What's with all these nonsense trophies?

  • Thread starter strangerep
  • Start date
In summary, the change to "like" is a way to make it more like social media, which is bad because it smacks of social media and was discussed here previously.
  • #1
strangerep
Science Advisor
3,741
2,181
I presume some of these "trophies" are system--generated? Some of mine are just silly. (Actually, most of them are silly, just in different degrees.)

Is there a way to delete one's trophies?
 
  • Like
Likes Enigman
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Yeah I agree, and you'll also notice that the "thanks", which had some meaning and a place to insert a comment, have become "like" with no comments or meaning. Sad to say but I think PF is trending towards a social media forum :(
 
  • Like
Likes Sanky123, Enigman and Nikitin
  • #3
I think 'like' should be renamed to 'thanks' again.
 
  • #4
adjacent said:
I think 'like' should be renamed to 'thanks' again.
But if the comment area is left out, it's still just social media stuff, although I agree "thanks" would be better than "like". I REALLY hate that "like" since it smacks so totally of social media. "Like" was discussed here long before the move and it was roundly denounced, as well it should have been, and for for the very reason I state.
 
  • Like
Likes JCMacaw, Enigman and Fredrik
  • #5
Just because it "smacks of social media stuff" doesn't mean it's bad. In essence, like is an improved version of thanks because now you can quickly identify the quality posts, so just try to look past your biases and focus on the functionality.
 
  • Like
Likes cristo
  • #6
Nikitin said:
Just because it "smacks of social media stuff" doesn't mean it's bad. In essence, like is an improved version of thanks because now you can quickly identify the quality posts, so just try to look past your biases and focus on the functionality.

I disagree. It IS bad. It's a meaningless social media thing. It was discussed here previously and that was the consensus, so it's not just me (although I certainly recognize that at least some people agree w/ you). I think "like" in social media is totally frivolous and I hate to see PF going in that direction.
 
  • Like
Likes JCMacaw, Enigman and Fredrik
  • #7
I agree that "thanks" would be better than "like". I at-least have been liking posts as if I was thanking them. But meh, it's not a big deal.
 
  • Like
Likes Rectifier
  • #8
phinds said:
I think "like" in social media is totally frivolous and I hate to see PF going in that direction.

It's really not - it either means that you agree with what is posted, or you are thankful for the helpful comments made. So, really, it's more general than the "thanks" that we had previously.
 
  • Like
Likes Rocket50
  • #9
I don't mind the "like" feature, but I don't view it as a replacement for the "thanks" feature. This will be used in a different way. "Like" is a quick way to just say "I agree with this", "I find this useful", "I find this funny", "Good job", etc. It will usually be clear from the context what a "like" means. (If it's not going to be clear, then you should type a reply instead of just clicking "like"). In other forums, I've seen people quote a post in its entirety and just type "+1". I think "like" is a much better option than that.

I don't want the "like" feature renamed to "thanks" unless we also make it so that we can type in a message. I wouldn't mind if it's a public message. For example, the message could be shown when you put your mouse pointer over the person's name.

I couldn't resist the temptation to click "like" on phinds's posts above. :)
 
  • Like
Likes Greg Bernhardt and Borek
  • #10
Fredrik said:
I couldn't resist the temptation to click "like" on phinds's posts above.

I couldn't resist the temptation to click "like" on Fredrik's posts above.
 
  • Like
Likes Enigman and ComplexVar89
  • #11
I agree the comment portion should be left in, the 'designation' seems unimportant.
 
  • #12
Borek said:
I couldn't resist the temptation to click "like" on Fredrik's posts above.

I resisted the temptation to click like on either one :)
 
  • Like
Likes Noctisdark, Evo and DataGG
  • #13
I think the trophies are funny. I want more. The likes on posts, I see them on my profile, but until they were mentioned in this thread, I hadn't even noticed that you could see them on a post, I guess a lot of people won't notice them. So, if you aren't interested, just ignore them. We're not rating posts, at least not right now, so it doesn't matter.

Edit, Uhm, Phinds, where's my like?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes phinds, jhae2.718 and StevieTNZ
  • #14
If Greg keeps changing the emeritus badge, though, I'm going to have to keep changing my avatar.
 
  • #15
Vanadium 50 said:
If Greg keeps changing the emeritus badge, though, I'm going to have to keep changing my avatar.
I thought you'd gone into mourning. :( We need our old smilies back.
 
  • Like
Likes phinds, jhae2.718, StevieTNZ and 1 other person
  • #16
strangerep said:
I presume some of these "trophies" are system--generated? Some of mine are just silly. (Actually, most of them are silly, just in different degrees.)

