"The Post Count causes ELITISM and should be done away with! " Do you agree?

[Altorin]

That doesn't really make any sense. I haven't been super active on the forums for a while, but I don't think people gather together and discuss their postcount. There's a Neo group, but it's pretty quiet and is more just a place with a list of the Neos, but that's not elitism. Neo's don't sit around going "muahaha, we're awesome", it's more just like "grats on not being a douchebag." There's also the IRC channel, and that can be pretty inclusive, but that's not based on Postcount - anyone can go on the IRC channel, make friends there, and be included in the inclusiveness.

Can a high post count make a single person feel like they're better? Sure, but more often then not, those people are eventually banned. There's no real safety in seniority on the Escapist forums, they're pretty well moderated. And I've never seen a person turned away because they're new. That's just silly, how does one even do that? Bottom line, in other, smaller forums, you might get jerkwads flaunting their seniority over others, but not here. I think people who complain about it aren't really thinking it through all that much.

 

[Altorin]

Sorry for double post, was sure I saw someone post under me, oops.

I will say though that some new members seem to come to this site with the intention of posting as MUCH as possible to up the count and get known. A certain user who is now banned comes to mind. Came in only a few months ago and already had a 2k+ post count for... being controversial and posting a billion times in one topic? *shrug*

I assume you mean Boudica (I also assume we can mention the name, given her banning).

Yeah, when she wasn't getting into MASSIVE arguments, she was derailing threads left right and center, even worse than Daystar,
[small]( @ToastiestZombie: take note)[/small]

For instance, in this thread . . .
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.385962-Our-favorite-badges

Boudica didn't make a single on-topic post in that entire thread. It was all just derailment nonsense.

Oh god that's some of the worst thread-derailing I've ever seen. Also, I love that I'm known as the one who hates Daystar. I really don't, what I do HATE is seeing off-topic conversations between some of the more popular people. It's just bloody annoying to me, and if I had my way it would get mod wrath, so they learn to use PM's and user groups instead of clogging up the forums with off-topic conversations.

your post count for this post (or at least when I saw it) was 5555. Now, if we didn't have post counts, how could we know of these funny little moments when our post count is strange? lol

 

[Jfswift]

I'm indifferent toward the post count really. It's there. I look at others post count sometimes to kind of gauge how long they've been here, but again it's idle curiosity and doesn't affect my perspective of them. Ironically if we're talking about game kill count systems though, then yes, I say do away with them because I do run into elitists out there (sorry off-topic /rant)

 

[Therumancer]

Post count doesn't have much to do with Post Quality, but in general when people start talking about core issues involving the site or it's community it's a good indication as to whether someone deserves to have an opinion, or is likely to know what they are talking about.

On a lot of cases, some guy with a few hundred posts trying to tell someone with thousands "how it is" is well out of line, and pointing out the post count/contribution is a good way of doing this.

Yes, it DOES lead to a sort of elitism, but at the same time elitism isn't nessicarly bad. As infuriating as it can be for a new guy to hit a sort of glass ceilling, inevitably once they stick around long enough to become one of the elitists themselves (which will happen) they understand, and respect the position, and will probably treat people the way they were treated for good reason.

One could always re-tread the entire "what's worse, elitists or newbs" discussion, but the bottom line is that elitists are the ones that hold together communities and provide a backbone, so the newbs have something to come into. Crack downs against elitism online, oftentimes due to a lack of new blood, generally have the opposite effect intended and destroy the community. When you cease seeing new people coming in, it's rarely actually because of elitists at the top, more than something simply reaching the time for it to pass on, at that point it's probably the eltisits that were keeping it alive whether anyone wants to realize it or not.

I've been on both sides of the equasion and seen the dance play out numerous times. Including people complaining about elitists... and really this isn't the first time where post count has been associated with elitism and been complained about.

 

[Overusedname]

Anyone with a lower post-count than me is just a newbie. Nobody should listen to them, freakin' new guys.

