In answer to a question by a couple of members....starting on the basis that some that read this may not know anything about post counts....

Post counts, shown below the username, title and avatar, is just a running count of posts that the user has made in those forums where the posts add to that number. (There are forums and sub-forums where the replies do NOT add to the post count, like our test forum.)

There's been discussions on all kinds of forums whether there should be a visible post count for each member. Some suggest "no" while others suggest "yes". We have elected to use the post count since it's a decent indicator of who has been around the forum for awhile and could be an indicator of the user's knowledge around the forum's niche and workings.

The discussion arises because a person may only come into an off topic section of the forum or make multiple, non-sense posts right after each other (post padding) and these people may not have a knowledge around the forum subjects. Also, this could lead to people just to post anything so their post count would be higher.

We decided at TNT to use the post count so that new people can recognize those that have been around TNT longer than others. If the system was perfect, then it could indicate who has knowledge to share, and this would enable the new user a scale to go by when asking a question (they would know if it were a "usual" or maybe just a drive-by poster). IMO, the pros far out-weigh the cons.

Though there might be a few flaws with the system, the persons that have become part of the community are recognized by their good posts, higher reputation, and those post counts. Remember, this number helps everyone recognize who has and who hasn't been around the community the longest. (Some suggest that a flaw would be this forum where the games, general chats, and whatever count towards the post count. It is a good indicator of who has become a regular member of the community.)

You'll usually find that a lot of the "good" members don't care about having the post count number, and that really does indicate a good community member since that number is not their priority. If you're one of the ones that really don't care about the post count, then you can choose to ignore the number.

It's really good to have members that don't care how large or small that number is since they will be posting to show community support.

I hope that helps answer our stand on post counts.

Dave

oh, is that what they are for

well said dave

Im clear on that , thanks Dave

There's another matter that sometimes comes up and it's not a fallacy with the system, but generally a misunderstanding or an attempt of post padding.

Post padding is done in several different ways. Some example include:

• Replying two, three, or multiple times in a row within minutes of each post. You can edit you post after it's submitted and we have a feature called multi-quoting if one is trying to answer several people's previous replies.
• Adding nonsense replies. Nonsense replies are those that add nothing to the thread's topic. A thread that is talking about harddrives does not need a reply of what one likes for breakfast.
• Giving one word responses. When a question is asked, an explanation is generally expected. One might question if their heatsink is getting ready to go out because it's making more noise than it used to. A one word responder might just say "yes" and not explain the potential problems or the way to troubleshoot or anything that really helps in that thread.
• Necroposting in old, old threads. "Necroposting" is the act of replying in threads that have not had replies in months, or maybe even years. Wishing happy holidays a month or more after it's over and after the last reply is definitely necroposting. Another way is to reply to a thread like saying "I agree" when the answer/solution was given over several months or even years ago. The topic is dead, leave it that way!

There's no way for the staff to tell if these instances of post padding are intentional or just a misunderstanding of proper forum etiquette. With past experience and the way it's been handled in the past, it's taken as intentional and a warning/infraction may be given with a request to stop.

This may be a valuable part for all of us to learn.

Note: This may or may not be directed towards anyone, but if you've received a warning or an infraction for this, then you need to understand the above forum etiquette.

Thanks.

Dave