OtakuBoards v7

[Semjaza]

I wasn't referring to the RPG hacks as "judging". I was referring to any sort of rating system where mods or even members have some sort of say in how high a person's rating is. Something that was mentioned before in this thread by others. I thought I differentiated between the two with my wording, but maybe not heh. I'm referring more to any system where people give out points or stars or whatever else... something I think is pretty common elsewhere.

Either way, if there is no point... I don't even see why it's even an issue. I certainly don't want all these stupid stats under my name, nor do I want people passing out numbers to me either based on how much they like me. I don't like the idea of either, to be honest.

So... eh.

[James]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i]
[B][SIZE=1]Taking a slightly different view of things, as far as points and titles and post counts go, whatever system we end up using we are going to have to be able to explain every time a new member asks... A rather daunting task. [color=white]Alternately, we could just point them to a single posted explanation, but where's the fun in that?[/color] Anyway.[/SIZE] [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=#707875]Heh, we frequently point members to the rules page.

Maybe that is an interesting fact to bring up (considering that quite a few people still fail to read the rules).

Anyway, this is another reason why I want something simple. Some of the ideas in this thread (regarding this issue) are just way too complex. They're not easy to implement, nor are they easy to explain to newbies.

Post counts might be problematic, but at least they're easy to understand...I think. ~_^[/color]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel:[/i][b]
Either way, if there is no point... I don't even see why it's an issue. I certainly don't want all these stupid stats under my name, nor do I want people passing out numbers to me either based on how much they me.
[/b][/quote]

[color=#707875]It's not an issue to you (or me for that matter) and that's fine.

But it [i]is[/i] obviously an issue to a lot of people here (as evidenced by this thread).

I'm certainly not in favor of some arbitrary ratings system, which is why I talked about a system where people are rewarded for high post quality. I don't see that as unreasonable, it's just a very difficult proposition...and one that probably could never work. But I mentioned it so as to emphasize where I'm willing to go.

As I said, a lot of suggestions here are simply infeasable for many reasons. What I'm using this thread for, however, is to gauge people's responses to ideas. And to see what they think is necessary.

So, a lot of people like post counts. And a lot of people like the RPG hack. You and I don't like either. But because OB is a service to members, it's my job to come up with a solution. So, that's why the issue is worth discussing, I guess.[/color]

[Semjaza]

Yeah. I understand all that. People just want this place to be more "interactive", I guess.

Well, there's my side of it heh. I'm on the against side of things. I think the main problem of most of these is the large potential for abuse. While I'd like to think most people here wouldn't give in to that... I honestly do think most people would.

[James]

[color=#707875]I agree with that. And that is why I don't plan to ever introduce a member-to-member ratings system again. It's pointless and it becomes too messy.

I'd rather people focus on the quality of what they are saying, as opposed to a few stars next to their name.

I must say though...while I'm not very happy about post counts, I feel that these days...they are becoming less important anyway. Fewer and fewer people seem to be spamming to reach a higher level. Of course, there are exceptions. But most people seem to realize the emphasis that we put on quality, which is a positive sign.[/color]

[Roxie Faye]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by James [/i]
[B][color=#707875]So, it's entirely possible that we'll keep post counts...but make them private (ie: you only see them when you visit a profile). Or, we'll do something with the titles...so that people no longer spam to receive higher titles.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff]Please, I heartily agree. I do not like having to look at how many posts I have, after everytime I write something. It would be better if you could simply hide it away inside a member's profile.

Going along the same lines of posts counts and titles,[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by GunMetal [/i]
[B][color=#003399]I'm not enjoying the STAT idea very much either, it just doesn't seem good. I say do away with post counts and have 4 status'.

Member
Moderator
Super Moderator
Administrator

Nice and simple.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE]
[color=#9933ff]I agree with GunMetal on this, as well. I don't really like the idea of all the ranks we have. Though amusing sometimes, It's just something I'm not for.

Either that, or if you DO stick with the ranks, I would like to request that you PLEASE change the newbie one so it says: New to OB. Or, something along those lines. The word "newbie" to me, is a bit annoying, as it's basically saying that you're new, and stupid, and was a bit offensive to me, when I was one. That was the premise of "Newbie and DARN proud of it", that not all new members are stupid and evil. Whatever you do, don't change the title to: "STUF n00b!!11" or I'll positively die. V_V *shoots a look at Semjaza*

In the end, to me, it doesn't even matter how long you've been here for, or what your post count is. I can name several members that have been here for a shorter time than I, and yet are already Otakus and Extreme Otakus, and I still don't fine their post quality appealing. I can also think of vice versa situations. Ranks and post counts are just something trivial, that I think, might be nice to disclude in version Seven.[/color]

[TheShinje]

[size=1] I see no necessity for post counts , and would like to see them abloished in v7. I'm not necessarily talking about getting a replacement though. I think we should all have just one united rank : "OB Member" or similar name. Then nobody would be so agitated by the rank "newbie" and be so eager to shrug it off, if your considered an OB member at the start, it's more welcoming too :) [/size]

[Juu]

[color=ff00cc] [size=1]I really don't care about the post counts. Though, it is interesting to see how many times someone has posted. Not too sure why, but it's just fun looking at them. >>;

But I really think, if they were mature enough, the respect a member gets from that person shouldn't revolve around how many times they've posted. I mean, tons of newbies have great post quality right off the start.

