Tech issues solved added in tech forums

[Crisp]

Others have stated this. I don't think there is a winning or a compromise for the ones who don't like it.  

 

Stardock puts in funds greater than our subscriptions, it's a like it or lump it situation.

[Andre S. Veteran]

So members will be given a Pavlov type reward to become better posters.  Oh, okay, sounds very forward thinking and will separate the useful posters from the non useful.  And that will drive up the number of members on Neowin.  Just filter out those who are not "useful" members. They are not doing Neowin any good.  /s

By that logic, Neowin has been heavily filtering out users that don't post often until now. Has it?

[firey]

Others have stated this. I don't think there is a winning or a compromise for the ones who don't like it.  

Aside from liking all your own posts in your own support request topics.

[fusi0n]

Stardock puts in funds greater than our subscriptions, it's a like it or lump it situation.

I know, but it just sucks.. 

 

This is how I feel. 

[The Evil Overlord]

We have removed the post count in the post view and replaced it with Best Answers.

 

We are after all first and foremost a tech community that relies on peer support. MVC's have been recognised for this fact, whether it be for the guides they submit or the help they give in the tech sections.

 

We want to build on that and reward those members that help the most, that could mean that the member is recognised as a Most Valued Contributor, or a free subscription handed out.

 

Post count remains in the profile view and hover card, and the stars are still present.

 

We hope you like this update, and we'll also be adding a leaderboard that shows which members help out the most later.

 

SNAG-0005.png

 

Best Answers are enabled in all Tech and Support sections.

This one made me laugh, about 35 of thse are ninja'd :p

[+Raze Subscriber²]

By that logic, Neowin has been heavily filtering out users that don't post often until now. Has it?

 

I don't know, have they?  You are the one stating how helpful having a reward system is for useful posters.

[Andre S. Veteran]

I don't know, have they?  You are the one stating how helpful having a reward system is for useful posters.

I'm not talking about "filtering out" anyone, you are.

[Fourjays Veteran]

The post count being gone doesn't bother me one iota (really have no idea what mine is). But like others I think "0 best answers" should be hidden. Doesn't seem fair on those who don't hang around the support sections.

[+Raze Subscriber²]

I'm not talking about "filtering out" anyone, you are.

 

And if you didn't notice I was making a sarcastic remark.  It smacks of elitism and that is a form of filtering.  IMHO

[zhangm Supervisor]

I think the 0 Best Answers should remain. If it bothers anyone, it doesn't take much effort to answer a support question well enough.

[LimeMaster]

This one made me laugh, about 35 of thse are ninja'd :p

Now I know why he added the feature. :o :laugh:

[Blackhearted]

Pretty pointless change for anyone who's not acting as 24/7 tech support around here, tbh.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Honest Opinion, and I'll let it go after this..

 

This wasn't as much as Neowin doing as much as Stardocks. . It well known that Stardock is a huge supporter of this site.. they even secured Neowin.com for Neowin.. I bet they now have a very large say so on what goes on around here.. It would be in their best interest to turn the forum focus more to a tech community to drive traffic for advertising reasons. They probably could care less about the media\general sections.. They want the members to start churning higher quality post focused in the tech forums.. 

 

So, is this Neowins community or Stardocks? 

I assure you that Neowin has remained autonomous ever since Stardock's involvement. Stardock has helped Neowin with legal representation and funding (to buy server hardware). They haven't told us to do anything so Neowin is still very much our community. We want an increase in the overall quality of posts across the site. And we want to encourage and reward members for helping one another in the support forums. That doesn't mean we're ignoring the non-tech areas of the site. I'm most active in the Gamers' Hangout and Media forums. And I still plan to be most active there. I will, however, start helping people again with software/hardware problems.

 

Whereas post counts are largely irrelevant...I have to agree with the rebuttals on this thread.

 

This is...largely...a pointless change. One brought about because why again? So people can find out who posts the "best answers". What signals a best answer? The one that solves the OPs issue or the one that aligns with the OPs opinion?

 

If Neowin was purely a tech forum, this would make sense. You would have your group of "gurus" that pride themselves in solving head scratchers and people who come to get help. If I was needing help, I would want the guy who posts all the best answers and in such an environment the person who solves the problem would get the best answer increment.

 

...but Neowin is much more. News, entertainment, random discussion, hangouts, etc. you name it.

