Remove post count from posts in threads.

[FAST6191]

Title kind of says it all and indeed I kind of wish I could leave it at that but some more words are probably necessary- call it an experiment* but could we see what happens if we remove post count from the main threads and leave it instead to the mouseover** or general profile viewer.
By all means leave the medals, group and such and maybe try it as a temporary measure (3 weeks would be a decent minimum).

*

Spoiler

much as I like experimenting for the sake of it if I have to put forth some justification we have pointedly avoided implementing anything resembling reputation and even ignoring the huge nigh on dealbreaking problems with rep systems especially on a mature forum like this one I would possibly be able to argue they have more merit than an obvious post count

**pulling apart other forum software it might be quite doable but I guess if this is a common php include or something it might get nominally harder depending upon how you work it (copy and past with a slightly different name and roll from there)- as it is the mouseover stuff is another query set anyway (or at least it does not appear in the main thread source in an obvious fashion).

I have various ideas as to what would happen but I can not really see it being a negative (I would not have suggested it if I foresaw a big downside) and it might even be a fair positive (prelude to counter arguement- you might not notice it but others might and as a whole....).

 

[DinohScene]

Or have an option to show post counts or not.

I like this system tbh.

 

[omgpwn666]

Sounds like a good idea actually. Not removing post count completely, but from the main thread only. The only reason I use post count is to see if someone is scamming. Like if they make a topic called, "3DS Officially Hacked" the first thing I will do is look at the post count of the op, and the post count of anyone saying it works.

 

[Black-Ice]

Too many people are butt hurt over post count.
This should soothe their backside pain.

 

[Terminator02]

I like to see post count and join date so I can tell how new of a member they are/if they know better, but once you get past 500 posts it becomes more of an ego thing.

I don't really like the idea of less information being easily seeable, but that's just my opinion.

 

[omgpwn666]

I like to see post count and join date so I can tell how new of a member they are/if they know better, but once you get past 500 posts it becomes more of an ego thing.

I don't really like the idea of less information being easily seeable, but that's just my opinion.

Well, you could see the post count with a mouse over of the profile still. Also, we could keep the join dates too, just make it a little more work to see post count. If you could not see my post count you would probably assume I had a lot of posts by looking at my join date (until you clicked my profile to see my post count). Lol

 

[Black-Ice]

How can people make something so innocently simple like a post count. Into something that needs to be hidden from society.

 

[prowler]

lets just make gbatemp neogaf and be done with it

 

[Wizerzak]

I like to see post count and join date so I can tell how new of a member they are/if they know better, but once you get past 500 posts it becomes more of an ego thing.

I don't really like the idea of less information being easily seeable, but that's just my opinion.

This. I look at post counts quite a lot, it gives me a better idea of how well known someone is / whether I should know them (especially if they've had a name change).

 

[omgpwn666]

How can people make something so innocently simple like a post count. Into something that needs to be hidden from society.

Because, it's actually not that innocent. Seems a decent amount of users get upset about post counts being displayed because their opinions were not valued as much as someone with a higher post count. Honestly, I don't mind everyone can see my post count, but it does bother some. Might as well try something new, couldn't hurt, just making it a little more work to see the post count, not removing it.

 

[Black-Ice]

How can people make something so innocently simple like a post count. Into something that needs to be hidden from society.

Because, it's actually not that innocent. Seems a decent amount of users get upset about post counts being displayed because their opinions were not valued as much as someone with a higher post count. Honestly, I don't mind everyone see my post count, but it does bother some. Might as well try something new, couldn't hurt, just making it a little more work to see the post count, not removing it.

With a mentality like that, we might as well stop people signing up for GBAtemp.
If we wanted to, we could make a fuss over anything.
Everythings innocent until someone says otherwise.

I dont need a big number to speak my opinion. who really does?

 

[omgpwn666]

How can people make something so innocently simple like a post count. Into something that needs to be hidden from society.

Because, it's actually not that innocent. Seems a decent amount of users get upset about post counts being displayed because their opinions were not valued as much as someone with a higher post count. Honestly, I don't mind everyone see my post count, but it does bother some. Might as well try something new, couldn't hurt, just making it a little more work to see the post count, not removing it.

With a mentality like that, we might as well stop people signing up for GBAtemp.
If we wanted to, we could make a fuss over anything.
Everythings innocent until someone says otherwise

You're 100% correct on that. Most people that make a big deal over posts counts just get trolled and get told to leave anyways.

 

[ProtoKun7]

We've discussed this before, and as far as I'm concerned, removing it (even removing in the sense of making something just to hide it on a mouseover) is pointless. This system means you don't even need to mouseover. It's fine as it is.

