Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Dang! I like that. :)

Lieutenant Kernel would work too.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Really, when you have trolled these forms for long enough, you know who are the senior members.

What we need is some admins and mods to help out!

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Yes, that's exactly the point. :rolleyes: The labels aren't useful for anything but fun, that's why I'm proposing changing them.

Either way, the apathy line isn't behind the "Post Reply" button. . . .

Please see the Talk announcement.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Perhaps, since a high post count here likely indicates some dedication to miniature computing devices, we should turn the normal forum title progression style on its head. We could have people labeled with increasingly small/less significant titles as their post counts grow. It should be clear no one should take the veterans too seriously if they're all "dust motes", "pocket lint", or whatnot.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

I like this idea. I also like the idea of foreign (to most) words to inject some humour, but Finnish words could help propagate the meme that Nokia is "taking over" ITT into the maemo.org behemoth.

Personally, I'm most siding with the ideas of dropping it altogether, and having the post headings based on the pervasive maemo.org user header.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

I regard categories based on post count as being redundant of post count (we can easily see who has >100, etc).

I would rather have some useful descriptive information. Possibly, self-selection of a category reflective of the user's interest in Maemo - "app developer", "user", "just visiting", "tablet devotee", etc.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

I say we track user agents an grant higher levels to those who post here via their tablets -- anyone who has the patience to do that should be rewarded. :p

Tim

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

This idea may be a good one, but it requires more effort than changing the labels and thresholds of the current categories; which is what Ryan's asking about.

What about 5 categories:

• Red
• Green
• Blue
• Yellow
• Orange

Thresholds to be assigned semi-randomly. They're abstract & meaningless, let's make them so :-)

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Using the user header from maemo.org could work.

I would have backed the "remove titles entirely" crowd except that I anticipate an influx of new users once that Maemo 5 lead device goes on sale. Furthermore, I expect quite a number of those new users will have frequented other Internet forums, and I can just see a "Here's an idea, let's add titles" thread taking off eight months from now.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Another reason I like it is that it better ensures that the web fora to the maemo-* mailing lists looks consistent with talk.maemo.org.

Hmm. Maybe. Happy to defend - in 8 months time - the right decision now. Well, at least once ;-)

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Benson Is General Antilles -- GeneralAntilles is just an impostor. :p:D

I love the concept, but, ever a stickler for correct terminology, Benson (who, need I remind you, Is General Antilles! :cool:) recommends:

• Widget
• App
• Shell
• Shared library
• Kernel

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

I say let everyone put whatever title they want after they have passed a level that they are no longer a newbie. Say 50+ posts? That way I could change my name to "Mega Troll that doesnt know anything really, but posts every now and again anyway, usually drunk when doing so". Best Title Ever!

Or even "What the hell is a Mechanical Engineer doing here?"

Besides it would be alot more fun. Or like once a month you get to pick a fellow forum member to change your title? That could be very interesting indeed (no profanities allowed of course.....)!

Craig

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

make sure you check with qole that you can use his sig first, I think he has copyright over it :p

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Haha, nice! See, now how much fun would it have been if qole had sent you a request for you to give hima title and you gave him that? Endless amounts of fun and good times!

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Actually, I hold the copyright to the "usually drunk when doing so" part. Anyone who is currently using it should remove it immediately.

Tim

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

OK, how about:

• Mistral
• Scirocco
• Gregale
• Bora
• Chinook
• Diablo
• Fremantle
• Harmattan

That should give the newcomers something to ponder.

Regards,
Roger

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

I've noticed a big influx of new users now that the N810 is $220 at WalMart.

It's actually a reference to a post by my hero, Mr. S. J. Gadsby:

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Perfect! This system has a built-in purgatory for forum trolls.... "Congratulations Sir, based upon your wondrous postings of late, we have elevated you to the member level, Elephanta." Then cutoff all their posting rights.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

I would choose "Sardine" for my level ;)

EDIT: Why? Because I think I'm cutting edge... except that the edge I'm cutting is usually off on some forgotten, oddball tangent.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

It's looking likely that "Ilmatar" or "Inverna" will follow Harmattan, by the way.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

This is a really good idea, actually. It's got built-in expandability, it doesn't imply anything that we dont want it to (though it might be funny laughing at the Diablo-level users—maybe we can limit this one to just qwerty12? ;)). As the forum grows and post counts grow, we just add new codenames on the end as Nokia comes up with them.

I'm in favor of voting this in right now. :D Perhaps with a post-count system that looks something like:

• Mistral - 0-24
• Scirocco - 25-99
• Gregale - 100-249
• Bora - 250-499
• Chinook - 500-999
• Diablo - 1000-1999
• Fremantle - 2000-3999
• Harmattan - 4000-*

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

As much as I have enjoyed the other suggestions in this thread, I have to agree with GA (Thank You eiffel). I'll second the motion to put it to a vote.

:eek: Did I just agree with GA? I need to go lay down.... ;)

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Really? I can imagine a use for "Patronising member" and "Pompous member" level tags...

