A serious suggestion for John

[Mark Sreeves]

I'm sorry and I know your new title system has only been in operation for a week but it seems to encourage pointless postings.

No one can deny that:
Aaron Young
Serge
Clunietp
Yonatan
MartinLiss

All deserve the guru status as all their postings have been solely VB related but it seems that several members (they know who they are) are intent on achieving that title by posting any old crap!


I know you’ve probably got mixed feelings about this because, the more ‘hits’ the site gets, the happier your advertisers will be, but it’s spoiling what is/was a VERY good forum.

contributions from Serge and Co seem to have dropped of lately. If they have been put off by the deterioration in quality it will be a sad loss for every one

I think that having the number of posts displayed by the user name also exacerbates the situation.

So, my suggestion is:
Do not display the number of posts next to the user name.
Revert back to the three tier titles ie Junior Member, Member and Senior member with the <30 , 30 –100 and 100+ intervals but use New Member instead of Junior member because that seems to cause offence to every junior member (I know – I didn’t like it either!)

Keep the Guru title for the true VB gurus but only award it to those who have > 1024 postings AND truly deserve it.

[John]

Yes - I am also concerned about the current situation. I have been contacted by Serge about the situation too. What I am considering doing is not having an automatic promotion to Guru, but instead, having us assign it to only the most worth people (those 5 listed). You as a community can then recommend people to be promoted to guru based on how helpful the person has been. Do that sound like a good suggestion?

I have seen how quickly the chit chat forum has grown with 1000 fairly useless posts. It would not be right for those posting hundrends of messages in there to gain guru status.

John

[Mark Sreeves]

Yep! that sounds a good idea. I'm glad there are others thinking along the same lines an me.

It's handy having a Chit-Chat section but perhaps it needs to somehow purge messages after a couple of days or so because I don't forsee it becoming a useful archive which users will want to search like "VB General" is.

Perhaps you could assign semi administator rights to a handfull of the more senoir/serious users to keep the forums tidy and delete/move spurious postings.

I don't think a fully moderated system where each post is vetted before allowing to to be submitted is the answer though either.

[kedaman]

I know that posting tons of posts on the chitchat is a too easy way of achieving guru status, but I would like to have my simple solution posted:

Just make all posts in chitchat not counted in the total posts.

In that way no one will get guru by chatting at chitchat.

I still want to be guru as I think others also want to but don't remove the current titles, they are great1

Also for the 5 top, don't disable the Guru title for me, instead put another title better than Guru to those.

[John]

At the moment, we have no way of not counting posts in the chit chat forum. We will in future versions, but not now. That is why the only suitable choice was to disable automatic promotion to a guru after 1024 posts, and have a decision taken by the community as to whether someone deserves the guru title. It is not fair on those who have spent hours helping people on these boards to be treated equally to someone who has posted several hundren messages in the chit chat forum.

John

[Stevie]

Just want to add in my thoughts on the subject.

I tend to only post questions or attempt to answer questions that interest me or I have knowledge about. Of course I have posted a few ideas in the forum feedback, and one or two posts in the chit chat forum, but as a rule 99% of my posts are asking or answering questions. In the time the new titles have been released I have seen people rocket from 20 odd posts to 150 posts, bypassing me by just posting junk, and even though it shouldn't bother you it does.
I'm in total agreement about judging if someone is eligible to be a guru, also in future (when possible) I think it would be best if the posts were not counted in the chit chat forum. I also think Mark's suggestion not to show the number of posts (and possibly reverting back to the old titles, apart from Guru) is spot on.

Apart from that, this is still a first class forum. :)

Or maybe we could just delete the Chit chat fourm then. Because that is basically what a Chit Chat fourm has turned into. Posting usless things.

[kedaman]

Don't delete it, we can't have fun without it!

Just when can you make the chitchat posts to be ignored by the post counter?

If it's possible, then I agree with kedaman. The chit chat fourm is fun, but if not, I think it's best to delete it.

[Serge]

I have an idea, how about if we can stop counting posts after a certain title.

Atleast for me, I don't care about post counts. I have a better feeling when I find a solution for people who's stock on a problem and it really does feel great when you can share your knowledge with someone. This UBB more and more turns into a pissing contest. Maybe I sound rude, but I really wish that members of this UBB can share knowledge instead of trying to win the Post Count Race, BUT atleast for now, it is continuing to be my wish.


Best reagards to all,

[V(ery) Basic]

I have got a very long speech about this, so bear with me.

