anymore once he sees the community's reaction
Suggestion 2: Use the neg rep button and on the comment write "for useless comment (Post#__)"
Think about it. If they're posting garbage to get their post count up so they could scam people, they wouldn't be able to do much scamming with a low reputation. If they're posting garbage to get to PM people, the one's they're PM-ing will see their rep too. If they're making multiple accounts just to get their reps back up, it would take more work than if they just posted something useful.
I know, A high rep count does not equal trustworthiness. There have been lots of cases to prove that. However, a bad rep count might be different. Why? Because (most) people wouldn't beg for neg reps and as such, most neg reps we see would most likely be genuine.
Suggestion 3: Steelballs suggestion for word count. I like it. In the example given, if someone posts "Flippa", they would have to post something to justify it just so it would fit the word count. Of course, there's always the danger that we just might get a lot of "I really really really really really really really really really really really really really really definitely superbly superduperally etc. like Flippa".
That's just my 2 cents worth.
P.S. if you found this post to be useless, please hit the NEG REP button.
Rotem Guez
Power Member
- Jul 15, 2010
- 728
- 1,264
I agree with you completely, you see it happen most in the social media sections, especially in the facebook section. In the social media section, which is a very broad field - once in a while a brilliant idea comes up and suddenly disappears because of threads like addmefast bots etc. (child's play - not real IM). In the facebook section it looks as if, the only conversation there is "how to monitise the fan page" where most threads are scammers' traps, trying to lure people to buy pages, or threads like "how can I get 1 million REAL FB fans without working for it". On the other hand, those guys entertain us, and for people like us, working in IM, it's really important to maintain a high level of humour So, my suggestion for the upper echelon - open a new section called "WTF" and whenever a mod sees such a thread, he can move it there. I think that way we'll be able to use it for lols.
So, my suggestion for the upper echelon - open a new section called "WTF" and whenever a mod sees such a thread, he can move it there. I think that way we'll be able to use it for lols.
blackfairy
Regular Member
- Sep 5, 2010
- 286
- 406
If you don't have the time to read through a thread, than there's no point in posting at all. One hardly can add anything relevant to a discussion they didn't even read. How can one discuss something without hearing/reading other peoples point of view? I'm sorry but I find it annoying and rude when people do that.
I like Black.Cat's idea with the -1 button the most, but would balance it with a +1 button, like reddit. There threads are not getting too unreadable because good/funny content get upvotes. Another measure I would like to propose is setting Thanks and/or Reputation in bold. I often see giveaways here that only apply to members with a post count of at least X, rewarding spammers and punishing users that don't post useless crap and know how to search for things on their own. Maybe displaying Reputation/Thanks in bold could change the users obsession with quantity to quality?