Your Reputation System Feedback
Last response: in Forum Feedback
Greetings!
We're looking for feedback and input on the reputation system here on Tom's Hardware. What kind of improvements would you like to see in the future? What do you like about how we currently handle badges? What do you not like? What are some examples of great reputation/status systems you'd like to see brought to Tom's Hardware? Is there anything you miss about our previous system?
We're open to your thoughts and constructive input as we push forward with another round of development on the Tom's Hardware Community as it constantly evolves.
Here are a few thoughts we're exploring already:
• Exclusive signatures
• Private discussion areas for top tier posters
• Personalized system configurations
• Up to a dozen small badges displayed under user avatar, rather than one or two.
Your feedback and ideas are welcome in this thread.
-JP
We're looking for feedback and input on the reputation system here on Tom's Hardware. What kind of improvements would you like to see in the future? What do you like about how we currently handle badges? What do you not like? What are some examples of great reputation/status systems you'd like to see brought to Tom's Hardware? Is there anything you miss about our previous system?
We're open to your thoughts and constructive input as we push forward with another round of development on the Tom's Hardware Community as it constantly evolves.
Here are a few thoughts we're exploring already:
• Exclusive signatures
• Private discussion areas for top tier posters
• Personalized system configurations
• Up to a dozen small badges displayed under user avatar, rather than one or two.
Your feedback and ideas are welcome in this thread.
-JP
More about : reputation system feedback
Currently Best Answers are tied to the Badges and that's it, to encourage better participation and better answers if receiving a Best Answer did more than just apply to the Badges but also add to a members status. A person that has accumulated 100 Best Answers could receive a title and to use military ranking say that would be Lieutenant and then continue all the way up to 1000 being General and then adding stars after that, 1500 being 2 star General, 2000 being 3 star and so on. It doesn't have to be this way it can be any title that could be used to show an advancement and accumulation of Best Answers. This could also be tied in with the exclusive Signatures that could be awarded as the total BA accumulate.
This could be used as an additional encouragement to post better quality responses to questions to obtain the BA.
Many times in a thread there are several answers that can qualify as the BA but fall just short of the one chosen, so maybe there can be a Best Answer Assist, where one or two members get some credit for a quality answer and a number of assists can equal a Best Answer in that category. An example Member X receives 5 assists in the CPU section and those 5 assists are then counted as one Best Answer in the CPU section, the number of assists can be determined by the Admins to what they feel would be appropriate 2,3,4,5 or any number.
This could be used as an additional encouragement to post better quality responses to questions to obtain the BA.
Many times in a thread there are several answers that can qualify as the BA but fall just short of the one chosen, so maybe there can be a Best Answer Assist, where one or two members get some credit for a quality answer and a number of assists can equal a Best Answer in that category. An example Member X receives 5 assists in the CPU section and those 5 assists are then counted as one Best Answer in the CPU section, the number of assists can be determined by the Admins to what they feel would be appropriate 2,3,4,5 or any number.
I like the idea of BA's accumulating in some way like that, but one thing I'd like to see is a "Quality Answer" category, similar in some ways to the "assist" mentioned above. This might be done using a thumbs-up/thumbs-down voting method. A "quality answer" may not directly answer the OP's question, but is one viewed by other[ thread participant]s as containing particularly useful information, likely indicating that its poster knows what he's talking about.
Related resources
- Introducing the New Reputation System - Forum
- General System Feedback and watercooling advice! - Forum
- Under $1800 Gaming System Feedback - Forum
- $1200 System? Feedback wanted - Forum
- Building a new system, would love feedback and opinions - Forum
Instead of putting the badges where they are under the avatar, where the quotes used to be, why not put them in the name bar? E.g. to the right of the poster's pseudonym. Would work well with the smaller badges you are proposing. Then put the quotes back in - from what I can tell, the quote currently does nothing.
I'd like line breaks in signatures back - makes it easier to separate different sections.
And to be able to see posts people have made - getting a PM referring to a thread is irritating, because you can't find that thread. Only real way seems to be a well-written google search aimed at the forum.
I'd like line breaks in signatures back - makes it easier to separate different sections.
And to be able to see posts people have made - getting a PM referring to a thread is irritating, because you can't find that thread. Only real way seems to be a well-written google search aimed at the forum.
A private discussion area for users who have 5000 posts or more would be a good idea.
Staff might be prepared to drop in to that area more often because they get treated well.
I'd like to sit and sip margueritas with Jane too.
Finally I'd like to be community manager for a day.
Also a super badge (one ring that rules them all) gained by mastering a number of areas sounds good to me.
If you owned the one ring I'd be prepared to be your genii for a day and ban anyone you wanted (just for an hour) ... heh heh ...
Staff might be prepared to drop in to that area more often because they get treated well.
