Is the race for status affecting the quality of MP ?

The beta phase also gives each of us a chance to do a little towards shaping the place for the better, for the longer-term good of present members, future readers, and MilePoint generally.

If sticking my neck out and asking unpopular questions contributes anything to that process, I will be content.

Totally agree. That is what I think the new view is here. So please do continue to stick your neck out and ask these questions. They need to be asked, and all questions are good questions. IMHO anyway

I like the beta phase and I like the possibility of asking without being turned off as it... well... should I prepare to become silent again?

Anything which can make the site beta is a good thing.....it is a way to build the community better and foster new friendships here which makes the sharing of information among this community something we want to do. The key thing in all this is maintaining an open mind, listen, and realizing that the best thing usually is something of a compromise (since there is hardly ever an option that everyone agrees with 100% - other than we all would like ideally to help grow this community and site to be the best it can be).

Silence is not good ... share your thoughts, your ideas, your complaints. Just do not share your parking tickets!

Surely that would just lead to more off topic posts in areas that are counted, to facilitate getting status. Best to just have areas where you can go nuts, as it is now

Right. 8,500+ posts in the UA penalty box thread. Other forums have OT threads, too, though none quite as large.

Especially people making 75% of their posts on the "I want to be liked" thread would be unhappy, I bet.

I expect that post-launch the points-scoring will not be as straight-forward as it is now -- Randy's team has 12 different parameters they'll be using -- so the post-padding and like-begging will likely have much less impact, even in the off-topic forums

Or the bad food!

Request permission to like you.

hmmm.... This thead has 186 posts thus far (187 including mine), many of which have garnered multiple likes.

Methinks the members doth protest too much.

I liked you

I think that once the site is out of beta, we'll see substantial changes, if not right away, then over time. I'm going to bet it will be a lot harder to get higher status levels than just liking posts all day long.

Some posts have no like. There is still hope.

I give up and like most people here will just enjoy the time whilst it is beta rather than getting all serious.

It's the idea behind the site. To create a friendly community here.

Even I like that if you excuse the pun!

Hope is overrated!

And despair is underrated.

Congratutions on your Silver Status!

Thanks!

How do you find out other's status?

You can click on the status points number underneath the avatar. But only works if they haven't changed the privacy settings

10K+ points? How do you find the time?

I do sometimes wonder whether JALPak has slept at all since joining MilePoint.

I am awake Most sleep I got in the past week is when MP is down