How good is your BS meter?

While the BS meeter sounds like a good idea all it would turn out to be is a type of negative flagging system. So if you are going to do a BS meeter why not just have a BS flag?

I thought it over. Here are a few suggestions on implementation:

• It should be limited to members with over a certain number of posts in that forum.
  
  
• Each BS report should be weighted as to how often and how much a member posts, again, in that forum.
  
  
• Just as important, stars, flags, applause, and the BS rating on previous threads should be calculated into the rating of how much weight a member's BS report should have. As an example, a poster who receives many stars, many flags, and occasional applause in a particular forum would have more weight given to his/her opinion than someone who rarely posts, rarely gets stars and flags and applause. Members who have threads which are reported as complete BS should have the weight of their reports diminished as well. I'm sure an algorithm that takes all of these factors into account could be formulated.
  
  
• Obviously, FSMEs who report threads as BS in their forums would be given greater weight than anyone else. They are FSMEs, after all.
  
  
• I'd like to see a BS column on the most recent threads page. That would give me a heads up as to what I'm clicking into.
  
  
• It would be severely cool and cute if it had a graphic logo like an old analog meter face, listed right there on the member's mini-profile on the OP.
  
  
• I am in complete agreement on the broad classifications mentioned above. Maybe color-coding the logo to emphasize the rating? Blue for the best, then green, then white, then yellow, and finally red?

I hereby offer a challenge to the owners of ATS: As far as I know, this feature does not exist in other forums. Are you good enough to make ATS the first to have it?

TheRedneck

Well there is another aspect that ensures this would not work.

What *I* think is BS, the next person may not and vice versa. BS is subjective, just like quality of posts are subjective.

It is not a fair system and I still do not see how this would benefit ATS.



[edit on September 30th 2009 by greeneyedleo]

reply to post by TheRedneck

It should be limited to members with over a certain number of posts in that forum

Each BS report should be weighted as to how often and how much a member posts, again, in that forum.

Wont work. Many members who do not post a lot, quite often contribute very valuable posts.

Quantity of posts does not equal anything. Many people just read.

[edit on September 30th 2009 by greeneyedleo]

It would not benifit ATS at all you are right. Can you imagine what it would look like in the CiR board?
The system as it is right now it works fine. Everything is submitted as real and has to be proven to be a hoax, then it is moved into the hoax board.
I have done it with other threads just click on the thread alert and write something along the lines of
"This has been proven to be a hoax see page ___"
Someone will read it and it may get moved like it did here
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Debunking and confirming should be left up to the people who know how to analyze pics and videos, not the masses who scream "its fake" "its real" "reptilian anunaki space brother mason!!!!"

reply to post by greeneyedleo

No computerized system is idiot-proof. this will not be a 100% accurate system in any case, no matter how good.

But it will function in most of the cases if the algorithm is good enough. I don't think anyone is suggesting any punitive action for a lousy thread, save the embarrassment. I would be totally against any thread removals or other punitive action based on a BS meter.

As for helping ATS, it would be a feather in their cap: the first forum to have a working BS meter! I bet a good public relations guy (hint, hint) could translate that into some pretty impressive public relations (maybe a CNN technology interview?), and then into some pretty impressive advertising dollars!

TheRedneck

reply to post by TheRedneck


Well that is a horrible flaw IMO.
People who choose not to post much, but read will be at a disadvantage from the get go.

It works as it is. If people think something is BS (a hoax) all they have to do is alert staff and staff discusses it. Usually the members do a great job at weeding out the BS - and it leaves a great example for others in the process.

Yelling BS (or using the BS meter) without offering proof as to why something is BS is worthless and lazy IMO.

[edit on September 30th 2009 by greeneyedleo]

This isn't youtube. Some of the comments you get on threads are bad enough already, we don't need another system that will only bring the tone of the place down more and start fights.

My original thought did not include the score on ATS under their Avatar picture, until I started thinking more about it, My original idea was to create a quiz where members could go and see if they were truly able to identify a hoax from a non hoax, just for their own info.