I'd like to sit and sip margueritas with Jane too.
Finally I'd like to be community manager for a day.
Also a super badge (one ring that rules them all) gained by mastering a number of areas sounds good to me.
If you owned the one ring I'd be prepared to be your genii for a day and ban anyone you wanted (just for an hour) ... heh heh ...
I would venture to say that for the most part veteran members care a great deal about their reputation and ranking and it's only human nature to want to be recognized for your contrabutions , granted there are those that don't care about such things but the majority do. If a person spends a lot of time in the forum helping people and they are good at it then they should be recognized for their efforts.
Accumulated best answers seems to be the best way to identify those individuals, also total badges would be as well. Total posts not so much because I have seen many one word and up to one sentence posts which does not take much effort or offer a great deal of quality. It doesn't need to be an elaborate system and just a few levels that are easily recognizable to everyone.
Currently there are three badges that denote how long a person has been a member, perhaps that could be expanded to show more. Right now we have one, two and three years and we have many that have been here longer.
Accumulated best answers seems to be the best way to identify those individuals, also total badges would be as well. Total posts not so much because I have seen many one word and up to one sentence posts which does not take much effort or offer a great deal of quality. It doesn't need to be an elaborate system and just a few levels that are easily recognizable to everyone.
Currently there are three badges that denote how long a person has been a member, perhaps that could be expanded to show more. Right now we have one, two and three years and we have many that have been here longer.
I still very much miss being able to tell when someone is online real time in a thread as it might mean the difference in me sticking around a few more minutes to continue helping someone. They way it was done in the old forums was perfect.
I also miss being able to have one click access to all of a users posts. There were many times that was helpful.
I would love a private discussion area for users over a certain number of posts. That way all of us with over 5000 posts or so who are not mods would have our own little area to talk about everyone else just like the mods use their private area to talk about the rest of us!
Also is it just me or in the experts billboards can you still not browse previous months?
I also agree with inzone about accumulated best answers needing to be recognized. The best answer to answer ratio seems to me to be the best way to identify these individuals. Not to jerk my own chain ( too much anyway!
) but there are very few of us with a 10% or better best answer to answer ratio. It would be nice to be recognized for that in some way.
I also miss being able to have one click access to all of a users posts. There were many times that was helpful.
I would love a private discussion area for users over a certain number of posts. That way all of us with over 5000 posts or so who are not mods would have our own little area to talk about everyone else just like the mods use their private area to talk about the rest of us!
Also is it just me or in the experts billboards can you still not browse previous months?
I also agree with inzone about accumulated best answers needing to be recognized. The best answer to answer ratio seems to me to be the best way to identify these individuals. Not to jerk my own chain ( too much anyway!
) but there are very few of us with a 10% or better best answer to answer ratio. It would be nice to be recognized for that in some way.
Madn3ss795
June 7, 2013 7:13:07 AM
mactronix
June 7, 2013 2:58:01 PM
I am really glad to see an initiative like this. Not wishing to come across all melodramatic or anything but I was about a week away from deleting my bookmark shortcut for the site and stop visiting.
Many veteran posters like myself feel that the new badge/best answer system has given them very short shrift.
A reputation (measured in badges/posts and best answers)that took years to earn before, can now be accumulated in a matter of months.
I would suggest that we accumulate a few things so that you would need to have been an active member for X years or more and Have X best answers and X posts to qualify for the proposed discussion area and other possible benefits.
Would it be possible to grant veteran users like myself some form of default recognition on our Avatars ?
Similar to the way you guys have the Toms Team Star ?
I just feel that people like myself deserve some special recognition that new posters simply can not achieve.
Yes there are badges that are no longer issued that I could jazz up my profile with but I feel that that's a bit pretentious. I would rather have something issued by toms as a thank you that says we have not forgotten you guys and appreciate your years of input.
Dare I suggest a hammer of some description ? Do we still use those ? I have not seen a hammer on the forums for ages thinking about it.
Thanks
Mac
Many veteran posters like myself feel that the new badge/best answer system has given them very short shrift.
A reputation (measured in badges/posts and best answers)that took years to earn before, can now be accumulated in a matter of months.
I would suggest that we accumulate a few things so that you would need to have been an active member for X years or more and Have X best answers and X posts to qualify for the proposed discussion area and other possible benefits.
Would it be possible to grant veteran users like myself some form of default recognition on our Avatars ?
Similar to the way you guys have the Toms Team Star ?
I just feel that people like myself deserve some special recognition that new posters simply can not achieve.
Yes there are badges that are no longer issued that I could jazz up my profile with but I feel that that's a bit pretentious. I would rather have something issued by toms as a thank you that says we have not forgotten you guys and appreciate your years of input.
