Kudos and the Hard Line

[Jackalope]

Is it possible to automatically add a user to a group based on post count? Then you could "Selectively exclude user groups from post merging" without anyone having to seek to become part of the group.

Yes it is.

I have some questions on how it works (e.g. whether the change is applied retroactively to users meeting the criteria), but I'll investigate.

[vorlon13]

I freely admit to being a kudos whore.

It hadn't occurred to me to be a post count whore too. I think being a kudos whore is better, it involves others, and therefore is less like masturbation, which is what it might be like if I were to become a post count whore.

Still, if we get prizes or something (automatic kudos?) for running up our post counts, I could see developing some whorishness in that regard, even if it did feel like masturbation.

[Jackalope]

Is it possible to automatically add a user to a group based on post count? Then you could "Selectively exclude user groups from post merging" without anyone having to seek to become part of the group.

Yes it is.

I have some questions on how it works (e.g. whether the change is applied retroactively to users meeting the criteria), but I'll investigate.

OK, so the group has been enabled and the auto-promotion set up.  Check this page (if you care), you should be added to the "Established Members" group.  The current criteria is 30 days and 30 posts to align with the 30/30 rule.   Staff is discussing where the threshold should be and that's the current favorite.

I'll disable the auto post merge for established members this weekend if there's no objection amongst the staff.

[Aoi Magi]

Yay, I am an established member

[Thumpalumpacus]

In any case, if kudos triggered a new post, it would solve the problem; and no one could use that to drive up their post count without an accomplice.

I kudosed this post.

[Jenny A]

Yes it is.

I have some questions on how it works (e.g. whether the change is applied retroactively to users meeting the criteria), but I'll investigate.

OK, so the group has been enabled and the auto-promotion set up.  Check this page (if you care), you should be added to the "Established Members" group.  The current criteria is 30 days and 30 posts to align with the 30/30 rule.   Staff is discussing where the threshold should be and that's the current favorite.

I'll disable the auto post merge for established members this weekend if there's no objection amongst the staff.

Cool.

[Jackalope]

OK, the post merge feature is now disabled once a member reaches 30 days and 30 posts.  We figured that was sufficient to prevent most abuse.

[vorlon13]

Was it good for me ?

Oh, yeah, mmmmm, baby, baby



urk, uh, ummmmm, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

[Minimalist]

Good point.  I don't see a lot of people itching to get their post count up.  What possible good would that do anyway????

<sigh> As the biggest offender it reminds me on a daily basis that I need to get a life!

[Tiberius]

The main reason this is implemented is to prevent double posting, not to prevent people inflating their post count.

In a thread, you should not post multiple times in a row, but instead edit your post and add your new comments. Since most people don't do this, we force it on people. This only happens in the first 60 minutes of the post believe. After that, we expect people to edit their posts to include changes.

I oppose changing this. If you are posting so fast that you are making new posts before other people have commented, then you should add your new thoughts to your current post.

Also, if people are opposing this because it means you might end up kudosing a post you disagree with, I don't think disabling the merge will help. Someone could still write a popular post, gain kudos, and then edit it to say "Kill all the gays" or something similarly horrendous. Are we to disable the ability to edit posts too?