Post Count & Forum Games

[yiran]

It is obvious that the post count of individual users has some degree of significance to them, whether it be (forum) age or maturity or anything else. There is even an "evolution chain" linked to it, so clearly it is an integral part of the site. Even if it is a inaccurate measure, it definitely has some significance.

Now, it is also obvious that Forum Games forum's posts are short, often without much substantial info other than continuing the game. This is very different from the posts made in say, the Serious Business forum, where most posts contain carefully thought-out logic and arguments.

My suggestion is to make posts in the Forum Games forum not count towards a user's post count. I am aware that this may reduce existing users' post counts, but I don't think it's too big of a problem.

Any further ideas?

 

[Music Dragon]

Here we go again!

 

[yiran]

Okay, I briefly checked the older threads but none of them suggested this alternative (that or I didn't check carefully enough). So I'm not too sure what you're getting at. :s

 

[ultraviolet]

pretty sure they all have at least once, actually! discussion usually goes:

• postcount should count posts
• if posts are not worth being counted they shouldn't be posts
• so let's get rid of forum games
• but hey I like forum games, it is a fun place and I like to be there
• that's just because you have a huge post count from posting there all the time
• so let's turn off postcount in there
• but postcount should count all the posts because otherwise it's not really counting posts, thus rendering that statistic kinda meaningless

and then Butterfree comes in and says that it doesn't really do any harm to the forum and people like forum games so there's no reason to get rid of it or the postcount in forum games.

that is unless someone has something new to say? idk I've never seen any point of postcount at all but maybe I'm just missing something. I get that it counts posts: but I don't get what meaning or relevance this has to anything. why is it more or less relevant than threadcount? posts are judged by content not quantity anyway, aren't they? idk it's just a number that appears under my avatar but it doesn't really mean anything other than 'you've posted 3000+ times' and who even cares about that

or we could chuck forum games in social grou-- uv don't kid yourself nobody wants that

 

[Music Dragon]

Okay, I briefly checked the older threads but none of them suggested this alternative (that or I didn't check carefully enough). So I'm not too sure what you're getting at. :s

No, that alternative pops up very frequently.

Basically: post count counts posts. Not useful posts, not long posts, not thought-out posts... just posts. Forum games posts being short and meaningless is only an issue if you actually believe post counts represents something meaningful in the first place.

 

[yiran]

that is unless someone has something new to say? idk I've never seen any point of postcount at all but maybe I'm just missing something. I get that it counts posts: but I don't get what meaning or relevance this has to anything. why is it more or less relevant than threadcount? posts are judged by content not quantity anyway, aren't they? idk it's just a number that appears under my avatar but it doesn't really mean anything other than 'you've posted 3000+ times' and who even cares about that

This is your conscious mentality; but you probably value post count somewhat, no matter how little, in your mind. You'll say you don't. Even if you don't actually count it subconsciously, there are definitely people out there who do. So a reason against Forum Games' posts counting could be housing post count ++ threads.

Anyway, I guess I didn't look at the threads carefully enough then. And even though you know what came out of this discussion last time, you don't have to expect the same thing every time the same topic comes up, especially because there are different people participating and the people who participated in both may have changed.

Well, this evidently isn't doing any harm, so I'd like to just see how it's received.

 

[ultraviolet]

This is your conscious mentality; but you probably value post count somewhat, no matter how little, in your mind. You'll say you don't. Even if you don't actually count it subconsciously, there are definitely people out there who do. So a reason against Forum Games' posts counting could be housing post count ++ threads.

why would postcount of all things be something that is clung to by my subconscious? why does my subconscious care about numbers at all? I'm an arts student! :D

I know there are people out there that do, that is why I am asking why people do care about postcount. And yeah, forum games are probably at least partly about postcount+, but why is that a problem? I don't care about postcount, but if it's just to count posts, what difference do postcount+ threads make unless we're attaching more significance to postcount than just a number that goes up when you do a thing?

Anyway, I guess I didn't look at the threads carefully enough then. And even though you know what came out of this discussion last time, you don't have to expect the same thing every time the same topic comes up, especially because there are different people participating and the people who participated in both may have changed.

Well, this evidently isn't doing any harm, so I'd like to just see how it's received.

I know, that's why I asked if anyone had anything new to say and left the thread open. o_o' just thought you'd appreciate the catch-up on what people usually do say about this topic and so people don't have to repeat themselves.

