Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

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Peebs
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Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Peebs »

Any chance we could ban the use of +1 in these forums? I see emoticons on this entry page, but don't see them in the Boglehead forum topics, perhaps because I opted out. Emoticons are the lowest intellectual life form in any forum and the +1s are just one level up. Replying +1 is just a waste of everyone's time and adds nothing to the discussion. Can we ban +1 responses, or do the rest of you like them from some freedom of speech perspective?
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macchiato
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by macchiato »

+1

Rather, forums can use some kind of upvote button on individual posts and ban +1s. I'm sure the owners of this forum have thought about this.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by DTSC »

I don't have a problem with "+1". It's a quick way to show agreement.
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InvestorNewb
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by InvestorNewb »

Why don't the forum moderators implement phpbb's "like" button? This way people don't have to respond with "+1" in the actual post.
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HueyLD
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by HueyLD »

DTSC wrote:I don't have a problem with "+1". It's a quick way to show agreement.
+100. Is that better and more intelligent?
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G-Money
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by G-Money »

Don't assume I know what I'm talking about.
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Dutch
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Dutch »

Peebs wrote:Emoticons are the lowest intellectual life form in any forum and the +1s are just one level up. Replying +1 is just a waste of everyone's time and adds nothing to the discussion. Can we ban +1 responses, or do the rest of you like them from some freedom of speech perspective?
:D +1
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G-Money
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by G-Money »

Peebs wrote:Emoticons are the lowest intellectual life form in any forum and the +1s are just one level up.
Didn't think that emoticons or +1s were actual life forms.
Don't assume I know what I'm talking about.
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Peebs
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Peebs »

1. I have seen emoticons (lowest intellectual, not actual), life forms in posts.

2. Yes, others have brought this issue up. I find it interesting that some posters with thousands of posts indicated tend to use the +1. Perhaps +1 responses should not be counted in total posts...
Last edited by Peebs on Tue Mar 04, 2014 12:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Dutch
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Dutch »

On a slightly more serious note: What's up with "banners" ?

I don't understand why some people feel the need to impose their own personal opinions onto others. This seems to be rife in almost every area of discourse these days. Go regulate your own behavior :beer
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G-Money
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by G-Money »

Peebs wrote:1. I have seen emoticons (lowest intellectual, not actual, life forms in posts.
Unfamiliar with "intellectual life forms."
Peebs wrote:2. Yes, others have brought this issue up. I find it interesting that some posters with thousands of posts indicated tend to use the +1. Perhaps +1 responses should not be counted in total posts...
-1 :)

It's been my experience that most posters, particularly more seasoned ones, rarely post *only* a +1 or an emoticon. The +1 is just a shorthand to communicate an agreement. The emoticons are useful to help communicate intent. Sarcasm on this board is often missed without the aid of a smiley.
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DSInvestor
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by DSInvestor »

Why get worked up over this? It's so easy to scroll past a short +1 post.
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Langkawi
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Langkawi »

Bogleheads should read this post before responding to the OP.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by sscritic »

I am not a fan of +1. I may have used it once or twice. I tried searching my posts for +1 to get the facts, but the search wouldn't let me.
The following words in your search query were ignored because they are too common words: 1.
You must specify at least one word to search for. Each word must consist of at least 3 characters and must not contain more than 14 characters excluding wildcards.
Note that the + was totally ignored. I tried adding spaces before and after, but the spaces weren't counted as characters either.

If you have something to add, I think you should add it.

A +1 is more like a +0.0001 when it comes to adding content to the thread.

What did my mother tell me?

"If you don't have anything to say, then don't say anything at all." Or something like that; I may have left out a word.

See, now this is a post that gets my post count up.

If you would like to add a +1, you are welcome to, but I won't.

Actually, +1ing yourself might be the next new thing. :)
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by shorvath »

+ e^(i * π)

I really don't see how banning is a reasonable course of action.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by VictoriaF »

+1 is one-up-manship.

Victoria
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by sscritic »

shorvath wrote:+ e^(i * π)

I really don't see how banning is a reasonable course of action.
You are missing the point. A real +1 quotes a 50 line post in its entirety and then add two characters. You failed by not quoting a 50 line post and by using too many characters. :)
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by shorvath »

sscritic wrote:
shorvath wrote:+ e^(i * π)

I really don't see how banning is a reasonable course of action.
You are missing the point. A real +1 quotes a 50 line post in its entirety and then add two characters. You failed by not quoting a 50 line post and by using too many characters. :)
+1
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by englishgirl »

So now we have to post "I agree with the post I am quoting"?

Meh. A +1 is a succinct way of saying that.

Mind you, I love me some emoticons, so I suppose my intellectual capability is fairly low.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by englishgirl »

englishgirl wrote:So now we have to post "I agree with the post I am quoting"?

Meh. A +1 is a succinct way of saying that.

