User Promotions
 

As I promised, I would look into user promotions, and how we could implement them. However, I'm looking for member's opinions, as there are a few things that are quite trivial. The way I see it, we can offer the members who do get 'promoted' the option to change their custom title at any time. We could also increase the maximum private messages you can hold at any one time.

This presents a problem though. If we allow manual custom title updating, it means a person could update their custom title every hour if they chose to. One of the reasons we don't allow members to change their own custom titles is so that it is not constantly changing. A member's word isn't always trustworthy, so a simple promise isn't the best option.

If anyone has any other additions or suggestions then feel free to post them. After there have been enough replies, I'll talk to Abe Babe and see what we can do :)

Alcar...

Can you implement it so you could only change your custom title, say...only once a day...or once a week. That way, if someone already changed their custom title for the day, they'd have to wait for the next day or week to swing by before they could have the priveledge to change it again. Although, most people with custom titles are responsible. We'll see what happens.

-oddguy :fuzcool:

I could implement a modification, although it would mean modifying the source code every time we upgrade vBulletin as well as adding an additional database table field. Though, it's probably the easiest way, thinking about it :p

But I would honestly like to just base it on trust.

Alcar...

I have an idea - give it to people who already have custom titles if you trust them not to flaunt it.

Actually, I quite like that idea. As most of the members with custom titles I trust to not abuse them. Though, that leaves the idea of extras such as maximum total private messages in the air.

Alcar...

i think we should award custom titles to people with 5500 posts should get awarded a custom avatar, OR it should be given to trusted, responsible people who have been on the forums for a long period of time.

I'd really like it if one of the reward things would be a bigger avatar. Like, each time you get an upgrade or something you have a list to choose of what you can upgrade, and one of 'em is increase your own avatar size limit by like...20x20 pixels. And of course there'd be other stuff too, like the custom titles and such. Like it'd work as an RPG system in a way, except less complicated.

I dunno. That's just my $0.02.

Are you seriously considering increasing people's PM limit? And how many people have actually already taken up every single of those one thousand private messages? 1000 PMs should be enough. 100 should be, too.

On top of custom titles, I suggest possibly updating the style of them. Not necesarrily glowing text, that can tacky, but, say, changing the colour. I'm sure that's possible. Increased signature limits, although I spot the irony that because these are the users who post more often, it'll take up that much more bandwidth.

Do we allow members to delete their own posts, currently? There's another idea.

I have to say I'm not happy about all this, though. I reckon a custom status should be to help identify significant members of the Forums. Something like 'Oddworld Mafia' is cool, but I regard it as a misuse of power. But, hey, what can I do, I'm just one small man.

I'm currently allowed to store 100 PM's...and it's more than enough for me. I'm constantly deleting messages after I read them...except the important ones, which I store in a seperate folder. I'm storing 5 right now.

I think it would be cool to choose what color stars you have. And the ability to merge your own threads would be cool as well.

-oddguy

If you're looking for ideas on what/how user status could benifit/encourage users, check out these sites:

www.ddruk.com (All avs/titles are given a value. You need to earn CP {contribution point} to get them. CP is earned by each day you post something, donating money, pleasing a Mod, etc. This would mean custom avs would not be allowed, at least not to people who have low numbers of CP.)

www.bemanistyle.com (Point are earned {not too sure how}. You trade points for downloads. There may be more to this, but I'm a new member, so I haven't found out everything yet.)

While discussing with ferill about solutions to our current 'identity crisis', he came up with an idea I think is most wonderful. I think the key issue here is custom titles, as Max the Mug pointed out. Such things like an extra private message storage isn't as useful. Anyway, this idea works on the same system that our moderator nomination system works.

Every four months, or so, a thread will be opened where members may vote for who they think deserves a custom title. However, to keep it confidential, you'll probably end up private messaging me. I'll probably also ask that you provide a substantial reason for the person you voted for. One major difference is that you won't actually nominate members, you'll just vote for them. However, if we get a multitude of votes for many different people, nominations might have to take place, and we will narrow it down to a few members.