Dare I suggest a hammer of some description ? Do we still use those ? I have not seen a hammer on the forums for ages thinking about it.
Thanks
Mac
Madn3ss795
June 8, 2013 8:24:11 AM
mactronix
June 8, 2013 1:28:48 PM
Madn3ss795 said:
Not sure if this is the right place to ask but shouldn't it be fixed so that "best answer" can only be chosen by the thread starter and not anyone else?You would think so wouldn't you. It seems that people have not historically been very vigilant at selecting best answers, this was highlighted as an area that Toms wanted to see improved with this latest Forum update.
The decision to allow all and sundry to select best answers is aimed square at trying to achieve as high a question to best answer ratio as possible.
There are a lot of people that don't like it but that's the decision those in power have taken.
Mactronix
A member always has the option to report abuse if they feel that a best answer has been chosen irrationaly, we have had very few complaints from thread starters and a few from members that didn't like a person with no best answers choosing it. When abuse is reported it is taken care of, if more thread starters would follow through with selecting the best answer we wouldn't be in this predicament.
The decision to allow all and sundry to select best answers is aimed square at trying to achieve as high a question to best answer ratio as possible.
There are a lot of people that don't like it but that's the decision those in power have taken.
It's pure economics really - Tom's needs to survive financially and for that, we have to show up top in every search people make for their problem before even coming here. If what they see is a lot of posts which weren't satisfactorily answered, they'll go to another Forum so there's far more to BAs than just the posters' egos.
There's a lot to do. Yesterday I ran a search for a particular problem and found Tom's at the top of the list Google suggested. Sadly, though, the four posts in the suggested batch were totally useless but, in time and with a bit of work, they could all show BAs which are useful.
There are a lot of people that don't like it but that's the decision those in power have taken.
It's pure economics really - Tom's needs to survive financially and for that, we have to show up top in every search people make for their problem before even coming here. If what they see is a lot of posts which weren't satisfactorily answered, they'll go to another Forum so there's far more to BAs than just the posters' egos.
There's a lot to do. Yesterday I ran a search for a particular problem and found Tom's at the top of the list Google suggested. Sadly, though, the four posts in the suggested batch were totally useless but, in time and with a bit of work, they could all show BAs which are useful.
Madn3ss795
June 9, 2013 12:01:53 AM
Such proper plan there, I see. Having seen Toms as the no1 hardware guru according to Google for the last 8 years ( and even longer maybe, since I only built my first PC 8 years ago ), I understand the need of this feature now. Glad to be apart of it ( recently moved away from the local tech forum in my country since it has became a battlefield with hardware distributors fighting each other to gain customers using dirty tricks ). It feels great to be an advisor and get rewarded here.
anort3 said:
I still very much miss being able to tell when someone is online real time in a thread as it might mean the difference in me sticking around a few more minutes to continue helping someone. They way it was done in the old forums was perfect.I also miss being able to have one click access to all of a users posts. There were many times that was helpful.
+1 to both those features, in the old forum I found both of these were pretty helpful.
anort3 said:
I also agree with inzone about accumulated best answers needing to be recognized. The best answer to answer ratio seems to me to be the best way to identify these individuals. Not to jerk my own chain ( too much anyway!
) but there are very few of us with a 10% or better best answer to answer ratio. It would be nice to be recognized for that in some way.A Best Answer to Answer ratio would be pretty good, for a while I think I was above 10% as well.
Though I think there would have to be a minimum on the number of posts before its activated, maybe 500? Just someone could make one post, get a BA and appear far more trustworthy at a glance than those with thousands of posts.
One thing I don't like about the current badge ranking system is that its kind of counter-intuitive about the rank descriptors.
- Expert
- Authority
- Master
To me at least Expert seems to indicate a higher rank than Authority.
Now we just need a Grand-Master rank for those with over 200 BA
More tag specific badges would be good, I'm pretty active at answering threads under the "Water-Cooling" tag, having some kind of recognition for more specialist knowledge would be good. Similar to how I have also earned an Nvidia badge, which I think works on the same principle.
If active and higher contributing users could unlock more signature text space that would be great.
As well as counting the number characters in the final displayed signature, not what is typed in during the signature creation. I have to use TinyURL to fit links into my sig without removing my rig specs entirely.
mactronix said:
I would rather have something issued by toms as a thank you that says we have not forgotten you guys and appreciate your years of input.Dare I suggest a hammer of some description ? Do we still use those ? I have not seen a hammer on the forums for ages thinking about it.
Something like this could be turned into an event, along the lines of a poster of the month type deal. If it wouldn't put too much stress on the mod team (or whichever body would be responsible) then having some kind of highlight placed on top posters would be great.
Speaking of mods, having a greater transparency on how to become one and their responsibilities would be good. Maybe a sticky in the Forum Feedback section.
