Growls latest aneurysm.

Tipmoose · Post by **Tipmoose** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:52 pm

Which of you fuhktards is responsible for this?? [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Default Why (rhetorical) Read and Heed

Every time things get too serious on a message board someone will opine that "it is just the internet" or something like that.

However, if folks do not act like we think they should then we hurl insults at them or folks like them.

Today I have dealt with folks posting too much and another going after one for posting too much.

So why does the one guy get upset or even care that someone posts more than another?

The we get into reps. Did anyone really think that good posts/threads would get reps and bad ones would get negative and that it would be orderly and at the end of the day we would know who the best poster was/is? (Has anyone been to Too Hot for Swamp Gas- folks can't agree on anything and that would include rep)

IMHO, reps, like the casino is for fun-each person can use it, abuse and do with it as they like. Why does it matter that one person likes to get reps when someone else does not. Does that make the internet a better or worse place?

Casino cash- I have folks get mad or upset cause we are giving it away at all, or too fast or too slow or it is favoring one person and not another. Why does it matter to anyone- if you like it use if you don't give it away or ignore it.

I really do not care how the reps are used and I try to keep casino cash flowing because folks want it. Now if that makes you want to insult folks who do not use it to your liking then I think you have issues, really.

Maybe it is just the off season or a full moon, or PMS, or male menopause but folks think they have a right to control how others use this site and if they can not control they will hurl insults like a seven year old.

As I said two weeks ago, if you make this place unpleasant for folks who like it I will block your access. If that makes you cancel your membership, become a Nole fan or hang me in effigy, I don't give a crap, but the enforcement starts now no more warnings.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:55 pm

i gotta think it's one of THEM

i've been a lil too busy the last several days to kick up dust over there.

TheTodd · Post by **TheTodd** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:22 pm

They are just driving their board into the ground.

annarborgator · Post by **annarborgator** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:25 pm

Def not me. I imagine it's just the utter shittiness of that group creating its own implosion.

G8rMom7 · Post by **G8rMom7** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:54 pm

Nope, this one isn't on anyone here. I've been over there but as always, I have only found about 2 or 3 threads that even remotely interest me. And I NEVER even bother to click on threads that have anything to do with Casino Cash or "rep" so I have no idea of what he is talking about.

What I do know, is that when it comes to giving out ANY kind of rewards (even just virtual ones), you better have your "fairplay" hat on and have your chit together. Be prepared for what could go wrong, what kind of problems people will have with it, etc. I think a big mistake they made was they assumed they were talking to MOSTLY smart and reasonable people. When marketing most products you have to talk to the people that are either 1. Stupid and gullable enough to buy into what you're selling or 2. really smart people who are going to try to find a way to get something for nothing.

IMO.

I knew all that stuff would just be a big ol' mess. I miss the good ol' days of just trying to get a high post count.

MinGator · Post by **MinGator** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:59 pm

so you're saying i can have your casino cash????

annarborgator · Post by **annarborgator** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:01 pm

[img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lmao.gif[/img] @ 95.

And m7 knows her marketing/group psychology.

apexgator · Post by **apexgator** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:02 pm

and they thought they got rid of all their problems when the got rid of us

newsgator · Post by **newsgator** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:09 pm

Schedenfreude: scha·den·freu·de (shäd'n-froi'd?) n. Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

TheTodd · Post by **TheTodd** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:18 pm

I haven't been in the pub in weeks. I've just been on NbN and the Round the Horn forums.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 7:21 am

and they thought they got rid of all their problems when the got rid of us

ironic eh....the people who were labeled the 'problems' are banned and the ones they've protected all along are now biting the hand...good stuff right there. [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_twisted.gif[/img]

IHateUGAlyDawgs · Post by **IHateUGAlyDawgs** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 7:31 am

wasn't me...can't even look at shit over there.

TTBHG · Post by **TTBHG** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:28 am

^^:yeahdat^^

DocZaius · Post by **DocZaius** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:32 am

So how many folks got banned over that?

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:50 pm

Photogator

Funny how everyone thinks "the silent" not only always agree with whatever position they favor but that they also somehow form the "majority," lol.

In this case, since there might be 25 or 30 people here who REALLY care about getting rep (enough to go to the trouble of posting in a thread asking people to trade rep with them as well as sometimes using other threads to ask for it - and even using casino cash to buy it) and, from what I have been told by someone in the know, there are something like 40,000+ users of Gator Country, I think I am safe in saying that the people who care about rep are the minority - and they are very vocal one at that. Just count how many of them have attacked any of the very few who dared question anything about "rep."

I truly don't care if people trade rep and have said so many times. (Now that it'll take longer to get stars, the rep trading threads will surely multiply like Catholic rabbits so anyone who does have a problem with it better run for cover.) All I want is to make sure everyone knows that rep is purely for fun and that a ton of rep doesn't mean that you have a great "reputation" here. It most likely means you spend a lot of time playing the rep game.

