Major Changes To Forum Policy

Edinburghlass_2

Ifts wrote: »

I know you cant please all the people all the time but its a shame when you have to punish the majority of MSE users who are very helpful for the actions of the minority who are rude and argumentative.

Sometimes people need to remember whether your helping someone save a penny or a pound its all relevant to the OP regardless of your own post/thank count or net worth. "Never look down on someone unless your helping them up" comes to mind.

Thank You to all fellow MSE users for your helpful posts, regardless of which boards you post on, keep up the good work

What a great phrase, it should be added to the "be nice to other moneysavers mantra"

magyar

I agree that losing the "thanks" in the MSA/DT boards would be a shame. I'm not sure I have seen any evidence of someone with a lot of thanks from those boards 'abusing' their thanks on the moneysaving boards. I don't really see what harm it does, but most people do find it very useful as a way of indicating whether or not someone agrees with something in a DT discussion.

It's simply a waste of space if someone now has to reply and say "I agree"

soolin

I think there are some very good ideas in the OP. I especially like the newbie rules, I can recall when I first found this site I was so pleased that I went round saying things like 'great thread' for days before I realised no one else did and that others probably saw it as trolling

I also like the idea that newbies will have a sot of 'bubble' to show they are new and as many have said can we please extend this to more than 3 posts, double figures would be nice. The card system is also a great idea, at least people will know where they stand and may avoid the threads with people saying 'how come xx got banned, he never even had a warning or anything'.

odowdchr

LandyAndy wrote: »

We are also lookng at post counts and thanks counts. Currently a (very) few posters with high post counts seem to act as if they are invincible and above the rules.

Though sometimes those posts are in the non-MoneySaving boards, and don't actually show any real contribution to the wealth of MoneySAving knowledge.

So we are considering discounting posts and thanks in the discussion baords from the post and thanks count - to make them a more reflective indicator. (obviously if people start posting nonesense in other boards just to build post count then they'll be deleted - red carded etc)


This is the only bit I struggle with.

Stop me from having a laugh, making a few jokes and having those jokes acknowledged and I will feel disappointed.
If you want a forum that is exclusively about ekeing out the last farthing that's fine but it probably won't be for me.

ETA: I do make contributions to 'moneysaving' boards but find that those boards are far more prone to being abusive than the Arms. You might think that people who post (and are thanked) regularly in The Arms are actually the more rounded posters who can add a wider view in the other boards.

And, so there is no doubt, thanks count is something that keeps me coming back.

You say people posting on the Arms board are actually the more rounded, yet then say that the "thanks" count is something that makes you come back? So it's a form of hedonism?

Psychological egoism is the view that humans are always motivated by self-interest, even in acts of altruism. When people choose to help others, they do so ultimately because of personal pleasure that they expect to gain. I saw somebody yesterday with over 300,000 "Thanks" for a comparative tiny number of posts....that's startling and a little bit frightening.

Surely the more rounded people are not in this category and fuelling psychological egoism can actually be harmful as encouraging a form of addiction....and it's exclusive to others just by the nature of it's unspoken competitiveness?

mbeamethyst

I've been a watcher on these boards for ages but a very reluctanct poster as I feel the negativity displayed towards people who are not super financially savvy is very intimidating so anything that can be done to discouraged would be really appreciated.

Just wondering if there is any other way to encourage those posters that are very supportive and have a mentoring and helpful attitude than just thanking them? I agree with the carding system for the scornful/nasty but what about some positive encouragment?

ThinkingOfLinking

odowdchr wrote: »

I saw somebody yesterday with over 300,000 "Thanks" for a comparative tiny number of posts....that's startling and a little bit frightening.

I don't know, and am not asking, who the poster you mean is, but for example in the Competitions forum, those of us who post new competitions can rack up a lot of thanks for a single post; for example posting an ITV competition can easily earn the OP around 400 thanks. But these posts ARE useful; eg I don't have a TV so wouldn't have another way of finding out the answer to the day's competitions and therefore wouldn't have any chance of winning.

JasonLVC

magyar wrote: »

I agree that losing the "thanks" in the MSA/DT boards would be a shame. I'm not sure I have seen any evidence of someone with a lot of thanks from those boards 'abusing' their thanks on the moneysaving boards. I don't really see what harm it does, but most people do find it very useful as a way of indicating whether or not someone agrees with something in a DT discussion.

It's simply a waste of space if someone now has to reply and say "I agree"

It'd be a shame to lose the Thanks in DT, however, I can understand why it does have to go. There is a tremendous amount of clique culture in the DT. Alll the left wingers gang together and thank their comrads, the same with the rights wingers, pro-this, anti-that brigades.

As a result, are the 'Thanks' because the post was informative, interesting or funny or simply becuase the post was made by your best mate/alter-ego/fellow 'believer'.

I like all the other proposed changes too, cannot see them doing any harm to the forums.

Edinburghlass_2

MSE_Martin wrote: »

We are also lookng at post counts and thanks counts. Currently a (very) few posters with high post counts seem to act as if they are invincible and above the rules.

Though sometimes those posts are in the non-MoneySaving boards, and don't

Update 11pm - some clarifications

Some RSI short clarifications.

1. The cards won't be public barring the black one (which is a PPR same as now - Posting Priviledges Removed) they will be communicated by PM
2. We are removing thanks in the non MS boards from the thanks count not removing thanks from there
3 . By Non-moneysaving boards I ONLY mean the MS Arms boards (inc discussion time) and possibly House prices board (tba) so things like techie board, competition time etc are MoneySaving boards
4. As discussed many times before we are a report an abuse site and that's not changeable for a whole host of legal reasons - so post moderation is not an option
5. BGs are not part of the abuse team and don't have a role in it - so more powers wouldn't help - and we again cannot mix the two.
6. As for newbies, we are aware most won't read guides. Hence the when they try and start a new thread, it will give options there and then with more info.
7. As for FAQ in each forum, if people want to put them together great.
8. This is an unofficial heads up, when the rules are starting - there will be official announcements for all of them

Please see Martin's addition to the OP regarding the thank button, it won't be removed just any thanks given in certain boards won't count to a user's total.

magyar

JasonLVC wrote: »

It'd be a shame to lose the Thanks in DT, however, I can understand why it does have to go. There is a tremendous amount of clique culture in the DT. Alll the left wingers gang together and thank their comrads, the same with the rights wingers, pro-this, anti-that brigades.

As a result, are the 'Thanks' because the post was informative, interesting or funny or simply becuase the post was made by your best mate/alter-ego/fellow 'believer'.

I like all the other proposed changes too, cannot see them doing any harm to the forums.

You're probably right. I'm not going to die in a ditch over it, it would just be a shame to lose it. I'm not convinced I have seen a good reason for it going, but if someone thinks it does - so be it.

Wortle

I have only read half of Martins OP on this thread.

Points 1 & 2 definately need addressing, it looks a good way to go.

Point 3

I have seen tried before and its pretty much unworkable. I was a "daily" on another forum and never use it now. All that happened was that the regular "we own the board" rounded on, reported and used the card method to get rid of some "trouble makers" who were less harmful when they were ignored, or a further "nice" poster just got back on topic replying to the question etc.
You will probably end up with a huge membership of rejoiners too.

IMHO opinion. It is all SO big concentrate on points 1 & 2 for the time being which should bring about most of what you are aiming for.

I love MSE and want it to change for the better.