I agree with Squink. “Post count padding” is a euphemism for “posting worthless stuff just for the hell of it”, and I feel like the goal is rarely actually to increase your counter. When a thread degenerates into a punnery, for example, it’s because some people (who, incidentally, are probably unfamiliar with actual humor) think it’s funny. Eliminating the post count wouldn’t slow down this kind of stuff at all.
On the other hand, I think eliminating the post count would slightly reduce the newb-vs-oldtimer snobbery that’s occasionally seen, since we’d have to rely on join date, which is coarser.
I can’t remember seeing much of that, except in the case of people who are very new and exhibiting certain “newbie” behaviors - which may be slightly snobbish but it’s also generally a fair assessment.
Personally, there’s so many people that I like having join date and post count to remember how “old” users are; it’s interesting when I see a post by someone whose name I don’t recognize but who has thousands of posts - without post count, I’d probably just assume they were new.
How strange that a veiled insult of other SDMB members would show up in an otherwise innocuous ATMB thread.
On Topic Guinastasia said: “Why not ditch post counts on our posts and just display them on our profiles instead? That way, if someone is really dying to see someone else’s post count, they can.”
So far as determining if someone deserves the epithet “newbie” goes, one may judge that from the join date. (Better than using post count anyway, since some long-term members [like a certain character known as “Perfect Master”] do not post often.)
If it can be done without spending the whole SDMB Bribe Budget on Jerry, I’d go with the idea of deleting the post count field from threads, but leave the information in the individual profiles.
Thank you, I appreciate that. As you well know, anger guided my Pit comments, but it’s a problem I don’t think we need to have. I am pleased we can have a calm discussion of it between members and staff.
Sorry if I am missing something here, but what would removing post counts achieve? Since no-one actually pads their counts and will post with the same frequency with or without the count, and people who post game threads will post them anyway since their intent was not to allow people to pad their counts.
If it is to eliminate room for accusation isn’t it a bit of a drastic step just to stop mods making the mistaken conclusion that people are padding their post counts?
Point is - with or without counts people are going to post just the same. So why get rid of them?
In my way of looking at it, it would eliminate the nasty accusations that get thrown around by either mods or other members about posting what some consider to be “fluff.”
Eliminating the count would remove that point of contention. No, it would not end the prevelance of “fluff” threads, but it would indeed allow people who wish to engage in such threads to simply have the fun they are looking for.
And before anyone tells me to “go somewhere else” for fun, allow me to point out that there are quite a few Dopers who make very meaningful contribution to the “fight against ignorance” who also enjoy entertainment for entertainment’s sake with fellow Dopers with whom they are already comfortable… Removing the cause for baseless accusations of post count padding would allow these Dopers to enjoy the wit, sagacity, and yes, even the humourless drivel which already fills these fora.
The fora are already here. And we are paying for the privilege to fill them.
Not a perfect solution, true, but anything that helps is a step forward, in my extremely conceited opinion.
It’s an interesting, nay, one could say (if one were so inclined) an* intriguing* idea you have outlined here, on this thread (which in itself is turning out to be quite thought-provoking). However, I would venture to guess that the end result - the upshot, if you like - of the adoption of this policy by The Powers That Be (Admins, Mods, Tech Gods, etc.) would be an overall increase in the heinous workload of our furry rodent friends … not to mention (so I will) the possibility of rendering the currently available bandwidth far below that which will be necessary to accommodate what could become a new, more detailed de rigeur style of posting.
This is, of course, purely in my humble opinion. Your mileage (or kilometerage) may vary. When come back bring 1920s style death ray. Peace.
Personally, I like the post counter. It helps me keep track of the legion of posters on this board. I paid for my counter, dammit, and I want to keep it!
I don’t think so. It’s semantics. They’ll just stop calling them “padding” threads and call them “fluff” threads and still close them. I honestly think that you are completely missing the point.
That may well be. Still, they set up MPSIMS and then harrass people for posting there. Something doesn’t seem right about that. Back when the Dope had severe bandwidth problems, I could see it. But not now. Unless they’re not telling something.
If TPTB do decide that something may need to be done, perhaps we could have a vote on it, like we do with smiley additions.
Look at the sticky thread. They said that there is such a thing as too Pointless even for MPSIMS. I tend to agree but I also agree with you that the fact that we seem to have fewer bandwidth problems now makes this less of an issue. In any event, hiding post counts isn’t going to affect this one way or the other.
Please base any decision on a larger cross-section than appears in this thread.
I have no idea what the problem was over in the Pit (and don’t care), but I’m against messing with something that isn’t broke. Change for its own sake is never good.
I, and many others, have read that sticky over and over without coming to any definite conclusions. The closing of some threads while leaving others open seems almost completely arbitrary and at the mercy of whims. If the post count padding questions isn’t the right angle to look at this, maybe we can get some other perspectives as to what is. I’m open.
