# Guests vs Veteran Dopers **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 31, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272 "2012-08-31T15:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/1 "2012-08-31T15:55:14Z")
This has probably been brought up before but would the great wise ones that operate this fine establishment consider making a small structural change? I’m a paid subscriber here and as such my join date, location, and number of posts are displayed proudly in the right hand corner in the display box of every message I post. You can glance at my stats and see immediately that I’m a frequent poster. Guests however have nothing to show in their boxes. So the only way that I or anyone else can tell that a guest is a “veteran” of this board or a newbie poster is to either recognize that posters name or perform a search on them to see their number of posts. Recently I chewed on [who](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15433596&postcount=131) I thought was a frequent poster in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=422951) only to face all of the white knights that came to her rescue. Many of those knights are “Guests” who have been here fore more than a few years. Their messages have the same trappings as newbie girl (that is none). It would have been real helpful to have some kind of identifier on the newbie’s post. Have the SDMB gods ever considered showing guest stats with their posts? It would be real helpful to all to know if you are addressing somebody new to the boards. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/2 "2012-08-31T15:58:47Z")
Stats are one of the things we pay for. If everybody gets them, that kills that ever-so-lucrative revenue stream. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/3 "2012-08-31T16:10:32Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > This has probably been brought up before but would the great wise ones that operate this fine establishment consider making a small structural change? > > I’m a paid subscriber here and as such my join date, location, and number of posts are displayed proudly in the right hand corner in the display box of every message I post. You can glance at my stats and see immediately that I’m a frequent poster. > > Guests however have nothing to show in their boxes. So the only way that I or anyone else can tell that a guest is a “veteran” of this board or a newbie poster is to either recognize that posters name or perform a search on them to see their number of posts. > > Recently I chewed on [who](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15433596&postcount=131) I thought was a frequent poster in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=422951) only to face all of the white knights that came to her rescue. Many of those knights are “Guests” who have been here fore more than a few years. Their messages have the same trappings as newbie girl (that is none). > > It would have been real helpful to have some kind of identifier on the newbie’s post. > > Have the SDMB gods ever considered showing guest stats with their posts? It would be real helpful to all to know if you are addressing somebody new to the boards. Following your link, I note that KathyL’s post had the same “newbie” marker as all other newbies: a recent join date. As for your issue: have you considered not chewing on other posters, regardless of their tenure here? Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/4 "2012-08-31T16:10:39Z")
Or you could simply look at the join date. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/5 "2012-08-31T16:11:32Z")
One thing that could be done is to add a second vBulletin template for paid members that shows everyone’s post counts and join dates, guests and member alike. This way, guests still have an incentive to pay for membership and paid members get an added perk. I’m in the same boat as the OP – I really miss being able to use the post count as a quick indicator of how much experience someone has with the site before I call them a jive turkey. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/6 "2012-08-31T16:14:23Z")
Does anyone really think that being able to display (not see, but display) a post count and a location is going to influence the decision to pay for a subscription? I seriously doubt it. I’d be all for adding those 2 pieces of information back into the display for all posters. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/7 "2012-08-31T16:18:32Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Or you could simply look at the join date. As Og is my witness I swear that it wasn’t visible before. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/8 "2012-08-31T16:32:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Stats are one of the things we pay for. If everybody gets them, that kills that ever-so-lucrative revenue stream. I’d prefer my payment being used to let me know the stats of everyone else. I already know my stats. It may be that there is just no mechanism in the board software that lets me see the stats and others not. That’s OK, I’m just asking. [QUOTE=Skald the Ryhmer] As for your issue: have you considered not chewing on other posters, regardless of their tenure here? Just a thought. [/Quote] Part of the fun of having a pit is the allowance of rough antics. I enjoy it because its downright entertaining and one of the places here where you can exaggerate your position like, instead of pointing out the fallacy of your opponents argument you get to say the equivalent of “Yeah, well you’re a poo-poo head”. The veterans who post in the pit understand that and act accordingly. But sometimes in the case linked above a newbie takes a hit. I’m not apologizing for my part in that but I am interested in seeing post stats since that may temper my response. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/9 "2012-08-31T16:49:57Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > As Og is my witness I swear that it wasn’t visible before. :smack: Don’t rely on Og. He’s illiterate, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/10 "2012-08-31T16:51:38Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > As Og is my witness I swear that it wasn’t visible before. :smack: But, damn, BubbaDog…almost every post after KathyL’s post referenced her join date. In-jokes about join dates, riffs on her join date, outright declarations about her join date… Just, mad references to her join date. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/11 "2012-08-31T17:01:16Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Don’t rely on Og. He’s illiterate, after all. And, apparantly, blind. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/12 "2012-08-31T17:27:09Z")