Also, anyone with a higher post-count than me is a no-life snob. Nobody should listen to them, freakin' know-it-alls. That includes all the forum mods, and Daystar Clarion. ESPECIALLY Daystar Clarion.

End of line.

MY FEELINGS.

YOU RUINED THEM.

THEY'RE ALL OVER THE FLOOR.

CLEAN IT UP YOUNG MAN.


OT: People get recognition or they don't, and I don't think it has much to do with post count.

 

[Kellogs Fried Chickn]

What is R&P and why does it ponder about social dynamics, or would the removal be for pragmatic reasons?

The R&P is mistaken, post count does not prevent the formation of cliques and an 'elite' group of users. Post counts can be a measure of influence in the community due to participation and their removal just makes identifying the influential users more difficult.

Their 'basic argument' is pointless and invalid unless the moderators allow this sort of behavior. What logical connection is there between a post counter and a jackass? Should I make a derogatory remark against a user about the lack of a gif avatar, would R&D be discussing whether to ban animated avatars? An insult can be called for and - for the lack of a better word - justified, but using post count or account age is pretty darn pathetic.

I never support forcibly displaying public statistics, I don't like them being gathered but they will bother me when they can be seen. So I don't mind losing post counts, then again I only have 28 holy moly... 31!

 

[Moderated]

I have a low post count, thus showing post count is BAD and it supports DISCRIMINATION and HATE.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

This is really unfortunate, honestly. Most people here are just fine, upstanding, friendly types who only care about chatting with like-minded people. If there's a clique of absolute no-lifers who obsesses over the post counts of others and who create cliques based on who's broken the ten-thousands and who hasn't - I haven't noticed.

I'd say the post count starts to matter if the posts or interventions behind that number are actually worth reading. People like Daystar or Fappy aren't known on the board because they have a large number of posts, but because of what they contribute to the average discussion. I've seen newbies with post counts in the single digits land colossal discussion threads, either out of controversy or genuinely interesting discussion being encouraged. There's also some people who have a few thousand posts who don't do more than drop a line or two.

Just get on with your life, OP. If anyone is idiotic enough to belittle you because you don't have an impressive post count, they're in the wrong and they're wasting your time and their own.

 

[Psychedelic Spartan]

Damn. I see I was ninja'd on what I was going to say, but might as well say it anyway.
Really, I don't care about the post count. I don't feel that members of the site with higher post counts, such as daystar clarion and fappy are elitists. I have talked with them through user groups and I think the only reason that they are so well known is the type of content they post. So no, post count doesn't cause elitism and it should be kept.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Isn't the Escapist already known for elitism?
I like it, but then again I'm at about 2200

 

[Basement Cat]

Damn. I see I was ninja'd on what I was going to say, but might as well say it anyway.
Really, I don't care about the post count. I don't feel that members of the site with higher post counts, such as daystar clarion and fappy are elitists. I have talked with them through user groups and I think the only reason that they are so well known is the type of content they post. So no, post count doesn't cause elitism and it should be kept.

Don't worry about being ninja'd. I saw the post you're referring to but it was only by seeing your gif that I got a clue what it referred to.

Thanx.

 

[Sticky Squid]

People with a small post count only have deep and profound things to say.

Magnificent, this person has the right to be an elitist.
I say we make him our King.

 

[Soxafloppin]

I've never seen any case of elitism regarding post counts.

*increases post count by 1*

 

[Padwolf]

Post counts don't bother me at all. I like seeing my post count, I like seeing other people's post count, it shows how active they are. It's also pretty darn harmless really. I've never seen anyone on here look down on anyone with a lower post count.

 

[2xDouble]

I have a low-ish post count for the time that I've been here. I'm pretty much anonymous except for the little group that knows me. I'm ok with that; I'm not in it to be competitive.

...which means I win at humility. Suck it, non-humble losers! heh, irony.