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October, 2024

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New feature in the forums

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schmuck
Posts: 1974 - Karma: 53,161
Hey everyone,

Wanted to let you all know about an exciting new feature that's coming to the forums later this week...the ability to rate individual posts.

We've made the decision to add this feature because it will do much a better job of determining the best quality threads via ratings (which will in turn appear on the homepage) in a more accurate way, as opposed to an overall thread rating.

Please note that this feature will NOT change or affect the ordering of posts or threads, as we will never get rid of the ability to view forums by the latest added view. It will simply act as a way for you to determine the best quality threads and the ones that show up on the homepage.

In addition to this heads up, we're looking for some people to help us test this feature and provide feedback, so if you're interested, please send me a PM.

Thanks!



Mar 4 2013 2:15PM
1318 694
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
I spent a few minutes upvoting the vintage lens thread from M&A up to 300, why isn't it on the homepage? :S
Mar 6 2013 4:02PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,745
they need to be recently created threads. also I think just Ski Gabber ones too.

but this is true, someone could easily take advantage of this by upvoting every post in their shitty thread in Ski Gabber and getting it on the front page.
Mar 6 2013 4:05PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
Ah got you, and I thought it was just everything bar nsg.
Mar 6 2013 4:09PM
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I_liketobutter
Posts: 2664 - Karma: 997
this is going to be awesome for actual gear talk in gear talk. reliable, educated posts will be noticed and the 13yo giving binding advice will not
Mar 6 2013 4:09PM
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t_rob
Posts: 6433 - Karma: 11,458
Wait, voting individual posts changes the thread score? So an individual can change the thread score by however many posts are in it? I think this is bad news.
Mar 6 2013 4:13PM
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Bateman
Posts: 8591 - Karma: 8,600
how sick is this? You can now use upvote/downvote gifs!

Here's a downvote gif.

Click for larger image
Mar 6 2013 4:19PM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9215 - Karma: 5,398
would a feature that lets you view post in order of most ratings ever come about? an option that is, as in you can choose post order or rating.
Mar 6 2013 4:42PM
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Mr.Sloth
Posts: 5091 - Karma: 13,469
Nooo
Mar 6 2013 4:48PM
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Parks.
Posts: 5612 - Karma: 1,093
interesting, could actually really help the site
Mar 6 2013 5:07PM
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kung_powpow
Posts: 1990 - Karma: 3,671
People are going to shit on ar6riders posts, I don't think a single one will be positive.
Mar 6 2013 5:12PM
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Parks.
Posts: 5612 - Karma: 1,093
then the forum is just jumbled up and out of order. chronological oder is better IMO
Mar 6 2013 5:18PM
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Bart.Man
Posts: 1742 - Karma: 1,952
I like the concept, but it looks kinda ugly in my opinion.
Mar 6 2013 5:28PM
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Miomo
Posts: 4302 - Karma: 14,133
Seems like there's a lot of -1s for no reason whatsoever.
Mar 6 2013 5:31PM
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paige.
Posts: 1932 - Karma: 924
I agree that I don't love having the OP and overall score connected. Sometimes a really good OP will turn into a shitty thread or vice versa. Without it affecting karma etc it isn't a big deal, but it seems like the OP is often misrepresentative of the whole thread.
Mar 6 2013 5:32PM
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RimJobber
Posts: 3313 - Karma: 10,058
I feel like nobody will be giving out karma anymore, just rating their post up instead
Mar 6 2013 5:49PM
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homestar
Posts: 2124 - Karma: 4,197
Maybe but would that even be a bad thing?
Mar 6 2013 5:55PM
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Jaggy_Snake
Posts: 2287 - Karma: 1,418
I've had another thought with this up and down vote post thing.

For posts that have a lot of up votes maybe, somehow, automatically highly rated posts should become a shade of green (still staying in the chronological order that the posts are) which will attract people looking for information and posts that are highly down rated should either be hidden from view (the specific user can choose to view said post) or be shaded in red. It will only apply to posts after the OP.