This solves the problem, as it means that the members choose who they want to get a custom title. It also means that at least four custom titles will be awarded every year.

Of course, I'm open to all ears. So please suggest anything else to add to this solution :)

Alcar...

Yay! i've had a good idea!

I hope this works out, it'll make life a hell of alot easyer.

Great idea...oddguy approves! ;)

I'm tired of voting on crap. I would rather there be no custom titles at all instead of some big "Vote for blah blah" garbage every few months.

A vote does seem a good idea Alcar, but will people lose their custom title for the next vote, or do you have it for good?

If we lose it, then it's a definite status and it's rotary, which i like the idea of

If we keep it, then eventualy no one will be left wanting, which I also like the idea of, but it'll mean less every time.

Sounds good to me.

(On the subject, could you remove my flood limiter (1 post allowed/minute) or whatever it's called, it's irritating if I'm in a rush)

Oh and also the voting system, it would measure how popular theya re not how they contribute to the forums, once again allowing the forums to decend into a popularity contest which is a bad thing, though this might be the communist in me speaking now

That's a great plan...I'm up for it.

If we vote for members it'll turn into a popularity contest as Hobo stated. I'll never get recognition because everyone hates me speaking out...

And I belive it should be only to those who are forum vetrens IE:Survivors from the Bi-yearly Exodus's (I think its down to me, Abe Babe, Xav and Max...)

Gah! Just do the shop hack. Or if you don't like that, just let people change their custom title every couple of months. That sounds fair. It allows changing, but not masses of swirly stuff. Or, we could just forget the whole thing and live and peace and harmony. Like Bambi, until he got shot. Or whatever happened to the lil' fellow. Becasue the point it, this is just a small, trivial matter over some pixels and an over-inflated conflict.

...Majics right, just shop hack OWF.

What if you deserve one but nobody likes you.


HINT:That's me I'm yapping about. :fuzwink:

yes, stop yapping...now....

If people can't be arsed to vote for custom title 'winners' then obviously it isn't a big enough thing, and we shouldn't be talking about Shop Hacks, etc. If people want it, they are going to have to do some work for it.

That depends on what members think. If they do loose it, as you said, it will stay a novelty, if they are kept, then it will loose it's value. Once again, it only proves that anything (like the Shop Hack) will loose the value of a custom title.

If it does go through, then we could limit the amount of nominees by having members provide a valid reason. Hopefully it should diminish the likelyhood of popularity contests.

Alcar...

Your just jealous I gave Alcar a good idea!

Calm down, no one wants a pop. contest. Users with more than 1 screename will vote for they're favorite side of themselves.

I think that after a certain amount of time and a good "average posts per day" count, the user is allowed to create they're own custom title.

How about just no custom titles? No mods, no admins, anybody? Honestly, before Death came around and started demanding "rights" and such, nobody cared. There wasn't arguing over petty things, and there wasn't a need. There had never been any conflicts regarding them. Whent he OIPT got them, nobody went "Whoops, we need them too!" They're made out to be such a big deal, out of something in which the novelty will wear off in the end, no matter what. Just like fancy forum features, and fads fueled by the media.

In the end, it doesn't matter. The only place this argument is going is to overly complicated solutions, and novelty that'll exist for a week.

I do appreciate how nice Alcar has been through this whole thing though. I mean really, well done. Death said Alcar didn't listen to us, but this thread proves Death wrong.

Sorry Death!:D Don't get me wrong, you're still cool...just not your arguments.:p

-oddguy

I've always listened, it's just some people seem to confuse not listening with providing my opinion ;)

Alcar...

Yeah, I was thinking about that too...Alcar, you really kept a level head through all this. I really respect you, homie.

*tips hat to Alcar*

Hmmm, does anyone else have any complaints or comments towards the voting system for custom titles? If there aren't, I'll go and talk it over with Abe Babe and find out her opinions. If all goes well, the first vote will occur near the middle of April.

Alcar...