What are these little stars by my name?

[Chef23]

I like the stars I think it helps give a little weight to what propel have to say. For me it doesn't mean I discard heat other people have to say but in other forums I tend to give more weight to regular posters. If someone is new to this forum I think the concept helps and shouldn't do any harm.

[Horton]

I noticed that most people who comment on this thread have not filled out their profile. If you do not know what I'm talking about there are videos in the FAQ explaining

[danbirch]

Is the profile mandatory or voluntary?

[Drago]

Basically, I would only take Bruce Butterfield's advice , regardless of stars;)

Leigh Sheldrake

[jipster43]

I've always thought it would be cool for folks to post their PB with their profile, but it all comes out in the wash eventually. Regardless, it's rare that a thread/post has no merit.

[JonB]

I can give expert advice on what NOT to do!!! (even though this is only my second post). How about "thumbs down" star type indicators??

[jayski]

@JonB unfortunately even though your "expert" advice might be 100% correct we will not pay any attention as you have no stars (along with me, might be negative after this)

[Horton]

BallOfSpray is not a democracy. The stars are an eperiment. Get over it.

[Horton]

@danbirch not mandatory unless you are talking ski politics or something controversial but I wold prefer that all regular do it.

[RichardDoane]

@JonB - you may not be T$'s best student, but you could relay his comments/suggestions/tips that would be beneficial to others and would be helpful, @skijay - I hear all the time about "-39 skiers" who don't ski tournaments, essentially not verifying their skill level, so I don't personally believe that they could do that same performance in a legitimate tournament scenario, but just my .02

[andjules]

@SkiJay the phrase

"39-off recreational skiers"

hurts my brain.

and my feelings ;-)

[TylerR]

We should all embrace the new system. @horton is always right, therefore this must be a good idea. Notice I have no stars, because I really am more likely to spill whiskey on your ski than to actually help you get any better, unless someone can prove that killing brain cells = better skier, so all must be right with the world.

[Wish]

Says the person with 3 stars ;)

[Chef23]

Well I guess any system that gives me 3 stars is probably questionable at best particularly given that I am a 35 off skier. That said one of the things I really like about BOS is that it is essentially troll free and all the people that post are doing so with the best of intentions. Even if you don't agree with a poster it generally isn't because they are yanking your chain.

[6balls]

@chef23, yah best slalom site for a lot of reasons well outlined...stars or no stars doesn't change that fact. Good stuff.

[Gloersen]

OMG! Glad I ski thru the winter! To all this I say, just lean & maintain line tension; ski your heart out or your ass off! 174 M5, 166 technically, who cares; live long enough & ski you'll eventually be #1!

[A_B]

I think everyone should be entitled to 5 stars so they feel good about themselves.

[Horton]

I have way too much else to do to really defend this but I am going to do it once.

 

Remember when you were a kid and you Mother made you eat vegetables when all you wanted was pizza and M&Ms? This is maybe one of those things. I am trying to do something good for the whole site. Maybe it makes you grumpy but if it is good for the community as a whole then we all win.

 

Social media management is a tricky thing. Remember MySpace?

 

I am not sure I am going to stick with the stars or maybe I will make them balls or bees. What those of you who hate it need to get is that I am tweaking things in an attempt to make the user experience better for all. For those of you without stars I swear to Buda this is not a slight or disrespect to you.

 

The way the stars are awarded is from points and points come from good posts. It is not about ball count. It is about quality contribution. I know there are some newer members whose posts are really good but their points are low. That is simply because they are new.

 

And lastly it is not a contest…. It is an automated way for new users to know who has been around. That is it.

 

So a member who will not be named emailed me today and asked if his points had been cut. I do not even have the power to do that so I contacted support and this is the response I got.

 

It's a recession, @Horton, and times are tough. nearly 50% of users just aren't able to find points when they join the posting force. We were promised that the point shortage would be under 6% by this time, and now we're seeing record highs of users without the points they need.

 

If elected, I promise to create 12 million new points by stimulating the pointconomy and reducing post restrictions on low to middle class users.

 

[webbdawg99]

Maybe instead of the stars being based on total points....have it based on a percentage If a guy has posted 10,000 times and has 20 likes.....should he be higher rated than a guy that has posted 10 times and has 10 likes?

[robscholl-OF]

I agree with RD that tournaments validate a persons true ability. Boat speeds are correct, course dimensions are correct and there are real judges scoring. That being said, I know there are a lot of great skiers who do not ski tournaments and could kick my a$$ any given day. What everyone could do was shoot a video of them skiing and post it. One, it is cool to put a face with a name and second we are able to see some of the great skiers on BOS most excellent skills. Horton, stars for a video clip posted......my two cents.....OF

[Horton]

@webbdawg99 feel free to program that

 

@robscholl-OF No. At the very high end I want everyone to know who the Open and MM55k guys are but besides that we all struggle but at different speeds and boat lengths. The stars are not really about balls.

[luckyone]

finally ran my opener 32,mph that is,34,4@22,i think only to recieve a possible star from the zar, horton.