 

[mysticwaterfall]

I like having both post count and join date' but as others have said, past a point its not really meaningful. But you really need both to judge. I for instance go here usually several times a day, but dont post everyday.

If you really want your experiment to do what I think you want it to, you would have to use prowlers suggestion and get rid of everything. Certainly having an earlier join date or more posts doesnt make you instantly knowledgable, but its something. What I like on some forums are "thanks" (as oppossed to just likes), but can also be readily abused.

 

[FAST6191]

Just to clarify/echo others I am not saying remove it entirely or even abstract it/hide it in a way (again as of the upgrade assuming you have a token amount of javascript going on just hold your pointer over the users name in the top left of their post).

Also just to make it clear I have no issue with postcounts and have not noticed any major problems with postcounts anywhere for anything on this forum (as others said there were a few people that did not really understand the tone of the forum and were trained up on this internet gig elsewhere but beyond that nothing) and as such do not have any real reason for the request beyond some intellectual curiosity.

I could say more but at this point it would be personal anecdotes and not really that relevant.

 

[jimmyemunoz]

If you remove the post count, but leave the medals, people will still know who has been more dedicated to this website, or at the very least, more active. Generally, if someone has a good point they are not going to be "trolled" (God, I hate that word). If anyone has a problem with post count they ought to ask themselves why it bothers them, and then get over it. There are countless websites on the internet with the same system, and this has been going on for twenty+ years. As the cliche goes, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." Personally, I really think keeping the system implemented is a better choice. Are members with high post counts complaining because they are getting treated as though they are a gbatemp God? I know you understand the point I'm making right there! This is a chance to learn to deal with systems, and tolerance towards what we might not agree with, or like. Can't we all just get along? Seriously, if this is a problem then there are other communities and maybe that is a better spot for those that don't agree with the current implemented system. Personally, I don't want any of you to do that, but if you just can't go with the flow, then maybe the other communities are a better choice for you. I'm not a moderator, or webmaster here, I'm just a peon with an account, just like a member who signed up 1 minute ago. My opinion/posts can be trampled on just as easily. Honestly, the world isn't fair, and you'd be doing yourself justice to learn it now, while your young, because this issue at hand is extremely trivial and juvenile. If people troll you use the setting in the user control panel to block all their posts, so you won't even know they exist, if it should come to that. Last but not least, if you have a high post count please don't pick on the new members.

 

[FAST6191]

Thoughts on your reply jimmyemunoz

Medals certainly provide an immediate visual reference*** but we all recognise numbers and are hopefully well trained to do so where medals are probably not something we are trained to recognise. If they wanted to go as part of this (presumably with the ones indicating staff left) it is certainly nothing resembling a sticking point.

That I can see nobody is complaining about anything (certainly I had no thoughts of such things when I was typing up the opening post) and that I have seen there is nothing resembling a group of people that has got together to complain about postcount let alone in a sensible way.

"If it ain't broke...."- many replies to this but my main two will be you are clearly not thinking like an engineer (if it ain't broke carry on tweaking) and is it really not broken*?/why not lose it (granted you did have the whole post I am replying to right now but by this I mean have you got any compelling reasons to leave postcount immediately visible in threads?).

*thinking when people started to analyse strategies for things like backgammon the conventional wisdom went out the window. Going for the possibly absurd (certainly I am actively attempting not to go into strawman world) parallel consider for films/TV/visual stuff if we distilled something like IMDB info down to numbers and put it alongside things..... actually working backwards from that some combination of views/likes/linkbacks/quotes as a "this user's best/most notable/most saleable work" (think "from the director of") might be a fantastic thing*.

* and *** possible middleground- after a certain threshold perhaps a simple mathematical equation (I reckon you could do it client side in javascript). Certainly I can see counts and join dates informing the nature of reply but if going that far......

Perhaps I should ponder this further.

 

[rastsan]

i don't know why its visible in threads at all... just put it on their profile page. if you need to view that you can view it there with mouse click....

 

[EyeZ]

I do not see the logic in not having the post count showing, and yet you are able to view the post count with a mouse over

 

[Aeter]

I think it would be a good test to make medals and post counts optional. Just to see what people would do if they had the option.
In my opinion, it does create some sort of hierarchy with members, which, I think, is not a good thing.
If people wouldn't know a rank of someone they would treat them like any other person on the forum, but with the post count and medals out in the open, even though no one might admit it, they most likely will treat someone differently, be it conscious or subconsciously.
I mean just by looking at it, it might subconsciously change your behavior towards someone, which is strange but true.
You see it all the time in everyday life.

Just my 2 euro cents.