Re^3: How about coloured names based on xp's?

N.B.: the following arguments apply to indicating user level on nodes in a thread, which I am rallying against – not to colorising the Other Users nodelet, which is harmless.

we can still click the link and see a persons XP.

Doesn’t matter. You might think it’s illogical because the information is available anyway, and I used to think the same, but that’s programmer-think; experience has shown me that forums suffer when such information is displayed openly and benefit when it’s not. I’ve seen this in several cases where forums switched from one way of working to another (and sometimes back). It is evidently true. Putting the information a click away effectively makes it invisible as far as regular conversation is concerned. Only those who are determined to find out about it will. If it’s openly displayed, however, it will affect all interactions.

why not reduce site load by eleminating that click in some cases?

That’s bogus reasoning. Noone’s going to visit every homenode in every discussion to make sure they know all user levels. Displaying it openly OTOH would require retrieving each user’s level on each and every thread view. So site load is definitely lower when the information is not shown openly.

individuals could decide if they wanted to color different names.

Would you also say individuals should be able to decide whether they want to see node reps prior to voting?

Some things are not a matter of taste or choice.

Makeshifts last the longest.

Comment on Re^3: How about coloured names based on xp's?

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re^4: How about coloured names based on xp's? by eric256 (Parson) on Nov 04, 2005 at 15:29 UTC
That’s bogus reasoning. Noone’s going to visit every homenode in every discussion to make sure they know all user levels. Displaying it openly OTOH would require retrieving each user’s level on each and every thread view. So site load is definitely lower when the information is not shown openly. Actualy I beleive its already retrieved in order to get the users name, I'd have to look at the code to tell if that is true or not though. So I don't think it is "definitly" lower currently. Would you also say individuals should be able to decide whether they want to see node reps prior to voting? I'm not sure how that fits into any reasoning. I would think you look at a persons rep to judge how familar they are with the monestary and its ways. People here think you shouldn't judge a post by its author but that is bogus. If I didn't look at your rep I would think you were some newby crack pot. Looking at your rep tells me you have been here for a quite a while and probably know what you are talking about. That information is valuable and effects the way I view your nodes. You might think that is wrong or unjust, but its a fact. Since our votes effect the nodes rep directly and the persons XP indirectly, the premise that viewing a node rep is the same as viewing a persons rep are false. Anyway I hardly care enough either way to keep this up, I just didn't want everyone to read the thread and go "displaying a persons level is bad and no one wants it!", although I think possible if there is this much negative feed back on it, then the good done by adding it would probably be outweighed by the people it upsets (whether or not your predictions are true.) ___________ Eric Hodges $_='y==QAe=e?y==QG@>@?iy==QVq?f?=a@iG?=QQ=Q?9'; s/(.)/ord($1)-50/eigs;tr/6123457/- \/\|\\\_\n/;print;	[reply]

Replies are listed 'Best First'.

Re^4: How about coloured names based on xp's?
by eric256 (Parson) on Nov 04, 2005 at 15:29 UTC

Actualy I beleive its already retrieved in order to get the users name, I'd have to look at the code to tell if that is true or not though. So I don't think it is "definitly" lower currently.

Would you also say individuals should be able to decide whether they want to see node reps prior to voting?

I'm not sure how that fits into any reasoning. I would think you look at a persons rep to judge how familar they are with the monestary and its ways. People here think you shouldn't judge a post by its author but that is bogus. If I didn't look at your rep I would think you were some newby crack pot. Looking at your rep tells me you have been here for a quite a while and probably know what you are talking about. That information is valuable and effects the way I view your nodes. You might think that is wrong or unjust, but its a fact. Since our votes effect the nodes rep directly and the persons XP indirectly, the premise that viewing a node rep is the same as viewing a persons rep are false.

Anyway I hardly care enough either way to keep this up, I just didn't want everyone to read the thread and go "displaying a persons level is bad and no one wants it!", although I think possible if there is this much negative feed back on it, then the good done by adding it would probably be outweighed by the people it upsets (whether or not your predictions are true.)

___________
Eric Hodges $_='y==QAe=e?y==QG@>@?iy==QVq?f?=a@iG?=QQ=Q?9'; s/(.)/ord($1)-50/eigs;tr/6123457/- \/|\\\_\n/;print;

[reply]