Missed opportunity to speak of TITLES

[M. A. C. Newsome]

This is my first, and perhaps only post concerning the removal and/or restoration of titles. I never really paid much attention to them when we had them, and didn't even notice when they were removed until people started discussing it. So count me in that camp that doesn't really care one way or the other.

But it has occurred to me reading the posts in this and other threads, that people either post to say how much they miss the titles and hope they come back, or they post to say that (like me) they never really paid attention to them so it doesn't really matter.

I have yet to see a post by someone who adamantly feels that they should not come back and have no place in the forum.

I think that fact alone may be telling....

[longhuntr74]

I have yet to see a post by someone who adamantly feels that they should not come back and have no place in the forum.

I think that fact alone may be telling....

Add me to this camp! I sometimes noted them, most times not. I can't say that there presence or absence has a profound impact on my life, but I would like to see them returned...because, as many others have said, they add some fun to the forum, give a goal for some to achieve, and do recognize peoples contributions (more or less).

I disagree with those that say they are "exclusionary"...the only qualification to achieve one is time spent and contribution to the community...and isn't that what the forum is about and what makes it a great place to visit? Everybody can achieve one if they do what others have done to achieve theirs.

[ForresterModern]

This is my first, and perhaps only post concerning the removal and/or restoration of titles. I never really paid much attention to them when we had them, and didn't even notice when they were removed until people started discussing it. So count me in that camp that doesn't really care one way or the other.

But it has occurred to me reading the posts in this and other threads, that people either post to say how much they miss the titles and hope they come back, or they post to say that (like me) they never really paid attention to them so it doesn't really matter.

I have yet to see a post by someone who adamantly feels that they should not come back and have no place in the forum.

I think that fact alone may be telling....

Matt has a great point here I think. The original premise for removing the special titles and post count related rankings, all of which meant little REAL effect in the grand scheme of things, was that they were potentially intimidating to new members and had little relevance to the value of that persons posts and contribution to the forum. As Matt has astutely noted, instead of three camps in this debate--those of those in favor of the titles, those against the titles for some particular REAL (not imagined) reason, and those who couldn't give a rip either way---we seem to be hearing only the voices of those in the first and thrid camps, and no REAL valid argumants for why the special titles and ranking should NOT be a part of the forum again.

I for one, when I arrived, and to a degree still, valued the notoriety of those with special titles, even silly and meaningless as, say, grand defender of the rubber chicken, as they were unofficially earned recognition of some particular contribution to the forum, be that based on knowledge, service, or simply a major contribution to the overall tenor and tone of the forum family atmosphere. The ranking, faulted as they were by potentially inflated numbers due to low utility posts like "nice kilt" and "way to go", still, when combined with the recognition of how long the poster had been a member here, and with the reading of just a few of that member's posts, fairly quickly could tell the newbie who really had a valued voice and opinion in this forum, regardless of who often they posted. And over time those with lesser numbers of posts, but a long duration here, also came to be recognized as being knowledgeable, but selective in their choice of what to say and when, such as Mac o Rath, just as an example.

But the point overall is that where was the hue and cry to rid the forum of these achievement points actually coming from, the populace in general, the newbies (I for one never as a newbie complained about intimidation by either the numbers or titles), or the admins for fear of scaring of newcomers (something I am not sure has ever been demonstrated to be a valid concern with any case demonstration or data).

I like Grant, Jock, and the many others here miss them, and the whimsical jocularity that they brought with them to this extended kilted family we call a forum, and long for those "olden days" of yore.

I even see that Grant has changed his avatar to a black swatch, a symbol of his mourning for their loss, perhaps?

Again, just one man's O.

jeff

[Bugbear]

Matt has a great point here I think. The original premise for removing the special titles and post count related rankings, all of which meant little REAL effect in the grand scheme of things, was that they were potentially intimidating to new members and had little relevance to the value of that persons posts and contribution to the forum. As Matt has astutely noted, instead of three camps in this debate--those of those in favor of the titles, those against the titles for some particular REAL (not imagined) reason, and those who couldn't give a rip either way---we seem to be hearing only the voices of those in the first and thrid camps, and no REAL valid argumants for why the special titles and ranking should NOT be a part of the forum again.

I for one, when I arrived, and to a degree still, valued the notoriety of those with special titles, even silly and meaningless as, say, grand defender of the rubber chicken, as they were unofficially earned recognition of some particular contribution to the forum, be that based on knowledge, service, or simply a major contribution to the overall tenor and tone of the forum family atmosphere. The ranking, faulted as they were by potentially inflated numbers due to low utility posts like "nice kilt" and "way to go", still, when combined with the recognition of how long the poster had been a member here, and with the reading of just a few of that member's posts, fairly quickly could tell the newbie who really had a valued voice and opinion in this forum, regardless of who often they posted. And over time those with lesser numbers of posts, but a long duration here, also came to be recognized as being knowledgeable, but selective in their choice of what to say and when, such as Mac o Rath, just as an example.

But the point overall is that where was the hue and cry to rid the forum of these achievement points actually coming from, the populace in general, the newbies (I for one never as a newbie complained about intimidation by either the numbers or titles), or the admins for fear of scaring of newcomers (something I am not sure has ever been demonstrated to be a valid concern with any case demonstration or data).

I like Grant, Jock, and the many others here miss them, and the whimsical jocularity that they brought with them to this extended kilted family we call a forum, and long for those "olden days" of yore.

