Proposal: Do Not Consider Posts in OMNI For PostCount
 

I noticed that posts in OMNI are part of FTers total post count. This being a travel related site and OMNI being more of an OT area, why not exclude OMNI posts in the overall post count?

The benefit is that only posts that are (purportedly) travel related are counted.

This is one variation of an issue which keeps getting raised here. Other variations are:

** Do not include any posts made on forums other than travel forums.

** Do not include any posts made on forums other than those restricted to particular airlines, hotels, or car rental agencies.

** Get rid of the post counts completely.

** No, don't get rid of post counts.

I have to admit that I find the whole debate completely uninteresting. Get rid of some of the posts included in the counts; get rid of all of them; keep them all.

I judge posts based on their content, not on how many times the poster has sat down to type something out.

That's a somewhat aggressive reply to a sensible proposal.

The interesting thing is, OMNI posts aren't supposed to count, according to the policy. But they do.

It is in no way aggressive. I don't oppose the proposal -- nor do I support it. It has been made over and over again (along with all the variations I mentioned) and I do not believe that post counts are at all important.

A couple years ago it was decided that posts in OMNI weren't going to be included in a member's post total. And all previous posts to OMNI were then retroactively removed from everybody's post total. I remember some posters losing several thousand posts overnight.
A few months later a decision was made to reverse this and to include OMNI posts in a member's post total. That decision still stands today.
Just a FYI.

I see. Thanks for the clarification.

I agree.

I always thought that too. I kept thinking, I hope no-one realizes that I'm getting post counts for OMNI :p

I wouldn't be too affected if post for OMNI did not add to the post count. Therefore I am neither for nor against this proposal

Cheers

Agree 100%.
There are plenty of debates, threads, even forums that I find completely uninteresting. I just tend to ignore them, rather than tell those wanting to hold a discussion that the issue they are discussing is uninteresting. Just my tuppence worth.
Was a rationale ever posted for this by the decision-maker(s)? I certainly would be interested to know.

Were one or both decisions reached by TalkBoard? Or just an independently run experiment to see if it would do anything to get posters to focus on FT's core areas?

I was one of those who lost thousands of posts from post count at that time. I don't think it was quite how Cholula put it however. My recollection is that for a period OMNI posts did not count. When OMNI got closed some threads got moved out of OMNI, and later put back when OMNI reopened. In the process of moving threads around, those who posted to the specific threads lost some (in some cases lots) post count. Other OMNI posts did not get subtracted out from post count.

I couldn't care less if it does or doesn't count. I form my own views on other FTers' posts and post count doesn't come into my thinking in the slightest. I hope other FTers do likewise with my posts.

I am one of those who agree that post counts are currently largely irrelevant. But, as I have pointed out elsewhere, in my mind it doesn't make sense to make a big deal of telling people how serious an offense post padding is, even going so far as "punishing" some by turning their post count back to zero (in other words, adding further to the idea that post counts are in fact "valuable" in some way), if they can just go into OMNI and post countless irrelevant, off-topic, useless, etc. posts, and build up their post count into the thousands again.

Either make post counts truly mean something, by not allowing OMNI posts to count, or make them irrelevant, by getting rid of them completely. Just be consistent.

Post padding is only a serious issue when used by FTers specifically to gain access to two places, OMNI and Coupon Connection. Both forums require one to build up some time and experience on FT before access is permitted and IMO with very good reason. In the case of OMNI it keeps people from easily registering duplicate handles to use for 'nefarious' purposes and in the case of Coupon Connection it allows that person to build up an FT 'track record' before going into a forum that could conceivably allow one to commit all sorts of fraud and theft.

I wasn't on TalkBoard at the time and I'm not even sure I was a mod when this happened so I don't remember the details.
I just know I lost a couple thousand posts overnight. :)

Will the 'policy' of not including OMNI posts in the post count be updated (or deleted) to reflect the current method of counting all posts?
I am also surprised, as a relatively new FTers like the OP, that OMNI posts are counted.
I thought the policy referred to in the past meant that OMNI posts were (are) not counted.
If the policy were updated to delete this reference, this might become a non-issue as many of you believe it to be.
- Ben

OK, I agree that post counts may be easily quantifiably "valuable" only up to the point where they allow the poster to access OMNI or CC. But after that, shouldn't post counts be irrelevant if OMNI posts continue to be counted (based on the argument in my post above)? Yet in reality they are not--two examples: a) posters with large enough post counts are labeled "Evangelists," with obvious connotations as to their "knowledge;" and b) in general, many FTers naturally also tend to give more credibility to posters with more post counts than those with less, whether deserved or not. This happens both everyday and during special occasions such as the TB elections.

I think this is an important enough issue to be addressed by the TalkBoard.

I'll raise it for discussion on TB.

I do recall as was posted above, that posts there once did not count, and later they did.