Naturally, if you have a race for Guru status people will
post a lot more than usual. But this also means that from
the quantity comes quality (brainstorming people should
know about this). I would also like to say that the
competitiveness encourages people to visit this site more
often and if they visit the site they answer some posts. I
think I'm a bit of a useless-poster. :( sorry. This very
morning I was saying to myself 'I must get to 128 posts
(hyperactive I think), so I went on a mini posting spree
But while doing that I answered some qs, so I don't think
that I was being too naughty. Kedaman also posts good
answers to questions. The big change is that now, the easy
questions have loads of answers and the hard ones have one
or two. I think variety is good. I mean, you can't answer
to a post if you don't know how to answer it ;). It's
making people answer posts which they normally wouldn't, so
it has some benifits.

It has also become a contest. My dad was an economist and he always said competiton benefits the end user (the guy who asks the question)

I would delete the chit chat forum and put it back when you
can make sure that the posts aren't counted.

I think it's a great idea to nominate Gurus so that even if you post 210005 useless posts you stay on fanatic. I would definitely nominate Serge beacuse every time I read one of his posts I feel jealous. His code is clean, efficient, user-friendly and best of all it answers the question.

I would be the first person to nominate Serge.

I've made my point, and I hope you've read this instead of scrolling to the bottom ;) and I also hope it's useful.

Bye!

Me. Im still on Lively :(

Joke. Tihihihi

[Edited by V(ery) Basic on 05-06-2000 at 11:44 AM]

[Sam Finch]

I didn't realise evryone was so concerned about this, The Chit chat Forum is Fun, I'm one of those people who just enjoys being silly. I definitly don't "deserve" status as a fanatic, about half my posts are just silly, I've never really judged someone by their status or how many posts they have so I didn't think people would mind. The race was my Idea, as a joke which got out of Hand.

Here's what I suggest.


1 Clear all posts on the chit chat forum and start it again. (this will bump me kedman and megatron down a few notches and we'll stop being as silly. (KEEP THE 2 EVLOLUTION THREADS, THESE HAVE CONSISTANTLY KEPT SANE AND INTERESTING AND ARE WHAT THE CHIT CHAT FORUM SHOULD BE ABOUT)

2 See if you can get a chat room going, then have 2 chat rooms, a VB Chat room and a sillyness chat room, when we have this then with a bit of luck people won't use the chit chat forum as much, only for sensible posts.

3 In the next version of the bulleten board make the chit chat forum uncounting. Which will put a stop to the whole posting nonsense.

The situation has got out of hand I admit that that was partly my fault This is still the best VB site on the web, I'd hate to see it loose that and just become the sillyest.

[kedaman]

I totally agree with Samfinch, I'm also responsible for a lot of silly posts.

1. Don't never delete the 2 philosophic threads! I would also want a new philisophic forum for it because none of the posts there are silly, They don't really belong to the chit chat forum!!!!!!

2. Clear all other stupid threads in chitchat, that is just for chitting and chatting, i'm not sure, but there maybe are some good posts after all other than evolution thread and creation&ai thread

3. good ideá about 2 chatrooms, one for talking about breakfast and one for quickshooting small problems by chatting

4. I think also that the chitchat forum should totally be replaced by the chatrooms, If you can't remove the post counting in the chitchat, JOHN.

AND NEVER TOUCH THOSE PHILOSOPHIC THREADS JOHN!!!! BECAUSE THEN I WILL LEAVE AND WONT COME BACK TO THIS SITE.

some of the joke telling are a bit humorus as well. The evolution ones are also good, but the rest are trash. Well most of them.

So as i said before, if you can't do anything about putting a chat room up, just delete the chit chat fourm.

[JorgeLedo]

I'm sorry but for this last year I'v missunderstand the ideia behind this forum. I know I'm not one of the most contributive members, but, mainly due to time laps between the U.S. and Europe, the questions I could answer are already answered and I don't reply saying the same thing like some do. I am more than gratefull to guys like Clunietp or AaroonYoung to the help tehy, directly or indirectly, offered to my problems, but I don't think that it is important to have a Guru or anyother title on this UBB. As for me I am of the opinion that the titles should all be deleted because we ALL know who are the Gurus in this board, and if someone new arrives and want's an answer to a problem it is not the title that is going to answer but the guy behind it.

For the ones that are Guru's or any other category above and bellow my own that are proud to win it by fair and usable answers, I apologise.

Yeap have been visiting the chit chat room and posting *insert rude word here* crap. Will keep away for a couple of weeks.

Guru status should not be on number of posts, but quality of answers. Therefore Serge deserves his status, (thanks for all the help man), Megatron and a few others should get it as well. Maybe have something like a nomination, with a requirement of twenty or so others agreeing.

