# Retirement of the Post Thanks System - Added Helpful Posts Feature



## Semper Fidelis

The Post Thank You Hack has served the forum well for a couple of years but the author of the vBulletin Addon has stopped supporting the addon and it made it unusable to find thanked threads. I've added a new system that is supported and has some advantages over the new system. Look for the Thumbs Up sign at the bottom of each post and click on the Thumb if you found a post helpful.

There's still a 15 post minimum to rate a post as helpful. Rating a post as helpful will increase your post count as before. There is a limit of 30 post ratings per day.

Sadly, one cannot see below the thread who found the post helpful. I know some of us were thanking posts to let people know that we had acknowledged certain things personally. That can't be helped and I apologize for the inconvenience.


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## nicnap

I think if we really agree and would express the same sentiment it would be just as well to hit the reply with quote button and say thanks. It will do the same thing. Or, would that take up too much thread space?

By the way, Rich, thanks for the hard work you do...and the 'heads up' to the new thanks system.


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## Curt

You've been thumbed.


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## Ivan

Curt said:


> You've been thumbed.


 
So have you.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian

That makes things awkward looking and spreads out the post.


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## Zenas

I had been working hard to build up my "thanked posts" to make it look like I am useful to the community.


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## AThornquist

Zenas said:


> I had been working hard to build up my "thanked posts" to make it look like I am useful to the community.


 
What will you do with all of the secondary accounts that you used to "thank" yourself in older threads?


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## Zenas

Use them to do some argumentum ad populum.


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## Wayne

Let me see if I understand this, Rich. 

So now when you want to thank someone, you just click on the little green standing turtle over in the upper right hand corner?

<deadpan>


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## Jack K

I agree it is too bad we can't see _who_ is saying "thanks" for a post. Feels like it will make our discussions seem a bit less personal. But I appreciate your hard work to give us the best environment you can. It's work well done.


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## Kevin

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> That makes things awkward looking and spreads out the post.


 
ditto

---------- Post added at 04:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:25 AM ----------




Jack K said:


> I agree it is too bad we can't see _who_ is saying "thanks" for a post. Feels like it will make our discussions seem a bit less personal. But I appreciate your hard work to give us the best environment you can. It's work well done.


 
Ditto


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## Semper Fidelis

It looks like the Helpful Answers hack might integrate who found the post helpful at some point in the future. I think I'll move the thumb below the Signature.


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## nicnap

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> That makes things awkward looking and spreads out the post.


 
I thought so...I just wasn't sure. Thanks for your useful post.


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## Scott1

Things are improving, as we speak!


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## SolaScriptura

Since the "thumbs up" feature is anonymous, can we also experiment with an anonymous "thumbs down" feature so that we can appropriately express dissatisfaction with a particular post?


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## Semper Fidelis

SolaScriptura said:


> Since the "thumbs up" feature is anonymous, can we also experiment with an anonymous "thumbs down" feature so that we can appropriately express dissatisfaction with a particular post?


 
No. My goal is to actually "de-anonymize" this feature anyway. As soon as the hack author allows a list of users that have found the post helpful then I'll stick it on the post.

I could have added a "Post Groan" feature with the Post Thanks in the past but have never really liked the idea of "going negative" without having to say more about why you disagree with something.

One of the features I plan to integrate with this is that it will list the most helpful posts within a given thread so users can jump to those helpful answers.


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## Jack K

Yes, I too found my inner Pharisee noticing the little line that kept track of the many thanks I'd receieved over my lifetime on the board. Perhaps that running total is better gone. But I am glad to hear we may be able to de-anonymize. More personal, like I said. Plus we could return to using the "thanks" (now "helpful") button to acknowledge someone's response to one of our posts without having to post an entire new reply.

Thanks to Rich for passing on the "post groan" thing. I definately do not need that messing with my lust for approval.


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## JennyG

So thanking does add to one's post-count! I knew something odd was going on, and my post count was going up sometimes even when I didn't post.
I thought maybe it was just that the site couldn't count


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## Jack K

JennyG said:


> So thanking does add to one's post-count! I knew something odd was going on, and my post count was going up sometimes even when I didn't post.
> I thought maybe it was just that the site couldn't count



Same here! I'd no idea, but felt my post count increased at times for no apparent reason. Chalked it up to being more wordy than I realized. Perhaps it would have been more obvious if I were more "thankful."