This idea will most likely only work in M&A, Site Discussion and Gear Talk as they can be quite specific subjects. If it were to implemented into NSG and/or SG in my opinion it wouldn't work as well.
Mar 6 2013 6:06PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
^win
Mar 6 2013 6:26PM
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SSteezle
Posts: 9297 - Karma: 7,732
do this
Mar 6 2013 6:30PM
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Jaimee.
Posts: 846 - Karma: 87
Admittedly, I'm not as big of a user of this site as other people, but I can see this turning the forums into a competition to get a higher post score than others. One would hope this would increase the quality of posts but it may also hinder people from posting against the 'hivemind' within the thread.

I think it will also induce a much more passive-aggressive vibe in the forums. Instead of having to converse with someone as to why they have an opinion or whatnot a person can now just simply upvote/downvote a post and feel justified instead of engaging in conversation. Of course, this system could erradicate nonsensical arguments for fear of being downrated, but that defeats the purpose of a forum in a way. Forums are meant for conversation.

Also, the more opinionated, or seemingly qualified, a post the more likely it is to recieve attention and thus more votes in either direction.

That said, the idea of rating the posts inside the thread in order to determine thread quality is an interesting idea to try out. I may revise my stance later, once I've had more time to 'feel it out', but overall for now I see it as more likely to be detrimental than beneficial.
Mar 6 2013 7:12PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,231
Great post, you brought up some great points that I too am curious to see how the community as a whole reacts
Mar 6 2013 7:15PM
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El_Barto.
Posts: 11661 - Karma: 24,364
FKS 180s seem good for you
Mar 6 2013 7:48PM
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,014
can we at least move it under the quote reply button so it doesn't make that terrible looking gap
Mar 6 2013 7:50PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,231
but that's where "delete reply" sits!
Mar 6 2013 8:02PM
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t_rob
Posts: 6433 - Karma: 11,458
After watching this thing go for a day I think it's a waste. I don't find it helpful at all. This might just be day one with everyone going wild over the system, who knows. I don't know if it'll continue being used like this. If there was a way that that users could turn off seeing/using the system if they didn't want to I'd be fine if it continued it's just not something I want to see/use.
Mar 6 2013 8:30PM
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MatRich
Posts: 4789 - Karma: 1,813
great feature, good work guys, fuck you guys are awsome!
Mar 6 2013 8:45PM
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kstanz
Posts: 3058 - Karma: 477
First impression thought it was kind of cool but now I'm just not really a big fan. Cluttery, and makes people almost hide away from an explanation as to why the post was bad or good. Rated : Meh.
Mar 6 2013 9:05PM
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steezyjibber
Posts: 15967 - Karma: 11,026
don't like
Mar 6 2013 9:08PM
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roddy116
Posts: 10627 - Karma: 7,423
haha yeah we can

Click for larger image
Mar 6 2013 9:18PM
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,409
I am not a fan of it at all, and if this ever get's linked to karma...

Why do I hate it? It looks cluttered. It's a lot of distracting data to take in. And anyone who has an opinion will either be loved or hated for it, so I think it discourages speaking your mind regardless of what is on your mind. That's lame. Opinions need to stay, no matter how stupid some of them may seem.

We also already have the 0-10 karma rating scale; and If I hate or love a member's post, I just rate them up or down accordingly. I think if this ever does get linked to karma, then we need to scrap one element. Maybe we could combine the two somehow and have a daily upvote or downvote for a member, and at the end of the day, all those ratings are combined and then calculated out to give us a rating out of 10, then that is calculated on to your current karma rating. That's pretty wordy and confusing but hopefully someone understands what I mean.
Mar 6 2013 9:55PM
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cwphoto
Posts: 2332 - Karma: 780
i hope this doesnt turn into a thing where anybody who says "this" to agree gets downvoted and yelled at for not just up voting. stuff like reddit where you get attacked for saying "this" or "haha" or "i really enjoyed that"
Mar 6 2013 10:11PM
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coldcuts69
Posts: 3718 - Karma: 1,888
i think the new feature is fucking stupid
Mar 6 2013 10:12PM
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Trojan~Man
Posts: 1996 - Karma: 1,357
this is awesome!! this is what i thought the initial upvote system was gonna turn out like. stoked.
Mar 6 2013 10:38PM
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RimJobber
Posts: 3313 - Karma: 10,058
My name is just long enough to get fucked up with the arrows
Mar 6 2013 10:42PM
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Holte
Posts: 10740 - Karma: 7,814
I was pretty intrigued by this idea a couple days ago, but it's kind of turned me off of the forums after only a few hours.

