Removing post counts altogether.
 

I believe we should remove post counts altogether.
I no longer see the point in them, older members care little for post counts, valuing quality over quantity, while many new members strive to attain many posts and worry when they lose them. (e.g. Laser)

If we value quality over quantity, why do we keep a record of how much we have posted? Is this not a mixed message? Surely we should practice what we preach, and remove any incentive to mass post. Obviously removing post counts wouldn't remove stupid posts, but it would probably reduce the number of future, idiotic posts. We all know who the respected members of this forum are, we don't need a number to influence our decisions.

So what do you think? Are you for the removal of post counts, or against it?

Post count, in my opinion, gives a quick look into how old a member is and how his posting qualities are. Since all nonsense topics are thrown into Necrum and thus deducted from your post count, you won't ever get near a 1000 if all you do is spam up the place for 3 years. Someone who posts mostly quality things generaly has a higher post count.

It's also a status thing. Not in the 'I have more posts then you so I own you' way but more in the way that it distinguishes the veterans from the newer members in the glance of an eye.

In principle, I agree with you. Post counts should really be removed from postbits (though not from the members list). The trouble is, it is a very useful figure to refer to when you’re trying to work out the posting habits of a person. Someone who joined a year ago but has only three posts to their name is rarely going to be a problem, and we can value their returning power. A member who registered a couple of days ago but has already accumulated a post count of several dozen is someone the mods needs to keep an eye on.

The post count in the postbit makes this very easy.

So does join date. :p

Posts are only removed if they are spam, posts that are seemingly irrelevant or unnecessary aren't, one can easily manage to accumulate many posts by simply agreeing or giving the barest bones of an argument. Welcomes and Birthdays are the best example of this, look at any welcome thread, what do you see? The same message reworded slightly by a multitude of different members, and it will always be that same group of members that welcome new memers, their post counts sky rocket. "Hello" is not intelligent conversation, I understand the need for good will, but is greeting every new member necessary? No. Is celebrating everybody's birthday, regardless if you even know, or care, about them? No.

As for post counts giving status, I don't believe this to be so, any one who has been here for a short period of time will (probably) know who is respected and who isn't. One can measure a members worth by their level of repsect, grammar, coherency and intellect. Those with low posts generally have poor grammar and don't contribute a lot intellectually.

I suggest we implement a reputation system, members give other members reputation based on what they post, they amount of reputation someone has is depicted by a series of images, the more rep some one has, the more of these rep images they will have. I have seen this done on another vbulletin forum, it is very effective, it is easy to recognise who is a respected member and who isn't (negative reputation is possible).

Yeah, what ever.

EDIT: I wrote all this before Max posted, but posted it after him, that is why I haven't responded to him. I agree with him though.

My experience with reputation is that it's easily abused. New members who spam up the place and deal out negative rep for everyone for example. Not to mention you'd get negative rep being thrown back and forth all over the place between members who don't like each other. I've seen it happen on a lot of forums who had a rep system in place and one by one they all deactivated negative rep.

If we are going to work with reputation then I'd suggest doing it like the Karma system BF2s.com has in place. You get 10 points to give a day, you can only give positive points and the Karma you give is directly linked to a certain post.

Poof. When I joined, I made a good hundred posts every month. I guess I kind of set myself at a limit. But there was a lot more to talk about then.

hehe i don't worry about them when i lose them i was curious thats all ;)
and i say yes we should because they just make people attain for the higher "level" of forumness or what ever they are called

Which is why W&B does not have post-counting.

Actualy it does, that is if Alcar didn't turn it back off again. A few months back everyone recieved a major boost in post count because Alcar decided to turn post counting on for W&B...

And then two weeks ago it was turned bck off :p

Alcar...

Alcar did turn it back off.
I'm kinda neutral about this. I agree with most of the points made on both sides, but I voted 'no', because post counts are good for knowing how much a member contributes to the forum. Obviously you're not seeing numbers that represent all spam, because (assuming you have good Moderators) they would be banned if that were the case. Look at Xav, for example.

Replace post counts with my rating of the user. out of 10

If I knew you wouldn't completely berate people, I'd do it :p

Alcar...

Create a special rating for Hobo, and I'm with him!

i think a rating wouldn't work due to the fact that Pat,Alex,carnix,me,kastere and a few others will be -10 before we even tried it out

I like the post counts....Dunno why...well, at least you know who is uhh...'experienced' 'round here anyways...

NOES!!! you can't get rid of post count, it's really fun for me to get "promoted" to higher levels as my pc increases. I really don't see why you want to get rid of it. You veterans maybe, but what about us newbies?

Neh, That way you have to look up the date.

I've only been here for just over a fortnight and I get 10. YAY!

No you don’t; it’s in your postbit along with your post count, right below your avatar.

Well done but I was on about having to look up the current date to work out how long someone has been a member whereas post count gives you an idea at first glance.

carnix.

There was a minus before the 10 ;)

For some odd reason that makes me feel even more proud.

Yeah. But who cares anyway?

I'd say it would stop a lot of new members competing for higher post counts. But the higher your post count the more people respect you. No, actually, take a look at Hobo and PVs.

You have to look up what month and year it is?

Post counts also contribute a negative effects in terms of generalization, I don't doubt that low post count members have on occasion, been completely ignored due to the fact that they possess a small post tally.

I do find it quite interesting that the majority of those who want to keep post counts (and posted in this thread) are newer members.

Do you know how much I had to spam to earn the title "Outlaw Bomber"? Bloody loads, that's how much!

Oh fuck, I clicked yes but I meant no.

Post counts mean so little that it's ridiculous that this matter is brought up so often. I don't even remember the last time I looked at a post count. The way I tell if someone is new is generally if they don't have an avatar or if they're typing like a retard.