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## Steve Curtis

Wayne said:


> Let me see if I understand this, Rich.
> 
> So now when you want to thank someone, you just click on the little green standing turtle over in the upper right hand corner?
> 
> <deadpan>


 
I already miss that turtle...


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## SolaScriptura

Semper Fidelis said:


> SolaScriptura said:
> 
> 
> 
> Since the "thumbs up" feature is anonymous, can we also experiment with an anonymous "thumbs down" feature so that we can appropriately express dissatisfaction with a particular post?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No. My goal is to actually "de-anonymize" this feature anyway. As soon as the hack author allows a list of users that have found the post helpful then I'll stick it on the post.
> 
> I could have added a "Post Groan" feature with the Post Thanks in the past but have never really liked the idea of "going negative" without having to say more about why you disagree with something.
> 
> One of the features I plan to integrate with this is that it will list the most helpful posts within a given thread so users can jump to those helpful answers.
Click to expand...

 
Bummer! I was hoping we could shame people into conformity.


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## Zenas

> One of the features I plan to integrate with this is that it will list the most helpful posts within a given thread so users can jump to those helpful answers.



The most "thanked" are not always the most helpful. See generally my first post in the "How soon did you receive a call" thread.


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## Skyler

nicnap said:


> I think if we really agree and would express the same sentiment it would be just as well to hit the reply with quote button and say thanks. It will do the same thing. Or, would that take up too much thread space?
> 
> By the way, Rich, thanks for the hard work you do...and the 'heads up' to the new thanks system.


 
Thanks!

---------- Post added at 02:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 PM ----------




Semper Fidelis said:


> The Post Thank You Hack has served the forum well for a couple of years but the author of the vBulletin Addon has stopped supporting the addon and it made it unusable to find thanked threads. I've added a new system that is supported and has some advantages over the new system. Look for the Thumbs Up sign at the top of each post and click on the Green Thumb if you found a post helpful.
> 
> There's still a 15 post minimum to rate a post as helpful. Rating a post as helpful will increase your post count as before. There is a limit of 30 post ratings per day.
> 
> Sadly, one cannot see below the thread who found the post helpful. I know some of us were thanking posts to let people know that we had acknowledged certain things personally. That can't be helped and I apologize for the inconvenience.


 
Thanks!


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## Scottish Lass

Andrew, sometimes it may be because people were thinking the same thing you were, even if it were a question. Sometimes I thank a first post when it's a question if I have the same question and am looking forward to the answers.


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## Zenas

Scottish Lass said:


> Andrew, sometimes it may be because people were thinking the same thing you were, even if it were a question. Sometimes I thank a first post when it's a question if I have the same question and am looking forward to the answers.



The following users found this post helpful:

Zenas


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## Zenas

The following users feel as if you've stolen 5 seconds of their life:

Zenas


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## Skyler

Someone, somewhere found this post helpful, mildly entertaining, hilarious, pious, insightful, poignant, or just accidentally pressed the thumb to see what it would do.


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## Andres

i often thanked people for making me laugh.


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## Zenas

That must be how my count got past 10.


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## Berean

Is pressing the flesh the same thing as pressing the thumb? 
___________________________________________________________

The following users found this post helpful:


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## Edward

Semper Fidelis said:


> I think I'll move the thumb below the Signature.


 
I wondered where the big green thumb had gone, and went searching for this thread to see if there was an update. I see now that it just moved and changed colors. 

So a green thumb to the original thread post, and a white one for the more recent post.


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## Semper Fidelis

The code author agreed to add names of who found a post helpful. Don't know when that will be coded but that'll be great!


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## Scott1

Now, all we need is the "hack" that gives us our thanks total under the old system.


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## Semper Fidelis

Scott1 said:


> Now, all we need is the "hack" that gives us our thanks total under the old system.


 
We'll just have to mortify the flesh in that regard.


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## Scott1

Semper Fidelis said:


> Scott1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Now, all we need is the "hack" that gives us our thanks total under the old system.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We'll just have to mortify the flesh in that regard.
Click to expand...

 
Please pray for us!


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## kvanlaan

No kidding - I had hoped we could translate our 'thanks' into points to be spent at the PB online store (closed Sundays) on things like 'Mournful Oatmeal (Calvinism in a Box) Breakfast Cereal' and "Frozen Chosen on Board" window sticky things.


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