Mind you, I love me some emoticons, so I suppose my intellectual capability is fairly low.
+1

:twisted:


sscritic wrote:...Actually, +1ing yourself might be the next new thing. :)
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by dickenjb »

i^4
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by goblue100 »

dickenjb wrote:i^4
∞ + 1

:beer
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by rob »

I take exception to this topic.... I disagree that +1 are above emoticons in the list of bad things :oops:

The mathematician in me tells me that +1 is indeed above zero and negative things :-) although maybe that's not true 8-)
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by frugaltype »

Peebs wrote:Any chance we could ban the use of +1 in these forums? I see emoticons on this entry page, but don't see them in the Boglehead forum topics, perhaps because I opted out. Emoticons are the lowest intellectual life form in any forum and the +1s are just one level up. Replying +1 is just a waste of everyone's time and adds nothing to the discussion. Can we ban +1 responses, or do the rest of you like them from some freedom of speech perspective?
-1
LordB
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by LordB »

I like fatwallet's rating code (+, neutral, -) built in and displaying the rating. Though some say having the - encourages negativity so maybe not have that.

Dunno how hard this would be to implement with this board's software. And I should note it can cause a competition which generally is not ideal for a forum long term.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by VictoriaF »

+ |-1.23456789|

Victoria
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by sscritic »

Any chance that we could set a lower limit on the number of posts a poster has to have before the poster can make suggestions for banning or making other changes? Of course, if you set the limit at say 10, the poster will just run around and post nine +1s to get over the limit, so that may not be effective.

Any suggestions?
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Calm Man »

Dutch wrote:
Peebs wrote:Emoticons are the lowest intellectual life form in any forum and the +1s are just one level up. Replying +1 is just a waste of everyone's time and adds nothing to the discussion. Can we ban +1 responses, or do the rest of you like them from some freedom of speech perspective?
:D +1
-1.

How about 10 to the 3rd power?
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by HueyLD »

sscritic wrote:Any suggestions?
18,500 posts.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by dratkinson »

VictoriaF wrote:+1 is one-up-manship.

Victoria
Thanks. Best laugh I've had all week.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by sscritic »

HueyLD wrote:
sscritic wrote:Any suggestions?
18,500 posts.
+1

now I need four more +1s. Hmm, will I stoop so low as to +1 this post?
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by sscritic »

sscritic wrote:
HueyLD wrote:
sscritic wrote:Any suggestions?
18,500 posts.
+1

now I need four more +1s. Hmm, will I stoop so low as to +1 this post?
Yes.

+1
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by sscritic »

dratkinson wrote:
VictoriaF wrote:+1 is one-up-manship.

Victoria
Thanks. Best laugh I've had all week.
Laughs are personal. For me, Sarah's was the best laugh of the week if not the year, as she was the first to +1 herself.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Fallible »

Peebs wrote:...Emoticons are the lowest intellectual life form in any forum ... ?
Emoticons are not of the intellect but of the emotions. They allow us to express feelings which can aid communication and that's why they're popular.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by The Wizard »

Emoticons generally add a sense of meaning to a post that otherwise might be misinterpreted.
+1's often do not.
Yes, we should ban naked +1's but allow +1's which are followed by at least a line and a half of consistent rationale on the agreement.
There are Fuzzy Logic modules available to do this work...
Attempted new signature...
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by VictoriaF »

The Wizard wrote:There are Fuzzy Logic modules available to do this work...
This thread is based on Fussy Logic.

Victoria
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Tamahome »

My style of writing is direct. I use emoticons to let someone know that I am not attacking them. The sharebeer helps me say, "Hey buddy, I am with you. My criticism is for our mutual betterment." The shock icon helps me to say "Whoa, dude. I am totally not being a jerk about something. I am pointing out something that surprised me, so do not feel bad it if is a slap in your face too.

I rarely post +1. When I do, I am saying, "This guy/gal hit the nail on the head. Their answer is so perfect that I could not improve upon it. You should really read it, which is why I am copying it again for your attention." Of course, I usually add a small note to the +1 (I have done it maybe 10 times?), so I could live without doing it.

I agree that emoticons are not professional. I actually used to think of them as something girly. (As a side note, there is nothing wrong with this. I just noticed a lot of girls I dated used them. I did not.) When I unintentionally offended someone on this board, I decided that emoticons were useful in giving a graphic depiction of the emotion with which the post should be read. I have yet to tick anyone off with a post using emoticons (to my knowledge).

(As a side note, do people really care about post numbers? I know I will likely never make it to the 5 digit club because no one really cares what I think. I honestly do not know how many posts I have as of this writing (and I cannot see in the post reply mode).
I'm not a financial professional. Post is info only & not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship exists with reader. Scrutinize my ideas as if you spoke with a guy at a bar. I may be wrong.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Booper »

Peebs wrote:Any chance we could ban the use of +1 in these forums? I see emoticons on this entry page, but don't see them in the Boglehead forum topics, perhaps because I opted out. Emoticons are the lowest intellectual life form in any forum and the +1s are just one level up. Replying +1 is just a waste of everyone's time and adds nothing to the discussion. Can we ban +1 responses, or do the rest of you like them from some freedom of speech perspective?
I think it's a symptom, and not the underlying problem. Bogleheads has a wonderful community, but the software of the site is lagging behind what's now available. For example, stackexchange has a lot of featuers that would be nice here. It looks like someone already started a personal finance stackexchange (visible here).

