You use it to measure poster's length? Interesting approach to FT participation.

Not sure what you mean. There are certainly off topic threads in the travel forums. It would be impossible to filter those out.

But having a post count from travel forums, and a post count from "other" forums would seem technically feasible.

Ditto.

I would say the OP's experience is unusual if most of the BBs he is on do NOT have post counts.

I think OMNI posts should not count. For a short while, they didn't, but then at some point they did again. So obviously, this is a topic that has been given a lot of thought already (as well as discussed on other threads), and Randy (and staff/assistants etc.) have come to certain conclusions about post counts. Not sure that any of this will sway him, but I guess it doesn't hurt to sound off about the topic once again.

What exactly is "broken" and will the "fix" really solve more problems than it creates? The "padding" of post counts may -- wittingly or unwittingly -- happen just as much in the "on-topic" forums as the "off-topic" forums; and I would not be surprised to see such behavior of "post-count padding" gravitate toward the "on-topic" forums if such a "fix" were applied.

Perhaps one-line or one-sentence responses to posts should not be counted either? Perhaps "clarifications" or "addendums" should not be counted? Perhaps only the first response in a thread will count? Perhaps humorous threads or responses should not count? Perhaps certain "Women Travelers" forum postings won't count since "Male Traveler" items in OMNI won't count? What else did I miss?

I don't really mind whatever general change is or is not done with this matter of post counting. It's not too hard for the more active members of FT to figure out what needs to be figured out without paying attention to post counts. However, for the less active or new FTers, I think post counts are a somewhat useful indicator (of various things) -- until and unless they learn how to use the search feature at its best.

For the less active or new FTer seeking help on a matter, the post-count "padders" with the higher post-counts may be perceived as probably knowing a bit more about FT and FTers than most of the non-post-count-padders. Presumably, as a result of that general perception by the general FT populace, the "post-count padders" probably receive more than a few assistance-seeking PMs/emails from the less active, newer or other (even long-standing) information-seeking FTers.

i really don't care

this is an internet msg forum, everything needs to be taken at face value

comments should only be taken as advice and not solid fact.

although i'd make a great member of the talkboard

vote...

for....

ME!!!!

You'd have my vote. But, above, are you trying to get votes or lose votes?

i'm padding my postcount, see? I need all the exposure I can get.

I may have missed the change ... didn't OMNI post counts stop counting ages back when some folks posted like 5,000 or 10,000 times on one thread or whatever??

And bear in mind that there are the occasional travel/point-related topics in OMNI, ORP and even those other forums (for example, off the top of my head, someone recently asked in OMNI about recorded books for use while traveling in a car on vacation, and here in ORP there has been discussion of the merits of LAN Pass) so while better forums may exist for such threads, the discussion of such topics there adds no less value to the information available here simply because they appear in OMNI or ORP.

I think OMNI posts do get counted once again. That and/or there is some other forum where posts count but which the general FT community cannot access -- like the "hidden" or "restricted" forums.