Just delete the chit chat forum. Save a few of the threads which haven't been trashed, (not blaming anyone else, have been guilty myself), into a new forum and police that forum for racist/sexist/etc postings. I notice on a couple of sites they have reporting buttons, which indicate to the sysops any behaviour which members find questionable.

Will endeavour to improve my act on your great site. I am sorry for upsetting or angering any other members and will avoid doing this in the future.

P.S Thanks for a great site John, sorry for my behaviour...will improve....honest

[kedaman]

What? Are you guys draggin up this old thing agian? I thought we solved this out!

Ok so no points in chit chat forum for posts. Fine and super, but the quality of posting has dropped to the level of a primary school, (yes l know l am one of the main offenders here), and the forum itself is a waste of space as is, (except for a few threads).

Having been given some of my own medicine today. Started a thread and it was trashed within half an hour, can see why some other members are getting angry.

Therefore the forum either needs to be canned or policed. Have a look at some of the comments from more responsible members, (don't include myself in that). The whole thing is degenerating into a racist/sexist mess...and there are female members here.

As stated above will impose a two week banishment on myself as punishment for acting like a complete wally. Then will return to the forum as a model citizen.

There are plenty of other places on the web for the sort of comments we have been making here...hmmm...our browser doesn't allow connection to them.

Its up to you kedaman in what you think. If the forum continues as is then l think it will be of little value to anyone.:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

[kedaman]

Its up to you kedaman in what you think. If the forum continues as is then l think it will be of little value to anyone.

Why am I suddenly responsible for the future of this forum?
Whatever you think Jethro we cannot ever avoid crapposting, but we do have censorship, i've seen many threads been deleted. Too rude members can even be banished.

And yes, None of us, at least no I don't care about postcounts, although I would like to have the Guru title as well. The whole Idea with Titles is how you can qulify the help posted by that person, a Guru would probably been more seriously taken than a newbie.

Don't underestimate this bulletin, it have been a valuable site of learning vb for all members. And I see no sign it woudn't continue to be.

I hope you got this clear.

[Mark Sreeves]

Time to stick the knife in...

I for one would NOT consider you to be a Guru in the same league as Aaron Young, Serge, Clunietp

My reasons?

1) you regularly ask for assistance yourself
2) your code is difficult to read. By which I mean you insist on using obsolete declaration characters








[Edited by Mark Sreeves on 06-27-2000 at 02:56 PM]

[Zej]

i totally agree with you mark sreeves. sorry about this kedaman but it's true. you do ask a lot of questions yourself and sometimes you post usless things. i can't remember the last time megatron or serge or aaron young or clunitip asked a serious qustion about vb.

by the way: the 2 posts above for example. why did you have to post those? 5 minutes apart. you could have either posted them both in the same message, or not posted them at all because they are both irrelavent to the subject.

sorry man. stop trying to beat megatron or serge in the post count race and start posting some vb stuff. if you want to be a guru, you can start by acting like one.

[kedaman]

I don't care about postcounts you know, Zej, and yeah if i'm not qualified as guru, i accept it :( If you piece would accept the way it is now and leave this peace of **** thread, and continue what you were doing then i would be happy.

I'm not comparing my self to anyone :( btw, Meg's not guru either. And yeah, he never ask stuff, i guess if that qualifies him, make him a guru then.

You know, zej, look at the dates, this was what i posted 2 months ago and we were actually having fun postracing but well as soon as we knew what it resulted in we gave up, why drag this up again?

:( Otherway, I think Aaron Young and Serge are the best!

Yeah, delete those two posts if you don't want to have them around Zej, better now? :(


[Edited by kedaman on 06-27-2000 at 07:10 PM]

[Zej]

i wouldn't care if this thread is 2 years old, i'll still post here, because i would like to share my comments...

we know megatron is not a guru but he should be.

also, i never said you should delete those post, all i'm saying is that this is not the first time i've seen you post things like that.

anyway, i'm not here to point any fingers or criticize you becuase you do contribute.

My point here is that the site is great, but recently it has started to go down hill in a last onbe forum, (yes l am equally to blame for this).

All l am saying is that the Chit Chat Forum is rapidly becoming a waste of space. Have a look at some of the threads whcih have started lively debate, but got trashed. There is no point to this.

I agree number of posts is no pointer to status. Some of the new members appear to be experts, yet are view as junior etc.

John,

How about the ability to nominated other members for guru status, with some ruling as to number of supporting posts for a member becoming a guru. Of course you would have final authority over this as it would be open to abuse.

And could people stop attacking kedamans ability:(:(:(:( Every one, even Serge, can learn new things about this product. If you stop learning about a language it by and largely becomes boring, have been there with a couple of older languages. And l defiantly learn new things every day regarding vb.

John you want to maybe make a reply in here:):):):):)