Just I have been somewhat interested in becoming one for a while, yet I dont really know how this is achieved, or the commitment that would be expected if I were to become one.
Think I went a bit beyond what Jpishgar wanted with this, but thoughts just keep flowing as I type
. mactronix said:
I am really glad to see an initiative like this. Not wishing to come across all melodramatic or anything but I was about a week away from deleting my bookmark shortcut for the site and stop visiting.Many veteran posters like myself feel that the new badge/best answer system has given them very short shrift.
A reputation (measured in badges/posts and best answers)that took years to earn before, can now be accumulated in a matter of months.
I would suggest that we accumulate a few things so that you would need to have been an active member for X years or more and Have X best answers and X posts to qualify for the proposed discussion area and other possible benefits.
Would it be possible to grant veteran users like myself some form of default recognition on our Avatars ?
Similar to the way you guys have the Toms Team Star ?
I just feel that people like myself deserve some special recognition that new posters simply can not achieve.
Yes there are badges that are no longer issued that I could jazz up my profile with but I feel that that's a bit pretentious. I would rather have something issued by toms as a thank you that says we have not forgotten you guys and appreciate your years of input.
Dare I suggest a hammer of some description ? Do we still use those ? I have not seen a hammer on the forums for ages thinking about it.
Thanks
Mac
Iv'e been as close as a minute away from deleting my account so you have got a long way to go before you out misery me buddy.
My advice is when you get upset walk away from the KB and try some "real life" ... I do ... and it helps.
Today I got caught in the rain twice ... had to go out for a 6 pin to molex connector and then to get some milk.
I sense people are laughing at me again ... keep it up I say !!
mactronix
June 10, 2013 2:09:36 AM
Saga Lout said:
The decision to allow all and sundry to select best answers is aimed square at trying to achieve as high a question to best answer ratio as possible.There are a lot of people that don't like it but that's the decision those in power have taken.
It's pure economics really - Tom's needs to survive financially and for that, we have to show up top in every search people make for their problem before even coming here. If what they see is a lot of posts which weren't satisfactorily answered, they'll go to another Forum so there's far more to BAs than just the posters' egos.
There's a lot to do. Yesterday I ran a search for a particular problem and found Tom's at the top of the list Google suggested. Sadly, though, the four posts in the suggested batch were totally useless but, in time and with a bit of work, they could all show BAs which are useful.
Toms has as has been said top of search results for a good few years now so I see no rush to increase the selected best answer count on that score.
As the second part of your post illustrates we are at risk of turning users away by generating a reputation for bad answers. Fewer competent useful answers would to my mind do a better job of bolstering our reputation.
Quality over quantity has always been my standpoint on this.
As I said though the decision has been made.
Mac
mactronix
June 10, 2013 2:13:56 AM
Quote:
mactronix said:
I would rather have something issued by toms as a thank you that says we have not forgotten you guys and appreciate your years of input.
Dare I suggest a hammer of some description ? Do we still use those ? I have not seen a hammer on the forums for ages thinking about it.
Something like this could be turned into an event, along the lines of a poster of the month type deal. If it wouldn't put too much stress on the mod team (or whichever body would be responsible) then having some kind of highlight placed on top posters would be great.
That totally misses the point of the suggestion which was this part of my earlier post.
Quote:
Would it be possible to grant veteran users like myself some form of default recognition on our Avatars ?Similar to the way you guys have the Toms Team Star ?
I just feel that people like myself deserve some special recognition that new posters simply can not achieve.
I'm not saying I am against your suggestion just didn't want my initial suggestion/request to get swallowed up with your extension of the idea.
Mac
my thoughts on the current reputation system and best answer selection process:
overall i think having best answers selected by veterans is a very good idea and i have definitely used this in cases where the op was being unreasonable and ignoring the only possible and highly relevant fix, in ideas where the op wasnt sure what was the best answer or in cases where the op abandoned the thread but no credit was given.
it does have some flaws though which i will list:
best answer and question threads.....
the vast majority of people seem to be creating "discussion" threads instead of "answer" threads which means that even if you were very helpful there are no best answers to be given. i've had numerous users want to give me a rating but they made a discussion thread by mistake.
my solution for this is to either default posts to answer status unless you click a box for discussion only (which works because most posts ARE questions), make senior members (veterans) able to modify the status of the post to a question type or make it blatantly obvious (and put the checkbox on the quick-create post area on the right) to the thread starter that they "want/need" to create an answer type post.
if done correctly the best answer system is brilliant.
the other problem which is brought up by mactronix is that some users with little or no experience may be selecting best answers. personally i havent seen any of this happening but i suppose we dwell in different parts of this forum.
i think that in order to select a best answer you should have a few minimums in place.