 

[Autumn]

I remember I used to have the biggest postcount on tr'srockin! until someone came in and posted a lot more than me

I promptly hated them for it for no real reason :D

(and then everyone started overtaking me cause they all rp'd like crazy but that's different)

 

[yiran]

why would postcount of all things be something that is clung to by my subconscious? why does my subconscious care about numbers at all? I'm an arts student! :D

I know there are people out there that do, that is why I am asking why people do care about postcount. And yeah, forum games are probably at least partly about postcount+, but why is that a problem? I don't care about postcount, but if it's just to count posts, what difference do postcount+ threads make unless we're attaching more significance to postcount than just a number that goes up when you do a thing?

People just tend to use post counts as a basic resource to judge whether the user is "experienced" or not since a lot of people are too lazy to read through their posts and analyse their quality. I don't agree with it, but it just happens. I can't really think of another explanation...

I know, that's why I asked if anyone had anything new to say and left the thread open. o_o' just thought you'd appreciate the catch-up on what people usually do say about this topic and so people don't have to repeat themselves.

Well, thanks a lot :P I just explained why I think the thread is okay to be open because there seems to be implications of its redundancy. But really, thanks for the info.

 

[Music Dragon]

This is your conscious mentality; but you probably value post count somewhat, no matter how little, in your mind. You'll say you don't. Even if you don't actually count it subconsciously, there are definitely people out there who do. So a reason against Forum Games' posts counting could be housing post count ++ threads.

I'm pretty sure I don't subconsciously judge people based on their post count, because I never even look at it. I have absolutely no idea who has a high post count and who doesn't.

In any case, whether or not people subconsciously judge others based on their post count is irrelevant, because that's not what the purpose of post count is. There are also people who stick their penises in vacuum cleaners, but that doesn't mean we should redesign vacuum cleaners to accommodate that fact, because that's not what vacuum cleaners are actually for.

 

[yiran]

I'm pretty sure I don't subconsciously judge people based on their post count, because I never even look at it. I have absolutely no idea who has a high post count and who doesn't.

In any case, whether or not people subconsciously judge others based on their post count is irrelevant, because that's not what the purpose of post count is. There are also people who stick their penises in vacuum cleaners, but that doesn't mean we should redesign vacuum cleaners to accommodate that fact, because that's not what vacuum cleaners are actually for.

That comparison is very disturbing and completely unnecessary.

Then what is the real purpose of the post count? Of course it means nothing to you – you don't look at it. But it definitely means something to the other people. And please don't exaggerate – you have looked at it, at least once. No matter how small, that had an effect on you (and bigger effects on others).

And no, even though you and some other people don't judge people based on their post count, many people do; it is not a portion of people to be ignored. Since you can't just go and change how they perceive this statistic, we should get around it by methods such as this.

Of course, this is my opinion, and you can disagree with it.

 

[ultraviolet]

Then what is the real purpose of the post count?

Well, what do you think? You've gone through this thread without actually telling us what you think what postcount means - MD and I are saying that it counts posts and we don't really think it matters any more than that. Evidently you disagree, so tell us!

Of course it means nothing to you – you don't look at it. But it definitely means something to the other people. And please don't exaggerate – you have looked at it, at least once. No matter how small, that had an effect on you (and bigger effects on others).

please stop telling us that postcount has some sort of effect on us because I kind of think we would know that better than you would, no offence! If I could stop postcount from showing up in people's postbits, then I would. That is the extent to which I care about postcount, believe me. MD is the same. We know other people think differently, and we're not trying to say they shouldn't!

What do you think postcount means other than just a statistic? You've implied that you don't think it's really a measure of post quality or member experience/seniority, so what is it you're actually trying to say? Do you judge people based on their postcount? Why should shorter, less-structured posts not be counted when Serious Business posts should?

 

[Superbird]

People just tend to use post counts as a basic resource to judge whether the user is "experienced" or not since a lot of people are too lazy to read through their posts and analyse their quality. I don't agree with it, but it just happens. I can't really think of another explanation...

I judge people by join date and maturity, not postcount.

 

[Music Dragon]

That comparison is very disturbing and completely unnecessary.

Necessity is irrelevant, and while I concede that some aspects of penis-stuffed vacuum cleaners may be disturbing, they are mostly just tragicomic. If you or a close acquaintance have been the victim of an incident involving penis-stuffed vacuum cleaners and mention of the latter caused traumatic memories to surface, I apologize most sincerely.

