Why so cheap with the stars and points?

I'm relatively new here and haven't posted much but I've belonged to a number of large message boards and this one seems to hold the highest standards for giving out points and the members very spare in giving out stars to other people's comments. Am I imagining this?

I don't expect to get many stars as I am an unapologetic liberal and I don't exactly see this site as a bastion of liberal thought - I try to be respectful to the large numbers of conservatives, independents Libertarians and Republicans and to Democrats, Greens, people who are not citizens of the USA etc., etc. (sorry for resorting to the labeling) and enjoy hearing other points of view but I don't see them starring each other much either. I try to be respectful to everyone but ignore the most inflammatory. Is this starring thing really more competitive than I realized?

I'm just wondering. Stars are great and generosity is pretty easy on these terms. Why so cheap with each other, ATS members?

reply to post by ChrisCrikey


ATS is more for "fringe topics" like Ufo's,ect........I try to stay out of the politics area,they have their sides and that is about it.The thing is with ATS is that there is so many members from all over the world,good and bad that is.Different cultures=different ideas,members do a great job at trying to stay kind of "unified" but you can only expect so much.Plus stars and flags come from good,well put together OP's or posts.You don't really just get them for responding.

I think people are getting a lot more sensitive about their points (esp. lack thereof). I guess you could say that "point envy" is getting to be a real problem here. I just came from another thread where people had been posting one-liners & smiley faces in the debate forum just to rack up points. Fortunately, someone spotted what was going on & moved it somewhere less "lucrative". I just wish it didn't take so long to rack up enough for entry into RATS. I'm really curious to see what's in there.

JK made a good point. Start an awesome thread and you'll have more stars and flags than you can count.

Once I'm into a thread though I usually concentrate on reading and the ideas being bandied about, I suppose starring posts comes in as an after thought.

It's a good thought though. I'll pay more attention to the individual contributions in the future.

wupy

Thanks,I always make sure I star and flag a thread(op or post) as soon as I see that it is "worthy",lol.I think stars and flags not only make a member "feel better"by showing appreciation for their work but also has a "respect factor" here on ATS.Members with more point generally get more attention(rightfully so most the time)IMO.

reply to post by X-tal_Phusion

I'm pretty sure I'll never make it! I'm not looking for points in this thread, btw. Just curious as to what I perceive as a certain stinginess at this site. I give out lots of stars and so far haven't been chastised for it. Uh oh, is my liberalness showing?
Here goes.

There are plenty of ways to make points on ATS. This thread is a bit dated but still pretty accurate.

All About Points.

Make a few podcasts and you'll have more points than you know what to do with.

reply to post by ChrisCrikey


Have a star on me. Why not share the wealth?

Originally posted by mrwupy
JK made a good point. Start an awesome thread and you'll have more stars and flags than you can count.

Can you define "awesome thread" cause to be quite frank about what you have said, no offense intended, while there are indeed some threads within ATS that I would categorize as "awesome threads," there are a significant number of threads, along with thread starters, that are "friend networked" or simply mega star'd because of the political orientation, etc.

reply to post by X-tal_Phusion

Ha ha ha. Great. I think I'm going to have to leave now, I'm getting all weird and liberal - lots of pressure in that. When I come back I'm only going to star the post that a really, really, really, really good or that make me laugh.
Ta ta.

As i posted here -->

www.abovetopsecret.com...'

The quicker people realise that we're all fighting the same power, the quicker we'll be able to communicate, but at this very moment we're being pushed inside our own playing field because there are a few uneducated or should i say "newbie" people out there who decide to side with someone...

That's where you get people bashing on forums, by manipulating new people by forcing stars onto obvious dis-info agent posts(the newbies think because it has lots of stars that it's correct)...

They're all doing a great job, but the forces we're up against are so easy to take down, we must co-op :| to take the man head on!

Star and flag ;>!

reply to post by ChrisCrikey


Well, give me something better than this and I will star you. Give me something really good and I will flag you. What I would like to see is a poo poo button for the really bad posts. You didn't earn a poo poo. but you didn't earn a star or flag, either. Be happy with that.



Edited for a poo poo spelling mistake.