For one, it seems incredibly passive aggressive - a quality that is decisively not NS. It allows disagreement with posts without needing to provide any explanation, or even needing a reason. There is no consequence to downvoting any post, so I forsee tons of aliases, trolls, and even otherwise decent members abusing the system to downvote every single post in a thread they dislike just to put it deep into the negative numbers. Or it will be the opposite - upvoting all the posts in a thread, regardless of each post's quality, to bump it high into the positive numbers. It's an easy way to quickly polarize the community.

You could argue that this system will keep the bad posts out. But we already have tons of decent members on NS who have no problem telling the idiots to shut the fuck up. I can't see a negative number next to someone's post being more effective than Heath and AR6rider verbally patrolling the forums.

The one significant benefit of this system is that it's probably more accurate in bringing good threads onto the homepage. But it comes at the cost of discouraging conversation in the forums through fear of being downvoted and removing the necessity of well-thought debate. Plus, I daresay the members who use the forums the most and who contribute the most conversation to this community, barely use the homepage. As someone who usually browses NS for a few hours a day, I'd rather browse Ski Gabber, then NSG, then M&A, top rated photos, most recent photos, top rated videos, then my cults, then repeat - instead of looking for this material on the homepage.

Don't get me wrong, the homepage is GREAT for photos and videos, but adding such an easily manipulated and passive aggressive feature to the forums for the sole benefit of the homepage seems like a step in the wrong direction.
Mar 6 2013 11:05PM
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panojibber.
Posts: 1041 - Karma: 683
I like this, its fun to see what the community at large thinks of posts.
Besides, karma is already a passive agressive feature. If I think somebody makes a really shitty thread or a bad response, I'm going to rate them a bit lower, no doubt. This way at least you can have it more up front and still have karma ratings.

I think it'd be cool to link this to karma. In the end this is a community, and the quality of your posts and discussion should determine your karma rating.

Although I definitely agree with everyone else who's saying it looks a bit out of place. I know its difficult to implement this kind of stuff in a really nice looking way, but I think that NS could do better as far as a nice interface goes.
Mar 6 2013 11:24PM
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,484
Ya, this is really stupid that individual post ratings go toward the overall thread rating. It could be a great thread but just have a couple shitty posts and it will completely ruin the threads rating. It's a huge flaw that makes this new update complete horseshit.

This either has to be fixed, or just get rid of the whole system. I don't really see how this new system is really any benefit anyways.
Mar 6 2013 11:35PM
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TACO-DOG.exe
Posts: 11988 - Karma: 12,261
and i just countered your downvotes with my upvotes. went from 70 to 205.

Mar 7 2013 12:24AM
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,409
Yeah, I had no idea that each post rating affects the overall thread rating... Guess I didn't read rules before I played... Anywho I think that is just a setup for disaster and puts way too much power in a single user's hands, just like many others have pointed out. If the system were to stay I think that would need to change for sure. I originally had though that each post was rate-able N the system didn't extend beyond that. That made more logical sense to me.
Mar 7 2013 12:41AM
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fujarome
Posts: 8630 - Karma: 1,561
right, so I thought this would be cool when you guys first mentioned it, but I'm not a believer currently.


The problem is that the whole purpose of upvoting/downvoting is so that good content goes to the top and is more visible. Bad stuff goes down and disappears. That's fine for reddit and whoever else.

The problem is that ns forums are not content driven like that. The popular stuff goes to the top on the basis of it actually being popular; IE being worth typing out a response to. The stuff people don't care about goes away because no one cares to respond.


The way I see it, there are 2 options.

Keep this upvote/downvote system, but make them have an influence on the thread listing. Basically dumping chronological order/post bumping. In my opinion, this would completely ruin the forums and I for one, would stop posting here.


or dump the post voting system.