Then what is the real purpose of the post count?

To count posts.

Of course it means nothing to you – you don't look at it. But it definitely means something to the other people. And please don't exaggerate – you have looked at it, at least once. No matter how small, that had an effect on you (and bigger effects on others).

And no, even though you and some other people don't judge people based on their post count, many people do; it is not a portion of people to be ignored. Since you can't just go and change how they perceive this statistic, we should get around it by methods such as this.

I couldn't disagree more. If other people judge you based on something ridiculous, your goal should be to change that attitude, not try to adapt to it. The prejudice is what's wrong, not the behaviour that fails to match the prejudice. For instance, plenty of people believe that women make poor leaders compared to men. The proper way to react to that is "that's a dumb prejudice, let's try to combat it and hope it goes away", as opposed to "many people believe this and we can't change their minds, so let's try to make the prejudice match the truth by not putting women in leadership positions".

 

[yiran]

I should have made my meaning plainer. What is the purpose of counting posts?

Everything around you has an effect on you, no matter how small. Yes, it can be negligible, and is often the case, but when I said that that is what I meant. I probably should have phrased it better (and it missed the point anyway). Sorry if it came out as me trying to know all your feelings.

No, your comparison did not trigger any memories. I was just repulsed by it. You could have easily used a non-sensitive example, and I just don't see any reason to use sensitive ones unless it's directly related to the topic.

Again, I believe your new comparison is not suitable, but for a different reason. "Prejudice" is an inherently negative word. Sexism is clearly negative (or at least portrayed as so to a great extent) in contemporary society. Judging people based on post count? Not so much. It's much more debatable, and even though I do agree that it is not a good method to judge people, it definitely isn't near the severity of negativity sexism is portrayed as.

My main point is if counting posts isn't used to allow the people who wish to judge others based on post count to judge, then what is it for?

As a side-note – Superbird, I didn't say everyone did that. I just said there is a substantial amount of people who do so. (And they're not going to come out because clearly, the quality of "judging people based on post count" isn't seen as very high here.)

 

[Stormecho]

Oh look, it's this debate. :/

Forum Games often has idle, postcount+ threads, but I do recall there being some cool games that could resurface again. Besides, it is there for fun. People have fun there, and postcount counts posts and... not anything else. I don't really care that I've reached Butterfree status with over a thousand, and I wouldn't care if I suddenly dropped 500 posts. It's just a statistic. And I do believe I did drop 500 posts or something once since the RSP was deleted or whatever.

I judge other members, when I bother to stop being a lurker, by how they behave on the forum, how mature they seem and overall attitude. Numbers have nothing to do with seniority or maturity, and don't really reflect on anyone at all. Joindate has some impact on how senior a member is and how often I see them around, but other than having me go "oh, a newbie" it doesn't really have a great effect. Postcount is just how many posts you made, and if you lurk or find yourself busy with stuff then you'll automatically have less posts than people who post all the time, but I don't see how that is anything bad at all?

[/jumbledmessofopinions]

 

[shy ♡]

I should have made my meaning plainer. What is the purpose of counting posts?

There is no point. It just counts posts. Why does it have to have a point other than what it's intended for?

 

[Music Dragon]

I should have made my meaning plainer. What is the purpose of counting posts?

What is the purpose of counting posts? Why did you burn that bush? What did the Rainbow Squirt say to you? What do you know about the Milkman?

It doesn't really have a purpose, just as signatures and Forum Games and custom user titles have no purpose. It's just a thing some people like and everyone else ignores. I doubt we'd go out of our way to install such a feature if it wasn't present by default.

No, your comparison did not trigger any memories. I was just repulsed by it. You could have easily used a non-sensitive example, and I just don't see any reason to use sensitive ones unless it's directly related to the topic.

How are penises in vacuum cleaners sensitive, besides the fact that they've been stuck into vacuum cleaners? Please elaborate. Elaborate, damn it!

Again, I believe your new comparison is not suitable, but for a different reason. "Prejudice" is an inherently negative word. Sexism is clearly negative (or at least portrayed as so to a great extent) in contemporary society. Judging people based on post count? Not so much. It's much more debatable, and even though I do agree that it is not a good method to judge people, it definitely isn't near the severity of negativity sexism is portrayed as.

