BKF new feature - Experience for points/levels/ratings

[drowning123]

This is news to me. I don't even know what has changed on the forum. I guess ignorance is bliss! I love this forum!

[Freddy03]

I could take it or leave it.

[Pandora]

...the point is, everyone ...even me...has a bit to offer.

Thanks Tobee but... I'm learning just like everyone else in this mess called BK and life - so credit goes to each and every person on here - from the layman to the legal beagle - every person on here has offered their experiences through their own BK's, life lessons, or knowledge in their respective fields - yourself included.

I just want to get through this hell of BK and be able to help others along my journey and learn as I go from everyone.

[tobee43]

Thanks Tobee but... I'm learning just like everyone else in this mess called BK and life - so credit goes to each and every person on here - from the layman to the legal beagle - every person on here has offered their experiences through their own BK's, life lessons, or knowledge in their respective fields - yourself included.

I just want to get through this hell of BK and be able to help others along my journey and learn as I go from everyone.

exactly pandora...

....BACK2SCHOOL!!! NO LEAVING!!!

[backtoschool]

Actually, I am not the type to dramatically "jump off a bridge" and announce to the world publicly that I am leaving. I posted my comments to an appropriate feedback thread just to let people know how their comments were being interpreted by me. If I ever really left, I would just pm my friends goodbye and quietly disappear. Despite my stalker/troll fan club, I really am not a drama queen, I swear.

[backtoschool]

What I liked about the new (now gone) forum features

At the suggestion of several people I have "spoken" to today, I have decided to post my feedback on what I liked about the new (now gone) social features of this forum.

1. Activity monitoring and leveling are useful information to get a "snapshot" of how involved and/or experienced a poster is. Having that information available to me at a glance let me get to newbie questions more quickly and answer them. I also was able to move on from certain threads if I saw the question was being answered by one of the experienced people already. Yes, this info can be ferreted out still by inference, but it is not available "at a glance" any longer.

2. Getting a level up award encourages active participation. Some of us like to feel we are making progress, even if it is only "virtual" progress. Leveling up gives the welcome illusion of traveling a road and getting further to a destination....

3. I received more interaction and friend requests once there was incentive for people to reach out. This allowed me to have some great conversations with people and to realize that they appreciated me.

4. There vibe of the forum was more social. Bankruptcy is a serious topic. But having some fun while answering questions certainly isn't going to keep anyone from getting their urgent needs addressed. Micro, niche, facebook type sites are the wave of the future, and I liked being able to interact in a more graphical, more multi dimensional way than is currently available now that the forum has been rolled back.

Of course all of these points could be counter-pointed. But this is a feedback thread, so I am simply giving my feedback.

[ccsjoe]

Here's the funny thing, and I don't know if this is even possible, but I agree with both you AND 'Hub. I kinda liked being colorful and sparkly (sound like my 5 year old speaking now). But I also had concerns about the type of activity the gathering of the sparkles would generate. So, um, yeah, I'm going to take a bit of an unpopular position here. I'm pretty bland looking right now folks.

Bottom line for me: The functionality here. As long as people continue helping and being helped, hey, the rest is bells and whistles. I like my bells colorful though.....lol.

[AngelinaCatHub]

Here's the funny thing, and I don't know if this is even possible, but I agree with both you AND 'Hub. I kinda liked being colorful and sparkly (sound like my 5 year old speaking now). But I also had concerns about the type of activity the gathering of the sparkles would generate. So, um, yeah, I'm going to take a bit of an unpopular position here. I'm pretty bland looking right now folks.

Bottom line for me: The functionality here. As long as people continue helping and being helped, hey, the rest is bells and whistles. I like my bells colorful though.....lol.

OK, OK, Joe, if it weren't for two great poster I have just come upon, while "enduring" election results, I have to agree that seeing all that colorful 'junk' is kinda naked in my corner too.

My main concern was simple: Not to inspire people to post for "prizes, or rewards". That makes for busy posts not productive information or 'first aid'.

If a compromise would be a bit more, err.... delicate, regarding "rewards" by raising the limits, I could see a healthy middle. My biggest objection was and is, not the point system but the bottom line of "what have you done for us lately" bar. If I can't post because I'm out of town, I'm zero. If I set at 79 and am 90% to become point 80, I don't want to post to "fake it" to get my 10% to become an 80. I don't want to compete with my peers. Not for points or prizes. I want those who have their heart in this forum as so many of us who have been here far beyond our discharge, to just help people. I was proud of my award and do miss it. I didn't earn it, I deserved it as my heart was in it. That is what I am saying.

If I seem to be backing up, I am. Not completely, but I honestly regret posting my opinion, and I sure do not want that to happen as it would harm our "home". I have a right to rethink this and again I've said it before, it is not my decision and I am not the engineer of this train. I know LAZ reads this. He is a wonderful person with good managerial ideas as there are other bk forums out there, none as fine or as successful as this one.

