# Post Ratings Added



## Semper Fidelis

Post ratings added to the forum to replace the normal Like. It adds more options.

I've added two Negative ratings for Bad Spelling and Rude Posts. I don't want this to be abused so it's only available to Members Only for those ratings. If you receive more than 5 Negative ratings in these areas I'm experimenting with hiding the post to see how that works out.

We'll also be using this ratings feature to start to highlight the posts that "bubble to the top" to help improve the ability for people to find the best posts.

Let me know what you think of the categories.

Reactions: Like 3 | Informative 4 | Edifying 1


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## NaphtaliPress

Only members, or Members Only forums?


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## Semper Fidelis

No, it should be displayed in all forums. Can't you see it in the lower right of my post?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## NaphtaliPress

I mean are the two controversial ones only available to members (guests can like?) or on members only forums?


Semper Fidelis said:


> No, it should be displayed in all forums. Can't you see it in the lower right of my post?


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## NaphtaliPress

Is there a way to reverse a like (if someone hits mean spirited by mistake for instance)?


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## Semper Fidelis

NaphtaliPress said:


> I mean are the two controversial ones only available to members (guests can like?) or on members only forums?


Right now, I haven't turned on the ability for non-registered users to utilize any of the Ratings. Only Registered Users can see the ratings. I may add the ability for unregistered users to Like a post but I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

I've restricted those who can use Negative ratings to this:

Bad Spelling - Member's Only 
Mean-Spirited - Elders, Doctors, and Post-Grads. I wanted to limit who could use the most negative rating.


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## Semper Fidelis

NaphtaliPress said:


> Is there a way to reverse a like (if someone hits mean spirited by mistake for instance)?


Yes.


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## jw

Is it possible for the "Bad Spelling One" to be classified as "Bad Spelling/Poor Grammar/Incoherent," or is that a little bit too much?

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## fredtgreco

Joshua said:


> Is it possible for the "Bad Spelling One" to be classified as "Bad Spelling/Poor Grammar/Incoherent," or is that a little bit too much?


Maybe just "Bad Spelling/Grammar"?


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## fredtgreco

@Semper Fidelis - did you reduce the links on the top right of the page? I used to be able to click "Recent Posts" and a few other things there.


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## Goodcheer68

Bad spelling?? I get what you are trying to do but I think that is a little over the top. Do foreigners get a special pass? Just my 2 cents.


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## jw

fredtgreco said:


> Maybe just "Bad Spelling/Grammar"?


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## jw

Goodcheer68 said:


> Bad spelling?? I get what you are trying to do but I think that is a little over the top. Do foreigners get a special pass? Just my 2 cents.


We're not looking needlessly to employ this for minor misspelling. It is more an avenue to quell the distraction caused by habitual posting of incoherent thoughts. 

It is very poor form, inconsiderate, disrespectful, and even rude, for a person to carry themselves in such a manner -even after multiple gentle nudgings to correct the behavior- that requires other folks with whom they interact to labor unnecessarily through misspellings, lack of capitalization, and poor, incomplete, or run-on sentence structures. 

This particular rating is a way of discouraging that behavior, without having completely to silence a user's interactions on the board.


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## Semper Fidelis

fredtgreco said:


> @Semper Fidelis - did you reduce the links on the top right of the page? I used to be able to click "Recent Posts" and a few other things there.
> 
> View attachment 4868


Fred,

It was cluttered and I found out a way to add the Recent Posts as an Addon so I don't have to worry about it going away with Template upgrades.


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## fredtgreco

Semper Fidelis said:


> Fred,
> 
> It was cluttered and I found out a way to add the Recent Posts as an Addon so I don't have to worry about it going away with Template upgrades.


So how do we access the recent posts with the addon?


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## Semper Fidelis

How about this:



 

As noted, the purpose of the spelling and grammar is to curtail the sloppy use of language per our board rules. We understand that English is a second language for some but, for those whose language it is primary, we don't allow needlessly sloppy grammar in posting. It's actually a board rule as a courtesy to the readers. If a person has the capacity to slow down and post without a ton of grammar mistakes and does not extend that courtesy then this is intended toward that end.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Semper Fidelis

fredtgreco said:


> So how do we access the recent posts with the addon?


You should see it now to the left of New Posts.


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## jw

Semper Fidelis said:


> How about this:
> 
> View attachment 4870


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## Jack K

Semper Fidelis said:


> Bad Spelling - Member's Only



Ha. Rich, do you realize how tempting it is to dock you for improper use of an apostrophe?

