Author Topic: Smites  (Read 19468 times)

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Offline Hades

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Smites
« on: August 08, 2012, 01:47:16 pm »
Due to the recent smite-related issues, I think we should take a poll to see how we all really feel about this system.

I know we voted on this in the beginning, but we all pretty much agreed to have the system as long as it doesn't get abused. Lo and behold, it's being abused.

I left in the option to change your vote, because I'm not sure if it's possible to have only positive smites. So if it isn't, you can change your vote accordingly.
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Offline The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist

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Re: Smites
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2012, 01:52:45 pm »
Exalts-only is a good idea.

If that isn't possible and smiting is just going to cause drama, we should get rid of it altogether.
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Offline Sleepy

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Re: Smites
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2012, 03:20:47 pm »
I think there'll still be drama over positive numbers, and it's intimidating for newbies. I say we get rid of it altogether.
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Offline Søren

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Re: Smites
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2012, 04:49:45 pm »
I say kill it. Makes me feel self conscious about my board status :p
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Offline Smurfette Principle

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Re: Smites
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2012, 05:16:41 pm »
I think there'll still be drama over positive numbers

You can't actively be mean to someone, though. You can refuse to give them an exalt, but it doesn't have the same impact as being deliberately negative. I don't think it would cause nearly as much drama.

Offline Fpqxz

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Re: Smites
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2012, 05:49:25 pm »
We could have a system in which good posts are "thanked", either by name or anonymously.

Someone has been downvoting me a lot lately, for no good reason.  I don't know for sure who it is, though I have my suspicions.
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Offline Sleepy

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Re: Smites
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2012, 06:50:47 pm »
I think there'll still be drama over positive numbers

You can't actively be mean to someone, though. You can refuse to give them an exalt, but it doesn't have the same impact as being deliberately negative. I don't think it would cause nearly as much drama.

There wouldn't be as much drama over positives as there is over negatives, yes, but I think there's still the potential for folks to get upset over others having ridiculously inflated numbers. That and it's fucking stupid to have arbitrary numbers on a forum.

I can't speak for all newbies, but if I were new to the board, it'd be something that would make me feel iffy about joining and becoming part of the community. I'd feel like an outsider, more than usual.
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Offline VirtualStranger

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Re: Smites
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2012, 07:36:51 pm »
Having the positive exalts may not cause too much immediate harm, but it doesn't add anything important or useful and does nothing to improve the quality of the forum.

Give me one positive effect that an exalt system will have on the forum as a whole. What does it add to the forum experience that justifies keeping it? And how does that outweigh the potential harm that could come from it?

I would compare it to your appendix. It has no useful function and has a significant chance of becoming infected, so you'd be better off not having it in the first place.


An exalt system would essentially be an "I am approximately this popular among other forum members" meter, and honestly, who gives a fuck?

Offline Cataclysm

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Re: Smites
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2012, 02:25:09 am »
I said this in the previous forum.

We should name them "WTF" and "Meh"
I'd be more sympathetic if people here didn't act like they knew what they were saying when they were saying something very much wrong.

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Offline Vypernight

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Re: Smites
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2012, 05:45:13 am »
Honestly, I don't care either way.  I don't smite people anyway.  If I disagree I disagree.  I still Exalt though, even though we no longer have a Sexy Images thread.
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Re: Smites
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2012, 06:04:01 am »
The way I see it, if there's drama centred around smites, the smites aren't the problem. They're merely a symptom of the fact that we've a number of passive-agressive dumbfucks in our midst. Getting rid of smites will do all of jack shit to address the real issue at hand.

QueenofHearts

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Re: Smites
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2012, 09:18:54 am »
The way I see it, if there's drama centred around smites, the smites aren't the problem. They're merely a symptom of the fact that we've a number of passive-agressive dumbfucks in our midst. Getting rid of smites will do all of jack shit to address the real issue at hand.

I have to agree. I enjoy the applauds/smites, but they're not the problem, they're a tool. The ideal purpose of such is to give newbies some indication of who the well thought out posters are (Sandman) and who the trouble makers are. Maybe that was not the intention here, but I was active at another site that had them before joining and that was their intent. I think that if they lead a long time poster to post less, and even leave, then the people who smote said person should be taken care of because IMHO, that amounts to bullying and I'd like to think that this board is better than that.

Though, I think something should change. Maybe it should be made that smites/applauds are no longer anonymous (such as at the site I mentioned earlier). This way, if a poster has -2000, the poster as well as the board can see the main culprits responsible. The site I mentioned earlier also had a reason for smite/applauds, which some people here have shown interest in knowing why they were applauded/smote. This also reduces smites given to solely those who deserve it (in the poster's opinion) or given as a joke (such as I gave to Maybenever in the F&B thread, a few others gave me, or 95+ percent of Mlle's Antichrist's). This would also give various members who have been smote a chance to correct an offensive action if the choose to. However, I can understand that people may prefer to stay anonymous or this may cause further drama. If its not made public, then I think its best to be gotten rid of since smites&applauds have been and may be abused in the future.

In case anyone is interested, the site is Susans. Its a transgender support website.

ETA (after Art's post but not towards it): Though I will say this, I think that if we end up losing such a system because of a few posters, it really doesn't speak well of the board. FSTDT is supposed to be a site that mocks irrationality and stupidity and we hardly have the moral high ground when there are members who are too immature so as to spoil us having such a +/- system. Just my two cents on the whole thing. Also, I'm indifferent as to whether or not we keep it.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2012, 09:48:32 am by QueenofHearts »

Art Vandelay

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Re: Smites
« Reply #12 on: August 09, 2012, 09:35:56 am »
Though, I think something should change. Maybe it should be made that smites/applauds are no longer anonymous (such as at the site I mentioned earlier). This way, if a poster has -2000, the poster as well as the board can see the main culprits responsible. The site I mentioned earlier also had a reason for smite/applauds, which some people here have shown interest in knowing why they were applauded/smote.
Though if that's not possible (I think Simple Machines simply doesn't allow for exalts/smites to be traced), then another system I quite like is what they have on the GOG.com forums. Basically, you don't smite/exalt a person, you exalt/smite a specific post. If that post gets enough of either (something like ten more of one than the other), then the post is marked as "high/low rated" and the person's exalt/smite counter goes up or down by one. It ensures that not only is it difficult for just one or two people to abuse, but also indicates what specifically was said that the general community [dis]approves of.

Offline RavynousHunter

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Re: Smites
« Reply #13 on: August 09, 2012, 03:13:45 pm »
The thing is, we got rid of it on ProBoards because it was abused.  It stayed that way and never came back until we moved here, where people got it in their heads that it would be a good idea to have it here.  That's something I don't get, on one board it was almost unceremoniously tossed out, and on another, it was clamored for by many of the folks who'd been around when the system had been killed off the first time.

We shouldn't have had it to begin with, because its just another arbitrary form of e-cock, and another source of potential bullshit.  We lived just fine without it once, I'm sure we can all do it again, its not that big of a deal.
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Offline Smurfette Principle

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Re: Smites
« Reply #14 on: August 09, 2012, 04:15:58 pm »
The way I see it, if there's drama centred around smites, the smites aren't the problem. They're merely a symptom of the fact that we've a number of passive-agressive dumbfucks in our midst. Getting rid of smites will do all of jack shit to address the real issue at hand.

Imma marry this post and have its babies. The smites are like coughing, and getting rid of it is just like taking cough syrup. Except you still have bronchitis after you take the cough syrup, it's just not as obvious.