Is it just me or has anyone else notice as of late ,that people don't star and flag thread posts anymore ,now as much as a lot of you would say ,"i'm not bothered by stars and flags" well i know you don't mean that ,everyone likes to see there posts or threads get stars and flags ,it part of the appreciation of your work and effort and time ,now i'm not on about my threads in particular ,i'm talking about most of the threads created in the last mth or so ,its getting worse and worse.

I've seen some great threads ,well presented get like ,one flag and a few stars ,why the two line comments (mostly sarcastic) get 5 to 10 stars ,the problem with this is ,it promotes sarcastic trollers insearch of stars ,it also puts the thread into oblivion in a few hours of being posted ,and discourages people from bothering to create threads anymore ,as all you get is trollers and jokers ,and serious debate goes out the window.


Intelligent conversation is being lost to the trollers at ATS as of late.

It is a reflection of the new members we've gotten over the past few months. ATS has grown in popularity and has garnered a following of some really great thinkers. But with the wheat comes the chaff.

While I'm one of the ones that don't particularly get bent out of shape if I don't get stars or flags (mostly because I don't post that often), I, too, share your frustration that posts like "OMG thats the dummest thing ive seen!!" get 10 stars, yet well thought out posts get scragged and languish with nothing.

I try to go out of my way to read every thread that I click on, and even if I don't agree with the content as long as it's well thought out, well written, and shows critical thinking, I'll star and flag them.

S&F

/TOA

I agree. It seems if you dont post an elenin thread or your screen name ends in "hage" nobody really cares. Glad Im not the only one who noticed this almost contribed popularity contest

I haven't been here for long, but the speed in which topics come in is quite fast. I usually use the live-topic feed option to check-in and see if any new interesting topics have been created. The topics on there regularly change and vary in degrees of seriousness and effort in the actual writing of the topic. I think the more effort the topic has required, the more stars and flags it acquires and the more serious conversation follows.

On the other hand, some topics aren't very well written, they may be short, or even ironic in their own nature. So, you can guess what kind of replies they get.

Maybe it should be a question of more harsh moderating? Or then, a better explanation of what stars & flags are really all about?

I'm curious, as to what the general consensus is about this.

There needs to be a T button next to the S & F. Lets weed out the trolls!

Can I have a star?

Please?

I never cared about stars and flags but I know what you are saying.

It seems all the jokes and crude comments get starred or the most absurd threads get flagged and on the front. I have started going to each forum Iike and looking at new threads that way. It eliminates the crap that is flooding the recent posts page


I star and flag those with good content or answers that are thought out and well researched, same goes for the thread. I also flag if I want others to see it to get more info on it.

The whole taking flags back to me is childish and I can't believe they put that system in

Mate

This is the way I see it.

I spend a fair amount of my time scanning and reading between the lines of our apparent reality. I have generated a few threads relating to that reality and have garnered few stars and flags. Stars and flags are not what I'm looking for, however, if you feel the need feel free to check them out and go star the bejesus out of them.

There are a few sites and 1 in particular that log "times viewed". That to me is far more important than all the stars in the observable universe. Not too much ego here I'm afraid.

Anyway, fingers drunk ................, enjoy the whatever malarkey and I'll be back on deck sharp Monday.

Cheers

This isn't necessarily always true though. I believe it is relatively balanced between the two extremes.

I admit some of my hardest work and deepest thought gets totally ignored for the most part, but other times my hard work is appreciated by others greatly.

It all depends and the situations go both ways.

I advise against seeing the world in absolutes, and instead we should look towards various shades of probability.

Learn how things work, and utilize this knowledge to your advantage. Seek to expand your knowledge everyday, look for the truth even if you initially disagreed with it. Don't be afraid of being wrong, I am wrong a few times every day here at ATS, but when someone points this out to me in a very well constructed and structured manner, I will be quick to detract my original point of view and edit it accordingly. Be open to change, but make sure you find the right solutions before you commit to them.

Believe in yourself, and avoid allowing the flow of our discussions to bring you down. This is important because we must stay motivated and consistently push forward to accomplish greater deeds.

I do not search for stars and flags, I search for the truth. When I get stars and flags, I do feel reassured but many times it can feel hollow when 20 pages later you find out that the original assumptions are invalid. This is ok. Just take a deep breath and push onward. If you have good in your heart than you will be recognized for this, at least from me.

Lift your heads up. The good folks in the world are indeed winning this information war, albeit slowly. Slow and stead always yields the best results.

I admit I have failed at this many times, perhaps daily. But I will not let my failures bring me down, instead I will choose to embrace them and allow them to rise me up. This is the key.

And it is what I believe ATS is all about. Learning and sharing.

Stars and flags are not absolute, in fact I would have to say it's entirely random often times. But if you learn something and raise your own consciousness to a higher level, you have total success. This is not a popularity contest, it is a battle for truth. Stay strong and push forward.

Judging the entire website off the actions of a few or even half of the population is a major mistake in my opinion.

I judge the value of ATS on this simple question "Have I learned anything?", and with this condition I find myself always gaining something from this forum of discussion.

Judge ATS by what you can gain from it, and what you can offer to others. Not by the fads or popularity of various things.

Also, make sure that you do not take a few poor posters and interpret it to mean the whole website is poor in quality, this is a critical misunderstanding.

If you have helped one person learn something, than this website's ultimate purpose was achieved. This can be a difficult conclusion to arrive at, but if you are persistent and fair you will succeed.

everyone has a way of talking and commucating just because they aren't like you doesn't mean anything.

i always felt that if i got star or flagged great

if not thats ok too.

for me it was never about getting recognition for what i post its about saying my piece about any given topic

and then move on if people are looking to be rewarded for what they post

then i say there are some of us out here who arent bothered by it.