So, I would like to open this up for discussion. Now i have only been around the forums a year, so i don't know the real reason why some sections of forums do not add to post count, I can only guess to lower the amount of spam but my dear friend has it ever came to your mind [S-HIGHLIGHT]the real reason why people post on forums is not only to Meet and make friends or discuss about the game or whatever they like, Its because they want to have a high post count.[/S-HIGHLIGHT]
No offense, but who the heck joins a forum purely for
post counts? :cer_confused: That sounds like a terrible reason to join a forum. When I joined, I joined
to talk about Pokemon. Most likely, that doesn't describe everyone's purpose for joining, but to have post count as the most important reason? That just seems...wrong. I would think one would join a forum either because they appreciate the people on said forum, or he/she would like to engage in discussion on whatever the forum's main interest is, but not for
post count. Literally, it's just a number. Yeah, "big numbers" can be cool and all to look at and fathom, but at the end of the day, it's just a number...
Well, post count is meant to be there for thoughtful posts, to take notes of the ones that somewhat demand more effort in the posts. While, for forums such as other trivia, it's easy to type four words and move along and in a way, those posts don't really go to show anything. Same for trade corner, which doesn't have the 4 word / 25 char rule anyway. People could essentially post "plz trade friend code" over and over in the trade corner and make millions of posts based off spam really.
If it's an issue though, post count could always get disabled so that every post counts for nothing really. This way, at least posts in the sections that do count posts actually count for something. :( I don't think the post count permissions will be changed as it is tbh.
Yeegh...I'm OK with Trivia and Trade Corner posts not counting toward the post total, but I'd like it if people were recognized for posts that they actually put
thought into, simply for tabulation purposes... Eliminating post count of the "thoughtful posts", as you mentioned Forever, would mean that the effort users try to put in constructive or intelligent discussions wouldn't be recognized. It's not an absolute
must that post count of thoughtful posts should stay though, as it's really quite trivial and just a piece of numerical data. But retaining minor recognition for fleshed-out posts in the form of such a display would be nice, IMO...
I was a bit startled that you suggested this, Forever, considering you have one of the more-insane post counts that I've come across on PC. :cer_laugh: I'd hate for all of your, or
anyone's, "thought-out" posts to just vanish in an instant with no indication that they even exist.
In my old forum for a game that I used to visit, every post counted. Post count, as much as a lot of people would claim otherwise, often signifies respectability. People look to the users with 4,000 posts for an answer to a question before they look to someone with 50. The reason those are locked is to avoid people looking more respectable in the community than they are, if all they do is post in game threads.
I enjoy forums a lot and enjoy having a high post count, but I want my posts to be gotten by helping on the forums, answering questions, and having discussion related to the forums, not because I posted 1000+ times in the Count to Infinity.
As unfortunate as it may seem sometimes, users with higher post counts do typically seem to have more experience/more prominent roles when visiting online forums, from my experience. Primarily, this is because most of those users either
founded the forums or registered early around the time of the forum's conception.
And it
could be considered sensible to go to someone with a respectable post count who's familiar with forum rules and etiquette rather than the newbie user with only 1-10 posts who is similarly adjusting or
possibly doesn't plan on sticking around for long.
I agree with your second post, though, Toujours. Just as it technically takes no skill at all to use one-hit knockout "insta-win" moves in
Pokemon games, it takes no skill at all to fill trivia threads like
The Count To Infinity with posts. Seriously, as long as you're following in the count, you can post the most random of stuff or say "This post has words in it/I have nothing to say today" repeatedly without infraction(s), even if it completely deviates from the present "topic".
The reason for having postcount disabled in all of those sections ids the fact that threads there rarely promote serious discussion. We don't want to inflate a user's major numerical status indicator simply because he's addicted to TCTI or trade shops. XD
This, too.
Well personally, I don't oppose enabling posts to count everywhere.
THE PROBLEM LIES IN...The minimum post requirements to achieve different levels. Like now you must have 15 posts in order to post pictures or URLs. That would have to be effectively quadrupled or more! It wouldn't be just 15 posts, you'd be required to make 100 before you could post links or images...and that would be very annoying to new people joining. You thought the 15 post minimum was dumb, it'd be that much worse if we counted posts everywhere and didn't exclude the spammish sections from that count.
