Quality posts- the math wing of forums

By Bloodstripe Baron, in X-Wing Off-Topic

Sometimes it's fun to look at people's likes per post to draw assumptions on the quality of their responses.

Ex. I have 44 posts and 28 likes so my likes per post- (my quality post quotient) is 28/44 or 63%.

I would agree that my responses are about 63% useful, helpful, or witty.

By that logic I'm 46/33 (with this post). I think it would be a stretch to say that my posts are 139% useful...

There certainly is something to be said for a quality over quantity, though.

I have 143 likes with 70 posts (71 with this post) - which is over 200%. Though my posts might be described as "witty," they are rarely "useful" or "helpful." :)

I was thinkng about this.

I'd recently had a disagreement with a forum member who felt i was intimidating and belittling (not my intent) and i said with about 2300 posts and 1780 likes I cant be making that many people unhappy and i must be on average saying things othr people agreed with or felt were relevant.

There doesnt seem to be a 'popularity contest' on here as few of us know each other in real life. In regional and UK larp/reenactment forums... some one sometimes gets constant 'likes' because people are trying to suck up to the ref or organiser of a group or event.

Yup some things like silly threads like the bacon one bump up 'likes' a bit but on average i think your post to like ratio does reflect a little how 'in tune' you are with the overall feelings of the board.

Edited by Gadge

I'm at 81% (1825/2251), but I've also posted some very divisive stuff, and had at least one thread locked. When I've done so I have racked up massive like points from people sharing my opinion, probably in order to show my opinion support.

Because those who I've annoyed and antagonized can't detract likes, posting something controversial is a good way to rack up points without actually being more popular, except within a certain faction on the community.

Unfortunately, it's kind of like politics that way. Create division, and score points. It's certainly not been my aim to do so, just my urge to speak out about certain subjects that I find important. I'm sure I've also helped out my vocal opposites get their likes.

Too bad we can't change our titles anymore.

I'm on 1145 likes from 1589 posts, so I guess that's not too bad. :)

Edited by Parravon

Hmmm I am only at 38.66666666 Guess I am not as witty and entertaining as I think I am. . . . Bacon?

Hmmm I am only at 38.66666666 Guess I am not as witty and entertaining as I think I am. . . . Bacon?

You'll have to work on your wit and sarcasm skills. ;)

Don't read too much into it. These forums didn't always have a like feature, so anybody that posted back in those days will have an artificially low ratio by your standard of likes / posts = quality.

really you need to be able to equate posts with posts that have had one or more like. Rather than total likes to get an idea of how useful/entertaining/witty you think you've been if you were serious about using it as a benchmark of 'forum value' (im sure no one is).

Like overpowered bacon thread netted me about 30 likes which massively bumps up my average but if i only made 30 posts for example and the other 29 got no likes clearly one silly thread that did well doesnt reflect that on average people appreciate my posts.

In the above example using the current (and only) system we have (short of trawling through all of our posts and counting) i would be on 1 for 1 post to like ratio

In reality it would be 1 in 30 appreciated posts.

As mentioned 'cliquey' ness can massively inflate your like count too.

I mean if i was really really emotionally stunted i could PM five or six of you i get on with really well on here and make a pact that we would all 'like' anything each other said.

Instantly you get a 4 to 1 like boost on *anything* you put out if you all stuck to your secret rule :)

Currently I'm at about a 75% like to post rate. That's good enought for me.