Applauds(Cures) and Smites(Curses) icons

[Bobubas]

Hi Again All,

I don't get to spend as much time on the Forum as I used to, and have not had a chance to read "All' the post here, so forgive me if this question has already been asked and answered.

Although I'm sure they have been present for some time, today was the first I noticed the applaud/smite icons on the individual post. I clicked on the smite icon and noticed it added a number to the already exisiting total of said post, and then clicked the applaud icon and it did the same thing. I did not know the true meaning of what smite meant till I looked it up.

My question is: What possible redeeming quality can there be to subjecting fellow posters to cyber-smiting? According to Webster's, "smite" is defined as to hit or strike hard, especially so as to kill or destroy.

This is just my opinion, but I feel there is no place for "smiting" in every day society, let alone on a Dark Shadows message board.

I personally know a couple of the Moderators on this board, and I know they would NEVER condone the berating of fellow board members here, but in a not so subtle way, this feature in essence gives one that ability. I would ask these same organizers to give very serious consideration to the removal of this potentially detrimental feature. Nothing positive can come out of having this feature present, so why risk hurting the feeling of fellow posters?         Thanks,
                                                 Bob

[Julianka7]

I agree with Bob.

[Cassandra Blair]

You know, I read about this topic over in the Testing 1, 2, 3 section and I just don't agree that it's a harmless bit of fun, as was opined there.

Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive, but it seems to me like an invitation to hurt feelings and dissent among forum members.  This board can sometimes be a bit clannish.  I think the applaud and smite aspect just adds to that factor.

[Midnite]

Sorry for the delay in answering, but I had to run off to hang at my kid's school for a while...

The feedback I've received concerning the karma feature has cut both ways.  Some find it amusing while others are skeptical about it, and like Bob a few others have requested we take it down.  I can't speak for the creator of the karma mod except that he has said (see threads on the karma feature in Testing 1, 2, 3) it was created for fun.  I've seen far too numerous incidents of posters attacking each other using words and of course we never condone that, yet while I recognize that the karma feature has inspired strong feelings in some I still contend that it shouldn't be taken too seriously and merely allows some posters to give comments a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  [Smite] is just a link that posters can push and there's no intent for it to compare to the harsh words some internet posters occasionally like to sling at each other on the many DS venues.  My feeling is that the words used against each other are very powerful and far more damaging than any YaBB mod can ever be.  On the subject of words, if your problem is with the term "smite", I thought it was amusing but it can be changed, just please don't ask that we do it right now or send suggestions for us to consider cuz we're swamped with requests and questions regarding this new version.

I hear you, Cassandra Blair, and you're not the only person that has said it at one time or another, but I honestly don't understand the feeling that the forums are a bit clannish.  Everyone is welcome [within the sole limitation of bandwidth, argh!], posting is always encouraged, the guidelines are enforced across the board, and I don't know of any incident of a group ganging up on any individual.  I sincerely hope no one is smiting because they dislike or have an axe to grind with any one person.

Thank you for your feedback, and please understand that all MB, Dom and I are asking is that the feature be given a chance.

[RingoCollins]

Sorry for the delay in answering, but I had to run off to hang at my kid's school for a while...

use the word 'hanging' in a sentence : 'David is hanging in the closet'

On the subject of words, if your problem is with the term "smite", I thought it was amusing but it can be changed

how about 'Bite'?

I have a very thick skin [and can be read as 'don't care' ]but there are some folks that take things like that very personally, so I wouldn't be too sad to lose it either.  I always come here for the laughs and to learn more about the show [like on the great history of Petofi thread!] so if that is gonna wreck the train to Collinsport - put it back int the foundling home!

but I do wonder who were the two weasles are that caused my minus 2 rating!

[ProfStokes]

Thank you for your feedback, and please understand that all MB, Dom and I are asking is that the feature be given a chance.

Just out of curiosity, how long is the trial period for the feature going to last?

I don't care for it myself.  I've always considered this board to be a very friendly place, but seeing the recent number of smites on the board have made me uncomfortable.  Even though some have confessed that they're only doing it as a joke, there's no way to tell whether or not the smiting was intended to be serious.  Also, as far as I can tell, these tallies endure.  Unlike an AIM warning level, for instance, which can decline with time, 30 smites is 30 smites from now on.  Future newcomers may view such a rating seriously and unfairly look askance at particular posters who may have simply been the target of a prank.  Furthermore, not everybody has the ability to applaud or smite, yet are vulnerable to the applause and smites of others.  This doesn't seem fair.

That said, I do enjoy being able to applaud a friend who's made a particularly witty or insightful remark.  Not to add to the workload of the moderators or try to tell them how to do their jobs (I think they do splendidly as it is,) but I wonder if it might be possible to try an alternative if the applauding/smiting is determined to be a serious problem.  While browsing other boards on the Internet, I've seen a feature called 'Rate this Topic.'  I imagine it's similar to applaud/smite, but pertains to posts rather than posters.  I'd rather think that people were smiting my message than smiting me personally.  :-

ProfStokes

[dom]

but I do wonder who were the two weasles are that caused my minus 2 rating!

Probably someone without a sense of humor...IMHO

[Midnite]

Just out of curiosity, how long is the trial period for the feature going to last?

I have no idea, sorry.