-you must be a member of the forum for a certain time limit. this would help you to get a good feel for the rules of the forum and also be around enough posts to know what you are doing and how things work.
-you must have a minimum amount of posts credited to you. this would weed out anyone who doesnt contribute.
-you must have a certain number of best answers in total.
all numbers should be reasonable... say 6 months, 250 posts and 30 best answers or so. that would make sense to me at least and would define "veteran" from "newbie". granted just because you are new here it doesnt mean you dont know what you are talking about but having some minimums would throw some "clout" and "reputation" behind the selection of best answers instead of just having it selected by someone who doesnt look legit.
i dont think that the best answers improve google rankings at all however i do agree that best answers make the forum much more appealing. if done properly.
so... some minor tweaks i think to make it more effective but overall i say its a great idea and should definitely stay.
----------
@mactronix
i agree that some sort of veteran hammer symbol or text under our avatars would be great. new users pick up on such things and it makes it easier for them to see that information is coming from a reputable source.
i do like the new badge system which displays a very big bright badge below our avatars which announces to everyone that we have just an inkling of experience in the matter. the trouble is that with not so many best answer posts going around its very hard to get a rating.
i will go out on a limb and say that 80% of the posts i answer arent best answer and i get zero credit. all of them should have been answer posts but the op didnt realize how to make one.
not saying i really care all that much about pretty pictures and reputation but it makes it obvious to the op about who knows what they are talking about and who doesnt know jack.
just some friendly suggestions!
overall i think having best answers selected by veterans is a very good idea and i have definitely used this in cases where the op was being unreasonable and ignoring the only possible and highly relevant fix, in ideas where the op wasnt sure what was the best answer or in cases where the op abandoned the thread but no credit was given.
it does have some flaws though which i will list:
best answer and question threads.....
the vast majority of people seem to be creating "discussion" threads instead of "answer" threads which means that even if you were very helpful there are no best answers to be given. i've had numerous users want to give me a rating but they made a discussion thread by mistake.
my solution for this is to either default posts to answer status unless you click a box for discussion only (which works because most posts ARE questions), make senior members (veterans) able to modify the status of the post to a question type or make it blatantly obvious (and put the checkbox on the quick-create post area on the right) to the thread starter that they "want/need" to create an answer type post.
if done correctly the best answer system is brilliant.
the other problem which is brought up by mactronix is that some users with little or no experience may be selecting best answers. personally i havent seen any of this happening but i suppose we dwell in different parts of this forum.
i think that in order to select a best answer you should have a few minimums in place.
-you must be a member of the forum for a certain time limit. this would help you to get a good feel for the rules of the forum and also be around enough posts to know what you are doing and how things work.
-you must have a minimum amount of posts credited to you. this would weed out anyone who doesnt contribute.
-you must have a certain number of best answers in total.
all numbers should be reasonable... say 6 months, 250 posts and 30 best answers or so. that would make sense to me at least and would define "veteran" from "newbie". granted just because you are new here it doesnt mean you dont know what you are talking about but having some minimums would throw some "clout" and "reputation" behind the selection of best answers instead of just having it selected by someone who doesnt look legit.
i dont think that the best answers improve google rankings at all however i do agree that best answers make the forum much more appealing. if done properly.
so... some minor tweaks i think to make it more effective but overall i say its a great idea and should definitely stay.
----------
@mactronix
i agree that some sort of veteran hammer symbol or text under our avatars would be great. new users pick up on such things and it makes it easier for them to see that information is coming from a reputable source.
i do like the new badge system which displays a very big bright badge below our avatars which announces to everyone that we have just an inkling of experience in the matter. the trouble is that with not so many best answer posts going around its very hard to get a rating.
i will go out on a limb and say that 80% of the posts i answer arent best answer and i get zero credit. all of them should have been answer posts but the op didnt realize how to make one.
not saying i really care all that much about pretty pictures and reputation but it makes it obvious to the op about who knows what they are talking about and who doesnt know jack.
just some friendly suggestions!
mactronix
June 11, 2013 10:37:42 AM
I didn't say it as a solution to the problem but for now as a temporary solution until a better system is devised.
The whole purpose of separating threads between question and discussion is to have a person ask a question for a problem and receive a solution where the discussion is to have a group of members discuss and event or new technology , there usually are not answers in a discussion just statements.
We do need is to have threads set to question by default, I see countless threads in all sections as a discussion where the OP is asking for help with an issue or asking for advice on a component.
The whole purpose of separating threads between question and discussion is to have a person ask a question for a problem and receive a solution where the discussion is to have a group of members discuss and event or new technology , there usually are not answers in a discussion just statements.