I even see that Grant has changed his avatar to a black swatch, a symbol of his mourning for their loss, perhaps?

Again, just one man's O.

jeff

There are members who have stated that they perceive other members as posting to drive up their rank etc.

Removing the rank and post count would remove that complaint issue; though I suppose it would not fully remove the perception.

I guess at this point, for me, it really doesn't matter; the perception of others would still linger...

I think this all has to do with people, through their posts, rubbing other people the wrong way, and very little to do with titles and ranks.

[robthehiker]

There are members who have stated that they perceive other members as posting to drive up their rank etc.

Do they feel that XMarks would be a better place without people driving up their post count by saying things like "welcome" and "happy birthday" and "sorry to hear you're not well"? Interesting.

[Bugbear]

Do they feel that XMarks would be a better place without people driving up their post count by saying things like "welcome" and "happy birthday" and "sorry to hear you're not well"? Interesting.

I don't know.

However, except for one very weird birthday thread, I have been avoiding posting in those threads.

Like I said, I am beginning to feel that this has very little to do with the counts and titles, rather an underlying issue of guessing why other people are posting: intentions etc.

And with that, I should probably drop out of this thread.

[jordanjm]

I always felt good when I ranked up. It was a recognition of real contributions I had made to the forum. In the case of the Welcome, or Hello posts: How many of you stayed here because you were personally welcomed? I know I did, and in that regard I tried to reciprocate by welcoming others here, and growing the user-base, which contributes to the value of the forum, both by encouraging new voices, but also increases the possibility of the advertisers making money, which increases the possibility of the ownership of the site making money. So all of the complaints about welcome posts and them being a bad way to gain a rank do not make sense to me. I really try to contribute here, but there are sooooooo many people who know so much more than me I find it hard to, except in some small ways.

[ForresterModern]

I always felt good when I ranked up. It was a recognition of real contributions I had made to the forum. In the case of the Welcome, or Hello posts: How many of you stayed here because you were personally welcomed? I know I did, and in that regard I tried to reciprocate by welcoming others here, and growing the user-base, which contributes to the value of the forum, both by encouraging new voices, but also increases the possibility of the advertisers making money, which increases the possibility of the ownership of the site making money. So all of the complaints about welcome posts and them being a bad way to gain a rank do not make sense to me. I really try to contribute here, but there are sooooooo many people who know so much more than me I find it hard to, except in some small ways.

No question that Welcome posts are a strong asset to the newbie here showing the interest of the rabble in having them join the family. If I remember correctly posts in that particular forum section did not count toward your running post totals anyway, so there was no ulterior incentive to post welcomes, but also no disincentive, other than it took a wee bit of your time and a few keyboard strokes (my I am feeling so put out by all this typing----). But as MacLowlife states above it is pretty easy to pick out who has the "chops" so to speak around here when it comes to kilt knowledge and experience, and post counts and ranks (which really had no other purpose than to acknowledge attainment of a certain number of posts) while being no guarantee to a true assessment of a member's knowledge, when combined with the longevity of their membership, and with a brief review of thread posts and threads started available at that persons User CP under statistics, could generally give you a pretty good idea of where that member stood among the crowd, and how valuable and trustworthy their information and opinions might be. As did the banner titles under the names, some of which denoted service to the forum in one capacity or another (moderator, former moderator, etc), or specific utility (forum historian), or special honors granted, admittedly without specific criterion but with general consensus (kilted legend), by the forum officials. They gave some credence to those people's long term involvement and value to the forum, regardless of their rank or number of postings. For me as a newbie they helped me figure out who to listen to and pay credence to and who to cast a skeptical eye toward, but also who to ask specific questions of, and whose answers to best believe. Over time thay have become less important as I developed my own knowledge of who among my fellow xmarkers I could believe in and understand and value thier information and opinions, so right now I don't really care what my particular rank is, but someone new reading this thread might care, and to them it might be helpful. And okay we occasionally get a little lift when we cross a milestone with a recognition congratulatory post in the celebrations thread. But some day, hopefully, if I stick around here long enough, learn a lot more and also contribute back what I have already learned both here and elsewhere, as well as by experience, maybe someone
will think enough of my contributions to honor me with a special title (Honored Kilted Belittler of Grant) or other recognition. I certainly believe that they don't detract from the forum or its friendliness, cost little but a small program adjustment and a few extra electrons moving through the wires, and add some honor and whimsy back to the mix to keep things loose and easy going, while still interesting, informative, and fun to participate.

jeff

[NewGuise]

No question ...

What Jeff said. Apart from the 'Belittler of Grant' bit, as I can claim no special title in that regard.

[ccga3359]

I for one never as a newbie complained about intimidation by either the numbers or titles

Oh my title intimidated you, admit it!

They gave some credence to those people's long term involvement and value to the forum, regardless of their rank or number of postings.

Yes a full faced rubber chicken sporan is suitible for all occasions.

...maybe someone will think enough of my contributions to honor me with a special title (Honored Kilted Belittler of Grant) or other recognition.

How many times do I have to tell you people? Honour is spelt with a "U". Honour, honour, it's not rocket science kilt making! It's one key stroke (unless you are honouring a neighbour down at the harbour).

If I remember correctly (and it`s about the only thing I do) Posts on the New Member forum and Off Topic forum did not add to post count.