Thread: Thanks as feedback

Is it wrong to give thanks for getting thanks? (kinda like a buyback)

Originally Posted by IsaacRN

I think the "thanks" button is just that. Thank you for your post. I dont necessarily see it as thank you for providing me with information, but more so of going above a random post. I see nothing wrong with "thanking" a SOTD. It takes work to get some of those wonderful shots off, and is a bit above just writing out what you used.

+1 , Merci,Thanks, Grazie, Arigato Gozaimasu.

It's just a polite acknowledgement of somebody's action not a measure of their worth.

Originally Posted by Bruno

The meaning of the thanks depends on the person giving them.
In some places of the forum like the conversation, it is often used to indicate approval of a statement or opinion. In othe rparts it is used to express thanks for something, and in the SOTD forum... I have no clue why it is given. Thank you for telling us that you shaved?

But it doesn't really matter as it has no real meaning.
This is one of the reasons we ditched the rep system. Rep was given for the same variety of reasons. And a 'reputation' carries the implication that those who have lots of it are upstanding and reputable people, and in some cases that was really not the case. So in the end we got rid of it in favor of the mentor system.

The thanks system doesn't have that problem so people use it for different things, but without causing problems.

It does have reputation-building implications. You figure that someone who has a lot of them really knows his stuff.

I guess the system is kept somewhat honest because nobody really knows how to get one and nobody really knows how to give one.

I'll let you in on a secret. When I first saw this forum I thought this was a system to minimize meaningless posting and I honestly thought twice before posting anything for fear that it might be considered a waste of someone's time. I thought the thanks per post ratio was the indicator of how worthwhile a member's participation was. Perhaps I'm an over-analytical person, but it makes sense to me.

FWIW, I have had experience as a moderator and host and based on that background I would suggest that you either pin some objective criteria to the Thanks button or eliminate it. The main thing I learned is how sensitive people are. If someone gets relatively few thanks he might not feel as welcome here as others who do.

I would just like to point out that when i do click the thanks button nothing ever seems to happen. the button disappears, but it never gives the thanks credit. :P

This is because of a glitch in the system that does not accept thanks when you have reached the thread vial "New Posts." In that case, if you want to leave thanks, you need to navigate back to the post via the forum route, not the new post search.

Ohhh..thats horrible. I find the new post feature so functional. I belong to another forum where there is no such thing and its a pain in the rear.

I like it too, but did not even know of its existence until last month. Now I know how you guys can be so quick with your responses!