Mike, or anyone else

[e_racer1999]

it doesnt say if they are positive' date=' negative, or any other info though. just says reputation points. it should say who said what. Just IMHO, but seems pointless and a great way for anyone who is a little competative or who doesnt have the best intentions to skew the data if you know what I mean.

Zak[/quote']

i see what you mean. i doubt that anyone would be that callous though. but i believe that it says you have 10 points. if it was negative, i think it would say -10 points. we had something similar on another forum i was on.

[BD240Z]

Reading/watching this unfold reminded me of the "social experiments" we discussed in college. If left unattended, I believe some of us would end up arguing.

This is a pleasant website to visit, the members are sincere and thoughtful in their responses. For me, the value here is gaining/sharing information, I come here to gain information regarding an issue with my car or share an experience.

I believe that almost all responses are meant to be helpful. Those that are less knowledgeable don't have as much insight or experience as others but their input has as much value as anyone elses. They're trying to be helpful! To grade their input smacks of some sort of superiority. If anyone here looks up to any of the members because they know alot about 30 year old cars needs to have a conversation with the guy/gal in the mirror.

And while we're at it, why are some so quick to point out, "that was discussed before, try using the search engine". It's very possible that someone has something new to add. I believe every nuance of these cars has been discussed at some point so if we didn't entertain redundant questions, we'd be left reviewing a new paint job, the latest 240Z up for bid on ebay or the pictures from the latest Z Car shindig.

I agree with Zedrally on the value of this new feature. It also reminds me of the feedback system on Ebay.

Now I want everyone to give me a bad reputation!!!

[EScanlon]

...SNIP...

This is a pleasant website to visit, the members are sincere and thoughtful in their responses. For me, the value here is gaining/sharing information, I come here to gain information regarding an issue with my car or share an experience.

...SNIP...

And while we're at it, why are some so quick to point out, "that was discussed before, try using the search engine". It's very possible that someone has something new to add. I believe every nuance of these cars has been discussed at some point so if we didn't entertain redundant questions, we'd be left reviewing a new paint job, the latest 240Z up for bid on ebay or the pictures from the latest Z Car shindig.

I agree with Zedrally on the value of this new feature. It also reminds me of the feedback system on Ebay.

Now I want everyone to give me a bad reputation!!!

Most of us would agree that the biggest value here is the information we share. That it is done freely and in-depth is what makes it even more valuable to people seeking answers.

If all you want to know is what time it is, you can check various other sources, if you want to know about the theory behind time measurement, there are yet other sources, if you want to know how to repair the clock, you go to the folks that have disassembled, repaired and re-built their clock several times.....that's this site here....except it's the Z we've re-built, and repaired. There are other sites, and using the clock analogy, that know how to change the insides to run off a battery, others that have swapped the clock hands to digital numbers, etc, etc.

The key here however, is that here we devoted to repairing the Z to it's original (mostly) condition. The folks at HybridZ enjoy doing the V8 and V6 swaps, and are most knowledgeable about that. That is THEIR value to the Z community.

As far as being told that something has been discussed before, while we do it in a reply, other sites simply delete the post and tell the person who posted it to search the archives.

While it may seem to be a brush-off, it actually isn't. The person who posts a question that has been posted, discussed, dissected, argued over, and re-hashed for the 5th time....obviously doesn't know enough about the subject they're asking about.

They need to expend a little bit of time and energy to at least get themselves up to speed.

Would you let someone who just learned how to drive...in an automatic car, jump into your manual Z to drive it in rush-hour traffic? The analogy applies, because each and every point in the previous discussions must now be presented to them in order to get them to understand the general consensus the group has arrived at....by discussion over a period of time.

If the person still has doubts, or questions, I personally feel that they should then post it to the thread that most applies to the subject they're questioning....even if it's an old post. That is why the software pops it back up to the top of the "Active Posts" list. So that the rest of us can then read the post and reply.

Those "regurgitated" posts can now be re-read, re-examined and expanded upon. Or even knocked out and debunked if they're grossly inaccurate. The additions to the old posts, especially when they add to the information within them is what makes the search feature that much more powerful and the archives as well.

There are several "key issues" that crop up time and time again...gas fumes in the car, and rust. How many times would a new discussion really explore new avenues of thought? That's why the poster gets told to search the archives. You don't discuss geometry with someone who thinks it would be easier to round of Pi to 3.0 do you?

As far as the Reputation points.

There are many here who present, explain, and illustrate their point well. Personally, I try to explain in such a manner that you, being miles away from me, can replicate what I've done. If I fail to do so, it is because I didn't communicate it well. I know others also post with that intent. It is those members, that until now, have been mixed in with those people that have numerous posts....that don't really contribute to the general pool of knowledge. Bulk post numbers mean nothing, especially when most people groan at the thought of yet another post by that person. Anyone remember Smoking Eddie or whatever his name was?

The Reputation points, if used properly, help new members distinguish between those who are just posting to increase their post count, and those that the rest of the members feel actively contribute and that their contributions are worthy of the group's common goal...working on their Z.