[Bobubas]

The feedback I've received concerning the karma feature has cut both ways.  Some find it amusing while others are skeptical about it, and like Bob a few others have requested we take it down

As I stated in my original post, I just feel there is no redeeming qualities this feature offers, so why risk the feelings of our fellow board members.  Regardless of the mod creators intent, the feature is obviously ambiguous and esoteric when attempting to define it, and for that reason alone it should be removed so that there is no confusion.
I think ProfStokes made some excellent points when she defined some of the other faults of this mod. And although Ringo was only kidding about wondering who it was that gave him the two smites he mentioned in his post, I'm sure it weighs on his mind as to what he might have said or done to receive them, and who they were from.

If the Moderators on this forum really feel it is a harmless feature created for fun, then what harm would it bring to allow everyone to see who is smiting them? I've a feeling if people were publicly held accountable for "smiting" instead of being able to do it in secret, they might think twice or three times  before clicking that button.

Again, this is only my feeling and I really don't want to harp on it any further, but, as Midnite mentioned in her reply,(and let me add I have nothing but the utmost respect for Midnite & MB and their opinions) if more then a couple people have expressed concern about it, then I think it should be addressed.  OK , that is my last word on this subject.  Bob

                                       

[Midnite]

If the Moderators on this forum really feel it is a harmless feature created for fun, then what harm would it bring to allow everyone to see who is smiting them?

We have nothing to do with that; the karma feature came with with YaBB SE and the anonymity is inherent.  Its writer felt that removing the anonymity would have made it less fun.

I've a feeling if people were publicly held accountable for "smiting" instead of being able to do it in secret, they might think twice or three times  before clicking that button.

I believe that's his point exactly.  This feature is not at all about public accountability; it's about having a little fun.

[Cassandra Blair]

Bobubas and Prof. Stokes put things much more eloquently than I ever could, but I agree with what they said, Midnite - as much as I respect your opinion and how hard you work for this site (it's WAY appreciated).

Also - didn't mean to imply that I believe the forum rules are not enforced, or that people are ganged up on here (that is SO not the case).  Just that so many of the folks who've been on the boards awhile seem to know each other really well and that can be a little intimidating to newbies.  The Karma feature might make some folks feel a little uneasy/queasy when stating what may not be the most popular opinion. 

I've said my peace on this subject, though.  Thanks for listening!   

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Just out of curiosity, how long is the trial period for the feature going to last?

I have no idea, sorry.

The reason we have no idea is because this system is as new to us as it is to you. When we officially launched dsboards.com a year ago today (Yay! Happy Birthday to us!! - But I digress... ) we'd had more than a month to familiarize ourselves with the system, make changes and add features before anyone else had a chance to use anything. However, with this change to YaBB SE, we didn't have the luxury of time to learn because the change was thrust upon us by our host. SP was Perl based, a computer language that I knew. SE is PHP/MySQL based, a language and database that I know very little about. Since launching this version a little less than two weeks ago, I've gotten several books on the subject, and the good thing is that PHP is very similar to Perl and other computer languages that I'm very familair with - but it also has it's differences. And until I'm able to get up to speed, I'm not going to be able to tweak the system like I was able to with the SP version. You all just have to be patient because, believe me, no wants me to be as proficient with PHP as I was with Perl than I do.

That having been said, though, I was able to change a few things about the Karma feature that the forum's preferences and settings allows us to change. Instead of displaying both totals, now it displays the difference between the two. In other words, rather than showing +20/-12, it shows 8. And I've also changed applaud/smite to cure/curse, which is probably more befitting DS. But that's about as much as I can do at this time... 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

didn't mean to imply that I believe the forum rules are not enforced, or that people are ganged up on here (that is SO not the case).  Just that so many of the folks who've been on the boards awhile seem to know each other really well and that can be a little intimidating to newbies.

I know this might be easier said than done, but please don't be intimidated. Everyone who regularly posts on the forum was a newbie at some time or other on the different online DS venues where we've met each other. But while it's true that many of us have been spending time with each other online for several years, it's also true that many of the people who we're now friendly with on the forum have been around for a year or less. The thing is they didn't let their newbieness prevent them from just jumping in and joining the discussions, and in no time it was as if we'd known them for years. Sure, it can sometimes be scary to take that first, second or even third step. But we love it when new people show up because they usually bring fresh ideas and fresh perspectives with them, and that only makes the discussions more interesting and that much more lively.

The Karma feature might make some folks feel a little uneasy/queasy when stating what may not be the most popular opinion. 

Well, all I can say to that is that if someone has a strong opinion about something, please don't be afraid to state it. This forum was specifically created so that any DS fan could feel comfortable knowing that they wouldn't be chewed up and spit out simply for saying something that might be a bit controversial (which most definitely isn't the case on some other DS venues ). Sure, people will disagree. But isn't healthy debate the fun of having strong opinions? At least that's the way I've always looked at. And if you think your Karma total goes down because of something you might have said about DS, well, that certainly doesn't mean that you didn't have as much right to your opinion as anyone else did. Think of it as a badge of honor that shows the rest of us that you're not afraid to be an individual.

[Patti Feinberg]

I also concur...don't care for it...

and I give everyone here an applaud.

Patti

[Mark Rainey]

I think Bob makes good points, and in fact I reluctantly smote him with a cure point. I'm sure the intention of the thing is just fun, and I don't see it being an issue significant enough to stop someone posting here unless they're way too sensitive. But I personally don't have much use for the feature; if I agree or disagree strongly enough with an issue, I'll take the time to post about it and not bother bumping someone's karma up or down. Without a quantitative point breakdown (positive or negative), the number means nothing; high karma only indicates that someone has made a lot of posts. Low karma may mean the poster hasn't been on the boards very much, like me; it says absolutely nothing about whether people's opinions of his or her posts are positive or negative. Thus, its value is inherently moot.

It wasn't me, Ringo, honest!

--Mark