A new way to thank our members who contribute consistent quality -- no ads!

reply to post by AllTiedTogether


I strongly disagree with your argument here. (Now I see what Springer and Skeptic were talking about!)

Hopefully the members of ATS are all grown up and will be mature enough to deal with this "issue of joining the club" (shouldn't even be an issue!) maturely and not abuse the S & F system, it already happens somewhat anyways. Of course there will be cliques, but honestly how many friends do you think a member who posts meaningless and trolling threads has? It won't take long for us (the community) all to notice he/she is counterfiet.

Anyways, I think this is all being blown out of proportion, partially due to envy (yes I said it, no one else would) of some members. Who cares, as long as you get what you want from ATS and do what you do who cares if your "tagged 250 X3", "FSME", or "Conspiracy Master". All those are great perks and rewards for those dedicated to the creed of this site, but in the long run they are nothing but decorations.


I just think you and some of the other members need to calm down a little and give the staff a break. Why don't we all just go back to what we are here for in the first place; LEARNING and DENYING IGNORANCE

~Justin

Random idea to fill in time.

As Jazzyguy suggested a few pages back, perhaps we could have a little badge in the corner of our profile or something?

Something like: (But designed by someone who can actually use photoshop)

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/add27eba1d23.png[/atsimg]

reply to post by MajorDisaster


How does it normalize in the end when you have each person attempting this to have added 250 Posts/Flags/Tags, and also starting threads for the sheer purpose of getting these points to prevent ads from displaying on their screens?

These people who have achieved the goal within hours of the announcement now have Ad free ATS content.... All by the small act of having all your friends go off and flag and star your posts....

I thought the idea with Starring a post was to show agreement or appreciation for the work a member may have done... Hold on... I'll get it from the gospel...

Very similar to the ranking systems on DIGG and delicious, it enables you to flag threads you feel are important or interesting.

Each member who flags a thread increases its overall importance as compared to threads with fewer flags.

Source


and on the Stars you have this belief....

If you like what a poster has written, you star their post. That's all. In some cases, it becomes about who agrees more, in some it's a popularity contest, but in most cases, each star was given because someone found the post to be exceptionally good in one way or another.

Emphasis mine...to show that most would take this as the meaning... but do check the link that will show that the remaining five responses were pretty close in their 'belief' of how the system was working.
Source

and then from SkepticOverlord himself

Quality is quality, regardless of whether we agree with a point or not. We aspire to have the wherewithal to admire excellent contributions from people we disagree with. We desire to encourage our perceptions to be challenged by debate that forces us to think hard about our position. We need quality content that forces us to think and respond. Toward these ends, the new post-rating system provides a 5-star scale that translates to:

Emphasis mine... to show what they were really intended for...
Source

So, do we now believe that people going for the gold or attaining the 250 club has anything to do with the quality of ATS threads and posts? I truly can't see how anyone can see this a positive measure.

Maybe we should up the number from 250 to 1000... that should make ATS look really good eh? WoW! All those stars and flags... they must be really quality posts going by the amount of indications of "Quality content" or their "Excellent Contribution"...

reply to post by AllTiedTogether

Maybe we should up the number from 250 to 1000... that should make ATS look really good eh? WoW! All those stars and flags... they must be really quality posts going by the amount of indications of "Quality content" or their "Excellent Contribution"...

Maybe they should......It would certainly deflate the members who, as you say are just trying to get rid of ads or win a popularity contest. That is a much more difficult standing to reach.

Also the "5 star rating system" is obsolete.

Originally posted by -0mega-

Originally posted by Flighty
Well, Ive got more than 250 posts, more than 250 stars.....
But only 2 Flags as I rarely start threads.
Guess I'll have to work on that!

You need to wait till WWIII breaks out and announce it first on Alt. Brk. News.

Meanwhile . . . Focus on multi-incestual relationships or pedophilia in the White House.

reply to post by fooffstarr


LOL, that is actually a good idea, although the "250/250/250" looks kinda' cool.

