A Way to Make Threads More Concise

[Toast78901]

I've noticed, especially in suggestion threads or polls, that the amount of pages a forum runs can grow to a rather significant size. However, one of the reasons is restatement. People will make a post just to say they agree with someone, or denote it with only ^, or any other way in which they would denote that they agree with a previous poster. This can cause a thread to have way more posts than there are opinions, with each page restating damn near the same thing every time, causing a new thread viewer to have to hunt through 15 pages of repetitiveness to see if any new ideas or opinions were brought up.

Granted, I know people like to express their own views and opinions. But on most issues, the thread becomes polarized with little new info being brought up. That being said, why not add like a Ditto button to posts? Kinda like a like button on Facebook, but that essentially denotes that you have an opinion, but someone has posted it already so you are showing your support.

Now, I don't want the forum to become Facebook (I say this because I can see people construing my point that way). But I do think that this may clean up threads a bit, making them more concise which can be incredibly helpful to Admins, etc. who are looking through a thread, gathering opinions and actually plan to make changes.

Thoughts?

[Deathhawk]

I'd say simply activity is always a plus.

(So no)

[Jam Cliché]

A "Karma" system of sorts, with posts being voted up/thanked/ditto'd/liked/whatever, connected to vCash (say 10 Cash each) would be rewarding for members, and we could also increased the required character count per post to something like 20 characters to encourage some actual thought in a post.

But, in any regard, you must be aware that all threads eventually do "polarize". Only so much can be said before someone repeats themselves. A debate can go on for hours even with all parties only saying the same thing, but with a directed focus towards whatever the previous poster said. It's just normal.

[Metkil5685]

Hmm. Karma system you say? Encourage people to have more constructive through a karma system? Yes/No?

[Lol its James]

Yes

[Fuzzy]

Hmm. Karma system you say? Encourage people to have more constructive through a karma system? Yes/No?

No, I have seen large forums use this system before and the communities have obsessed over the karma system causing huge issues and a lot of problems.

[GhostHammer]

No, I have seen large forums use this system before and the communities have obsessed over the karma system causing huge issues and a lot of problems.

You mean Reddit? Yea no thanks. I love the karma thing, I do, but everyone here has an equal voice as members and their opinion shouldn't be placed at the "bottom" simply based on what will turn into a popularity system.

[Platinum]

The Karma system sounds good on paper, but in reality it will fail here. New ideas that could actually lead to something better in the community but because of some jerks, the idea never gets discovered. No thanks, I like the current system

[KazuhLLL]

Hmm. Karma system you say? Encourage people to have more constructive through a karma system? Yes/No?

Sounds good in theory but I'm worried it wouldn't work so well in practice in Jam's vCash-connected version. I feel like whichever army was more active on the forums would inevitably amass more vCash through that system (just because they'd have more posts for others to thank/upvote/whatever).

Maybe have a "thread-karma" and a "comment-karma" akin to reddit and have ribbons for certain lifetime-levels of karma in each category? Or just have a "thank" system like the waypoint forums and have a ribbon be an incentive for that system as well

You mean Reddit? Yea no thanks. I love the karma thing, I do, but everyone here has an equal voice as members and their opinion shouldn't be placed at the "bottom" simply based on what will turn into a popularity system.

Yeah, I'd definitely be against that kind of karma system. But if that was what Toast was referring to (didn't get that impression , personally) then perhaps add another part of the "Display" option of each thread so that you could set it to "Karma mode" in which the posts would be sorted from highest to lowest. As a default setting I'd be against it, but for something like the Boltshot thread and the Ordnance thread it'd probably have been a good way to essentially get a TL;DR of the threads.

[silversleek(GEN)]

A "Karma" system of sorts, with posts being voted up/thanked/ditto'd/liked/whatever, connected to vCash (say 10 Cash each)

oh hell no. That could be way too easily abused.

(PSSST, guys, lets all just vote up everyone in our army and get infinite vcash, yeah!)