We do need is to have threads set to question by default, I see countless threads in all sections as a discussion where the OP is asking for help with an issue or asking for advice on a component.
mactronix
June 12, 2013 7:55:14 AM
Some of the conditions that signify a veteran member is how long they have been a registered member, what is their total number of best answers and badges. Sadly a high post count can be manipulated by somebody with a lot of time just sitting there giving short sentence or even a few worded posts. In a matter of 6 months they can rack up thousands of posts. So if you want to include the post count then it should be combined with the best answers in a percentage and a ratio of 8% to 10% of best answers to posts.
There is also something to be said for quality of posts where a member is recognized by his/her peers for providing quality answers even though they did not get selected for the solution, it's easy to see when someone posts an answer if they took the time to research the question or just typed what came to mind.
The thumbs up, thumbs down was a good feature that was added to every post.
There is also something to be said for quality of posts where a member is recognized by his/her peers for providing quality answers even though they did not get selected for the solution, it's easy to see when someone posts an answer if they took the time to research the question or just typed what came to mind.
The thumbs up, thumbs down was a good feature that was added to every post.
Those who contribute too or create stickies could get some kind of award (I think there is a badge?)
After all, the guys that are making the in-progress monitor guide (stickied in the Peripherals forum) I think deserve a bit of recognition
.
Also, not related to the topic at hand, what about a Meta-Sticky?
A sticky that is right on the overall forum hub, that references to all the other stickies and is organized by category. Slap a good title on it (The Tom's Knowledge Hub?) and I bet it would go some ways to fix the issue of people not reading stickies or not knowing there their entirely, leading to a reduction of simple as questions.
After all, the guys that are making the in-progress monitor guide (stickied in the Peripherals forum) I think deserve a bit of recognition
.Also, not related to the topic at hand, what about a Meta-Sticky?
A sticky that is right on the overall forum hub, that references to all the other stickies and is organized by category. Slap a good title on it (The Tom's Knowledge Hub?) and I bet it would go some ways to fix the issue of people not reading stickies or not knowing there their entirely, leading to a reduction of simple as questions.
i agree with having recognition based on..
-minimum post count.
-minimum best answers
-minimum length of time being a member
not sure about...
-number of badges.
dont like the idea of...
-needing to be in the top 50. i answer more than my fair share of posts yet i'm hardly ever in the top 50 since i answer alot of discussion threads which should be question threads and receive no credit. not saying i mind not being in the top 50 just that it doesnt affect recognition.
-ratio of best answers to posts. what about those posts where you post about 20 times or more in a discussion thread and get no best answer? while i'm within that range YMMV..
-minimum post count.
-minimum best answers
-minimum length of time being a member
not sure about...
-number of badges.
dont like the idea of...
-needing to be in the top 50. i answer more than my fair share of posts yet i'm hardly ever in the top 50 since i answer alot of discussion threads which should be question threads and receive no credit. not saying i mind not being in the top 50 just that it doesnt affect recognition.
-ratio of best answers to posts. what about those posts where you post about 20 times or more in a discussion thread and get no best answer? while i'm within that range YMMV..
You could fix the short posts issue using something like a minimum of 50chars to count.
I think any sort of overall award should require you to be good at a variety of things - you may be the expert on diagnosing USB issues, but know nothing about cooling a GPU.
Maybe best answers : question threads posted on?
I think any sort of overall award should require you to be good at a variety of things - you may be the expert on diagnosing USB issues, but know nothing about cooling a GPU.
Maybe best answers : question threads posted on?
mactronix
June 14, 2013 1:37:12 AM
jpishgar said:
A form of recognition along the lines of a hammer is certainly doable, I would imagine.What would be the requirements of such a thing? Let's hear your suggestions.
Some good Ideas however I would like to reiterate the purpose of the initial request.
Quote:
Would it be possible to grant veteran users like myself some form of default recognition on our Avatars ?Similar to the way you guys have the Toms Team Star ?
I just feel that people like myself deserve some special recognition that new posters simply can not achieve.
The bold is the important bit. So in this context being top for a number of months would be moot.
The only realistic way I can see this working (as its designed to recognize achievements in the old forum) would be to have it based on the old system.
My suggestion would be a Bronze hammer for any members who were Addict status on the old forum. Silver for Expert users and Gold for Master users.
Of course because its my suggestion I should get a Platinum Hammer and Joe should have a Platinum and Jewel encrusted one for being Community Manager
Mactronix
So far, I'm hearing recommendations for metrics:
• Length of time
• Number of Best Answers total
• Number of posts
• Sticky count
• Status in previous forum version (currently indicated by Legacy badges)
Benefits:
• Exclusive forum category access
• Hammer icon
Any other reputation metrics or benefits?
• Length of time
• Number of Best Answers total
• Number of posts
• Sticky count
• Status in previous forum version (currently indicated by Legacy badges)
Benefits:
• Exclusive forum category access
• Hammer icon
Any other reputation metrics or benefits?