What does severity matter? Judging people based on post count is a bad thing, regardless of how bad sexism is. I mean, you could try to convince me that judgement based on post count is somehow good and justifiable, but you can't just point to some unrelated issue and say "well this is worse".

My main point is if counting posts isn't used to allow the people who wish to judge others based on post count to judge, then what is it for?

Counting posts.

 

[yiran]

Oh look, it's this debate. :/

Forum Games often has idle, postcount+ threads, but I do recall there being some cool games that could resurface again. Besides, it is there for fun. People have fun there, and postcount counts posts and... not anything else. I don't really care that I've reached Butterfree status with over a thousand, and I wouldn't care if I suddenly dropped 500 posts. It's just a statistic. And I do believe I did drop 500 posts or something once since the RSP was deleted or whatever.

I judge other members, when I bother to stop being a lurker, by how they behave on the forum, how mature they seem and overall attitude. Numbers have nothing to do with seniority or maturity, and don't really reflect on anyone at all. Joindate has some impact on how senior a member is and how often I see them around, but other than having me go "oh, a newbie" it doesn't really have a great effect. Postcount is just how many posts you made, and if you lurk or find yourself busy with stuff then you'll automatically have less posts than people who post all the time, but I don't see how that is anything bad at all?

[/jumbledmessofopinions]

I am aware that many don't care about post count. However, many others do. We should take them into consideration, because I just don't see a big makeover of their minds happening because of an argument like this.

What is the purpose of counting posts? Why did you burn that bush? What did the Rainbow Squirt say to you? What do you know about the Milkman?

I don't know, you tell me. Why have it if it's for no purpose, like your words imply? (Apologies if I inferred your rhetorical questions' hidden meanings wrong.)
I didn't burn any bush.
I don't know what "Rainbow Squirt" is.
I know that the Milkman is a hat in Team Fortress 2 which completes a set called Special Delivery along with Shortstop, Mad Milk, and Holy Mackerel. It boosts your health's maximum by 25 points, and is considered to be one of the better polycount sets.

I don't see how these questions are relevant. The reason the post count is there is to for people to judge. If there is no reason for it to be there, then don't put it there.

It doesn't really have a purpose, just as signatures and Forum Games and custom user titles have no purpose. It's just a thing some people like and everyone else ignores. I doubt we'd go out of our way to install such a feature if it wasn't present by default.

Signatures help portray personality, and possibly links to other websites. (Not just me, I've seen plenty of other people linking in their signatures.) It can also be used to conduct "social experiments". Custom User Titles also help portray personality, but that's about it. It still has an express purpose.

It's present by default. If you don't remove it, best utilise it to the best it can.

How are penises in vacuum cleaners sensitive, besides the fact that they've been stuck into vacuum cleaners? Please elaborate. Elaborate, damn it!

No offense, but how do you not get this? I understand this is not a kid-friendly forum, but why speak of the male genitals when you could have easily used something else? Not all environments are as liberal as yours.

What does severity matter? Judging people based on post count is a bad thing, regardless of how bad sexism is. I mean, you could try to convince me that judgement based on post count is somehow good and justifiable, but you can't just point to some unrelated issue and say "well this is worse".

Severity matters greatly. For instance, the reaction to a murder is different from manslaughter, or theft, or violating copyright laws. The mods aren't going to ban someone just because they judge based on post count. People's reactions towards different things are bound to be limited by the "things"'s severity.

I didn't point out the "unrelated issue" — you did, so I used your own argument against you. I believe that is a valid method of gaining the upper hand of discussion, no?

Counting posts.

Counting posts is for counting posts. Wow. I really don't want to be mean or something, but that's a really stupid argument.

There is no point. It just counts posts. Why does it have to have a point other than what it's intended for?

If it has no point, why have it? Everything should have a point. Like a sharp pencil. *killed* Okay, being serious again, I don't see a reason to include something that serves no purpose, because... just why would you want something that is not beneficial in any way? Sorry for being kind of messy in my sentences, but... I don't get your logic. No offense.

-

Since a lot of you say that you don't care about the post count, I infer that the reason is that you would like to keep the Forum Games' posts as a part of the post count simply because they are posts. Is that correct? Or have I inferred wrongly?

Again, sorry if I seem offensive in this post. I just don't get why you're using redundant and illogical arguments.

 

[Tailsy]

look at how many posts i have!

check out all of my cool functional posts.