Originally posted by AllTiedTogether
I truly can't see how anyone can see this a positive measure.

I can, it was considered that people would behave like responsible adults instead of spoilt brats.

So, in the end, it had two purposes (although only one was probably expected), it has awarded those with the most popular contributions (the ones that bring more revenue from the ads) and it has showed who are the spoilt brats that want the same toy that the other boy has, forgetting that they were naughty instead of nice.

And remember, we can always see what were the last threads flagged, so it is easy to see who has been playing that game.

honestly . . . the ads do not bother me much

It amazes me that no matter how much the Amigos try to improve the site, usually based on member complaints or suggestions...there just seem to be so many who are unappreciative.
Seriously..What did you originally come here to ATS for?
Points?
Stars?
Flags?
OR CONTENT.
This is a move to IMPROVE THE CONTENT.
Did you google search trolls? spam?
Just no way to please everyone is there...

I have the stars and posts....but will never have the flags.

I'm not a hoaxer and don't like making threads....so will get no flags.


As other have said....ads don't bother me that much

Here's a thought:

It may actually discourage some people from flagging a worthy thread, if the author is already a member of the 250 club. "They don't need it; they're already there. Let me look for OP's from those still striving to get there".

Maybe? Maybe not to worry?

reply to post by jkrog08


That rating system may be obsolete but the idea of what the Stars are supposed to be for is not... at least in the minds of ATS members...

What this 250 club does is make those that spend more time than the average person could on ATS quickly go and accumulate the points. Thereby contributing little in the degree of quality content or their honest opinion of a thread's or post's worth.

For those that don't spend that much time on, it will make them spend more time on and contribute more... 250 more.... non-meaning stars and flags to threads that have little to do with the 'quality' that ATS appears to be striving for here.

For many it will be difficult to place stars and flags on unwarranted threads and posts. These are the people that truly believe that their meaning is far more important than indicated I have to be ad free... these are the people who will spend more time on ATS and thereby keep their numbers up.

Personally, I believe that ATS should immediately drop this idea and make it that ATS members over two years duration with a certain amount of posts, maybe 800 or 1500 to show that the person is an active participant, has the ability to turn off the ads within his profile. Should ATS really have a need to provide Ads it should be done to those that have not "put snow in their boots yet". They could add clauses that allow a member that provides certain other aspects to have access to turning the ads off also. These would be things like having attained applause a certain amount of times, thereby showing 'Quality Content"... (Have to check out that now... what is the applause really about and has it also been used to increase the ratings of ATS)....

If ATS needs revenue then let the Ads fly... but don't ask for us to believe that they are striving for that level of Quality Content, and yet at the same time are telling people to go off and Star and Flag 250 threads/posts and you will get a prize... that does not promote the conscious promoting of well-meaning, informative content... it shouts to me "Gotta get those numbers going, lets make it looks like ATS is busy".

IMHO of course


[edit on 11-5-2009 by AllTiedTogether]

Originally posted by AllTiedTogether
That rating system may be obsolete but the idea of what the Stars are supposed to be for is not... at least in the minds of ATS members...

Yes, that rating system was abandoned when it was noticed that people acted even more in groups than they do now, with people giving 5 stars ratings to posts that were not good enough, so it was changed to a system where all votes have the same weight, because the people behind this site really cares for the way things work, and they do not want to turn it more into a battle between members' groups.

So you can be sure that if this system does not work, it will be removed or replaced by a different system, we just have to wait.

reply to post by AccessDenied


"You can't make everyone happy" .. I doubt the Amigo's take it personally when a few members throw a tantrum over a new policy, new program, new idea..

In fact... I believe the Amigo's, if ever they put forth a new idea on ATS, and it was accepted by everyone.... would see it as a conspiracy that no one was upset.