Metrics
- Question threads posted in to BA ratio?
Would remove the issue of a high post count decimating the ratio, and wouldn't promote cut and run tactics in answering questions.
- Post count could work, but I think the posts themselves would have to be ranked in some way, so posts in certain sections are "worth" more than in other sections. Though the greatest difficulty with that would be figuring out a fair ranking, and making sure it isn't too unfair or beneficial to those who stick within certain niche's. Main idea behind this is so that the posters who predominately reside in say, "Beyond the Keyboard" forums don't end up with a badge that would imply deep tech knowledge.
Probably a terrible idea though
.
- Combinations of badges unlocking other badges.
Getting an "Expert" badge in each of the Hardware forums gets you a "Jack of all Trades" badge or something, with higher ranks of that.
Great chance to get some humour in the badge scheme as well, take Networking for example.
Expert - " A series of Tubes"
Authority - "More than a series of Tubes"
Master - "Far more than a series of Tubes"
Benefits
- Hammer Icon.
- Question threads posted in to BA ratio?
Would remove the issue of a high post count decimating the ratio, and wouldn't promote cut and run tactics in answering questions.
- Post count could work, but I think the posts themselves would have to be ranked in some way, so posts in certain sections are "worth" more than in other sections. Though the greatest difficulty with that would be figuring out a fair ranking, and making sure it isn't too unfair or beneficial to those who stick within certain niche's. Main idea behind this is so that the posters who predominately reside in say, "Beyond the Keyboard" forums don't end up with a badge that would imply deep tech knowledge.
Probably a terrible idea though
.- Combinations of badges unlocking other badges.
Getting an "Expert" badge in each of the Hardware forums gets you a "Jack of all Trades" badge or something, with higher ranks of that.
Great chance to get some humour in the badge scheme as well, take Networking for example.
Expert - " A series of Tubes"
Authority - "More than a series of Tubes"
Master - "Far more than a series of Tubes"
Benefits
- Hammer Icon.
Spoiler
I can see why this would be good, but also how it can be quite bad depending on the requirement for it. If we do it as Mactronix is suggesting (I think, could be wrong) then having it based off the old forum ranks would be great... for us. It would exclude anyone who's joined the forum since and could lead to a perception that only the older members have any weight on these forums, especially if only we get this recognition.
We could have the old ranks take form as another Legacy badge, but so far as to have a permanent icon next to our names (similar to the Team stars) I think would be too much. It would imply far more than it actually represents, which effectively was a post count with the old forum.
For something like that a hammer next to our name, it would have to be big achievement not just based off numbers to earn that.
We could have the old ranks take form as another Legacy badge, but so far as to have a permanent icon next to our names (similar to the Team stars) I think would be too much. It would imply far more than it actually represents, which effectively was a post count with the old forum.
For something like that a hammer next to our name, it would have to be big achievement not just based off numbers to earn that.
just for shits and giggles..... is this the hammer icon everyone wants
![]()
haha.... a little big and gaudy though
perhaps a giant GOLD hammer icon would be less gaudy (sarcasm)
no... not a gold MC hammer (more sarcasm)
![]()
-------------------------
realistically...
not sure sticky status or old forum badges should appy. the one is a rare occurance and the other is impossible for new users. we want this to be attainable for anyone provided they have the right experience.
perhaps this hammer can be a badge you can attain and will show up in the badge area and be the same size. this would be the easiest to implement.
a few ideas for powers
-change discussion thread to answer thread (perhaps with mod approval)
-link to flag a post for either sticky status or for moving to a different forum (which the mods would have to approve)
-ability to put text below our avatars. like manofchalk, someonesomewhere or jpishgar except have it be our own quote. like we used to have.
just enough power to be more usefull but not enough to cause problems.
haha.... a little big and gaudy though
perhaps a giant GOLD hammer icon would be less gaudy (sarcasm)
no... not a gold MC hammer (more sarcasm)

-------------------------
realistically...
not sure sticky status or old forum badges should appy. the one is a rare occurance and the other is impossible for new users. we want this to be attainable for anyone provided they have the right experience.
perhaps this hammer can be a badge you can attain and will show up in the badge area and be the same size. this would be the easiest to implement.
a few ideas for powers
-change discussion thread to answer thread (perhaps with mod approval)
-link to flag a post for either sticky status or for moving to a different forum (which the mods would have to approve)
-ability to put text below our avatars. like manofchalk, someonesomewhere or jpishgar except have it be our own quote. like we used to have.
just enough power to be more usefull but not enough to cause problems.
In the old forum with regard to the Hammer there were actually levels and once the Hammer appeared next to your name it was a Brass one. As you acquired silver badges when you got 5 of them the Hammer then turned silver, when you got 5 gold badges the Hammer then turned Gold.
