one lines under our name when we post

[Obed]

is there any way to stop those one liners that appear beside our name when we post...
things like.. I clean my own tanks... etc. I find several of them distasteful, a couple insulting... can we make them go away?

[daisymac]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

Nope - I don't think so. The lines change with the number of post you have made. Somewhere there is a key to which line you will get next.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

i always though about it, wonder who thought of it.

[JLawson]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

The list can be found in the 'Forum FAQ' area... you'll find the link at the top of the page just above the search box.

[HFBfounder]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

Hi Obed, I have to take credit for those. I didn't intend for them to be bad. I can turn them off for you if you want, but I am interested to know which one's you find distasteful. They're meant to be playful.

[Obed]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

I went to the faq section and read them all. I must admit I don't like any of them. I guess I would just rather see the number of posts if we need a ranking. I just don't see how the one liners show posting rank in any productive way.
I have often wondered about ranking in general, I don't see  that rankng proves anything. Is it supposed to show how much we konw about fish? In my case I had been keeping fish for almost 48 years before I ever logged onto any fish forum, so with my first post ranking on any forum, I already had lots of years in the hobby. All I can see a posting ranking showing is how much time one has to spend online.
Some folks may find the one liners cute and I do not wish to ruin it for everyone else, I guess I just don't appreciate them. It took me awhile to notice they were there, I must admit that I did not even see them for awhile. My first clue they were there was when Becky Wheat resonded to one of my posts, when I had the one liner " I know a little about fish" under my login, she thought that was from me, and commented on how long I had been in the hobby. If we are going to have these one liners, it would be nice if folks knew from the outset that we did not write them but they were assinged as a ranking, maybe other folks knew that from the get go but I did not. It is your forum and I do not intend to try and tell you how to run it, other than the one liners I enjoy this forum a lot, so it will not influence my participation at all.

[HFBfounder]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

Well, I really appreciate your attitude toward the forum Obed, thanks.  Basically, they are not meant to rank how much you know about fish. It's just another way to tell how involved people are on the site. Some people like them, some don't, but in the end I decided to add them because it's sort of fun to see them change as your posts go up. The one attached to you now, "Yes. I clean my own aquarium" came about because I always used to get that question from anyone who saw my marine setup when I had it. They would walk in and say wow!, do you take care of that yourself or do you have someone come in once a week? I always thought that was funny and I'm sure some of you can relate to that.  :wink:

[Philistine]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

on nasioc.com we have four titles, newbie, specialist (550 posts), guru (5000 posts) and moderator

subaruforester.com has several titles like this site (including contributing member)  

[clw219]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

I think they are clever

[daisymac]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

I didn't get it for the longest time and then I read a post about "All you fish are belong to us" and I finally understood. Since I was a new member, and a fairly new fishkeeper, I wondered how you guys knew what level I was at.

[SCOTT]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

I must admit, I am not a huge fan of ranking myself. I though, am fortunate in not being branded with one. Unfortunately, I do believe that the newer fish keepers or the less informed can be easily swayed by a persons post count into making some poor judgements in whose advice they accept. It can be difficult for a novice to determine which advice is good advice, and which is not, and therefor they will sometimes go with a persons post count as an indicator of knowledge.  I am not trying to imply that this is a common occurance, but if you take a step back I am sure that you can see how this can and does happen. If you want a ranking system, can I suggest one that is knowledge based? Another forum I once frequented had a weekly quiz that could be taken which would then display a score card for others to see. Again, not a fan of this idea, but you get the gist.
The best idea I could put forward would be for each of the specific boards to be moderated by someone who is knowledgable in that particular field. At least in that method when someone see's a post by a moderator they know that the information is coming from a knowledgeable source. By no means am I implying that any one person will know it all, but at least it gives a refference point for others.
Just my 2 cents worth, for what its worth.

[daisymac]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

That's an interesting point Scott. Personally I never even thought to use the ranking as an indicator of the persons knowledge. I wonder how many do? When you are familiar with the board you can see that some people have 2 word posts and some have 2 paragraph posts, so that would discount the ranks considerably.

When I first joined I felt that a lot of advice I got was conflicting, or I just didn't get what was being said (too technical for a newbie) so I would look things up in books and on the internet, etc., to figure out what I needed to do. Just like being a parent - there are different approaches to the way things need to be done - you have to figure it out on your own.

Now there's my 2 cents for what it's worth.  :wink:

[szidlon]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

You bring up some very good points Scott.  As in my case, yes, my number of post exceeds those of, say, Obed.  However, I can guarantee you, without any hesitation, that Obed has probably forgotten more about fish keeping than I will ever know.  I hope he takes that as the intended compliment and not a reference to his memory  :wink:

I have seen there are usually a number of responses to questions giving the OP an opportunity to consider different points of view as to the solution of their problem.

And that's my two cents worth.

[SCOTT]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

Research is the key. Unfortunately, how many times have you seen the question, how many fish can I put in such and such tank, or will this fish get along with that? More often than not, the boards become a quick, convenient, and easy source of information, and as already pointed out, most of it conflicting, hehe. I know there is no easy solution to this. I don't want to come across as glib or anything, but you have stumbled onto one of my pet peaves. I think the art of reading is unfortunately dieing off to be replaced by the art of surfing. Why grab a book when you can get instant gratification with a few clicks of the mouse? Unfortunately, again, some of the "experts" out there writing these books dont seem to have their facts straight either. I think the biggest problem is the low market for books results in outdated information being republished over and over again "Axlerods books are a good example" without being brought current with proper clasification names and up to date information on some of the lesser known species which are now in vogue.
Now you went and got me started, the more I think about it, it's no wonder the new fish keeper is always in a dazed and confused state and can never find the answer to the simplest of questions.
Here is a novel idea and a massive undertaking for Ken, hehe. Compile a database of the most common and frequently asked questions! What is a sand filter, how about a UGF? What is PH, is water hardness important? you get the idea! This should keep Ken busy for the next 5 or 6 years, hehe. By the way, I want my cut of the proceeds from the sale of this new database!

[HFBfounder]

Re: one lines under our name when we post

Hey Scott, that's a great idea! Let me know when you're done with the FAQ and I'll post it up.  :wink: