Post #6 by stanzela » 6 years ago
I know I'm a relative newcomer to the site, but I've got to say (agree) that it might even be the bolder, braver move to leave the ranking system out.
The fact that this is a community means that there will be plenty of checks and balances. If bad advice is given, it's likely that members will pick up on it, and quickly point that out. I know that plenty of sites operate off of the 'ranking' system, but in many instances it just becomes a sh*t show, and people start commenting just to watch their rank increase, rather than out of true interest or sympathy. The number of posts things is tricky. I've been unemployed for the last little while, and have been able to post a lot - but I am nowhere close to knowing all that there is to know. The true professionals are probably a lot busier than I am, and so while they may have more consistently GOOD advice, a ranking based on the number of posts would have them trailing.
In any case, I do really like some of the above-mentioned suggestions: ranking individual posts (maybe a thumbs up system), or Sixstring's 'helpful/not helpful' idea. There is also the option of including 'stickies' or some sort of marker to immortalize really useful threads. Say, for instance, that someone takes it upon themselves to post a very thorough step-by-step of a mash-tun build, or of a bottling day, these would be great threads to quarantine and perhaps place in a category of their own for newbies or those looking for solid advice on a certain topic. The beauty of this method is that it can be user-prompted. If the users see something that they feel is really useful, they can simply make the suggestion/request that it be stickied or 'immortalized' (I know that's a silly one, as this is an archive where nothing really leaves...). Executed properly, this might even help to avoid the same question being asked over and over again, and where it is, users can point the question-asker to the 'stickied' thread, rather than post the same answer for the dozenth time.
Either way, I think this is a great forum, and in the brief time that I've been a member, I really do feel as though I'm a part of an actual community. Canada really is great for that - such a small place when it comes down to it. I feel like a neighbour to brewers from BC to PEI when it comes to the discussions taking place on here.