Would anyone consider removing post count from their forum?

If there was a points system, then it might work.

But users WANT something to beat and keep a score of... whether it's points, posts, trophy's etc...etc...
 
i tried this once years ago.
users resorted to using google and whatnot to calculate post-count, and in the end it became a much more interesting metric than expected.
i am happy with the current xf implementation of simply not including it in postbit, and member feedback has been positive.
 
I turned off post counts on my forum so people didn't use them as a way to measure the best posters and the site has gone from 4k posts a day to 10-12k a day and page views moved over 350k a day.
 
tmb said:
I turned off post counts on my forum so people didn't use them as a way to measure the best posters and the site has gone from 4k posts a day to 10-12k a day and page views moved over 350k a day.
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Do you think it would have the same effect if they were 'somewhat' hidden like the are on xf.com with the default skin which requires a click on peoples avatar to see the member card & post count?
 
Dean said:
Do you think it would have the same effect if they were 'somewhat' hidden like the are on xf.com with the default skin which requires a click on peoples avatar to see the member card & post count?
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Yeah I don't think I'll be making an edit to this system. I just don't like the number right there on each post. Its just too easy for people to pull rank when its right there each post. But if its as easy as it was on SMF to hide them I would consider removing them from the member card if I saw it happening again.
 
tmb said:
I turned off post counts on my forum so people didn't use them as a way to measure the best posters and the site has gone from 4k posts a day to 10-12k a day and page views moved over 350k a day.
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You think because you dropped the post count that posts went up?
I don't know why that would change things.
I'll be keeping the post count and join date.
 
tmb said:
Yeah I don't think I'll be making an edit to this system. I just don't like the number right there on each post. Its just too easy for people to pull rank when its right there each post. But if its as easy as it was on SMF to hide them I would consider removing them from the member card if I saw it happening again.
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People were actually referring to other peoples post count when they posted? "What do you know, you just got here!" type posts?

If so, I can indeed see how removing post count helped your forum, but not all forums are like that.
 
Brogan said:
In line with XenForo's "less is more" approach, I am considering removing the post count from view altogether.

The post count would still accumulate and members would still get user title changes and trophies, etc., they just wouldn't know when they would be triggered.
Well, not unless they're sad enough to keep track themselves.

I just wondered whether this would be an interesting experiment and whether it would remove some of the issues that sometimes arise on forums with regards to members with high/low post counts.

Would anyone else consider doing this?
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It makes sense on a support forum for a product or a software. Or maybe an advice forum for people struggling with issues (like depression, disease, etc).

People primarily visit those forums to get questions answered and assist others with their specific problems.

Post count seems irrelevant at places like that.

Anywhere else, post counts and rising through the ranks is part of the fun of being a member.
 
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