I wanted to post an avatar - spec? how?

MattiMattMatt wrote:

Asatoran wrote:

10 point means you only gave one or two answers that people thought were useful.

Not at all!

Many correct answers don't receive points because the OP didn't reward them. And many useful answers are not necessarily the correct response to an initial question, and therefore garner no points.

10 points could mean that someone contributed many useful comments, despite their 'undocumented status.'

Yes, but for someone to complain that they only have 10 points in a year means they were not posting much or replying only to trolls that don't return to the forums, or replying to old threads where the points were already awarded or something like that. While there may be many "useful comments", it would seem to imply that the type of posts weren't really the "useful answer" kind of posts...or he has the worst kind of luck picking threads to respond to. 😉

Like I said, I've only been here for a year and a half and I'm over 1000 points, despite the many noobs that don't award me points. And I've done my share of lengthy threads without getting any points. And I'm NOT on the forums every day and I don't answer every thread either. So, no, I find that 10 point in a year doesn't sound like an active, helpful member. Don't choose the threads that flame or vent, but choose to help a person on threads with real technical questions, which is what the forums are supposed to be for anyway, at least according to the ToU. Those threads are usually the ones with the appreciative people that will award points. But really, if one is just here just for the points, then odds are they aren't really concerned about helping other people anyway.

I think most of us don't choose which topics to reply to based on our chances of getting points for our efforts. Points signify what the OP thinks are the best replies among what may be any number of good ones. Sometimes a well researched, carefully documented reply is passed over for one that is easier to understand, perhaps one that built on the info in the more elaborate one, or explains one key detail of it better than the other reply did. Sometimes an incorrect or misleading reply gets points, sometimes because it leads the OP to the solution after discovering it is incorrect or misleading.

It is true that the more you post, the more likely you are to get points, but a low point total doesn't necessarily mean you haven't contributed much useful information.

R C-R wrote:

I think most of us don't choose which topics to reply to based on our chances of getting points for our efforts. Points signify what the OP thinks are the best replies among what may be any number of good ones. Sometimes a well researched, carefully documented reply is passed over for one that is easier to understand, perhaps one that built on the info in the more elaborate one, or explains one key detail of it better than the other reply did. Sometimes an incorrect or misleading reply gets points, sometimes because it leads the OP to the solution after discovering it is incorrect or misleading.

It is true that the more you post, the more likely you are to get points, but a low point total doesn't necessarily mean you haven't contributed much useful information.

Maybe. I don't disagree that people will post and won't necessarily get points so statistically, there will be some helpful members with low points. But 10 points after a year? That's a pretty extreme case, particularly, for the person to specifically complain about low points, so it implies that the person is not so altruistic. And the implication from the complainer is that they're new to the forum points system or don't understand "the game" and so I suggested how you'd be more likely to get points.

Again, I'm not saying it won't happen. Anything is possible, but the odds are that a member that only got 10 points in a year likely wasn't being helpful to many people. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... 😉

MattiMattMatt wrote:

Adam The Texas Sicilian wrote:

But 500 points? That's steep. I've been registered for over a year and still only have 10 points.

I thoroughly agree with you that 500 points is too steep.

You do realize that it was LOWERED in ASC don't you? In AD you had to have, IIRC, 1,500 points to be a level 3, and NO ONE at any level was allowed custom avatars.

Asatoran wrote:

Maybe. I don't disagree that people will post and won't necessarily get points so statistically, there will be some helpful members with low points. But 10 points after a year? That's a pretty extreme case, particularly, for the person to specifically complain about low points, so it implies that the person is not so altruistic.

Personally my goal is to provide as much helpful information as possible, with as little remuneration in points as possible. While I don't begrudge anyone their points, I have to say I find garish displays of many thousands of points to be more than a little ostentatious. Particularly when there are so many people, all over the world, with barely any points at all. And as for altruism, any points I accumulate throughout the year I typically donate to a worthy cause around the holidays, and encourage everyone else to do the same.

MattiMattMatt wrote:

Asatoran wrote:

10 point means you only gave one or two answers that people thought were useful.

Not at all!

Many correct answers don't receive points because the OP didn't reward them. And many useful answers are not necessarily the correct response to an initial question, and therefore garner no points.

10 points could mean that someone contributed many useful comments, despite their 'undocumented status.'

True. I don't want to troll. I just want to come on the boards. Read useful insights from other Apple users and give tips here and there if I can. And sometimes, I guess unfortunately since everybody wants "dog buscuits" I don't log back in for a while because of my job environment. So they don't get "liked." Nothing personal or anything like that. At times I just can't have time to come back to the forums like I wish I could. Other times I get so busy I forget that I even asked a question. Once I posted a question I already asked several months ago, because I thought I had asked it on another forum. After I posted it, I got tense thinking I would get categorized as a spammer making double posts 🙂

Asatoran wrote:

Yes, but for someone to complain that they only have 10 points in a year means they were not posting much or replying only to trolls that don't return to the forums, or replying to old threads where the points were already .....

Not really applicable or relevent. That term troll gets used too loosley. I don't return many times but I'm not a troll at all. Some people just don't post as much. I remember in the 90s people would get griped out if they posted too much in a forum. Man.. the 90s.. I hate getting old. Do you realize The Matrix 1 was released in 1999. The movie is already 12 years old. A Nightmare On Elm Street is 27 years old 😟 Sorry.. I'm digressing.

Adam The Texas Sicilian wrote:

Asatoran wrote:

Yes, but for someone to complain that they only have 10 points in a year means they were not posting much or replying only to trolls that don't return to the forums, or replying to old threads where the points were already .....

Not really applicable or relevent. That term troll gets used too loosley. I don't return many times but I'm not a troll at all. Some people just don't post as much. I remember in the 90s people would get griped out if they posted too much in a forum. Man.. the 90s.. I hate getting old. Do you realize The Matrix 1 was released in 1999. The movie is already 12 years old. A Nightmare On Elm Street is 27 years old 😟 Sorry.. I'm digressing.

And this is the kind of posts I was referring to when you comment that you don't get much points. Your wandering was not relevant to the question so that expenditure of energy wasn't helping fix the problem that was originally posted, so of course no one would award point for that answer.

When I said "answering to trolls", I meant responding to someone that wasn't going to come back on the forums and issue points. You may give a useful answer, but if the OP doesn't return to issue the points, then you obviously won't get any. As is often said DFTT. (Don't Feed The Trolls.) (You're obvious not a troll since you replied with a non-flame answer. 🙂 )

Post "too much" would most often be a complaint if the posts weren't helpful. But if they were helpful, and preferably, simple, short and too the point, then most likely others wouldn't complain, but instead would probably say something like "Ask Adam. He always posts a lot of good stuff."

If as you say, you don't have time to view the forums much, well, there's no shame in that. But if you can't give useful answers, then don't expect receiving gratitude in the way of points. As many people would suggest, don't worry about the points. Come here because you want to learn and help. The more you help, I mean really help, the points will come on their own. 🙂