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How I Would Improve The Message Boards

AuthorMessage
Gunner's Mate
May 13, 2009
232
For the two years I have been using the Pirate101 message boards, I have seen a TON of people complain about posts being ignored and them leaving over frustration. People are not ignoring your posts, it is just the message board's system on how a post stays on the first page.

For myself, I usually check out posts that have a lot of views or replies, mostlty because the post interested others. I bet many of you pirates do the same, or view a post because of an interesting title. By possibly removing those variables, more people would view the many ignored posts. I felt the same when my post on improved mini games was ignored, maybe because I wrote it badly, or not the right people found it that would respond.

The Problems
  • Posts being ignored
  • Posts not staying on the first page for long enough
  • Judgements based on title or popularity
  • Lack of replies
The (Possible) Solutions
  • Have two rows of posts shown on each page (instead of one)
  • Move up posts a little for 10 or so views, a bit more for a yar, and the most for a reply
  • Have unreplied posts bolded (colored, underlined, whatever) to stand out
I hope this gets some replies or no one will notice!!!!!

Tireless Evan Evans65
Bosun
May 10, 2010
396
1: Some posts don't stay up very long because some people post only for post count. They will post anything and anything on topics even though they are not contributing anything to the thread, just so that they can see their name all the way to the bottom and have the most post counts. This is a serious issue, but has been overlooked by KI for some reason, as not remaining on topic is supposed to be against the forum rules.
Moderators should do their job properly instead of picking favorites.

2: These same people also only post if it interests them or they can make a cute comment to a friend that made a reply, so they can keep passing yars back and forth. Yars are for a reason, it is supposed to be if you really like an idea or totally agree with a post and would have said the same thing, or to thank a user for helpful information. This is supposed to be the purpose of a yar, not be a popularity contest.

3. Most of the time, posts are missed because of these defining factors and yes, the recent topics page does not hold enough posts, especially when many people are doing both #1 and #2. So we also need posters to stay on topic and only post if it contributes to the topic at hand or have an opinion on the topic.
If posts are off topic, Moderators should not be posting these messages and anyone could easily go and see who the favorites are that are allowed to abuse the message board system.

These are my thoughts on how we can improve the message boards and I do agree, something should be done!
First Mate
Dec 29, 2012
479
EMC99 on Oct 17, 2014 wrote:
For the two years I have been using the Pirate101 message boards, I have seen a TON of people complain about posts being ignored and them leaving over frustration. People are not ignoring your posts, it is just the message board's system on how a post stays on the first page.

For myself, I usually check out posts that have a lot of views or replies, mostlty because the post interested others. I bet many of you pirates do the same, or view a post because of an interesting title. By possibly removing those variables, more people would view the many ignored posts. I felt the same when my post on improved mini games was ignored, maybe because I wrote it badly, or not the right people found it that would respond.

The Problems
  • Posts being ignored
  • Posts not staying on the first page for long enough
  • Judgements based on title or popularity
  • Lack of replies
The (Possible) Solutions
  • Have two rows of posts shown on each page (instead of one)
  • Move up posts a little for 10 or so views, a bit more for a yar, and the most for a reply
  • Have unreplied posts bolded (colored, underlined, whatever) to stand out
I hope this gets some replies or no one will notice!!!!!

Tireless Evan Evans65
This should be an option if implemented, not mandatory, since I personally like the current setup (by date).

Just because a post doesn't have any replies or very little views, shouldn't automatically equate to special treatment. There are several posts that just don't get players very excited, no matter how much exposure it is given. Not every topic on the forums is going to generate discussion, this is true no matter what forum a player visits even outside of KI. Players will have to "get over it" at some point, even if your proposed solutions were implemented for these forums.

Remember, there are hundreds of posts at any given time on these forums. Expecting players to see the majority that don't have a lot of views or replies is time consuming. The forums are already broken down into sections to help players navigate to the issues they care about (help, bugs, worlds, etc). The titles are the next filter to key in on their concerns.

Also, since KI implemented the "hover" feature, I suspect many others like myself see the gist of the topic without actually clicking on the post. So they are getting read (at least the first few lines), just not tallied. Just because someone reads a post, doesn't necessarily mean there needs to be a reply either.