Sign of the Apocalypse perhaps??

reply to post by AllTiedTogether


I hate to say this, and the 3 amigos know that I care a LOT about their site, and the efficacy by which it operates, however I have to agree with AllTiedTogether here to a certain degree.

While (where someone else said) we would all like to THINK of ourselves as "all grown up" a few things are directly in conflict with that premise.

1) If we were ALL grown up, the need for moderators would almost be nil.

2) Behavior (typical) suggests that one will attempt to achieve the top of the ladder [with an inherent 'by any means necessary']. We can kid ourselves on that one if we prefer, but it is human nature.

3) Do we really need to call into question the fact that more often than not we DON'T seem to be "all grown up". As the "Culture of Negativity" thread clearly points out.


Again, like I said earlier in the thread, I think it will create an environment where a higher level of negativity will ensue due to the stature. With that negativity comes diminishing quality, with subsequent arguments and off-topic posts that will require a yet higher level of moderation.


I think *this is just me talking here*, that maybe a better answer in this case may have been to find a solution that, instead would have worked off some type of equation and internal variables very latent to the everyday member so that exactly this type of scenario would not present itself. Thus lending more fuel to the "ZOMG ATS is a conspiracy itself" crowd. Perhpas some sets of variables that dont take quantity into account, but measure an array of statistics (ie., amount of times warned -> points -> flags -> and perhaps other fields that are internally used as flags to rate the overall quality of user posts) that would THEN assign them some type of "Glory", for lack of a better word and with that glory comes the ability to view ad free.


Just talkin out loud here....



AB1

[edit on 11-5-2009 by alphabetaone]

reply to post by AccessDenied


Yes... there is always a bunch that will say that I am only stating this because I can't stand to see any good come from the SO and his amigos....

Well, in case you haven't bothered to check, I'm not the average person on ATS... When I mention something that I find needing to be addressed I usually provide suggestions... My 'critiques' of the ATS policies etc are within the ATS forums and threads... Do you expect that only positive comments will be shown within the threads and that no negatives are received? Is this not what these threads are open for, the discussion of what may be deemed as a problem by the ATS members?

I know that this lessens the very Flag and Star system they promoted as their symbol of quality. I for one will not just close down my ability to speak against it because I may be subjected to a back-lashing from those that will support anything that ATS does for the sheer purpose of preventing oneself from being possibly looked at in a different light.

Rgds

Originally posted by jsobecky
Here's a thought:

It may actually discourage some people from flagging a worthy thread, if the author is already a member of the 250 club. "They don't need it; they're already there. Let me look for OP's from those still striving to get there".

Maybe? Maybe not to worry?

I think at this juncture it is important to remind new members exactly what flagging a thread accomplishes. For I surely hope that what you have suggested here does not become reality.

The way ATS is setup now, flagged threads will get get more exposure and for a few reasons:

1) The system picks up on the flags, and if flagged enough, will move them into more prominent spots on the site. This means the thread will reach more readers.

2) As a thread gets more flags, more members may be interested in the content when they see a lot of flags before they click on it. I try not to do that, but for the most part, the community as a whole is right. Threads with lots of flags can and generally do contain worthwhile content.

3) Some members may be more prone to flag a thread when it already has a fair amount of flags. Not recommended (best to flag of your own accord imo), but it probably happens.

Just recently I went around visiting a few profiles. I was shocked to see quite a few long standing members (in one case a guy that's been here over 2 years) HAVE NEVER FLAGGED ANY THREAD. Now surely something on this site would be worthy of a flag? :shk: That was sad.

reply to post by AllTiedTogether


What are you talking about? Nobody asked the members to star and flag 250 threads or posts...

Dod you even READ the OP? This is a THANK YOU to those members who have RECEIVED 250/250/250 from their peers for presenting great content.

S...

reply to post by Springer


Nevermind, I see what you were talking about....


Post edited

[edit on 11-5-2009 by alphabetaone]