[edit on 9-4-2009 by kyred]

I gave you a star in one of your posts. Geeezzz now I almost wish I could take it back.
I am a go for the poo poo button. I think that’s a great idea.
You now have one star and two poo poo’s.

reply to post by ChrisCrikey


Well S&F for you!

It has also been my impression that there are posting cliques, (or as has Seekerof termed them "friend networked") threads at ATS.

No big deal. After a while, these will become apparent to you. You will notice them starting a new cycle around September when school starts in the fall. That aspect has to be expected.

I used to think posting a sedulous and eloquent reply to a thread was an important part of being a constructive ATS member, and would be rewarded in kind.. Now....not so much.

It really doesn't matter much now. Quality posting should be its own reward. It has to be,
or else you may find yourself as consternate as I. (points have been diluted to the realm of insignificance)

And there is a serious debate about debaters (fighters) gaining an inordinate amount of points for posting in the fight club pub (FCP). You must gain access to fighter status by agreeing to debate, in a special debate forum. The stars are used to partially judge the outcome of the debate.(winner). FCP

Stars are always free to give....so are flags. I am fairly "liberal" with staring well thought out posts. My ideology is conservative, so I am glad to agree with you on this! It may be the last time...ha ha.

Some of my posts have really surprised me in the number of stars they garnered. While others I have spent a great deal of time researching and linking to clearly illustrate a point, nothing.

Welcome to ATS!

Peace

[edit on 9-4-2009 by Zeptepi]

Well looks like your getting a little love now anyways!

I haven't been on ATS forever but can tell you the number 1 way to get stars....

GET A COOL OR FLASHY AVATAR! Avatars get you stars here, clear and simple. If you dont have an avatar or a large one, people seem to not star nearly as much. I had no avatar and got many applauses but not as many stars. I had a big pistol grip avatar and saw my stars go way up but no change in my posting. I have now moved to this tiny little hayabusa symbol and get a mix of the two

If your here for the stars though you are here for the wrong reason. There is tons of info on here that can be a very powerful tool to learning whats going on or just the world in general. I tend to go wow there is some dang crazy people on here but I still give them the time of day and you can get some cool knowledge. An example is the timewave zero theory, I think its awesome but explain it to people and its probably a bit nutty.

The other thing you will find is this site has the "real" news about whats going on and it will have it probably before any main stream source has it. Sometimes I can tell people at my work about something and it will be 2 days before they hear about it.

So start a few good threads that spark discussion or are breaking news and you will have points very fast. But just keep the real goal in mind of why you are here.

Happy trails and happy postings! I'm reserving a star for you for when you make your first real topic post I come across

I enjoy giving out stars and flagging threads I find worthy. I'll even flag threads I disagree with just because it takes a lot to make me disagree with someone/thing. If you write a well written and expressed thread expect a star and flag from me.

What I personally dont like is how after the first page everyone stops starring posts. There are A LOT of great posters that get into a thread after the first page.

But in the end, they arnt real and dont mean anything, so I take how many points you have with a grain of salt and rely on your actual posts to make my opinion!

reply to post by Tentickles

What I personally dont like is how after the first page everyone stops starring posts. There are A LOT of great posters that get into a thread after the first page.

Annoying isn't it?
Lack of attention span is the main cause of that. Most folks dont read much past the first 2 pages.

Usually accompanied with a post after 12 pages that starts off with "sorry, i haven't read the whole thread yet.....but here is...the same thing joeATS said on page 6...blah blah blah"
And I think to myself....yeah...is that really how you look when your sorry? I so want the poo poo button right about then. They are the ones that get umpteen stars for not even reading the whole thread.

That reminds me..I must go flag your podcast Tentickles...very good to hear you!

Peace

reply to post by ChrisCrikey


Stars and Flags tend to given out based on the topical nature of a thread this is why threads related to Ron Paul , scraping the Fed , other anti establishment dribble and UFOs e.t.c will always get a higher proportion of stars and flags then other higher quality topical threads . There is no fix for the problem only a work around . I have found that the best thing to do is to find a group of members whose intellect you respect and who you feel can make there case in a manner you can work with and focus your discussions on the boards with them .

From what I've read (and I may be wrong) stars and flags have no effect on your points. So I'm thinking that stars and flags just means you made a good post/thread.

I like it the way it is. I've always hated inflation.