MX Linux Forum

I have PM'd Jerry who explained this isn't his responsibility and have now also PM'd Eadwine Rose who is listed as Administrator.
In the interim of any further feedback from anyone whose jurisdiction it may be I will describe hereunder the issue.
I have a tally of over 1500 (at last count I believe) posts yet now my posts are sub 700. I can't understand how this has happened so I wonder if a similar situation has occurred with other forum members.

The Forum Administrator is @richb and this is a Forum matter.

In December 2022 there were many many threads that were "automatically" deleted. An explanation was given here viewtopic.php?p=705280#p705280 which I'll quote the relevant section below (perhaps you remember this thread):

Topics older than five years are automatically purged without intervention. If later ones were purged it was an error that was quickly corrected and affected one Forum.

There is also an April 2023 thread here viewtopic.php?p=722180#p722180.

Perhaps this has something to do with the reduced number of your posts that exist. Nevertheless, the first link above should give you a good read.

Likely with the removal of old topics. Counters will then adjust.

Number of posts doesn't give you anything, other than that number. It is completely irrelevant, as you don't gain merits here or ranks.

As Eadwine stated in the previous post.

Eadwine Rose wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:07 am Number of posts doesn't give you anything, other than that number. It is completely irrelevant, as you don't gain merits here or ranks.

+1

Can you reduce mine?

MXRobo wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:46 am Can you reduce mine?

Well, I could ban you which would make your post count moot, but I don't think you would like the side effects of such an action.

touche'

Eadwine Rose wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:07 am Likely with the removal of old topics. Counters will then adjust.

Number of posts doesn't give you anything, other than that number. It is completely irrelevant, as you don't gain merits here or ranks.

I wasn't looking for anything other than a self-satisfying record of the number of posts I had made since 2016. That said, (and I've mentioned this previously to one of the moderators/administrators or somesuch person) my own thoughts are that a new user in particular asking a question and receiving a reply might reasonably ascribe more weight to a long time poster than one who may have recently joined. Now I am not saying length of membership is and of itself the sole determinator of a "useful reply" however, I think a little thought might show the validity of my argument.
I will mark the thread solved.

I have learned long ago that one should never trust the post count to count for experience or expertise.

Eadwine Rose wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2024 5:14 am I have learned long ago that one should never trust the post count to count for experience or expertise.

Well I suppose everyone may have an opinion on that but I expect that someone who has bothered to be involved with a forum for years rather than days or even months might reasonably have learned much during those years. Yes, not every possible subject would the long timer might feel able/capable of addressing but when they do for me at least, I am prepared to give more weighting to their input than a newbie.

@linexer2016 wrote:

Well I suppose everyone may have an opinion on that but I expect that someone who has bothered to be involved with a forum for years rather than days or even months might reasonably have learned much during those years. Yes, not every possible subject would the long timer might feel able/capable of addressing but when they do for me at least, I am prepared to give more weighting to their input than a newbie.

I think that a better measure of possible expertise with MX is to look at the date that a poster joined the forum, which is printed under their user name on every post.

Yes j2 that likely is a similar (possibly superior) gauge. Of course, then you get to the nuances of dates and number of posts with the former being credible enough but the latter indicating to some degree at least, a preparedness to engage with what mostly populates forums like these - questions. I don't believe a casual poster is necessarily as equipped as his counterpart in both a long time forum member and number of posts. Simply, someone who doesn't post is not going to post if he doesn't understand or know the answer to the question. Yes, I've posted many suggestions without necessarily holding myself up as an "expert" but the contributions I have made usually come from experience with similar or same issues the person needing help with has posed.

Can we lay this matter to rest please? We are not going to change our policy of handling things.

More than happy to lay it to rest Eadwine. I was when I marked it solved. At the same time, J2's comments deserved a reply. Over and out.

@Eadwine Rose
@j2mcgreg
I am bringing up this idea again after reading various posts on the forum recently where a glance at the poster's Join Date and Posts got me thinking. If we accept j2mcgreg's thoughts that a poster's join date is perhaps a bit more relevant than number of posts (again, that post number is incorrect as a true historical record as it stands) then maybe the Posts heading should be removed entirely leaving just the joined date?

As Jerry mentioned, you should ask @richb. Thanks again for the suggestion, but I know his response already: we are leaving the post number up, along with the date.

Only very few of the older forum members have the correct post number. They were added manually, when the forum moved a long time ago.
Henry

No one will have the correct number anymore. As old posts get purged at times to clear up server space, so will the number adjust itself.

@richb
Well, thank you all for your comments in this (updated) thread. ER, as you say, "...No one will have the correct number anymore..." then again I say, what is the use of a Posts field in the forum? Good practice surely is to correctly present data and incorrect or not up to date data is IMO superfluous.

As I said back then, and I will say it again: can we lay this matter to rest, please? We are not going to change our policy of handling things.

As Eadwine has said we have no intention of changing policy regarding the post count.