So there could be several levels with the Hammer if we went with that scenario and represent several levels of veteran status.
Start with a normal wooden hammer, then Brass, Silver, Gold and even one more with say a Diamond in the handle or at the top.
I may be beating a dead horse here as I have mentioned this several times now and this will be another opportunity to do so again. If we're talking about perks or benefits for veterans then the Best Answer or Solution selection would be another that can be considered for those veterans that have achieved a certain veteran status. I would be more comfortable with established veterans selecting a Best Answer then with someone that has 5 Best Answers.
If it can be done without too much trouble the percentage idea of Best Answer to posts can represent a veteran status. Someone who is getting a best answer every 10 to 15 posts is giving good quality answers consistently.
I like the idea of mastering a section and the hardware section badge could be Hardware Master, then you can have Software Master, Wireless Master and so on.
So there could be several levels with the Hammer if we went with that scenario and represent several levels of veteran status.
Start with a normal wooden hammer, then Brass, Silver, Gold and even one more with say a Diamond in the handle or at the top.
I may be beating a dead horse here as I have mentioned this several times now and this will be another opportunity to do so again. If we're talking about perks or benefits for veterans then the Best Answer or Solution selection would be another that can be considered for those veterans that have achieved a certain veteran status. I would be more comfortable with established veterans selecting a Best Answer then with someone that has 5 Best Answers.
If it can be done without too much trouble the percentage idea of Best Answer to posts can represent a veteran status. Someone who is getting a best answer every 10 to 15 posts is giving good quality answers consistently.
I like the idea of mastering a section and the hardware section badge could be Hardware Master, then you can have Software Master, Wireless Master and so on.
rolli59
June 14, 2013 9:55:51 AM
Someone Somewhere said:
You could fix the short posts issue using something like a minimum of 50chars to count.I think any sort of overall award should require you to be good at a variety of things - you may be the expert on diagnosing USB issues, but know nothing about cooling a GPU.
Maybe best answers : question threads posted on?
According to the new system I have 2286 BA's.
Some are obtained by several postings/conversations with OP in the same thread, some from a single posting. I have even gotten best answers for answering Yes or No but those have been mostly a straight answer to a question from OP after several postings. When you get that kind of question where the only answer is yes or no is the reason not to put a character limit on posts. It would be even more annoying than have to put 3 words in a thread title.
Back to topic, currently the requirements to become a veteran is way to low, I have gotten more than 5 BA's in a day in the past. Member time, post count and BA's should all count in before that status is rewarded.
I wasn't talking about best answers - just towards the post count. Still not sure it's a good idea though.
I think the "jack of all trades" idea would do well for the hammer badge - if it takes long enough to get, it's effectively a limit on time anyway. Plus you eradicate the issue of those who signed up years ago but never did anything seeming credible.
Is it possible to put back some of the features that were lost in the new forums before trying to add more stuff? Such as the ability to see other posts from the same person?
I think the "jack of all trades" idea would do well for the hammer badge - if it takes long enough to get, it's effectively a limit on time anyway. Plus you eradicate the issue of those who signed up years ago but never did anything seeming credible.
Is it possible to put back some of the features that were lost in the new forums before trying to add more stuff? Such as the ability to see other posts from the same person?
mactronix
June 15, 2013 1:49:47 AM
Someone Somewhere said:
That doesn't work long term though(no one extra will ever gain it) - but I'd like to see it count the details from before the switch too.Yes that is the whole point of what I am asking for.
I am not suggesting no one else can ever gain any extra accreditation. I am asking for something specific for those who made certain achievements on the old forum system.
It was a lot and I mean a lot harder to gain reputation on the old system due to the way it was scored.
The new system allows for rapid growth of reputation based on posts (which we seem to agree can be gamed to some extent) and Best answers.
This ease of accumulation on the new system allows for a new poster to very quickly achieve the same counts as someone who has been at this for many many years using the old system.
All I am asking for is some one off recognition of that fact, Obviously to redress the balance it would necessitate that others couldn't gain the same award after the fact.
Mac
Personally, I'd say it has to give equal ratings - i.e. 100 BAs before counts just as much as 100 BAs after. Otherwise, no one will get the prestigious badges.
My main recommendation is think what it will mean 5 years on. If we say that the Golden Hammer (or whatever) required 1000 BAs on the old system, then any new talent will be ignored. If we say 1500 BAs total, it would have a similar effect now, but much better in 5 years.
My main recommendation is think what it will mean 5 years on. If we say that the Golden Hammer (or whatever) required 1000 BAs on the old system, then any new talent will be ignored. If we say 1500 BAs total, it would have a similar effect now, but much better in 5 years.
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