 

@Neobond , how in the world are you going to implement and govern a "best answers" system outside a help site that isn't driven based on opinion? I personally think your staff and yourself are confused on what you were going for. It sounds like you really wanted a "reputation" system where we can see who is considered the most "helpful" or just a great community member which has 0 to do with post count (and wouldn't go so far to replace it).

 

Would love to hear some feedback or a reply.

We want to encourage members to help one another as well as reward members that do. We also want to increase the overall quality of posts in all areas of the site. The best answers feature was recently added to Invision Power Board. It's a great feature that makes it easy for people to find a solution to a problem. It's not necessarily a reputation system, more of a nod to those who are helpful. After all, it takes more effort to help someone than to simply add a reply.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  Those that provide helpful answers should be recognized for their efforts.  On the other hand those that are active in other areas of the site should feel some sort of feedback themselves.  A post count does indicate how active a member is in the community and has a certain appearance of respect or seniority (not always certainly).

 

As far as what happens in the random posts type threads wouldn't it be expected to see "trivial activity"?   I've thought the random threads were for fun.

 

 

Since change is important maybe consider changing Neowin name to NeoBook or FaceWin.  /s

 

 

P.S  Hoping for a Best Answer nod for this post.   ;)

The number of stars you have gives a general idea of your "activity" and your join date tells you how long you've been a member here. That's enough information for someone to get a rough idea. If you've been active, then people will recognize you by your name, avatar or signature (assuming you don't change them often). The number of best answers is an indication of how helpful someone is. Participating in the community is great but helping people with their problems requires a little more work. And we'd like to give credit where it's due.

 

I understand that some of you are a little resistant to the changes and that's perfectly fine. I'm here to flesh things out with you and explain, to the best of my ability, why we implemented them.

[fusi0n]

<sniped>

You know how you can stop all of this? By having both :D

[fusi0n]

Pretty pointless change for anyone who's not acting as 24/7 tech support around here, tbh.

I agree. 

[LimeMaster]

You know how you can stop all of this? By having both :D

Or by making it configurable from the User CP.

[fusi0n]

Or by making it configurable from the User CP.

Yes, options. Much like Stardock offers..

 

Miss the start screen? Stardock brings it back! Miss the post count being visible on a members post? Stardock, please bring it back. 

[Crisp]

Yes, options. Much like Stardock offers..

 

Miss the start screen? Stardock brings it back! Miss the post count being visible on a members post? Stardock, please bring it back. 

 

The Neowin logo at the top will change soon, "in partnership with Stardock".

 

[Ice_Blue]

A bit off topic, but I notice the mods are all using their real names now.

 

What gives?

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

The post count being gone doesn't bother me one iota (really have no idea what mine is). But like others I think "0 best answers" should be hidden. Doesn't seem fair on those who don't hang around the support sections.

If you choose not to help other members with their problems, then it's your choice. We're not forcing anyone to go to the support forums and reach a certain number of best answers. The main reason we implemented this change is to recognize the efforts of helpful members. That doesn't mean anyone who doesn't offer help is a bad member. Take a look at mine, I have "0" best answers. And it doesn't bother me. It won't stop me from helping people either.

 

Pretty pointless change for anyone who's not acting as 24/7 tech support around here, tbh.

You don't need to act as 24/7 tech support. I've seen members that post once or twice a month and they've helped people with issues. The point of replacing the post count with the best answers count is to recognize the efforts of those that went out of their way to help their fellow member. It doesn't have any negative effect on people that don't frequent the support forums.

 

You know how you can stop all of this? By having both :D

Or by making it configurable from the User CP.

What is the benefit of having the post count visible when we want to focus on quality over quantity? As I said earlier, the number of stars you have gives you a general idea of someone's activity. We want to emphasize that being a good member isn't dependent on the number of posts you have or how long you've been a member. A welcoming community is a good community.

 

As for making it configurable, we're not going to do that. This is something that we want to be seen by every member, the same way MVCs have a different badge than regular members. The point is to reward those that help other members.

[fusi0n]

If you choose not to help other members with their problems, then it's your choice. We're not forcing anyone to go to the support forums and reach a certain number of best answers. The main reason we implemented this change is to recognize the efforts of helpful members. That doesn't mean anyone who doesn't offer help is a bad member. Take a look at mine, I have "0" best answers. And it doesn't bother me. It won't stop me from helping people either.

