The Thanks Function

[Zanick]

Thanks became a mindless circlejerk on Zoklet, rewarding idiocy and recklessness instead of genuine and informative material. I voted yes because I think there are a two steps we can take to avoid this: Firstly, make thanks available in specialist forums and not in general discussion. I think it speaks for itself that this would make a difference in quality. Second, require a short comment for every thanks given. This will urge users to give them more thoughtfully. It was too easy to thank on Zoklet, just like it's too easy on facebook. Adding some work to the process might make it a practical system, encouraging strong contribution and constructive feedback.

[Spectre]

snip for space

Again you have no real metric, just because people thank someone else does not mean that that thank was wrong. You cannot be the arbiter of what people like, all you can do to make the forum grow would be to thank the posts you like or make posts of your own detailing your own point of view on the subject. Just because what you perceive to be accurate thought out and good posts about aliens or ghosts or whatever else might be incoherent garbage to others. That's the price of going against the grain, and being someone who supposedly thrives on that, as you claim to be, would realize that you wouldn't have the popular opinion and trying to stop others from agreeing with people you don't agree with is just as bad.

[FON]

You guys don't make any fucking sense on one hand you're saying thanks don't encourage anyone, then like immediately after that you guys complain about how thanks encourage shit posting implying thanks do drive people to post more whether it's "good" posts or "shit" posts. Maybe all you guys bitching about the people who got thanked or liked or whatever the shit should just thank or like the shit you think is a good post huh instead of bitching about what other people like. It doesn't affect you at all negatively if someone else gets thanked it simply gives a user an easy way to show appreciation for a post instead of not responding to it and moving on because they don't want to waste space with a quote and a ^this post.

The problem is the encouragement of shitposting tends to clog up the forums with boring, inane posts and foster a culture of mediocrity. I guess that is the sort of forum people enjoy?

Don't fucking thank shit posts then maybe? Why the fuck is that a concept people don't get. if a majority are already shit posters and thanking shitposters a thanks system won't change that but if you fucking people who seem to think it's such a poor idea actually use it to thank what you believe to be a good post than you can have a positive effect on those people

I generally try not to thank shitposters but a LOT of people do. The thanks system encourages lesser quality posts. Maybe with a different userbase it would encourage better quality posts but, like you said, we have a lot of shitposters here. Shitposters thank shitposters which encourages more shitposters. But yeah, I guess some people really do enjoy a forum that prides itself on its mediocrity and inane posting.

Don't fucking thank shit posts then maybe? Why the fuck is that a concept people don't get. if a majority are already shit posters and thanking shitposters a thanks system won't change that but if you fucking people who seem to think it's such a poor idea actually use it to thank what you believe to be a good post than you can have a positive effect on those people

Exactly.  Some of these idiots act like if a thanks system is implemented, the top notch quality of posts we currently enjoy will plummet into a dystopic hell of shitposting and spamming.

And some people act like if we implement a thanks system the site will somehow miraculously improve, despite the fact that it encourages low quality posts.

[Umbrella Corp]

Holy fuck if it's a meaningless feature why would you care who thanks you or others? would you rather have threads clogged by shit posters going ^this repeatedly to the post above them. You can't say that it empirically motivates the "wrong" kind of user you have no fucking metric for that you also can't claim it has such a horrible impact while also saying thanks are meaningless, people like you are the ones making a big deal about them.

Because I don't think websites like this should be a popularity contest, nor should it be about seeking some kind of social validation or even acceptance. That was a strong core part of Totse itself..."going against the grain". I'm not looking for posters that are agreeable or even well liked, I would rather mingle with a bunch of people that have the intellect and enough sauce in their step to stand by their perceptions/opinions and to hell with whatever anyone else thinks (including myself). The kind of person who IRL has enough fortitude to stand up in a room full of people and say "I don't agree with ANY of you and here is why....." and then proceed to give a well thought out argument that nobody else has brought up yet before.

And yeah, when you have a small herd of people thinking/acting alike with such an obvious group mentality...it can ruin the vibe of some forums. By the end of Zoklet, you couldn't even go into the Conspiracy or Religious forums, because it was filled with trolls just jumping on any new or different opinion. Someone makes a thread..."I believe in aliens because....". And then someone says, "herp derp, you are just a kook" or some other grade school insult. 5 or 6 people jump on that post and thank the troll, how is that inciting sincere discourse about the subject matter?

Most importantly in that scenario, if someone NEW comes here and discovers the Conspiracy forum, what will they walk away thinking? "Well, I can't talk about aliens on this website, because the communal attitude is just to act the fool and shoot down other people's experiences by childish naysayers". They then logout and never return because of these silly antics, and we probably lost a great mind, a great poster, and great ideas....all because people don't want to be subjected to what appears on the surface as childish trolling and stupid antics.

Again, this isn't so much about the CURRENT posters, but the ones you are looking to attract tomorrow, next month, next year. And if you have  a bunch of spastic children just piggy-backing each other's fail flames and 4-channing one-liners, then that is EXACTLY the kind of poster you'll attract and retain in the years to come. Just like on Zoklet.....

Agree on all levels.  It's impossible to have an intelligent conversation in this community.  Topics are either shitposts for the OP, derailed in the 2nd-P or at very best discussed for a few posts then inevitably derailed by someone trying to be funny.  The only exception to the rule would be flaming threads and/or threads that discuss hatred for certain members.  Like a large percentage of Zoklet at the end was just old users arguing with other users about who they liked and didn't like.  You can't sustain a community on dick sucking and bashing alone.  It especially turns off new members who are first ostricized for being new n also can't relate to topics discussing already existing members anyway.

