SkiAdcock

Having status as Evangelist or Legend still requires $5 before you can get a cup of joe at Starbucks

Cheers.

OverThereTooMuch

1. This thread has clearly provided multiple examples of this.

2. As those same posts demonstrate, yes.

So I'm glad to know we have your support! ^

Ok, one down. How many more TB members are there that have to be convinced?

goalie

There are 3 schools of thought on tis issue

1-Some members don't mind titles
2-Some members do not like titles
3-Some members would like to see titles changed: some humorous* and some legitimate

And with that-is there a way to turn off viewing titles the way members can turn off viewing signatures? I'm asking because I don't know-my gut says no but still asking

*sorry folks, God is taken-just as my mother

RichMSN

You can get a cup of coffee for less than $2 there.

Even my usual drink (grande quad Americano) is right around $3.

tcook052

One could also argue a similar assumption of FT status would rightly or wrongly be made based on post counts alone even if all titles were eliminated. Since I would be opposed to removing both titles and post counts MHO is to leave things as they are.

MSPeconomist

You evangelist you.

More seriously, if evangelist and legend titles are eliminated, it would leave only Moderators, TalkBoard, and Ambassadors (plus IB people and official representatives) with titles under their names and they're not necessarily especially knowledgable either. So a smaller group would be assumed to be the experts. That doesn't sound good to me.

oliver2002

I would vote to take the postcount and any post related titles away from display beside every post, but continue to show the details in the profile. So if someone wants to know more s/he can click on the members name and study the profile. @:-)

RichMSN

Agreed. Although the word Evangelist is weird and I wouldn't mind see it replaced. I'm shocked that we haven't come up with a Silver/Gold/Platinum or some equivalent considering the subject matter around here.

SkiAdcock

Those titles are based on responsibilities & not linked to post counts.

And I stand corrected - Evangelist and/or Legend + $2/3/5 (depending on where you are in the country) will get you a cup of joe at Starbucks

Cheers.

SkiAdcock

Done. In the START HERE section, I posted:

"Flyertalk Evangelist & Flyertalk Posting Legend

There have been comments and/or questions re: Flyertalk Evangelist & Flyertalk Posting Legend titles and how they're earned.

Some have thought that the titles are conferred on those who have contributed greatly to FT and/or know/share correct information re: airline, hotel, etc, programs. That's not totally true.

Flyertalk Evangelist & Flyertalk Posting Legend appears under a FTer's handle when s/he reaches 10,000 and 40,000 posts on FT respectively. It's something the FT software adds automatically & has nothing whatsoever to do with the content of a FTer's post.

One would hope that somewhere in the 10,000 and 40,000 posts there has been some value added in terms of content!, but FTers shouldn't rely on titles only or let a title sway one when reading FTers posts. Someone can have FTE or FTPL under their title & still post incorrect information.

Perhaps a better way is to look at a FTer's join date & post count, in addition to evaluating the content of a post.

There is discussion in the public Talkboard forum re: whether to add intermediate titles between 5K & 40K and/or eliminate titles entirely.

But for those who might have thought FTE and FTPL meant some special wisdom, that's not necessarily the case. Again, one hopes that in the 10K & 40K posts there is valuable content, but it's not necessarily a guarantee."

Cheers.

Cholula

Let me add a fourth school of thought:

4. Many FT'ers actually LIKE the titles

Count me in this school of thought.

Dovster

So does being a Delta Diamond.

SkiAdcock

Do you think there should be additional levels based on # of posts (ie, the reason the thread was created way back when & examples given)? I don't think titles are necessary, but I do think only having 2 at the 10K & 40K mark doesn't make sense. If we did add some I'd also get rid of the Evangelist title as it's very 90s & replace it with something else.

Cheers.

Cholula

I think everybody should have a title of some sort.

0-10K posts=FlyerTalk Member
10,001-20K posts=FlyerTalk Contributor

and so forth every 10K posts. The actual titles to be determined later.

I also think there should be an option to opt out of carrying a title if a member chooses to do so.

JDiver

As a member, I'm not happy with the large "title gap", with the 10 k and 40 k titles and the disconnect between being able to differentiate between high post count and post content reliaconten or helpfulness.

Yep, it's an equine that has been totally flogged previously, but it hasn't died yet.

It's too easy, it seems, for the previously used indicators on FT to be manipulated to show poster popularity than poster information reliability and / or value.

Other boards use different titles usually implement them at an earlier point than FT does (such as Cruise Critic or Trip Advisor), and often using better titles. Other sites use different tools to gather metrics on poster reliability (from Amazon to Trip Advisor).

A perhaps peripheral issue would be where the "attaboys" or whatever were earned; a lot of ^ or whatever awarded in OMNI/PR might not correlate at all to reliable and helpful information in airline, hotel or destination fora, for example.

Perhaps a germane discussion would be one addressing both issues and indeed tossing out bathwater and baby? Food for thought, and considering starting from a "tabula rasa".