 

You don't need to act as 24/7 tech support. I've seen members that post once or twice a month and they've helped people with issues. The point of replacing the post count with the best answers count is to recognize the efforts of those that went out of their way to help their fellow member. It doesn't have any negative effect on people that don't frequent the support forums.

 

What is the benefit of having the post count visible when we want to focus on quality over quantity? As I said earlier, the number of stars you have gives you a general idea of someone's activity. We want to emphasize that being a good member isn't dependent on the number of posts you have or how long you've been a member. A welcoming community is a good community.

 

As for making it configurable, we're not going to do that. This is something that we want to be seen by every member, the same way MVCs have a different badge than regular members. The point is to reward those that help other members.

Then what is the reward for being active? a paying active member at that?

[LimeMaster]

Yes, options. Much like Stardock offers..

 

Miss the start screen? Stardock brings it back! Miss the post count being visible on a members post? Stardock, please bring it back. 

(Y) For options.

 

 

What is the benefit of having the post count visible when we want to focus on quality over quantity? As I said earlier, the number of stars you have gives you a general idea of someone's activity. We want to emphasize that being a good member isn't dependent on the number of posts you have or how long you've been a member. A welcoming community is a good community.

 

As for making it configurable, we're not going to do that. This is something that we want to be seen by every member, the same way MVCs have a different badge than regular members. The point is to reward those that help other members.

I meant an option to remove the best answer feature as it certainly doesn't help in most cases and kinda makes those with a low best answer count look bad in all honesty. 

[fusi0n]

The Neowin logo at the top will change soon, "in partnership with Stardock".

 

They keep denying any involvement from them. If someone invest money in you, they are going to want something back in return.. Securing the .Com domain, investing money to own 40%.. They didn't do this for free. The have invested capital.. 

 

I believe Stardock was very much involved with some of the forums changes around here.. As they should be, since they have so much invested.. However, I don't like them

[Andre S. Veteran]

And if you didn't notice I was making a sarcastic remark.  It smacks of elitism and that is a form of filtering.  IMHO

I don't understand how you go from valuing helpfulness with filtering out users. Those who never cared about it can just keep on not caring.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

The Neowin logo at the top will change soon, "in partnership with Stardock".

 

No it won't. (N)

 

A bit off topic, but I notice the mods are all using their real names now.

 

What gives?

Most, if not all, of our news staff use their real names. It's a mixture of consistency and appearing more "human". We also want to show a little more responsibility for our actions as it's tied to our real names and not a username.

 

Then what is the reward for being active? a paying active member at that?

That's an odd question. We are active because we want to be, not because of a reward. We get enjoyment and satisfaction from participating in discussions and talking with familiar people. We have a sense of community unlike any other on the Internet. Seriously, I consider Neowin to be my home on the Internet. I've spent years being an active member and not once have I asked myself "What's the reward for being active?" The entire experience is the reward. The opportunity to be here and to discuss things with you guys (and girls) is the reward.

 

Someone's post count is not a reward for their activity but merely an indication. I feel like a broken record when I say this but the number of stars you have gives a general idea of your activity. The post count and the stars is redundant, but that's not why we removed it. We want people to feel welcome here and we want to increase the overall quality of the posts on the site. As the famous saying goes, "Quality over quantity."

 

(Y) For options.

 

 

I meant an option to remove the best answer feature as it certainly doesn't help in most cases and kinda makes those with a low best answer count look bad in all honesty. 

Removing it defeats the purpose of giving credit where it's due. We want other members to see that X member is helpful. A low best answer count doesn't look bad to me. Mine is 0 just like most people. It's a new change and eventually, people's best answer count will go up. Even if someone has 1 or 2, they deserve recognition.

 

They keep denying any involvement from them. If someone invest money in you, they are going to want something back in return.. Securing the .Com domain, investing money to own 40%.. They didn't do this for free. The have invested capital.. 

 

I believe Stardock was very much involved with some of the forums changes around here.. As they should be, since they have so much invested.. However, I don't like them

Listen, I know that you're a little frustrated with the changes but I assured you that Neowin has remained autonomous ever since Stardock acquired a 40% stake. I know this because I'm a Supervisor. I'm privy to certain information that members aren't. I talk with the other Supervisors and Admins about the direction of the site among other things. I've been a staff member since September 2009 and I have never come across a request from Stardock of any kind for the staff. When I think of Stardock, I think of them as the publisher for a game I enjoy playing (Sins of a Solar Empire).