I do not think TB of the time had any bearing on that, but was an Admin call. Could be wrong and someone might recall the detail more than I.

I agree entirely. The two points made above are quite valid points of concern IMO.

Which is why I too feel that:

If OMNI posts are not going to count, neither should Community posts. For that matter, "I Agree" posts and the ever so idiotic "Smilie" posts should not count either.

There are high post count members who have posted very little in OMNI, yet have in my opinion posted very little of any value anywhere. Post count is an extremely poor indicator of "knowledge" or experience. Anyone who uses post counts or titles as an indicator of a members value is very foolish.

I would propose that post counts AND titles be eliminated altogether.

I agree :)

While the relationship between knowledge and post counts may not be directly proportional, I think there is still some correlation. If an FTer had 7,000+ posts, it is very unlikely that they would waste so many hours of their life typing "I agree" or just a smiley. In fact I can only think of one FTer that has posted more than 7,000+ times that I know, who I do not remember helping me in some way.

Cheers

:p

Evidently you have nver run across this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309875

That thread comes to mind as a prime example of why OMNI posts should not count.

What about the "Lounge" threads and some of the "Community Buzz" ones too?

That's a valid point. However, with some exceptions I can think of a couple of reasons why those theads do have some merit--e.g., they help build the FT community, and help members get to know each other. I'm not sure what purpose threads like the one linked above or similar ones like "pick a number and add to it," etc., serve.

Additionally, blatant post padding is not allowed in the lounge threads or Community Buzz. No such rule in OMNI.

Really? To further illustrate the points of the last few posts:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/misc....hreadid=309875

Why not? Do post counts deprive others of perks? Do they get the poster some kind of payment? Does posting 4000 times to a thread FOR FUN mean the poster has somehow gained something others are not entitled to?

The constant obsession over post counts gets real boring...

Rather than repeat myself, see my posts 11 and 15 above.

I have nothing against posts for fun, but that's not the point.

Where in the thread that you referenced are there any of the idiotic "I Agree" or galactically idiotic "Smilie" posts?

Personally I enjoy seeing the post count and am not all that concerned with them being indicative of this or that. That said, how is counting travel-related posts beneficial? To whom is it beneficial?

I Feel Compelled To Answer This......
 

:o

What is a galactic idiot? Does anyone know? Do they smile a lot?

Is that an OMNI term or "in joke" I am not familar with?

Do I need to use Google to help me on that one? :confused:

Apparently someone that doesn't know how to fix a plane .

Trust me, I know. ;)

stop padding your point count!

Rita

:D ........

I agree! :p


;)

Anything new here? :confused:

I dunno but if it helps Counselor Troi was an inter-galactic tramp. (It is doubtful that there was even one species with which she didn't have sex in at least one episode.)

I said "unlikely" :p

Again, as I said before, the relationship between posts and reliability/knowledge is not directly proportional, but I still think that there is still some correlation. There might be the odd nutcase (or 10) who have posted lots of stupid things, but I personally have found most of the high posters to very helpful and knowledge in some way or another.

Cheers

I'll use myself as a guinea pig & example.

I found FT in the summer of 1998 when I was at the height of my travelling. I was too intimidated to post anything since everyone posting knew so much & I knew nothing. I sat and lurked during lunch for almost 3 years before getting up the nerve to register & post.

In those 3 years I absorbed almost everything they posted in the programs I used. I earned thousands upon thousands of miles due to what I learned from them. I'm STILL grateful. I also felt I knew each personally though they didn't even know I existed.

I finally registered in 2001. By that time, my travel had slowed down to 2 or 3 trips a year and I didn't have all that much to say, but when I could help, I always did. It hasn't changed to this day. If I see a question that I'm able to answer I do, and quickly. I generally post on the Orlando forum, since that was my first love & the first boards I posted on before FT. I also post quite a bit in Hyatt, with CO coming in second.

FT, in it's 8 year history has evolved as other boards have. The early adopters have become experts and look for the social aspect. On FT it's Omni, on tivocommunity, it's coffeehouse. That's where you find a lot of the old timers who already know all there is to know about the core purpose of the board. People posting more in a social setting on an IBB isn't unusual at all. It happens all the time and it's a natural progession as boards become established.

But that doesn't mean that we don't know what we're talking about. I think I'm on my 3rd or 4th planning assistance for a trip to Disney. You can't see it because it's all been done via PM for privacy reasons. But those people PM'd me based upon my postings and asked for more specific help. I also get quite a few PMs based upon postings in Hyatt, all of which I respond to.

So, yes, I may post alot on Omni, but it doesn't mean that I'm not helpful or don't want to be helpful. It means that I just don't have any questions that haven't already been answered OR that I haven't seen a question that I'm able to answer.

If you want to take post counts away, well, go ahead, but those people who have thousands of posts and are long time members probably have some of the most valuable information. They may not be posting in the core forums, but not from lack of desire. Ask a question & you just may find out.