I assume you have in mind posts in which the author seems indifferent to the conventions of written English, rather than those with the occasional sloppy error.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Reformed Covenanter

The new layout is fantastic. Sorry to be a pedant, but how does one edit posts that you made a few hours ago? I see that it now lets you edit posts that you have just written, but not ones that you wrote a few hours previously.


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## jw

Jack K said:


> I assume you have in mind posts in which the author seems indifferent to the conventions of written English, rather than those with the occasional sloppy error.


Exactly. This is not a "zero-tolerance" idea. For example, we're not going to expel the kid who leaves a butter-knife in his pickup in the school parking lot, because of the no weapons policy of the school.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jack K

Actually, as I think more seriously about this, allow me to suggest we not have a button to report bad spelling. It's not that I wish to encourage folks to ignore the rules of written English. I'm just thinking about those for whom English is not their first language. It might be a kind gesture to them if they don't have to feel concerned they might be criticized for errors. Think of it as a way to follow the command to be welcoming to the foreigners among us.

Reactions: Like 2


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## JimmyH

I notice post count and join date no longer display. Will those be added in the future ?


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## fredtgreco

JimmyH said:


> I notice post count and join date no longer display. Will those be added in the future ?


When you click on a user's name (e.g. "JimmyH") you get a popup that has those.


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## JimmyH

Thank you @fredtgreco !


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## NaphtaliPress

We do have an issue in this day and age when long format discussion is the old guy on the block to Facebook and Twitter with folks not taking the time courtesy dictates. I think folks know the difference between that and second language challenges which to date has not been an issue for members of the board. If it proves that is not the case and folks don't exercise discretion, we can revisit the question.


Jack K said:


> Actually, as I think more seriously about this, allow me to suggest we not have a button to report bad spelling. It's not that I wish to encourage folks to ignore the rules of written English. I'm just thinking about those for whom English is not their first language. It might be a kind gesture to them if they don't have to feel concerned they might be criticized for errors. Think of it as a way to follow the command to be welcoming to the foreigners among us.


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## Edward

Semper Fidelis said:


> Rude Posts



That got me thinking - there used to be an easy way to see your moderation points (current and expired) on your profile. Is that information still in there somewhere? I did a quick glance but have had time to fully explore yet.


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## jw

Strangely, it is gone now.


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## NaphtaliPress

It does seem to come and go. Not sure what determines when it thinks it should go invisible or actually puts itself at the bottom or top, so you have to page to it!


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## Ask Mr. Religion

fredtgreco said:


> @Semper Fidelis - did you reduce the links on the top right of the page? I used to be able to click "Recent Posts" and a few other things there.
> 
> View attachment 4868


You can see those links using the Home page.


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## Ask Mr. Religion

Reformed Covenanter said:


> The new layout is fantastic. Sorry to be a pedant, but how does one edit posts that you made a few hours ago? I see that it now lets you edit posts that you have just written, but not ones that you wrote a few hours previously.


Such an option would be problematic in threads where much quoting has taken place. The current setting gives you 15 minutes for going back and editing a post. This may even be too much for fast moving threads where lots of quotes are being made. It is something we are keeping an eye on.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Parakaleo

Not that anyone asked me, but I concur with Jack and don't see the reason to publicly draw attention to someone's poor use of spelling or grammar, especially since this can be something quite difficult for them. Yes it can be frustrating, but admonitions of this nature should be done privately.

To be honest, "Like", "Informative", and "Edifying" all have so much overlap that I think the "Like" option by itself gets the message across just fine. If someone "likes" a post, we all know that means they found it encouraging or edifying or well-worded. I do think there should be a negative option (just not based on spelling or grammar alone). 

Here's what I would want to see:

- Like
- Sad (for those posts and prayer requests that you _would_ "Like", to express your sympathy or your prayers being with someone, but "Like" doesn't feel right in response to their sadness)
- Reconsider Your Response, or possibly the "Awkward Face" Emoji (this is used when you feel someone has not read others rightly, has made logical leaps, is deviating from their Confession, etc. It's a gentle correction that serves multiple purposes)


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## Semper Fidelis

Blake,

Thanks for the feedback. The cumulative effect of different ways of appreciating something is the same. There are only two main categories in the system - either positive or negative. Like, Funny, Informative, Sad, and Edifying are all considered "positive" ratings. Sloppy Grammar and Churlish are both "Negative".