As long as newbies don't mistakenly believe that they should trust someone with a bunch of stars more than someone with a few green bars, then I have ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM at all with the rep trading.

What I can't understand though is why some people seem to be so bothered by the idea that I want to let people know that a lot of yellow stars does not equate to a "great reputation." Since i was 1-2 "reps" away from getting my 4th star before the new counting system was installed, all I was in effect doing was saying "don't be fooled just because I have yellow stars into thinking I am Gator Country royalty."

Note the "I." By letting people know that "rep" is meaningless I was taking away from any false impressions people might have about my own reputation as well as anyone else's. People who have been around for a while and have read a lot of Gator Country posts don't need to see a ton of stars to know someone like Vanders is a quality poster (and good person to boot). They also aren't fooled by my stars into thinking I'm not a royal pain in the arse at times. But the vast majority of people - the ones unlike me with lives, lol - don't read thousands of posts and so the bars & stars likely help tell them which posters to trust and which might not be so trustworthy.

The stars & bars don't work that way - and everyone who has posted on this thread knows that - but for some reason, a few posters have, in this thread and others, attacked any attempt by me (or lacuna and others) to let people know that stars don't mean a person is some kind of super-poster. They have even called us names like "whiners" just because we want to people to know that rep is purely for fun and nothing more.

What's really strange is that the only people seeming to take offense over us wanting to advertise the fact that rep is just for fun are the people who are most wrapped up in having all that fun. You'd think they would want everyone to know how much fun they can have by trading for rep.

Since it's all for fun why not advertise that fact and get EVERYONE to play. The more the merrier, right? I know Vanders feels that way and she always tries to get more people involved in the Pub. She also wouldn't care if rep points were replaced by something else like "casino dollar points" because to her it really is all about participation and fun. I couldn't agree more. Of course, it's attitudes like hers that earns her so many stars, and rightfully so. But i can't imagine she would ever call someone a whiner because they didn't want people to think rep points mean anything more than they actually do.

It seems to me a lot like someone ordering a bunch of different sports trophies with their name engraved on each one and then displaying them like "rep stars" in their living room. And when someone finds out that those trophies don't actually represent the fact that they are a great athlete, having that same trophy buyer say that they just liked the pretty gold and silver statues of athletes and collecting them was just for "fun." I guarantee that same trophy collector would not take kindly to anyone who said he was going to tell the world that those "trophies" were nothing more than knickknacks. Sorta like some have reacted to the idea that people are told rep stars don't mean that someone is a good or knowledgeable person.

Chances are also pretty good that the trophy buyer would respond to anyone saying that buying those "awards" wasn't kosher by attacking the person who said it. Probably by trying to ridicule him or by calling him a whiner who is trying to ruin something that was only "fun."

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:51 pm

Originally Posted by MetalGator311

I sought out rep a few months ago because I didn't like the one measly bar by name. It's gotten out of control, and unfortunately reflects nothing on the quality of the poster. The best forum-rep systems are anonymous and take measures to curb abuse of the system.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:52 pm

Originally Posted by TitletownSteeler View Post

Well said. Actually, I'll go one further and say that it has rendered rep completely useless.

And if certain people around here have to call others whiners for having such an opinion, then I think you need to grow up.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:52 pm

shane

The only reasonable thing I can take away from these discussions is that we may need to rethink what we call "rep". Maybe we can call it something else -- what I do not know. I do know that some folks enjoy trading it, posting for it, or whatever. And, as it doesn't really hurt anyone else, I have no intention of turning it off or curbing what those folks do with it.

On the whole, I see the pub sort of like a real bar. If you don't like the folks who work at the bar, don't like the owner of the bar, don't like the drinks at the bar, and don't like the patrons at the bar - why keep going to the bar? These folks who continually come in here and criticize the pub confuse me. If I don't like an establishment, I don't patronize it. I might tell the owner or one of the managers why I won't be patronizing it anymore (which I think has been done here by all who seem disgruntled) one time, but if I don't like the response (which it is obvious some don't) then I would find a new haunt. It isn't that the bar owner doesn't want my business, it is just that he has to act in the way that he thinks is best for the bar. And, frankly, the amount of posts in here are as high or higher as they have ever been so our "bar managers" must be doing something right. Now, we can discuss the perceived quality of the posts in private (I honestly have no opinion here but am fine hearing yours in PM/IM/whatever), but there is no question the quantity is the same or better than ever.

My point is - if I don't like an establishment, I don't go running in there every day screaming about how awful it is among the people who do enjoy it. It's a waste of my time, and it is a waste of everyone else's time. They don't want to hear it, and I'm not accomplishing anything. In fact, I would probably be far more successful if I asked to speak with one of the managers in private about what my qualms are than to run around insulting others because they like the bar -- and the manager would respect me a lot more for it.

