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The New Toms

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  • Tom's Hardware
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March 21, 2013 3:40:45 AM

This new Toms is probably the most discouraging for me as a long time veteran here going through many software changes since 2001 there's always a big negative to live with.

Earlier on it was post count losses which did not seem to matter to most but always did to me, and that hasn't changed.

Serving 3 years as a moderator and surviving the Other Section shutdown, I was enjoying the little badge adventure, at least it was something!

But it did seem that for those of us that were honestly attempting to earn badges, there was at least something to look forward to at Toms, but now all those past achievements are thrown in the garbage.

Where's the thinking with that?

I've been a loyal THGF member here since 2001, I'm sure these changes are great for the newbies at THGF, because you get recognition with literally zero experience.

But for those of us that have been here a long time, and I'm well aware we are a minority, it is discouraging!

To my knowledge this is the first post I've ever put in Site Feedback, the only good thing I have to say is at least when you click on something it actually works now.

But for how long? 4Ryan6

More about : toms

March 21, 2013 4:21:46 AM

Hey Ry

The old badges are just listed as "legacy" badges now (and renamed from gold, silver and bronze to something else), so I'm not sure what you mean by them being thrown in the garbage. The only thing that is really gone is the hammer, which is arguably more prestigious though.

Can you clarify what you meant?
March 21, 2013 6:40:02 AM

randomizer said:
Hey Ry

The old badges are just listed as "legacy" badges now (and renamed from gold, silver and bronze to something else), so I'm not sure what you mean by them being thrown in the garbage. The only thing that is really gone is the hammer, which is arguably more prestigious though.

Can you clarify what you meant?


Randomizer, My old buddy! :) 

Were you elected the sacrificial lamb, or did you just stumble into this?

Legacy is what I'm talking about, it was a past investment in THGF, and a badge a recognition of past accomplishments.

So we get a new facelift and we have to start all over getting recognition of our accomplishments, what about what we've already long term accomplished here.

If it wasn't going to matter why give the past badges in the first place.

What is it now?

5 best answers and a THGF user is suddenly an expert? ROFLMAO :lol: 

5 = Expert? :lol: 

Who burnt some serious midnight oil coming to that conclusion! (Sarcasm!)

Is that some lame attempt to class THGF as full of experts, compared to other websites that do have a lot of experts and they were not classed that from 5 best answers either!

So Toms is now disillusioned to the point they think quantity is better than quality, as a carpenter I can assure you that it isn't!

As one of the THGF members well aware of what it takes to actually become expert at anything regarding computers, it does not come in 5 answers.

To adopt that is a joke and an insult!

If you cannot see that, then my complaining falls on deaf ears, but this post was just to vent anyway!

:) 

And why should we care about this new rating system?

When everything from the past is so easily dismissed!

This new system will be dismissed as well!

I'm just venting OK, I'm not directly angry at anyone, I just think this sucks!

I'm just stating my disapproval for the record, and not at you, you were just the first to answer the thread.

No one will be changing my mind about it, but if you feel the need, go for it.

I Hope you and your family are doing well! Ry

Edit: Hold the presses, I forgot something to bitch about.

It has come to my attention that best answers broke the brain work, when the decision had to be made of US vs UK best answer totals so a decision was made to use one or the others total as the total of best answers acquired.

There is a new invention some of us are aware of, it is called a calculator!

It will allow even an idiot to add two totals together!

Where's the thinking?

Just because best answers were posted in the UK were they not also clearly read from the US and vice versa?

YES!

So why the split decision?

Is that how we also lost post count?

I'm still venting, there's no reason to break out the National Guard yet! :lol: 

This transition could have been handled much better!

However I'm quite sure the host of lame excuses should make us all happy that Toms did not fall off the edge of the planet in the process, not a freaking thing will get done about it! Ry



Related resources
March 22, 2013 7:45:54 AM

Quote:
So we get a new facelift and we have to start all over getting recognition of our accomplishments, what about what we've already long term accomplished here.


Not at all! Many of your previous Best Answers are still counting, because many of your Best Answers are still in threads with tags appropriate to the new badge. You not only have the Legacy badge to show for your previous effort, but also heavy progress towards the new ones. We're also working on a way to match up categories with tags, so that even more of your previous Best Answers will effectively count towards badges.

Quote:
If it wasn't going to matter why give the past badges in the first place.


Because we wanted to make absolutely sure that our long-time veterans of Tom's Hardware were treated right.

Quote:
5 best answers and a THGF user is suddenly an expert? ROFLMAO

In contrast to the other titles, quite right. You and I both know some users who are brilliant experts in their given categories, who have a very low number of Best Answers because OPs didn't return to set them. The term "Expert" was not calculated, but rather selected from a list of possible hierarchy ranks and one that seemed to fit best.

Quote:
If you cannot see that, then my complaining falls on deaf ears, but this post was just to vent anyway!


I have countless emails and threads of evidence that your complaining never fell on deaf ears, and I've burnt the midnight oil myself responding to your concerns over the years. The venting was expected and anticipated, old friend. ;) 

Quote:
And why should we care about this new rating system?


It is more powerful, easier to change and evolve, and doesn't call users "Addicts".

Quote:
It has come to my attention that best answers broke the brain work, when the decision had to be made of US vs UK best answer totals so a decision was made to use one or the others total as the total of best answers acquired.


The decision was to take the higher of the two and apply that towards a user's Legacy badge for a given category. Most of the previous progress was reflected on the mirror site, but in a few rare instances, a user could have a slightly higher count on either UK or US sites. Instead of trying to force the two together, the highest count was considered so no one lost anything.

Quote:
Is that how we lost post count?

Here's a great response from lourson, one of the development team leads on the subject of Best Answers, and why no one has lost anything.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1628033/answers-...
March 22, 2013 8:04:50 AM

Thank You! :) 

I do appreciate you taking the time to explain some of the decisions made.

The one thing I really do like, is when I click to post or edit it actually works, after almost 2 years of having to click the back radio button after posting to avoid double posting, or not posting at all, it is very nice to have that feature functioning properly!

And I would have actually traded more than I have lost, if it could have been a trade that would have fixed that problem a year ago!

That's no fault of yours, I know you tried to get it resolved.

So it's not all bad!

I think I've survived 3 past software changes at THGF, so I know the drill!

And you know I'm just venting! :) 

Take Care Joe! Ry

March 22, 2013 4:50:00 PM

4Ryan6 said:
Were you elected the sacrificial lamb, or did you just stumble into this?

We played Russian Roulette and I lost :lol:  No, I just frequent this part of the forum and so happened across this thread.

4Ryan6 said:
5 best answers and a THGF user is suddenly an expert? ROFLMAO :lol: 

5 = Expert? :lol: 

It was fairly low for the old bronze badges as well, although I don't recall if it was 5 or 10. Maybe it should be called Aficionado instead of Expert? :D 
March 22, 2013 6:04:05 PM

randomizer said:
We played Russian Roulette and I lost :lol: 


ROFL :lol:  That's pretty Good!

March 22, 2013 6:20:13 PM

randomizer said:

It was fairly low for the old bronze badges as well, although I don't recall if it was 5 or 10. Maybe it should be called Aficionado instead of Expert? :D 


Hi :) 

You REALLY think people that cannot add two figures together could even spell Aficionado , much less know what it means...lol :) 

Sorry but I couldn't resist...lol

All the best Brett :) 

!