I like the idea of something user-settable after X posts, that would probably become fun and useless in the way GA originally proposed.

But I also like the idea of a descriptive field, "hardware developer", "alternative OS user", but can imagine that a large proportion of users would feel they bridge too many categories (and that's what sigs get used for anyway).

I'm not so keen on the OS version hierarchy, just because it will confuse some poor newbies when trying to dismabiguate their platform from the user level of their information sources...

The "no thanks"/"thumbs down" has an immediate appeal, but I think reasonable objections have already been advanced.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Yup | GA & eiffel FTW !

(wait... is this the election for the unlikeliest tandem of the year we're voting in ?...)

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

qole, I don't know what "Sardine" means to Canadians... but as a Frenchman, even though I'm prepared to be convinced that a sardine has edges, I would never consider cutting anything with one :-)

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

The OS codenames doesn't get my vote. I think it will be confused as indicating what OS people are using. I vote to get rid of the labels altogether.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

"Mistral (New Member)"

?

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Yeah, this might be an option. Maybe a big sticky thread explaining the member levels could work, too.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Any method should be objective which is why many forums use post and thanks count.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

But why? Why would the forum need membership ranking in addition to the posts count and thanks count?

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

It already has it (and has had it since its inception), most people expect it on forums, and it doesn't do anybody any harm to have a little fun with silly rankings as long as they're silly and meaningless.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

So, if I understand the General Antilles' intention at the start of this thread, the main purposes of this discussion are:

1. To give a little more meaning to the member level descriptors :cool:
2. To have more fun with them :D

Here's my (two-bits) idea:

A. Start with an adjective = to give an idea of a member's experience with the Forums (using the following words and numbers as examples only):

1. Maemo Baby Mumbles/Penguin---0 to 20 posts OR some formula such as: (# of posts * # of days as a member) / 365 = 0 to 0.08
   
2. Maemo Dancer Mumbles/Penguin---21 to 50 posts OR formula = 0.09 to 0.18
   
3. Maemo Swimmer Mumbles/Penguin---51 to 100 posts OR formula = 0.19 to 0.30
   
4. Maemo Leader Mumbles/Penguin--->100 posts OR formula > 0.30

B. Add a noun = a member's self-styled title based upon their understanding of Linux/computers:

-Newbie (or Tyro, Naif, Greenhorn, Rookie, Tenderfoot, Trainee, Apprentice)

-Dabbler (or User, Amateur, Layperson, Non-Professional)

-Veteran (or Doyen, Guide, Old-Timer, Adept, Senior)

-Senior Member (or Expert, Master, Maestro, Senior Techie)

Or just use something more descriptive like:

-Gadget enthusiast
-Developer/Programmer
-Software Guru
-Hardware Maven
-Seeker
-CompetentbutnotSuperman

This would result in member names such as:

-Maemo Newbie Developer
-Maemo Leader Clown
-Maemo Dancer Software Guru
-Maemo Swimmer Gadget Enthusiast

[Actually, I'm not too enthusiastic about the "Penguin" names I came up with, but some other adjectives + titles would create some interesting results].

C. I also like the idea of adding some information about how many "thanked" posts each member has, or perhaps there is some way to record how many posted Answers (vs. Questions) each poster has made.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Baby penguin, eh.

How about something like:
(Penguin) Egg
(Penguin) Nestling
... Fledgling
... Penguin
Travelled Penguin
Emperor penguin

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

sunnydips- king

most others - peasant

the rest - pheasant

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

I'm with the "let's lose it" section - especially if we can move to the new maemo.org profile heading (including avatar, karma and additionally post count and thanks for tmo)

Bzzt. I've "had" the inability to choose 12/24 hour clock since OS2005; not a good argument ;-)

Actually, since we agree that the existing levels and titles are sub-optimal, removal is just as valid an option as change; and the pre-existing argument is an argument for doing something.

I suspect the number of people who participate in more than one (vBulletin) forum on the Internet to be very small.

Agreed. But why not shoot for consolidation and make a user's post on tmo look - as much as possible - as a comment they make on downloads, a post on planet etc?

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Yes, even following just one is a burden.
Forums suck :D

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Again, what is wrong with Junior Member, Member, Senior Member? Who feels threatened by this and how other labels are suppose to be fun? I feel like I'm on a IRC channel on Undernet where everybody wants to be @op.

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Yes, they do, but since the demise of Usenet they're the place where things happen nowadays for special interests. I may be in the tiny minority Jaffa speaks of, but there's over a half-dozen I visit frequently in addition to ITT...

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

Who feels threatened? Junior Members and Members, mostly. And they don't need to be "threatened" for it to be a problem, just plain misunderstandings; I've seen at least one occasion where someone thought I was a Mod because I was a Senior Member. (itT: the web's highest mod-density forum!)

Re: Improving Member Levels: Less Threatening, More Fun
 

When it was announced that itt was moving to maemo.org, there were comments that it was a non-event, little more than a name change, etc., etc.

http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ad.php?t=25309

IMHO, you should not propose use of maemo.org karma (since that is affected by much more than itt forum activity).