Post count redux, ...and other post displayed-related things Options

[*mipadi*]

So I've been looking over the post-display style of cB and comparing it to other forums and discussion-thread-type sites I frequent, and I think it could use an "upgrade". Admittedly, I am a bit of minimalist when it comes to design, but I'm inclined to think that the post display style of cB is a bit busy, and could stand to be cleaned up a little.

First of all, post count. I think we should get rid of post count, or at least the display of post counts. People are too obsessed with their post counts, which don't even reveal much about a user, except for how much crap they post. So let's just get rid of it.

Secondly, extra user info like custom rank, group, joined date, location, member no., and status. Shove that stuff to the user info page display, or iconify some of it.

Basically, on posts, just display an avatar, username, and post date and time. Save the extra info for the user page, or get rid of it entirely. If status is deemed to be important, iconify it along with the post. Iconify "rankings" like moderator and admin, too. Give them a little badge next to their name.

[GREASEbaby]

Out of curiosity, why does a person's post count demand a certain level of respect, or demonstrate a certain level of respect?

It doesn't really demand - it's just one of my personality flaws. I'm very vulnerable, so when people have like 1000+ post count than me, then it feels like they're just superior to me. Personality flaw, my friend.

It doesn't demonstrate exactly, it supports. For example, in the myspace help forum, I see much disrespect to other staff - and it really irks me when they only have 5 posts

Honestly, Michael, it seems like you're doing this all to fit your new "threaded" design. Which, at first glance, seems like a good idea, but the more you look into it, the more we have to sacrifice.

The member info seems just fine to me, and is interesting to look at.

[*mipadi*]

Honestly, Michael, it seems like you're doing this all to fit your new "threaded" design. Which, at first glance, seems like a good idea, but the more you look into it, the more we have to sacrifice.

Not exactly. My two design proposals don't go hand-in-hand, nor do they have to be implemented as a package. I'm looking at the site from a usability perspective (graphical user interface design is, in fact, an area of study of mine). The ideas stem from a number of places. I've taken a lot of inspiration from sites like Digg, Newsvine, and the DeviantART forums, for example.

Post count seems like a "big deal" at first, but if you look at the sites I mentioned (as well as some other forums I have visited in the past), post count is not displayed along with posts. Some dispense with it altogether; others make it available only on the user info page (see DeviantART); others make it accessible and possible to figure out, but don't highlight it (see Newsvine and Digg). Admittedly, it's a bit of a shock at first; but it's amazing how much you start listening to people for what they say and how they act, not how long they've been on the site or how many posts they've made. And in the end, it does cut down on the number of irrelevant posts—it's amazing how much people post just to get their post counts up.