Some folks would seemingly be far better served by hanging out on GCs other boards and leaving the pub to those who enjoy the pub.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:53 pm

our very own MOM7!!!

Brave, I liked your analogy about it being like a real bar. But in MY opinion it's more like some of the patrons like everything about the bar, except for the pool tables...they're just aren't enough of them and its frustrating because you put down your buck on the table and when you walk away to go get another beer, someone comes in and starts playing and ignores your claim to that table.

What I say to them is enjoy the bar for everything except the pool tables. If you want to play pool, go to another bar.

Just my perspective...take it or leave it.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:53 pm

growl

This is the whole rep thing as I see it.

When Solari turned this feature on he let me know about it and I did not think anything about it.

Had a couple guys ask me for rep in the beginning and I had no idea how to do it. I think Brave was about as Rep dumb as I was as we talked about it, but it did not arouse our curiosity enough to dive into it.

Then I came back to the pub about a month ago and found out that the rep was really going on. I do not think I had even a green bar.

Well it was obvious that some folks were enjoying this feature and from an administrative perspective this was good. When we put new features in we want them to be used.

Now, I was not alarmed by it, but I will admit I was a little put off with some folks PM'ing me asking for rep. Once again Brave and I talked and sort of just rolled our eyes at it.

Well, it was then being discussed in the pub mod forum and for the most part we did not know what to do with it. Mostly we were put off by some folks over-enthusiasm for it, but we let it ride.

Folks already thought we were overbearing with rules and such so invoking rep rules seemed to be a little over the top so we just watched.

Next I started seeing the factions of folks who thought those who do the rep thing was bad and their chief complaint was that rep was rendered worthless because of the way it was given out. It is a good point.

Next I started to figure out how it worked, what the symbols meant, the rep count, the power and all of that. I was wondering if this was set up to be a very serious grading system that gave folks "distinction". My conclusion was that anything that we recognized as giving folks distinction was laughable at best.

When I came to GC eight years ago folks were not to over post. It was in the intro and rules to make quality posts, good subjects that were informative and all of that. So, if someone had 1000 posts they were deemed to be of higher value than someone with 10. That was absurd. Even now, we have folks that will not listen (or read) someone cause they have low post counts. Someone posts news and and if they have not posted 1000 times they are dismissed as hidden rivals.

So, back to reps, I did not think that a message board that has over 180,000 posts a month could ever have a system that equated high reps to quality poster. Of course, like posts having a high rep did not mean you sucked either. It pretty much, like post count, means one thing, you spend a lot of time on our web site and are active. That is a good thing as far as I am concerned.

For moderators or administrators to monitor reps to make sure that they only go to the best posts and threads would be a quagmire. It would be like judging figure skating in the Olympics where you throw out the low number and the high and then score with some other archaic means.

I wish there were a few adjustments we could make, but right now it is what it is.

So, we have folks who do not like it, folks who do and those that don't care. So here are a few little pointers that may help these threads to cease without being locked.

Reps are here to stay as far as I know.

We will tweak the values and such as we did Sunday, but the way folks rep is now what we called in the railroad industry now set up as "past practice". I do not foresee any changes. If you want to call it rep whoring then that is fine.

We will not need reminders and such that rep means nothing- just as we do not have posts littering the board saying that post count does not mean anything as to to quality of the poster. We will have members with high rep that will stink to some and we will have some with high rep that are great members. Folks will not have to be reminded of that, noobies or not.

We will not have constant thread complaining about it or lauding it. If folks want to have their rep trading threads on the casino forum that is fine. If someone has a rep question it can be answered and locked.

Also, the few posters who like to make snide remarks about those who do not or do like reps will be blocked.

The only grading a poster can have is what you think about him as a poster. There are posters who post that I will open every thread and some I will not open unless I feel like watching a train wreck. Others will have the exact opposite opinion as I do on the same threads. so any value system to those would never work in a forum of this size. If other sites made it work then good for them, but we will not spend the energy to be rep cops.

I did change it to where folks can turn their rep view off whether they are free members or paid.

Mlrtime · Post by **Mlrtime** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:02 pm

yaaaaaaaaaawwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

apexgator · Post by **apexgator** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:15 pm

[img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_sleepyhead.gif[/img]

Tipmoose · Post by **Tipmoose** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:34 pm

A large part of Growl's last rant was directed at me...I figure he'll block me from the pub soon. And then the fun will start. *shrug*

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:37 pm

i wonder if he knows you're here tipper.

Tipmoose · Post by **Tipmoose** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:00 pm

I wouldn't be surprised. Or maybe he's just picked up on the fact that I like tweaking his and ray's noses about the stupid way they run things over there.

I had a thread deleted where I suggested that the prudish elements of the pub might be offended and that I didn't know if it was ok to post such risque material. I finished it off by saying that I guess Growl will post up another sticky thread if its not ok.

The pic was of several Easter peeps in a strip club setting. Called the thread "Strip Club Peep Show".