As I started thinking more of it I thought it might be neat to include the score on ATS under their Avatar picture. I can see how this last idea might be taking it a bit far after reading the posts.

What of my original idea above of a quiz just to test yourself, only you would know your results, just to see if you can truly spot a hoax from truth. Or would this put people on an ego trip that scored well, causing more havoc than good?

If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

reply to post by greeneyedleo

It works as it is.

That is a horrible reason for not improving. If Eli Whitney had said "cotton ginning is just fine as it is", we would never have had an Industrial Revolution. If Thomas Graham Bell had said "Morse code works just fine as is", we would not have telephones.

It is natural and correct to progress, to improve, to innovate. The only danger is in changing too much too fast, and in this case, no one is advocating that.

I only advocate an indicator of popular opinion. Eye-candy, if you will. The worst punishment a poster could have from it would be embarrassment. Anything greater, and I will side with you completely.

=================================
reply to post by yeahright

I agree by post would be far too unwieldy. I would suggest by thread.

TheRedneck
P.S.: Do I get 'anti-applause' for arguing with the Mods?

reply to post by yeahright


You sir have just broken my CS meter. (common sense)

reply to post by yeahright

You know, sometimes while I'm online and having to deal with nothing harder to comprehend than a keyboard or app, I forget how childish humans really are.

In other words, this is an explanation I can accept. Unfortunately. Regrettably.

I actually wrote a chatroom for the members of another forum a while back. We lost the free room we had once due to a computer crash (the server we used was in a guy's basement), and everyone wanted a chat room, including me. So I sat down and flowcharted one out, coded it in Perl, and introduced it. I had asked everyone for suggestions on what they wanted in a chatroom, and wound up with a monstrous creation that had so many bells and whistles I was amazed I had been able to pull it off. Of course everyone loved it!

It is still running today, but not under my control. It took less a week for the problems to begin. Someone didn't like the security features. Someone else began overloading the program by using the PM function for their own personal room. Someone else demanded an ignore function. Someone didn't like a Mod. Since it was a tightly-knit community (or so I thought), we never initialized the Linux permissions for the control room, and one member of that community actually figured out where it was and tried to sabotage the room (we closed it down within a couple minutes over that and left it closed until we could get everyone a password set up)! It got so bad I just handed the reigns over to someone else and walked away. Every once in a while i will hear about how good it is doing, or I will get bored and pop back in for a few moments as a user, but that's about it.

So I don't have to trust you on anything: I know, I just like to forget.

I still personally like the idea, but with the problems you have pointed out, I will withdraw from this subject with my tail between my legs.

TheRedneck

There is one guaranteed way to filter out BS information. What you do, is watch for any news emanating from the US or the UK that relates in any way to negative news on foreign governments and nations they do not like . In fact, the louder the zeal and the clamour of the US populations for action/retribution in reaction to said news, the greater the chance of the very opposite of that item of 'news' being true.


[edit on 1-10-2009 by Drexl]

Sometimes, I actually like it when I have been "punked" by a really good B.S.'er.

It makes me laugh, and helps you to know that life shouldn't be taken so seriously.

Now, when the B.S. hurts you in some way, like in causing you lose money, or do something that makes you come off as a dolt...that is taking things to far.

If someones Bull Crap sends you into a panic attack, that is wrong.

My grandfather was a really terrific bull crapper. My dad can spin a tale so rich with facts and details, that you'd swear it is true. So, I am used to being fed confabulations and half truths as a joke.

I don't think we need a BS meter. Lets be respectful if we can. Tell the truth and present real facts.

A BS Meter sounds like a fun idea. However I doubt it will happen so I created my own BS Image in ATS Style some time last year... however the one time I used it, I got deducted points for being off topic.. Never used it again

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a38a2d3ff098.png[/atsimg]

IRM


[edit on 30/9/09 by InfaRedMan]

Just don't reply to bad threads. Don't feed bad threads. If you know the thread is a load of bull dunk just skip it and go on. Don't waste your time or finger power by replying to bad threads.