Whether or not one can say that everything positive about a post could be grouped into a "Like" bin there are things that we "Like" and things that we find informative or particularly edifying. I know the difference in my mind but if you prefer to just "Like" something you find informative or edifying the net result in terms of boosting a "positive" post will be the same.

Reactions: Like 1 | Edifying 1


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## Ask Mr. Religion

Jack K said:


> Ha. Rich, do you realize how tempting it is to dock you for improper use of an apostrophe?


The possessive here implies the _Member's_ ability (an ability possessed by an individual member) to see only threads available to full Members. Hence, it would be a correct usage once one understands the original intent.


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## Jack K

Ask Mr. Religion said:


> The possessive here implies the _Member's_ ability (an ability possessed by an individual member) to see only threads available to full Members. Hence, it would be a correct usage once one understands the original intent.



Quite right. And if the intent were to refer to the ability of all members, it would be "Members' only," of course.


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## SolaScriptura

The feature about which I just got a chuckle is the ability to look up "notable members" by various categories, to include "most negative ratings." 

Could a moderator/admin correct my title/rank/grade (whatever it is called) so that the italics thing doesn't appear around the word "softy?" If so, that would be appreciated.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Semper Fidelis

I've decided that keeping up with negative ratings is more trouble than it's worth. I think our moderation has worked well for over 12 years and there's no need to create a rating category that creates moderation headaches and a trail of bad ratings that follow a user around.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Jack K

I like that call, Rich.

I will confess that I am tempted to make way too much of either positive or negative responses to my posts. "Likes" tempt me toward pride (into which I often fall), and negative responses make me bristle. So although I enjoy getting "likes," I fear it is not good for my heart. That's my fault, of course, and my sin to deal with. But any removal of part of that temptation probably makes this board a healthier place for me to hang out.

(Now here's your dilemma: If you agree, do you "like" this post?)


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## Semper Fidelis

Jack K said:


> I like that call, Rich.
> 
> I will confess that I am tempted to make way too much of either positive or negative responses to my posts. "Likes" tempt me toward pride (into which I often fall), and negative responses make me bristle. So although I enjoy getting "likes," I fear it is not good for my heart. That's my fault, of course, and my sin to deal with. But any removal of part of that temptation probably makes this board a healthier place for me to hang out.
> 
> (Now here's your dilemma: If you agree, do you "like" this post?)


Well, Jack, the feature is less about servicing pride and more about improving content. Our goal is to help bubble up those posts that people are finding useful.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Semper Fidelis

I added a Rejoicing and a Praying icon.

Sad, Rejoicing, and Praying are "neutral" ratings. They don't bump up the posts or threads but simply provide a way to express solidarity with a post if something is sad or you're happy for someone, etc.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Jack K

Semper Fidelis said:


> Well, Jack, the feature is less about servicing pride and more about improving content. Our goal is to help bubble up those posts that people are finding useful.


Oh, I understand that. It's good that we have a "like" button. Likes are helpful to the board. And being helpful is a big reason why we're all here. So I don't mean to complain at all, just to be honest about some of the downside... while we're on this topic.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Edward

I find the 'like' button useful for several reasons. 

1) It helps show me if I'm on the right track. If folks I respect on an issue 'like' my response on that issue, it shows me I'm probably on the right track. On the other hand, if others like it, I probably need to keep examining my views. 

2) It saves making some posts. If someone responds to me but the discussion doesn't need to continue, a 'like' (now that we have the names back) shows that I've seen their comment and acknowledge it, but don't have anything to add to the discussion at that time. Perhaps, in time, I'll find one of the new responses more appropriate in a given circumstances. 

3) If saves making some posts. If someone has already said what I'm thinking (and probably in a more irenic manner than could be expected from me), I don't have to pile on with my own comment. I can just hit 'like' instead of making a 'me too' comment. 

I understand why the old like button had to go away (an upgrade to the forum software broke it, as I recall, and no replacement was available), but I, for one, am glad to see it back.

Reactions: Edifying 2


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## OPC'n

I'm glad you took off the negative options. Having "negatives" following people around just seems so unforgiving.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Semper Fidelis

OPC'n said:


> I'm glad you took off the negative options. Having "negatives" following people around just seems so unforgiving.


Yeah, I thought about that in retrospect. It would just follow someone around.
As much as we desire confessional integrity to be the controlling grid here, I also want it to be an inviting place.

Reactions: Like 2


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