Though, I'd actually like to keep the post counts somehow. It's just fun looking through the numbers. >>;

But, yeah, I'd have to agree with Roxie. I think the title 'newbie' is kinda annoying. And at first, I thought 'Junior Member' meant 'Younger Member', or something. Maybe if the ranks were changed to something less related to how long they've been here, it might make them not want to move on to the next rank as much, since their titles don't say that they're new?

*curls up* [/color] [/size]

[Guest Zeh]

I remember a pretty neat idea. Replace post count with member number.

About the titles, i think you should have two, like we did back in OB v.1. (It was Newbie until 25, then you were 'Master', then something else was added later.)

You should have Newbie for maybe 15 posts, then go on to 'member' or something.

[AzureWolf]

[quote]I remember a pretty neat idea. Replace post count with member number.[/quote] I remember that idea (I think it is also called UserID# or something). Ugh, all that recreates is a superiority complex for people who have been here longer, as if they are better because they joined earlier. It is cool, but some people are way too immature. Simply, this idea results into the same problem the post count creates.

[G/S/B Master]

I've got another idea. This was inspired by newgrounds abusive system by the way.

How about under a post that allows people to say if the post/topic was abusive or out of topic and it shows how many people said it was abusive. Then when 10 ( or how much votes you want ) people/votes that said it was abusive or out of topic is deleted, boom, just like that. This way the mod doesn't have to close topics or delete a post ( if they can ). Also an option to tell if it was usefull/helpfull/wasn't abusive or out of topic. If 10 ( or some number ) said it was helpfull/usefull then a point is given ( using Braidless Baka's idea for the 2nd option ).

For the ranks , I would suggest changing the udderly funny title "I Live Here" to "Otakuboards Oldie".

[Domon]

I agree, we need a spell checker. I don't know how many rp posts I've seen that have like 10 or 20 mispellings and it boggles my mind. So that's all I can sugguest really.

[TheShinje]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by G/S/B Master [/i]
[B]I've got another idea. This was inspired by newgrounds abusive system by the way.

How about under a post that allows people to say if the post/topic was abusive or out of topic and it shows how many people said it was abusive. Then when 10 ( or how much votes you want ) people/votes that said it was abusive or out of topic is deleted, boom, just like that. This way the mod doesn't have to close topics or delete a post ( if they can ). Also an option to tell if it was usefull/helpfull/wasn't abusive or out of topic. If 10 ( or some number ) said it was helpfull/usefull then a point is given ( using Braidless Baka's idea for the 2nd option ).

For the ranks , I would suggest changing the udderly funny title "I Live Here" to "Otakuboards Oldie". [/B][/QUOTE]

[size=1] There is a tendency for something like that to be abused thoguh, say, ten people disagree with the way the topic is pannign out, eg, a religious debate where the other side has a better quality argument , or have a problem with the thread starter, there, you have ten votes, and maybe a deleted post that wasn't against the rules in any way.
[/size]

[Jesus Chicken]

[color=blue]Yeah, there's no real need for it anyway. Because when you think about it, when someone sees something they really don't disagree with, like a post, they are generally mature enough to send a PM to a mod, or maybe the member who posted whatever it is that is causing the other person to be offended. For example, when I was a newb on these crazy boards, I had a banner that featured a cartoon I had drawn. Sara Tuscumbere (I think thats right) didn't like it very much, and so PM'ed me. I took it on board and changed my banner. So yeah. When people have a problem with something, normally they will let someone know about it. I see no need to introduce a different system for doing something we can already do just fine.[/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Well, while reading the last couple pages, I got an idea for something to to replace post counts. That is, base it on how many words you've posted. Like, say, you get a point for every hundred or thousand or however many words you post. (I think every thousand would be best). That way it'd be encouraging how much is in the posts, instead of the posts themselves. I think that's about the closest thing you could get to judging actual post quality, short of having the mods judging and awarding points. (Which I personally would not like to do, since it would just be too much of a hassle).

I really have no idea how difficult this would be to impliment, or if it's even possible, though. Just figured I'd throw it out there.[/color]

[GreatDeitylink]

I argree with Desbreko, because some people write longer posts, which contain more words so they don't have to make a lot of post when others right short ones so they make a lot of posts (even though you are supposed to make a quality post.). Also I was thinking about making your own style of OB so you would have a set of pictures that fit your personallity. Like if you liked Zelda you could have a Zelda banner on the top and then there would be links to the options.under it. You would also be able to pick the colors of the boarders around the threads.