Sadly, if misused, the Reputation points boil down to being just a popularity poll.

The comments are feedback, they tell you when you didn't do well, or when you did. They are necessarily anonymous because it allows both the responder and the receiver to save a little bit of face.

And BD280Z, don't worry. As acerbic as I can be, I'm sure to top the Top 50 Worst in no time at all.

2¢

E

[Arne]

Oh my yes, please don't include post numbers as part of the reputation formula. Sheer number of posts means nothing. Perhaps what I've been able to share has been helpful to some. But I'm continually shocked to see how many times I've posted in the almost 18 months I've been part of this site. Goodness, over 100 posts per month! Don't tell my wife or my boss!

[Go240Zags]

Click on your own "User CP" and you will see ...

Clicking on User CP doesn't seem to show me anything, nor does clicking on the Reputation Icon (other than the "distinquished road"comment). Am I missing something?

Edit: Okay, now I see you can click on the other icon to see your points.

[Go240Zags]

Most of us would agree that the biggest value here is the information we share. That it is done freely and in-depth is what makes it even more valuable to people seeking answers.

While it may seem to be a brush-off, it actually isn't. The person who posts a question that has been posted, discussed, dissected, argued over, and re-hashed for the 5th time....obviously doesn't know enough about the subject they're asking about.

They need to expend a little bit of time and energy to at least get themselves up to speed.

If the person still has doubts, or questions, I personally feel that they should then post it to the thread that most applies to the subject they're questioning....even if it's an old post. That is why the software pops it back up to the top of the "Active Posts" list. So that the rest of us can then read the post and reply.

Those "regurgitated" posts can now be re-read, re-examined and expanded upon. Or even knocked out and debunked if they're grossly inaccurate. The additions to the old posts, especially when they add to the information within them is what makes the search feature that much more powerful and the archives as well.

E

I agree with most of what has been said about using the search function and I usually try to find something in the archives first, however, when someone does bring up an old thread they too are often jumped on. I can understand this when they are trying to answer someone's question from a couple years (or more) back, but when they have a similar problem and could not find the solution in the search or the results they did find didn't solve their problem, then a little understanding about bringing up an antique post might be in order. I guess it isn't the message we send out about using the search function or resurecting an old thread, as much as the way it is sometimes said. We are normally friendly place and sometimes I'm afraid the way some questions are responded to might scare off new members. My 2 cents.

[EScanlon]

I agree with most of what has been said about using the search function and I usually try to find something in the archives first, however, when someone does bring up an old thread they too are often jumped on. I can understand this when they are trying to answer someone's question from a couple years (or more) back, but when they have a similar problem and could not find the solution in the search or the results they did find didn't solve their problem, then a little understanding about bringing up an antique post might be in order. I guess it isn't the message we send out about using the search function or resurecting an old thread, as much as the way it is sometimes said. We are normally friendly place and sometimes I'm afraid the way some questions are responded to might scare off new members. My 2 cents.

I agree with you, and this is a subject that has been discussed before as well, the problem is that there are two (mainly) schools of thought on that.

Some would have you post a completely new thread rather than post to an old thread, and others would have you post to the old thread to keep all the related questions / answers / variations of topic / related variations within the same thread(s).

The common agreement however, is that EVERYONE (except for those that don't wish to be included) hates the person who drags up an old old post simply to post that they also had the same problem and agreed that the solution given was the one to use as that is what they did. That is, they added absolutely NOTHING to the thread, and essentially said "Me too!" this is the real waste of time for everyone.

My opinion is that if in searching you find a post that answers your question / search, but you had different symptoms, or fix(es) then definitely add to the post as what you are positng ADDS to the post.

However, DO read the post thoroughly and completely, there have been times when new members have begun to offer their 2 cents worth on how to trouble shoot a problem that, if they'd read to the end of the thread, they would have realized that that problem had already been solved. Also remember that you are posting to an old thread, so that posting a question to the ORIGINAL poster, may be useless.

I think that adding to an old thread that is informative with NEW information ADDS to the value of the thread and the archives. It not only helps compact the archives, (instead of 30+ posts on the same subject, you only have a half dozen or so) it also allows future new people the opportunity to quickly review a LOT of knowledge without having to read the same replies over and over again.

However, just because you're lazy and don't want to sift through the replies, or to do the basic search, well in my opinion, you should NOT start a new thread. That's what earns MY telling them...go search the archives.

But that's just my 2¢

E

P.S. Sorry to hijack....

[boyblunda]

THREAD SPLIT:

Saw this strategy used effectively recently to avoid hijacking another valuable thread and hope it is okay here.

The matter of when to post to an old thread or start a new thread is something that has been discussed before but I think that the discussion has occurred within individual threads (not specifically addressing ettiquette) and has not always been clear or consistent. I hope members who want to discuss the matters of site ettiquette might post in this new thread:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23716

Administrators / moderators - I sincerely hope that I am not stepping on anybody's toes here. If so please delete the above thread and this post.

Dave