Thread: Remove Post Counts

Do I smell a hint of jealousy? You misunderstand what the post count is about. First of all, you say it's not important yet you're fighting to have it changed. Secondly, the post counter simply displays a member's relative involvement. It has nothing to do with status or contribution to the site's overall well-being and advancement. If you feel it does then you're the one that feels that way. Sure, it matters to some people and it gets brought up from time to time but so what?

What matters is what that member posts. And that can only be determined by the reader, as it's quite subjective. Now, if you want the member's "status" within the community, we need the rep system I mentioned in another thread. There's a perfectly good rep system available for the vBulletin software.

Originally Posted by ethen

To me, it seems to promote a “status-based” sort of community more than anything else, which in my opinion is something that takes away from the forum.

But you'll find that anywhere, with post counters or not. The only time when perceived status becomes an issue is when it's made into one, like now.

After all, if that number was truly as insignificant as we all say it is, why is it that posts in the Senseless Banter forum do not count towards one’s displayed post count, eh?

I'm glad you asked. Pull up a seat. The posts aren't tallied in there because of the very same thing you're complaining about. It's so that senseless, BS posts are "artificially" increasing a members post count. The current system is set up so that credit for "meaningless" posts aren't tallied to look like a given member has a higher perceived status, or contribution level to the site.

I know I’m going run into a bit of resistance over this, especially of those with “impressive” post counts.

I'll bet you're right.

I must admit that I am curious as to how they are going to explain themselves. If my experience has taught me anything, these people will play down the importance of the post count, while simultaneously advocating we keep it for some “unrelated” reason.

[re-quote=only the bolded parts have been changed] I must admit that I am curious as to how they are going to explain themselves. If my experience has taught me anything, these people will play down the importance of the post count, while simultaneously advocating we [not] keep it for some “unrelated” reason.[/re-quote]

Notice how what you're doing is the exact same thing you're complaining about, only in reverse, for the other team.

I don’t know, forum goers are just too caught up with their post count, and in a bad way.

Where exactly is this a problem? Who is running around making post count an issue?

He was, no doubt, the most prominent and respected person at the website, even more so that the owner.

Do you realize that you are almost as - if not more - prominent than the owner of this very site right now?

Proposition: Relocate post count to user profile and/or create an option for displaying post count.

Whatever happens with the issue, or rather, NON-issue? I just don't see why it matters. This forum has had post counts on display forever. Now you get offended because others have a higher post count? You can tell how a person is by reading what they post. You learn their status by how other members relate to them. Some people go on posting rampages sometimes (myself included) but, I at least try to put something of meaning or use in at least most of my posts where counts are on.

Reasoning: As it is set up now, it promotes discrimination, immaturity, and a false sense of superiority/inferiority.

And you really think that no longer displaying post counts would make people act more mature? Think again.

Plus, I see no good reason to keep it as it is besides apathy over this issue...

Honestly, I could see the same reasoning being used to argue not changing things.

EDIT:

*cough* http://dreamviews.com/community/showthread.php?t=40296 *cough*

Give me a break. You're going to use my bringing up awareness that people need to learn multi-quoting and to use the edit button as a sign that we need a forum change of that kind? That's about etiquette and forum rules. Surely you can't be comparing those traits to your issue of members having perceived status.

These are two different issues.

I can think of a few examples right now of certain members who had high post count but no status, at least no respectable status.

People who I admire on here, who I consider my friends, all have very varying post counts. It's what impression you build around yourself that matters.

It's not like you magically become a mod or something after some number.

WOW! That was a great break down of the subject.
Well.. when I look at a post count, I don't really think of it as a status.
It just tells me how active the person is on the site, in relation to how long they have been here. When I look at the stars under a members name, I think of status.

I read the first two sentences of the initial post, and the post above me.

To that statement IN the first two sentences, ethen, yes, we are all posting whores who try as hard as we can to post anywhere and everywhere about nothing. I'm beating you at the game right now.

(Who gives a flip??)

Let me just say that you are, as Oneironaught pointed out much more eloquently, just making an issue where there is none. Few of us care one whit about post counts, or the like.


If you don't like post counts, only post in Senseless Banter.

I'm divided on this matter, some of me thinks that post counts do matter and have a certain status in DreamViews, whereas the other part (majority) rates a person on how well I know them, and from an image built up around what they post about.

The post count is a very inaccurate, but still effective way to show how much you contributed to the forum.
If you wrote thousands of posts, you want a little trophy. It's not shallow, it's human.
We are not all Buddha's or Jesus's.

Plus it helps to tell the credibility of the posts. Again this is very inaccurate, but it can tell you something. In most cases posts of people with higher post counts and older join dates will be more reliable.

Also, I think it's fine that there is a bit of a status thing in the community. It makes things more interesting. It adds drama. If you don't know what I mean I can think a little and write examples of what I'm talking about.