Finally, your proposed solution of moving up posts with more views seems counterproductive to your stated problem of judgments based on popularity.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Darth JT on Oct 18, 2014 wrote:
1: Some posts don't stay up very long because some people post only for post count. They will post anything and anything on topics even though they are not contributing anything to the thread, just so that they can see their name all the way to the bottom and have the most post counts. This is a serious issue, but has been overlooked by KI for some reason, as not remaining on topic is supposed to be against the forum rules.
Moderators should do their job properly instead of picking favorites.

2: These same people also only post if it interests them or they can make a cute comment to a friend that made a reply, so they can keep passing yars back and forth. Yars are for a reason, it is supposed to be if you really like an idea or totally agree with a post and would have said the same thing, or to thank a user for helpful information. This is supposed to be the purpose of a yar, not be a popularity contest.

3. Most of the time, posts are missed because of these defining factors and yes, the recent topics page does not hold enough posts, especially when many people are doing both #1 and #2. So we also need posters to stay on topic and only post if it contributes to the topic at hand or have an opinion on the topic.
If posts are off topic, Moderators should not be posting these messages and anyone could easily go and see who the favorites are that are allowed to abuse the message board system.

These are my thoughts on how we can improve the message boards and I do agree, something should be done!
Darth, I do agree that there are plenty of irrelevant, off-topic and 'pointless' posts that get submitted and yes....posted. And yes there are some that post just to see their post & board name on the forums & to try to be yarred, & to fill up the New Topics Tab. So, yes, that right there is a bit of a problem.

As far as some posts not being relevant or being posted to provide a friendly response to another post, I surely have had many of these myself. But for me, many of them have come as a result of my actually caring for the other posters here on the boards. When you get to know people in a game, on a forum or other forms of social media, sometimes you actually come to like these people, enjoy what they have to say & form a bit of a friendship. That being said, I (& many others) am an adult & popularity or post count or yar count are of no concern of mine. I just like the posters, no scratch that (that sounds too informal), the people here on the forums & interact with many of them on other forums & even by email & other social media.

But there are some great people on here who are not allowed access to those other forms.....so, this is it for them. If I pass a yar back & forth it is merely a sign of my appreciation of them & getting to know them. I do realize that these boards are a company forum & it's purpose is to provide feedback to players & allow players to communicate with the developers, to provide suggestions, concerns, bug reports & such. That being said, I 100% believe that the business aspect of these boards is not & was not KI's sole intention on creating these forums to communicate with the P101 community. An online game does not thrive without a healthy & mutual respect between players & it's community. This game is intended for a relatively young audience that enjoys being made to feel welcomed, invited further into the community & appreciated for their contributions. These boards may be primarily for the business side of P101, but a lot of young players from the community come here to enjoy sharing their P101 gaming experience. Many have nowhere else to go to share this enthusiasm, whether from not being allowed by parents or just not knowing where to go, due to being much younger than you and/or I.

I think it is imperative to the growth & future development of the P101 Community to make these younger players feel welcomed & appreciated, & these boards are a place where that can (and does happen). All of us adults that play the game & have respect for KI and the P101 Community should act as ambassadors of this amazing game. To dismiss every post that these eager, excited & enthusiastic younger players present, may not seem like much, but it may affect how they feel about the game & the community as a whole.

(continued...)
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Darth JT on Oct 18, 2014 wrote:
1: Some posts don't stay up very long because some people post only for post count. They will post anything and anything on topics even though they are not contributing anything to the thread, just so that they can see their name all the way to the bottom and have the most post counts. This is a serious issue, but has been overlooked by KI for some reason, as not remaining on topic is supposed to be against the forum rules.
Moderators should do their job properly instead of picking favorites.

2: These same people also only post if it interests them or they can make a cute comment to a friend that made a reply, so they can keep passing yars back and forth. Yars are for a reason, it is supposed to be if you really like an idea or totally agree with a post and would have said the same thing, or to thank a user for helpful information. This is supposed to be the purpose of a yar, not be a popularity contest.