I’d like it if my paid membership made paragraphs like this: > [@BubbaDog](#): > > Recently I chewed on [who](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15433596&postcount=131) I thought was a frequent poster in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=422951) only to face all of the white knights that came to her rescue. Many of those knights are “Guests” who have been here fore more than a few years. Their messages have the same trappings as newbie girl (that is none). …easier to understand. Not that the rest wasn’t coherent, but … what happened? How would visible post-counts and whatnot have made a difference? I do like the two-template idea, so that everyone’s location, at least, is easily visible (or is it?) as part of membership. There are also lots of throwaway accounts that have an older join date but just one or two posts. It sometimes adds a scintilla of insight and context to some otherwise far out posts. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/13 "2012-08-31T18:03:41Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Does anyone really think that being able to display (not see, but display) a post count and a location is going to influence the decision to pay for a subscription? I seriously doubt it. > > I’d be all for adding those 2 pieces of information back into the display for all posters. Agreed. A worthless “perk” that is a detriment to the board. Sigs, avatars and custom titles are cute little perks that enhance membership. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/14 "2012-08-31T18:13:04Z")
Isn’t having a custom signature more of a bonus or perk than the simply informational posts and location fields? ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/15 "2012-08-31T18:31:05Z")
None of them really are worth much of anything, given that most boards have all of them for free. Now, if the board wanted to make some serious cash, here’s how you do it: for $5, you can suspend another poster for 24 hours. (I’d also make a new forum that suspended posters can post in, both out of fairness and because it would be more entertaining.) GD alone would bring in a million dollars a year, I’m sure of it. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/16 "2012-08-31T18:35:07Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > But, damn, BubbaDog…almost every post after KathyL’s post referenced her join date. In-jokes about join dates, riffs on her join date, outright declarations about her join date… Just, mad references to her join date. I agree that I deserve a “but, damn” (envisioning the hoover Dam strapped to a huge ass) for missing the info in the right corner especially after I referenced it above. But in my defense I thought that the join date info came from somebody doing a search. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/17 "2012-08-31T23:53:25Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Now, if the board wanted to make some serious cash, here’s how you do it: for $5, you can suspend another poster for 24 hours. (I’d also make a new forum that suspended posters can post in, both out of fairness and because it would be more entertaining.) GD alone would bring in a million dollars a year, I’m sure of it. I like your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. It’d almost be like a dunking booth at the fair, although the tank would have to be rather large to submerge your mangy carcass. That “new forum” could have a catchy title too-----something like…“the box.” We’ll get back to you on your ideas. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/18 "2012-09-01T00:30:31Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > That “new forum” could have a catchy title too-----something like…“the box.” Now, that’s just crazytalk. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/19 "2012-09-01T01:26:42Z")
I’ve been a member of this board since, well, check the date. I was a charter member for a while when it first was put into place, but I let it lapse. I probably have less than 1,000 posts. Check the join date. We don’t always post every day. End of story. KathyJ shouldn’t have been bitched out for posting in a zombie thread, especially since the rules were made less strict. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272/20 "2012-09-01T02:30:47Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > I’ve been a member of this board since, well, check the date. I was a charter member for a while when it first was put into place, but I let it lapse. I probably have less than 1,000 posts. > > Check the join date. We don’t always post every day. End of story. > > KathyJ shouldn’t have been bitched out for posting in a zombie thread, especially since the rules were made less strict. That’s the truth. And she seems to have been scared off, too. I realize she posted in a Pit thread, but she was new and probably hadn’t lurked to get a feel for the board culture. Too bad, too. She could have been a good member. Or not. But we’ll never find out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-vs-veteran-dopers/633272.md?page=2)