The +1's are annoying only because they take so much of the screen up and make it difficult for your eye to find long form comment. But people do it because they want to contribute to the conversation constructively, which is why so many sites now let you vote on content. Stackexchange also allows you to comment on answers, which a lot of people want to do as well. You can also suggest edits to other's posts, and so on. When people there ask a question, they can also select a "best answer", which encourages and rewards trying to answer questions well and succinctly. Not all the content on bogleheads is Q&A style, but that would be a nice option for some people, some of the time.

A personal pet peeve of mine with the software bogleheads uses is that it doesn't format well at all on a mobile device. For many major sites mobile traffic is the bulk of traffic. That might not be true for bogleheads yet because of the demographics of the site (retirement finance sites probably skew older, and older people probably use their phones less for internet usage), but it's only a matter of time before it becomes a pain point for most users.
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Boglenaut
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Boglenaut »

This topic has been discussed before, but don't think I can easily find the link by searching "+1".

I personally have no problem with the practice.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by JonnyDVM »

Frowny face

Of all the forums on the internet I've perused this boglehead forum ranks the highest in regards to how civil and intelligent the discussion is. There are very few "+1 " without a comment. Certainly not enough to warrant banning them because they distract from the topics being discussed.

Emoticons make reading the intelligent discussion more interesting as it coveys emotion. It's not worth getting all angry faced about.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by roymeo »

I've occasionally posted +1's (or other 'noisy' bits) on topics that I'm interested in following via my [View My Posts] because I like that much more than [Subscribe topic] sending me email about a topic.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by neurosphere »

G-Money wrote:
Peebs wrote:2. Yes, others have brought this issue up. I find it interesting that some posters with thousands of posts indicated tend to use the +1. Perhaps +1 responses should not be counted in total posts...
-1 :)

It's been my experience that most posters, particularly more seasoned ones, rarely post *only* a +1 or an emoticon. The +1 is just a shorthand to communicate an agreement. The emoticons are useful to help communicate intent. Sarcasm on this board is often missed without the aid of a smiley.
I think the "+1" is the MOST valuable from posters WITH thousands of posts. In any community such as Bogleheads, some posters are well known, perhaps well respected. Supposing for a moment a debate with two sides, replying to a well argued reply with a "+1" allows everyone to see a "vote of affirmation" of sort on a point already made, for that "side" with no real reason to elaborate on the reply, because the point/argument perhaps was adequately made.

If Mel Lindauer writes a "+1" in response to a certain answer/opinion on I-bonds (as an example), that has meaning, despite only taking two characters to write.

And for the record, smileys have their place in posts, because tone/temperament in written text can be difficult to ascertain from context. :D
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by LAlearning »

Peebs wrote:Any chance we could ban the use of +1 in these forums? I see emoticons on this entry page, but don't see them in the Boglehead forum topics, perhaps because I opted out. Emoticons are the lowest intellectual life form in any forum and the +1s are just one level up. Replying +1 is just a waste of everyone's time and adds nothing to the discussion. Can we ban +1 responses, or do the rest of you like them from some freedom of speech perspective?
Need a +PIE button.....
:happy :D :) :( :o :shock: :oops: :? 8-) :x :P :twisted: :wink: :!: :?: :idea: :arrow: :mrgreen: :| :annoyed

Also did you know you can only post 20 smilies? I propose increasing this to at least 200!
I know nothing!
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Crimsontide »


Need a +PIE button.....
:happy :D :) :( :o :shock: :oops: :? 8-) :x :P :twisted: :wink: :!: :?: :idea: :arrow: :mrgreen: :| :annoyed

Also did you know you can only post 20 smilies? I propose increasing this to at least 200!
+1
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by G-Money »

LAlearning wrote:Also did you know you can only post 20 smilies? I propose increasing this to at least 200!
Hadn't known about that. Just tested it out. Interesting!
Don't assume I know what I'm talking about.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by VictoriaF »

G-Money wrote:
LAlearning wrote:Also did you know you can only post 20 smilies? I propose increasing this to at least 200!
Hadn't known about that. Just tested it out. Interesting!
If :sharebeer counts as one smile, you can use twenty of them to double the impact.

Victoria
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by G-Money »

VictoriaF wrote:
G-Money wrote:
LAlearning wrote:Also did you know you can only post 20 smilies? I propose increasing this to at least 200!
Hadn't known about that. Just tested it out. Interesting!
If :sharebeer counts as one smile, you can use twenty of them to double the impact.

Victoria
:sharebeer
Don't assume I know what I'm talking about.
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by LAlearning »

VictoriaF wrote:
If :sharebeer counts as one smile, you can use twenty of them to double the impact.

Victoria
+1
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placeholder
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by placeholder »

I plan to write a program that will log on for me and randomly +1 posts in various threads to get my post count up and become the #1 poster on the forum!!!!






This is of course a joke (or is it? MWHAHAHAHA).
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Re: Banning +1 in Boglehead forums

Post by Call_Me_Op »

I see no problem with +1's. Is this really worth it's own thread? There is enough that is banned here - without banning a legitimate shorthand to show concurrence.
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