[auskier]

i was just looking at my 'stats'..

419 visits since May 2007?! that is less than 7 per month. I would come here 7 times per week or more. that aint right.

[Horton]

Do you always log in?

[Than_Bogan]

The person who asked about the point change does need to remain anonymous, but I can give you a hint: His name rhymes with Stan Grogan.

 

I was actually just wondering if this was a new bug or the result of correcting a bug. But the response from the devs was so awesome that I'm really glad I asked!

 

The only problem with the new possibly-fixed points is that now I'm behind MS! :)

 

But it looks like Horton must have also adjusted the thresholds, so I got my coveted 4th star back. Phew, my fragile self-esteem was at risk there...

[Than_Bogan]

Also, of course it's not a contest, but since Horton doesn't count, MS cheats by being funny, and OB can't see the points to call me on it: I WIN! :)

[Razorskier1]

@Horton -- I think a great experiment. Is it really that different from when you tried the "original baller" labels? I think this is better in that if someone takes the time and energy to attempt to contribute stuff that people find helpful, then there is some acknowledgment. Also agree that many great coaches aren't top skiers. Heck, my wife can tell me what I'm doing right or wrong just by how I feel on the boat -- that makes her a great coach even though she skis 30mph at 15 off. I listen to her as much as any coach. Lastly, I don't think stars will determine for me whose posts I care about. I'm interested in pretty much anyone's thoughts on the topic of improving skiing performance. I won't always agree, but I like being forced to think about things in new and different ways.

[ToddL]

Just to make sure we all understand how this works... Stars are based upon points. Points are based upon activity (posts, and log ins). Activity is measured on those who are logged in. Also, positive recognition (Like buttons, Awesome buttons, Mentions (@ToddL), etc.) all result in additional points. (Not sure if the depth of a thread also creates points for the original creator...) That's pretty much it, right?

 

So, if anyone is so inclined to pursue more points, then:

Visit often

Always Log In

Post / Comment on something

Hope that your Posts and Comments are deemed meaningful by the forum community so that they mark your contributions positively and mention you in their comments...

 

 

[DanE]

@auskier

@Horton-- How does the stats work if You set the browser to "keep me signed in" ?

I´m no computer wiz, but when I go to BOS I´m allready signed in most of the times.

If i cleared browser history I have to log in again.

Just asking because my stats on # of visits seem unlikely low also.

[FrankS]

I think that the stars are a good experiment. For people who are new to the site, it helps them to know who has been arround the longest and is familiar with the site. That being said, i dont think that it would be good if the stars turned into a kind of "competition". I think that would take away from the site.

[estrom]

I think @DanE is on to something with the "keep me signed in" issue.

 

[Brady]

@DanE. I have been a member for less than a month and I am always logged in, meaning, I rarely have to sign in. And my visits is more than 100 in a month. Good Lord, I am starting to realize I have no life outside of BoS.....anyway, I think they count. I also don't know how many comments I have made, although I know I get ridiculed for half of them, but I went out and put 4 shiny stars on my computer, so I feel like I am just like Stan Grogan, or Cam Mogan, or......what is his name, oh yeah, @Than_Bogan.

 

One final comment, @Horton, how about a point system for how many chicks have been knocked the hell out climbing out of all of our boats? I like that system!!

[6balls]

Just thinkin' out loud as I continue to digest. I see some positives, but I think more net negatives.

I met and hung out with a particular Baller twice...once each at an annual tourney. Mostly hanging out meant we talked skiing between times we had to ski, and we don't correspond otherwise other than I see him post from time to time on BOS.

He's a hell of a skier, and really knows what he is talking about...also a student of the game looking to get better. He's made some informative posts since the star system went into effect, and I notice he has zero stars.

I realize no system is perfect, and life isn't fair, but I'd hate to have a guy like that feel like his contributions are undervalued, or that others may pre-view his contributions as same. Having said that I have no idea if he gives a rip.

[RichardDoane]

I will gladly give my stars to anyone who makes a charitable donation to their favorite cause, and BTW, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

[Horton]

@douglaslbrady 43 comments

[Nick Sullivan]

Not a fan of the stars and not a fan of the new front page. Not being able to see the new comments and threads is going to mean way less traffice to those new threads or comments.

[Texas6]

@Sully, if you click on discussions it will bring you right back into the threads in a format very similar to what you saw before today.

[Horton]

That test has been set aside... it really super sucked in mobile.

[Nick Sullivan]

@Texas6 Thanks for the tip, this would be exctly what I was looking for.

[6balls]

@brent once it's "gamed" it becomes even less valid in terms of the potential positive aspects. If criteria are known it's human nature to game it. Here I'm wondering if the attempt via the star chart was to solve a problem that really didn't exist?(with all due respect to the site and it's creators/moderators/managers...I'm a junkie here on a site that I really appreciate exists in it's current format). In the end still a valid experiment...the question at this point is results analysis. Is it value added and, if so, for who?

[thager]

Whom!

[FrankS]

Wow looks like I started something.

[Horton]

Just vote in the poll. I am so over this.