3. Most of the time, posts are missed because of these defining factors and yes, the recent topics page does not hold enough posts, especially when many people are doing both #1 and #2. So we also need posters to stay on topic and only post if it contributes to the topic at hand or have an opinion on the topic.
If posts are off topic, Moderators should not be posting these messages and anyone could easily go and see who the favorites are that are allowed to abuse the message board system.

These are my thoughts on how we can improve the message boards and I do agree, something should be done!
(from continued...)

Again, yes this is a company site but if it were meant to be solely business-like oriented we would not get the delightful, fun, entertaining & yes, by all means, sometimes pointless, off-topic and/or irrelevant interactions from some of the developers & moderators themselves. Why do they reply with these sort of posts? Because they care about their community & their players, and in many cases their friends. On this site there are links to fan fiction, fan art, fan photos & all sorts of more playful & entertaining elements surrounding the P101 game. The boards are meant for player/developer feedback/interaction, but they are also an extension of the game and all of those other fun areas, meant for fans and players.

To say that the moderators are not doing their job because they don't block all irrelevant and off-topic posts, to me, seems to be missing the big picture. Yes, it is against forum rules so, by that right those kinds of posts should not be allowed. But by allowing many of those posts to go through and the playful interaction to continue to a point, shows that the moderators are doing there job. That is their job of inviting and welcoming the many great players of all ages to share in this great game. Their job of giving the younger players a place to feel they matter and are important, so that they may further desire to remain a part of the great P101 Community. They do an amazing job of balancing 'going by the rules' and 'showing the players they care'-- that's a tough thing to do and I admire and respect what they have accomplished in these regards.

I do agree that many great posts get overlooked and many not-so-great threads/posts get seen and commented on, but dismissing everything off-topic and 'pointless' would not be very welcoming to many younger players and nurturing towards the growth of the game and the Community. To some of the young posters, their ideas or comments are certainly not pointless or off-topic.....no matter how we adults view or categorize them. So maybe something could be done to better filter and organize posts, but I think the moderators are doing a fine and commendable job of making the boards a place where players can feel welcomed, important and even appreciated-- all while still doing their jobs!
Admiral
May 30, 2010
1221
If someone is leaving the boards over their posts not being replied to or yarred enough, that speaks more to a maturity issue with the poster than a problem with the boards. This is a busy and active place, so posts can slip through the cracks -- and in some cases, the titles chosen don't really lend themselves to being clicked on. Having a title that doesn't grab me up longer does not mean I'm any more likely to click on it.

As for having multiple rows of posts on the screen at once, well, not everyone has a nice wide monitor. If I'm reading a thread and it's turning out to be dull, I'm not going to click to read to page 2 OR start reading the second row of posts.

Finally, your proposed solution of moving up posts with more views seems counterproductive to your stated problem of judgments based on popularity.

Have to agree with Oran here. If you're seeing the post replies and yar counts as some sort of popularity contest, you've just sprinkled glitter on the tiara here.
Gunner's Mate
May 13, 2009
232
I am not perfect. Now that I think of it, views should not move up a post. Well, you all realize why it would not work. Sorry for that.
Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Oct 18, 2014 wrote:
(from continued...)

Again, yes this is a company site but if it were meant to be solely business-like oriented we would not get the delightful, fun, entertaining & yes, by all means, sometimes pointless, off-topic and/or irrelevant interactions from some of the developers & moderators themselves. Why do they reply with these sort of posts? Because they care about their community & their players, and in many cases their friends. On this site there are links to fan fiction, fan art, fan photos & all sorts of more playful & entertaining elements surrounding the P101 game. The boards are meant for player/developer feedback/interaction, but they are also an extension of the game and all of those other fun areas, meant for fans and players.

To say that the moderators are not doing their job because they don't block all irrelevant and off-topic posts, to me, seems to be missing the big picture. Yes, it is against forum rules so, by that right those kinds of posts should not be allowed. But by allowing many of those posts to go through and the playful interaction to continue to a point, shows that the moderators are doing there job. That is their job of inviting and welcoming the many great players of all ages to share in this great game. Their job of giving the younger players a place to feel they matter and are important, so that they may further desire to remain a part of the great P101 Community. They do an amazing job of balancing 'going by the rules' and 'showing the players they care'-- that's a tough thing to do and I admire and respect what they have accomplished in these regards.