Blogs would no longer be attainable at a reasonable 5k posts...that would have to be at least increased by 2500 posts, if not doubled or tripled.
I don't agree with the fact that the administration disables postcount for places like OT, but I see that there is more reason than they want you to visit elsewhere. The post minimums are integral in repelling stupid spambots and spammers in general.
So yeah, upholding a minimum standard of post quality is fine for counted posts...because it makes the post minimums WAY LESS annoying.
That's also a factor...though links and pictures aren't necessarily important for discussions, they can assist greatly at times. Substantial increase in such requirements could likely discourage and even drive away potential newcomers. The blog limit already seems high enough, and I'm hardly near the blog threshold post count as it stands.
But where im getting at is, For some of us a high post count matter and some it doesn't no matter what like someone else said people will look to people with highest post count and if anyone is willing to sit on a forums 24 hours spamming one post after another just to achieve a high post there crazy and need a life.
I admit i care about post count and it should be something earned and higher post count should be people who are well known in community and respected but lets be honest here. Half the people with 1k-3k post we don't even know each other. It wouldn't make that much of a difference. I have been here almost a year and have made a few friends but more than half the people here with high post count i have not even talked to.
I still maintain that post count should mainly be for "thought-out" posts; counting the "spammish" threads and such would possibly require a raise in certain posting limits (i.e., blogs), which I believe would have a negative impact with adverse effects. Honestly, if people care
that much about post count where all of their spammy/"counting" trivia posts need to be counted for a massive post count, they should just go in Paint.NET or Adobe Photoshop and edit their post count to have insanely high numbers to satiate their "immensely-high post count" thirst.
About the "not talking to people with higher post count"...I'm guessing that it could be partially mostly because a lot of those people happen to be moderators who've been here for a while, and they do have other responsibilities to attend to. That is
not, however, the
sole reason for this behavior. The "people with higher post counts" just may not share any common interests with you to strike up a conversation... It's a harsh reality, but it tends to be true.... However, most of the moderators and administrators (and even regular users) with "high post counts" that I've come across are quite friendly, and I'm pretty sure they'll at least take the time to say hi at least once in a VM if your messages are amicable towards them as well. :)
Furthermore, "high post count" people (I really hate using that term) may just be more involved in sections/subforums that you are not, so they may hardly come across you or your posts if the forums that you and them frequent are radically different.
Basically, there's a myriad of reasons why people do and don't talk to other people, including the reality that it's unreasonable to expect to talk/know
everyone individually in a community...
Another reason why I appreciate post count being maintained is that all of your "meaningful/thought-out" posts from years ago are still referenced in some way (as minor as it is), instead of being strictly secluded to only being noticed in rarely-seen threads that have died long ago. In addition, I understand that some people
do make thoughtful posts from time to time in meaningful threads such as
TCTI and
Don't Let The Mod Say Zero, and at times it does seem like a shame when a lengthy, meaningful TCTI is barred from tabulation, while a shorter opinionated post like "What's Your Pokemon Team Right Now?" may get counted instead.
Alternative option: I propose that an additional, subset Post Count be added... Either it shows the number of ALL of a user's post, Trivia/Trade Corner and Non-Trivia/Trade Corner,
or it ONLY displays the number of a user's Trivia/Trade Corner posts (basically, all Posts that wouldn't be counted normally). For example:
USER
Posts: 1000
Trivia Posts: 2000
(by combining "thoughtful" posts and "trivia" posts, this user would have 3000 posts
total on PokeCommunity).
OR
USER
Posts: 1000
Total Posts: 3000
(here, the sum of "Trivia/TC" and "Thoughtful" Posts is shown as "3000").
This way, trivia posts could get recognized too, though not as prominently as "thoughtful" posts. Personally, I prefer the second format, since only "thoughtful" posts receive focus in the post counts displayed. However, I cannot think of a good "formal" prefix that would serve as the equivalent to "thoughtful" posts... :\
But yeah, I'd really hate for Post Counts to go the way as Reputation did; "Post Counts" seem to serve a bit more of a purpose aside from data, if only that they can signify more experienced users who new users could look up to, should forum guidance be needed (though I'm assuming most new users ask mods/admins for assistance, anyway...).
HEY! I WROTE A "THOUGHT-OUT" POST ON POST COUNT! (I THINK). LOLOLOLOL
