TalkBoard Elections/07 - Question 17: OMNI Post Counts

This question was submitted by member underpressure
Earlier this year; there was a spirited discussion about removing the post count from OMNI Posts; if you were a member of the TalkBoard then, what was your position and why?

If you were not a member; what would your position have been, and why?

I visit FlyerTalk for the travel information. I have little interest in the Omni forum. As long as it is part of FlyerTalk the posts there should count.

Does post count really matter?

I gave up on caring about post count back when I reached 500 or one of those critical numbers and I got my new "super duper poster elite" title. A couple of days after I received my upgraded post count name, FlyerTalk changed the system and I lost my special post count name.

This question was submitted by member underpressure
Earlier this year; there was a spirited discussion about removing the post count from OMNI Posts; if you were a member of the TalkBoard then, what was your position and why?

If you were not a member; what would your position have been, and why?

Hi
Who really cares about post count in omni? Is it really such a big deal? Will the world stop all of a sudden if the post count was removed? Nah I dont think so.

I am also here for the travel related side of FT, after all thats what FT is about. I would not care either way.

I'm fine with OMNI Post counts counting in the overall total and I don't really pay that much attention to post counts. I'm more impressed by what the poster posts than how many times he or she has posted.

I voted for not including OMNI post counts and would have, if it had passed, lost several thousand posts. And I lost several thousand posts the last time someone decided they shouldn't count and retroactively backed out the OMNI posts.

But contrary to popular belief, the issue doesn't keep me awake at night.

It's not something I'm passionate about one way or the other.

A post is a post is a post. I don't personally measure a member's contributions by how many times they hit the "submit" button. The members I find the most valuable are those that take the time to help out fellow members.

I don't personally spend a lot of time in OMNI, but it's obviously a significant part of who we are based on the number of different members who post there. I don't see any reason to exclude post counts. I guess I could be convinced otherwise, but it would need to be a reasonable argument.

I was not a Board member during the debate. However, I agree with others that say a "post" is a "post" and post count is relatively meaningless.

We're a community that exchanges ideas above/beyond travel... so as long as OMNI conversations stay in OMNI threads, I have no opinion of what someone's count is. After all, isn't it more about quality of contributions than quantity?

It was a complete waste of the TalkBoard's time. Period.

I would not vote to remove the post counts and would complain loud and hard about wasting time debating such a motion.

As a non-member of TB, I made my feelings known in the TB Topics thread. As a member of TB, I would simply let all the other members know that I will not vote for such a thing and then follow through on it.

If it were up to me, we wouldn't worry about post counts at all and titles (Evangelist, etc.) would be self chosen or eliminated. But I simply don't feel it's worth one second of the TB's time to go down such a path, so I can promise I would never make such a motion, second one, or spend any time debating such a motion.

This question was submitted by member underpressure
Earlier this year; there was a spirited discussion about removing the post count from OMNI Posts; if you were a member of the TalkBoard then, what was your position and why?

If you were not a member; what would your position have been, and why?

I started one of the discussions in question with the thread A modest post-count proposal (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=649224). The thread received 125 followup posts. The gist of my proposal was:

How about a motion to make post counts from "non points/miles" forums not count. I don't just mean OMNI, but also Coupon Connection, ORP, Technical Issues, Talkboard Topics, Suggestions, Newsstand, and any private forums (TB, Talkteam, etc).

That way, post count becomes somewhat more meaningful. Anything that's not "core" to FT would not be reflected in one's post count.

Further, this should be retroactive, if that's technically possible.

That would basically make post count a count of all "miles and points" related posts and remove all non points/miles posts from one's post count. Because I moderated OMNI at one point, that would have resulted in the loss of more than a thousand posts for me.

I don't understand the obsession with post count. It's not like it earns you an upgrade or anything. ;)

But, since some people do care about post count, I agree with gleff's reasoning: the unintended consequence will be to encourage those people to post OMNI material outside OMNI. This will harm FT. Balancing that harm, what benefit is there? None that I can see. Case closed.

Edited to add: My post count in OMNI is 3, so that obviously does not color my opinion.

I was vociferously (from the peanut gallery) opposed to ghettoizing OMNI or any other community on Flyertalk.

Now not counting posts in THIS forum? THAT I could get behind!!! :D

I don't think the issue is something to stay awake nights over but recognize that post count lends a measure of credibility to a poster for someone new to the board or not savvy enough to realize that generally it's the old members with the LOWEST post counts that are the ones to listen to ;).

Seriously though, I've learned quite a lot in OMNI and have taken part in enlightening discussions I'd certainly consider valuable. I would hate to see those posts somehow considered of lesser value than a post consisting only of a ":D" or "^" because it happens to be in a travel forum such as AA or Starwood.

I would hate to see those posts somehow considered of lesser value than a post consisting only of a ":D" or "^" because it happens to be in a travel forum such as AA or Starwood.

^




:D :D :D

^




:D :D :D

See, if my proposal is adopted, that post would not increase your post count. :o:D

For me post counts are irrelevant, so I don't much care one way or the other. If I had to vote, I would vote for counting OMNI posts. Why not?

TalkBoard has far better things to do with its time.

For me post counts are irrelevant, so I don't much care one way or the other. If I had to vote, I would vote for counting OMNI posts. Why not?

In April 2007, you said the following (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7562047):

Therefore, if I had a vote in this issue, I would vote to eliminate post counts from OMNI and every other non-travel related fora...

Is that voting against posts before voting for them in OMNI? :confused: Obviously, I personally believe you had it right the first time.

TalkBoard has far better things to do with its time.

There is a thread entitled "Comments: Don't Count OMNI Posts In Member Post Counts (Motion Failed)" (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=679521) about this subject (where you put forth the first of multiple stances on the subject).

You posted 12 times in the thread. Someone is apparently interested.

Rest assured, though, you were not alone--It's also the thread with the highest number of posts (1,002) and views (27,113) in the history of the Talkboard forum. For informational puposes, the next highest post count for a thread is 363 and the next highest view count was 10,125--the latter, in the heavy irony department, is a thread entitled "Do away with post counts."

Personally I don't care about post counts either way, but with that said I think it's a good idea to have all posts count, becauses it gives others a clue about how much time / activity one spends on FT.

But overall I don't think this is a big deal either way.

Although I would have lost a very large amount of posts, I would have voted in favor of not counting the post in the (many) OWOT threads. (Disclaimer - I started one of the "counting" threads!) However, I feel the posts in the rest of OMNI should be counted.

OMNI is needed as a relief valve for FT. It is not just about miles and points.

Earlier this year; there was a spirited discussion about removing the post count from OMNI Posts; if you were a member of the TalkBoard then, what was your position and why?

If you were not a member; what would your position have been, and why?

I'm admittedly ambivalent on this issue. I think that the current system (of all posts counting towards one's overall post count) is fine and don't see (so far) a compelling reason to change it. That said, I'd be happy to see both sides of the argument and if a compelling case can be made, I could see myself supporting such a motion. For instance, the proposal mentioned by ClueByFour above makes a lot of sense to me. If such a motion were made and evidence presented that showed that a good deal of FTers supported it, I'd vote for such a proposal.