I do agree that many great posts get overlooked and many not-so-great threads/posts get seen and commented on, but dismissing everything off-topic and 'pointless' would not be very welcoming to many younger players and nurturing towards the growth of the game and the Community. To some of the young posters, their ideas or comments are certainly not pointless or off-topic.....no matter how we adults view or categorize them. So maybe something could be done to better filter and organize posts, but I think the moderators are doing a fine and commendable job of making the boards a place where players can feel welcomed, important and even appreciated-- all while still doing their jobs!
You have said it all Valkoor and said it so well (as usual ) that there is nothing left to say but "Yarr Infinity"
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
EMC99 on Oct 19, 2014 wrote:
I am not perfect. Now that I think of it, views should not move up a post. Well, you all realize why it would not work. Sorry for that.
Hey EMC99, no worries and no apologies needed. Your post was a brainstorming of ideas on how to improve the message boards. As with all brainstorming, some ideas are good, some are better than others and some might end up not working out...but suggestions and brainstorming of ideas for the purpose of improvement, is always a good thing. There's always going to be opinions surrounding brainstorming and suggestions-- that's what leads to possible improvements. Improvements have to be initiated from somewhere, and that place is the first stages of brainstorming and idea development.

Keep up the great ideas and the desire to make the boards a better place for you and your fellow posters.
Lieutenant
Aug 09, 2013
160
EMC99 on Oct 17, 2014 wrote:
For the two years I have been using the Pirate101 message boards, I have seen a TON of people complain about posts being ignored and them leaving over frustration. People are not ignoring your posts, it is just the message board's system on how a post stays on the first page.

For myself, I usually check out posts that have a lot of views or replies, mostlty because the post interested others. I bet many of you pirates do the same, or view a post because of an interesting title. By possibly removing those variables, more people would view the many ignored posts. I felt the same when my post on improved mini games was ignored, maybe because I wrote it badly, or not the right people found it that would respond.

The Problems
  • Posts being ignored
  • Posts not staying on the first page for long enough
  • Judgements based on title or popularity
  • Lack of replies
The (Possible) Solutions
  • Have two rows of posts shown on each page (instead of one)
  • Move up posts a little for 10 or so views, a bit more for a yar, and the most for a reply
  • Have unreplied posts bolded (colored, underlined, whatever) to stand out
I hope this gets some replies or no one will notice!!!!!

Tireless Evan Evans65
Not everyone is going to get all the attention they want. It sounds a little bit selfish if you ask me. Its not like you can FORCE people to see every single post on the message boards. People go to the topics that sound interesting to them, and that is that. Plus people reply to posts if they want to, like what I am doing right now; for instance, I'm stating my opinion on the matter. Just post topic titles that you think people will find interesting and say, "Hmm, this looks like something I want to read."
Captain
Mar 24, 2013
732
Not all posts received a yar, due to the fact it's not that interesting or off topic. Make your post as interesting as possible in other words,as long as it's on topic, not offensives to others like no profanities of any kind and not in all caps.
Admiral
Jul 07, 2013
1124
There is nothing wrong with opening a discussion on any topic no matter if people like it or not. But on some things like this, especially by those who do use the boards for popularity and to pat themselves on the back for being so outstanding, you are going to get some backlash from them because they will not like the shred of truth to what you say.

Unfortunately the boards are sometimes monopolized by people who do this good intentioned or not and you know it does get tiring at times. How many have posted an idea only to be lectured at and told how wrong they are? Often these lectures tend to shut down the discussion. You can't have a discussion with someone who declares themselves right all the time.

Maybe another suggestion would be to make a help category for people who are looking for help from other pirates. This way other topics won't be overshadowed.

Virtuous Dante Ramsey
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
DuranteRamses87 on Oct 22, 2014 wrote:
There is nothing wrong with opening a discussion on any topic no matter if people like it or not. But on some things like this, especially by those who do use the boards for popularity and to pat themselves on the back for being so outstanding, you are going to get some backlash from them because they will not like the shred of truth to what you say.