I have done my fair share of shitposting sure, but I am also capable of posting on topic relevant sometimes intelligent or just not retarded replies.  Would do so more often if others would stay on topic more.. also if administration cracked down more on shitposting.  I kind of ditto-headed with shitposts.  Saw it done on Zoklet, thought it was the way things were done so I emulated.  Inflecting on this makes me regretful.. think I'mma cut down on my low quality posts.

[Spectre]

I generally try not to thank shitposters but a LOT of people do. The thanks system encourages lesser quality posts. Maybe with a different userbase it would encourage better quality posts but, like you said, we have a lot of shitposters here. Shitposters thank shitposters which encourages more shitposters. But yeah, I guess some people really do enjoy a forum that prides itself on its mediocrity and inane posting.

you said it right there in your post thanks don't encourage shitposters, shitposters encourage shit posters what people should do is make more content if you want better users not try to constantly try to cut other users off at the knee it's an uphill battle

[FON]

The only point in thanks is to get validation.  It isn't necessary unless you have a hungry ego.  The only argument I see for Thanks is that it is a fun way to approve of somebodies posts.. but damn you are getting so serious like it is more than that.

Except I'm not that's the exact point I'm arguing the people that are getting serious are the ones that come into every thread like this and doomsay like adding a like button is the equivalent of driving the site into a wall at 100mph. How does someone else getting their own validation effect anyone but themselves. People take this too seriously in that they don't want someone else to get validation because they're too insecure in their own damn selves to deal with the fact someone might be liked more than them.

I bet the meager amount of thanks you received on zoklet was the only thing stopping you from killing yourself. I now understand why the thanks system is so important to you.

[Spectre]

snip for space again

see my response above but you know if I wanted to be a faggot I could point out that you could have thanked his post instead of reposting a really long quote and taking up space with more text posted a second time

[FON]

I generally try not to thank shitposters but a LOT of people do. The thanks system encourages lesser quality posts. Maybe with a different userbase it would encourage better quality posts but, like you said, we have a lot of shitposters here. Shitposters thank shitposters which encourages more shitposters. But yeah, I guess some people really do enjoy a forum that prides itself on its mediocrity and inane posting.

you said it right there in your post thanks don't encourage shitposters, shitposters encourage shit posters what people should do is make more content if you want better users not try to constantly try to cut other users off at the knee it's an uphill battle

You retarded, son?

"Shitposters thank shitposters which encourages more shitposters." Keyword being 'thank'.

[Spectre]

I generally try not to thank shitposters but a LOT of people do. The thanks system encourages lesser quality posts. Maybe with a different userbase it would encourage better quality posts but, like you said, we have a lot of shitposters here. Shitposters thank shitposters which encourages more shitposters. But yeah, I guess some people really do enjoy a forum that prides itself on its mediocrity and inane posting.

you said it right there in your post thanks don't encourage shitposters, shitposters encourage shit posters what people should do is make more content if you want better users not try to constantly try to cut other users off at the knee it's an uphill battle

You retarded, son?

"Shitposters thank shitposters which encourages more shitposters." Keyword being 'thank'.

are you retarded the thanks are given out by the shitposters to other shitposters it's like claiming someone was killed by a gun and not the person behind it thanks don't automatically assign themselves to shit posts

[RisiR]

The poll, guys. The poll. Closely watch the poll.

[FON]

I generally try not to thank shitposters but a LOT of people do. The thanks system encourages lesser quality posts. Maybe with a different userbase it would encourage better quality posts but, like you said, we have a lot of shitposters here. Shitposters thank shitposters which encourages more shitposters. But yeah, I guess some people really do enjoy a forum that prides itself on its mediocrity and inane posting.

you said it right there in your post thanks don't encourage shitposters, shitposters encourage shit posters what people should do is make more content if you want better users not try to constantly try to cut other users off at the knee it's an uphill battle

You retarded, son?

"Shitposters thank shitposters which encourages more shitposters." Keyword being 'thank'.

are you retarded the thanks are given out by the shitposters to other shitposters it's like claiming someone was killed by a gun and not the person behind it thanks don't automatically assign themselves to shit posts

So a thanked shitpost doesn't encourage more shitposts because the person that thanked the shitpost was a shitposter?

 ???

Simply being a shitposter doesn't mean the thanks system stops encouraging people from posting in particular styles. Thanks encourage posts that individuals like. Shitposters presumably like shitposts, which is why shitposts were so popular on zoklet. Thus, the thanks system is used to encourage these lesser quality posts. Whether it's other shitposters encouraging this behaviour is completely irrelevant.

[Umbrella Corp]

The poll, guys. The poll. Closely watch the poll.

Meh people always vote against their best interests.  This is the american way.

[Spectre]

So a thanked shitpost doesn't encourage more shitposts because the person that thanked the shitpost was a shitposter?

No it doesn't it's the same thing as a shit poster posting rekt right afterward you guys are acting like a thank system brings in more shit posters but your only examples are of poor users already encouraging a base of more poor users being shit heads together. You're the one giving their thanked post any weight. 

you're also implying that someone can only agree or thank certain things that line up with your own view point it sounds to me like you want a site full of specialists not a site without a thank system make better threads and encourage better posters and guess what you'll have less shit posters.

[Enter]

Maximum thanks 1x per day? Should help it reflect quality posters more if they aren't so easy to dish out.

This is a good idea. Do this.

[Rodrat]

I went ahead and voted yes, but reluctantly though.