I vote for a compromise. If I knew how to put a poll up, I'd do that now. I'm only a computer expert, but I'm a tired one. So you all get my feelings on this bit of controversy. 'Hub

[Freddy03]

Here's the funny thing, and I don't know if this is even possible, but I agree with both you AND 'Hub. I kinda liked being colorful and sparkly (sound like my 5 year old speaking now). But I also had concerns about the type of activity the gathering of the sparkles would generate. So, um, yeah, I'm going to take a bit of an unpopular position here. I'm pretty bland looking right now folks.

Bottom line for me: The functionality here. As long as people continue helping and being helped, hey, the rest is bells and whistles. I like my bells colorful though.....lol.

Agreed

[Pandora]

Maybe Laz can give people the option of having the "rewards" (for lack of a better term) and experience bars. That way those that want the bells and whistles can have them, and those that don't have the option to turn it off if they desire. I dont necessarily agree with the way the "experience" part was/is calculated because its purely based off of the number of posts and activity - not the actual content therein - so I'm not sure how anyone can surmise expertise vs. activity the way it was set up.

At any rate - if its possible to do (I dont know - I've never created a forum so I dont know how it all works when it comes to formatting, etc.) I think the option of having an "on/off" capability would be great compromise to all. I'm all about just ensuring the forum stays - "jewelry" or not - doesnt matter to me - so long as everyone stays put

???

[AngelinaCatHub]

Maybe Laz can give people the option of having the "rewards" (for lack of a better term) and experience bars. That way those that want the bells and whistles can have them, and those that don't have the option to turn it off if they desire. I dont necessarily agree with the way the "experience" part was/is calculated because its purely based off of the number of posts and activity - not the actual content therein - so I'm not sure how anyone can surmise expertise vs. activity the way it was set up.

At any rate - if its possible to do (I dont know - I've never created a forum so I dont know how it all works when it comes to formatting, etc.) I think the option of having an "on/off" capability would be great compromise to all. I'm all about just ensuring the forum stays - "jewelry" or not - doesnt matter to me - so long as everyone stays put

???

I agree Pandora, and my necklace is still bigger than yours. Anyway, there is a way. I'm not familiar with this forum software, I used another brand and you can do an awful lot with the software.

Your and my profile is not private. Put the awards and stuff there. If you are "befriending" a member, you are likely to visit their profile and I do often and view peoples friends list and stuff. That is where you could see peoples "achievements".

Like you, this place means so much to me and Mrs. C. It has become an integral part of our lives, and we have well recovered from the trauma of bk. We do remember it VERY well and all the more reason to wish to help those who are hurting.

I kinda regret putting my Thread up as LAZ changed the forum about that time. I pray it was coincidental as I have no pull stronger than any other poster here. LAZ is LAZ and will do what he thinks is best for this place. He sure hasn't been wrong often as it is the best and most civil bk forum on the Net. Check most others out and you will find Trolls and scrappers all over them. Here is true help and good people helping future New Starts, get by their pain.

Just my take. 'Hub

[tobee43]

if i wasn't so tired i would surely say something very profound.....other than... ( we didn't get back from the airport until 3 am this morning YUCK!)...and, let's make this perfectly clear.........MY necklace was the biggest...period. LOL!!!!!!!!!!

and although i have my cute 90 plus old parents that just arrived from san fran last evening with me for the next week...i'm so GLAD i will not have to rush and get my posts quota up for the say....LOL!!!!!!!

once again honestly, i joked about the trinkets, but there was a bit of fun to it. either way, i hope the forum just continue to be an informative and "safe" place for those to come that need some advise, or just need a hand held.

personally, i met some of the nicest people ever, i have learned so much...and for that i'm very grateful!!

[laz]

Our ultimate goal is to grow the Bankruptcy Forum ten fold.

There are over 1 million people filing for bankruptcy every year, yet we only have 30,000 of them. That means hundreds of thousands of people do not know even know about this valuable resource. I see no reason why we can't have 300,000 bankrupt fellows getting together every day.

Times of blindly hiring a lawyer, paying him, and being ignorant about everything are gone. In this day and age people must become part of the online community, join the online conversation; even if you have a lawyer, knowledge is power.

I am looking for ways to not only encourage lurkers to participate but also to motivate the old timers to stay with BKF, as they have the most insight about everything.

I can see now that general consensus is that the experience info is valuable (thanks for speaking up), I will be turning it back on soon.

In the meanwhile, if you guys have any idea on how to go from 30,000 members to 300,000 members, please let us know here.

[free2breathe]

Thank you, laz, for everything you do. This forum is indeed invaluable, as is the feeling of acceptance when a newbie comes here looking for information, help, a shoulder to whimper on. I know that running a forum is time consuming and can be very frustrating. So again, thanks!

[laz]

most of the credit goes to the community and our moderators