[Manic Webb]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Zeh [/i]
[B]I remember a pretty neat idea. Replace post count with member number.[/B][/QUOTE]

I don't know. OB currently has 4,900+ members. I wouldn't want other members to know that I'm Member #5,001 while other members have really low numbers like 2 or 7.

[Semjaza]

I don't get why we can't go with what was mentioned awhile up. Keep post counts, but don't have them displayed on the main pages. Just have them in people's profiles.

That's how it is at GAF, and honestly... I don't think anyone runs around checking people's post counts. It's never even considered.

[Syk3]

Yeah, I like that idea, whereas we simply keep post counts in the profile section. We could also have people made as members from the beginning, rather than newbies or junior members, so it's never an issue of someone being better than someone else because of their post count or a title based on such.

There are some ideas floating around that I find appealing as well, such as uploading in the quick response, a spell checker, a place in your profile where you can edit your font, and uploading banners into your signature. The upload feature in the quick response would encourage faster posts, rather than having to wait for the Post Reply page to load. A spell checker would be great for people such as myself who seems to find themselves editing their posts numerous times to weed out such grammatical errors. It would also help out newer members who are not putting as much effort into those kinds of things. The editing font would save a lot of trouble, especially for people who would have a certain font, but don't due to the ammount of time that it takes to type it in each time in your posts. Lastly, the uploading banners feature would help with people who don't know how to insert it in their sig using vB code, or have trouble putting it on the net elsewhere.

As for forums, I think the main thing is that we should be eliminating those forums will less activity, or combining a number of low activity forums on their own. I agree that we should combine the gaming forums, and simply get rid of the Gundam forum. There should be a PC forum elsewhere on the forum, rather than the gaming section that is, since I didn't post their for the longest time believing the forum, to apply simply to gaming. We'll hopefully be able to move both the general gaming forum and the PC forum to a seperate section, perhaps an electronics section. I also find it a good idea to have icons when you put up a forum in order to imply it as being one of the four major consoles -- PS2, GC, XBox, and PC -- and perhaps deeper into older generation consoles.

[Sara]

[size=1]The things about a spell-checker--There are a [i]lot[/i] of words it won't recognize. People's names, titles of series, websites, even things like [i]manga[/i] or [i]newbie.[/i] (or [i]Otaku[/i].) I don't want something suggesting that I [i]really[/i] mean [i][b]mango[/i][/b] every time I post about Chobits... [/size]

[Semjaza]

That's a good point. I don't feel we need one, especially for some of the better writers here... Spell checkers do not pick up on context at all, which is very important on a forum.

If you're not going to spend enough time to spell basic words right, then perhaps you just shouldn't post here at all.

However, people seem to want one... so what the hell. As long as I can disable it totally, I don't care.

[BlackDragon465]

I don't got many suggestions except that it sounds like a great update on the boards. I can't wait to see what you do. Also maybe another theme more dark color than for us people who like the dark. That is all basicly.:)

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]The spellchecker idea is probably fundamentally flawed. If it's not automatic, than those who don't have the inclination to spell words correctly anyway most likely wouldn't have the inclination to use it, and let's face it, minor typos and the like aren't a problem. It would really be there to target those who don't put any effort in.[/font][/color]


[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i]
[B][size=1]The things about a spell-checker--There are a [i]lot[/i] of words it won't recognize. People's names, titles of series, websites, even things like [i]manga[/i] or [i]newbie.[/i] (or [i]Otaku[/i].) I don't want something suggesting that I [i]really[/i] mean [i][b]mango[/i][/b] every time I post about Chobits... [/size] [/B][/QUOTE]


[color=crimson][font=gothic]If it's a custom word database though, as most of them are these days, then adding in commonly used terms from anime or whatever the hell else uses language and spelling that looks like random anagrams of something written in another language in the first place... User names could probably added when people sign up. Names could be a problem, I'll give you that.[/font][/color]

[Manic Webb]

After thinking about it, I agree with users starting off as Members, rather than Newbies and Junior Members. However, I think we should keep the higher user titles beyond 1,000 posts. I [i]so[/] want to know how high they go and what their names are.

[James]

[color=#707875]A spellchecker tends to be important to those who would use it - in other words, those who actually care about their spelling.

For such people, it wouldn't be hard to either use an online dictionary or to use a spellchecker in Word, etc.

Most people aren't going to use a spellchecker if we provided one. And we're not going to force it on people, partly because of the reasons listed above.

But as far as it being an option, we'll see. If it's possible, we'll do it for v7.[/color]

[Jesus Chicken]

[color=blue]Just following on from Manic's comment from the previous page about having different titles for OB memebers who have made 1000+ posts. Perhaps there could be a few different titles to choose from, for those people who want be a bit different. I'm not exactly sure what they could be, but I'm sure it would be a pleasant change from everyone being exactly the same. Perhaps you could have titles that have something to do with member's interests. Something like "Manga Maniac" for a person who is an avid Manga fan. I dunno. I'm just throwing ideas around here, but yeah.[/color]