I know you guys really like reddit and the way they do things. But I gotta give you the same answer given to people who want facebook style stuff on ns. NS is NOT reddit.

NS is unique and the forums work exactly as they should. They aren't cluttered, it's easy to use, and most importantly, it has continuity. Since I found ns in 2003, everything about the website and skiing has changed in huge, awesome ways. But the forums have more or less stayed the same, because they were that good to begin with.
Mar 7 2013 12:43AM
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Jaimee.
Posts: 846 - Karma: 87
I think this is the biggest issue.

Without this new system, if someone had a problem with a user's post they either just lowered that individual's karma, if they felt passive-aggressive, or they'd call the person out and at least allow for an avenue of discussion. Losing that discussion could definitely dissolve a bit of the community feel that newschoolers has.

The anonymity behind the rating could also cause there to be less of a community feel about newschoolers. Anonymity does not bode well for constructive conversation. I believe there would be a loss of integrity to this place if people could affect a thread without having to explain themselves. It is way easier to click a button if one doesn't agree with something than explain why one feels or thinks the way they do. Making it easier to express one's opinions without contributing anything that could be played off of.

At least with the system where only the thread could be rated, a person's vote could only affect so much. With this new one a person could go through and vote every post either up or down callously and cause a ripple effect affecting the thread as a whole regardless of the conversation within it.

Not to mention that since the ratings of particular posts are seen by all members the numbers could affect people's opinions without even reading what the poster wrote. I believe that the greater the number of 'upvotes' a post already has the more it is likely to garner, same with 'downvotes'.

I'm all for giving the people within a community a voice, but in this case I do not believe anonymous voting is the answer, as it could potentially shut down conversation. What good is a forum if conversation is shut down? Besides, the threads that are 'good' are already decided on by members by posting in them and pushing them to the front page of the forum.
Mar 7 2013 1:04AM
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sweatshirt
Posts: 1357 - Karma: 483
Not a fan of this new addition at all, and I don't think its one of those things that can grow on you, really hope it gets removed.
Mar 7 2013 1:59AM
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JakeAssBeatClap
Posts: 6673 - Karma: 2,537
Hate the new post upvote thig. makes it so a bunch of 15 year olds can brag about how many upvotes they got. go back go back go back
Mar 7 2013 2:16AM
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FearlessBlackMan
Posts: 95 - Karma: -2
I agree. If you're going to downvote somebody, you should be forced to give a reason.

Also, it would be better if it showed the upvote:downvote ratio. Currently being -5 could mean everybody who's seen it has disliked it, or 53 people out of 101 disliked it and all the others liked it. There's a huge difference between a post being controversial and being universally despised that isn't reflected in the current voting system.
Mar 7 2013 2:20AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,745
I think 90% of the problems with this would be solved if voting a post did not change the overall thread rating. as it is now it really kinda sucks. but I do like the idea of it.
Mar 7 2013 3:09AM
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eheath
Posts: 61599 - Karma: 123,024
I dig the idea, but the buttons look awful IMO I dunno if paul/jp just tossed these up but I'd sure hope for the final version of this system the buttons will be updated.
Mar 7 2013 4:51AM
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SFBv420.0
Posts: 2539 - Karma: 3,124

Yo bishy for someone who likes to get on the 0 fucks should be given soapbox you sure spend a lot of time energy and $$ gittin your steezetarded skittle thugs to rate things.

Why is that?

Mar 7 2013 6:04AM
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roddy116
Posts: 10627 - Karma: 7,423
.
Mar 7 2013 9:08AM
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blindside
Posts: 5619 - Karma: 1,199
Ya the arrows look really awkward and cluttered. And since there's no option to sort a thread by 'best', up/down voting a post seems useless to me..
Mar 7 2013 10:17AM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,010
i just don't understand why you guys made it so up/down voting posts in a thread affects the overall score of the thread.

the overall score of the thread is now useless and completely inaccurate. One person can drastically change the score of a thread now. How is that a good thing?
Mar 7 2013 11:28AM
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