Unfortunately the boards are sometimes monopolized by people who do this good intentioned or not and you know it does get tiring at times. How many have posted an idea only to be lectured at and told how wrong they are? Often these lectures tend to shut down the discussion. You can't have a discussion with someone who declares themselves right all the time.

Maybe another suggestion would be to make a help category for people who are looking for help from other pirates. This way other topics won't be overshadowed.

Virtuous Dante Ramsey
I myself have not seen any persons "declaring themselves right all the time" or that type of posting, Dante. I also have not really witnessed anyone lecturing or informing other posters how wrong they are (well, not often). What I have witnessed is many posters voicing opinions on various subject...some in agreement, some in disagreement, some indifferent & some quite rude as well. As long as posters respect each others thoughts, feelings, opinions & self-expressions, then any discussion is more than welcomed-- by all.

The only posts that have gotten under my skin are when a poster is just flat out rude or disrespectful to another poster that is just expressing an opinion. Other than that, open discussions are just that-- open to all. We are all different beasts and are going to have differences of opinions. Those that are adults, should be able to take other people voicing a difference of opinion & then possibly offer an acknowledgement or response in return...without taking it personally-- that's what grown ups do (or should do). As long as discussions are left open-minded & respectful, then they are a great thing. No person here on the boards ever forces anyone out of a discussion, it is that persons choice to leave, unless they are the recipient of blatant rudeness-- in which case, who can blame them?

What sometimes gets me (& I've seen it a lot) is how there are posters that seem to get upset, envious, jealous or get feelings hurt when other posters get more responses, yars or attention. Yet so many times those same individuals, who's feelings were hurt, more oft than not, do not even deservedly yar their fellow posters, offer up encouragement to them, show appreciation for their contributions, or acknowledge their creativity &/or humor (whether via yar or reply) to a post that was pretty darn funny, helpful &/or imaginative- or just seem to offer much friendly interaction with their fellow posters at all...yet, they are upset when they don't get the attention.

We all have had many ideas shot down, disagreements of opinion directed at us, posts left unyarred or not replied to, threads that never saw more than a couple views, so on & so on. Due to the wide range of age the boards, some are just more sensitive to those kind of things happening. I personally have never felt slighted if what I thought was a great idea of mine, never even got one single reply or if someone flat out disagreed with my views-- I certainly don't take it personally at all, because that's just the way it is sometimes.

Yes, some of us have more to say than others & post a lot more as well. So naturally those posters are going to have more posts, more yars, possibly more attention-- especially if they treat others respectfully & offer encouragement & friendly replies to their fellow board mates. Also, some posters have just figured out when the best time to post is, in order to have a better shot of their post being viewed and many take advantage of that knowledge.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
DuranteRamses87 on Oct 22, 2014 wrote:
There is nothing wrong with opening a discussion on any topic no matter if people like it or not. But on some things like this, especially by those who do use the boards for popularity and to pat themselves on the back for being so outstanding, you are going to get some backlash from them because they will not like the shred of truth to what you say.

Unfortunately the boards are sometimes monopolized by people who do this good intentioned or not and you know it does get tiring at times. How many have posted an idea only to be lectured at and told how wrong they are? Often these lectures tend to shut down the discussion. You can't have a discussion with someone who declares themselves right all the time.

Maybe another suggestion would be to make a help category for people who are looking for help from other pirates. This way other topics won't be overshadowed.

Virtuous Dante Ramsey
Oh, I wanted to offer up encouragement on your idea or suggestion for a help category-- I think that is a great idea and have often thought about something like that being implemented here on the boards. It would be a great way to redirect some board traffic to a new, separate forum main topic.

With the new dungeon feature, maybe something like a "Team UP" tab that can be added to the main Message Boards Home- forum topics listing. It would be a great way for players that can't access other forums to request and find in-game help from fellow pirates and posters that they somewhat know already. And as you noted, those requests won't 'drown out' other forum updated topics and posts...and vice versa.

I think it is a great idea, Dante!