Is there a way to delete one's trophies?
You can redeem them for valuable monetary rewards!
 
  • #17
Like could be changed to something to give it more flair, like laitn,
maximus licimus
 
  • #18
Trophies called or otherwise, just means to keep your contributions noted and in a visibile and quantifiable way rewarded.

This IS a privately owned, well managed, tightly and accurately moderated social network, a classy act on the internet. Turning 'thanks' into 'like' is a way to show that you LIKE how and what that person wrote, not only that you thank him/her for homework help or giving you a piece of information, so it's an extension of a nice feature, not a diminishing of importance.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes CFDFEAGURU, TumblingDice, cristo and 1 other person
  • #19
dextercioby said:
Trophies called or otherwise, just means to keep your contributions noted and in a visibile and quantifiable way rewarded.

This IS a privately owned, well managed, tightly and accurately moderated social network, a classy act on the internet. Turning 'thanks' into 'like' is a way to show that you LIKE how and what that person wrote, not only that you thank him/her for homework help or giving you a piece of information, so it's an extension of a nice feature, not a diminishing of importance.

Although I completely agree w/ you that PF is a class act, I do NOT agree at all that it is a "social network", at least not in the way that I normally hear that term used. Witness the ban on social network "crap-speak" (as opposed to spelled out proper English), foul language, disrespecting other members, etc. I think it would be better described as a sociable physics forum, not at all a "social network" and I continue to disagree w/ the appropriateness of "like" rather than "thanks" with room for a comment. I understand that some will not share my thoughts on the meaning of "social network" and I DO see that it is open to interpretation that let's the PF in, I just hate the idea :)
 
  • #20
phinds said:
I do NOT agree at all that it is a "social network"
Like it or not, message boards and forums are the original social networks :)
 
  • Like
Likes Modulo2pi, CFDFEAGURU, adjacent and 1 other person
  • #21
Greg Bernhardt said:
Like it or not, message boards and forums are the original social networks :)

Hm ... well I guess I just think of that term, apparently incorrectly, differently than I think of PF. I think of facebook and twitter and things like that, none of which I am on, as social networks. Thanks for the clarification.
 
  • #22
The originals were:

Dialup bulletin board systems (BBS's, which led to Compuserve, AOL, et al.)
Usenet newgroups
Listservs (e-mail discussion groups)

I remember when Web-based forums started to spread and people (including me) complained about how slow their graphical interfaces were (on the low-bandwidth connections of the mid 1990s) compared to the text-only Usenet newsreaders that ran on the Unix command line. 'rn' and 'trn', anyone?
 
  • Like
Likes Greg Bernhardt
  • #23
BBS times? I had BBS in the kitchen, Fido point 2:480/25.

Anyone knows what "Ctrl-H - IQ test" meant? ;)
 
  • #24
Evo said:
I think the trophies are funny. I want more...
If they're going to be there, they should work.
RE: First Responder and By the book!

I'm guessing that the first one is due to the troubles that Greg is having with getting the links to work. I'll let you know when I am the first responder to 6 more posts since the switch on Friday. :p
The second one doesn't seem to work at all. I've visited the guidelines page several times since Friday just to see if I could get this trophy and haven't been successful.


It's also impossible from some of the definitions what the trigger is for a trophy.
RE: High School Debate Team
Members generally like what you have to say

Is there some hidden poll being taken on our posts that I haven't heard of? :rolleyes:
 
  • #25
Borg said:
Is there some hidden poll being taken on our posts that I haven't heard of? :rolleyes:
I'll go through and explain a little better. The debate team is a message to like ratio. I'll look into By the book.
 
  • #26
Greg Bernhardt said:
The debate team is a message to like ratio.
I wouldn't want to have to code that one. I doubt that it will be as simple as it sounds.
 
  • #27
Co-incidentally to my posts in this thread, I just received from a friend a cartoon that beautifully exemplifies my attitude about what I consider to be "social media" (but in which category I do not include PF)

facebook.JPG
 
  • Like
Likes Evo
  • #28
Evo said:
Edit, Uhm, Phinds, where's my like?

YOU, I really DO "like" so will make an exception. :p
 
  • Like
Likes Evo
  • #29
Fredrik said:
I couldn't resist the temptation to click "like" on phinds's posts above. :)
Same here o0)

I prefer the 'Thanks' - with being able to leave a comment
 
  • #31
Bits are being pushed in the wee hours of the morning at PF! I received an Alert at 3:40am PDT (5:40am CDT?) notifying me of my By The Book trophy! :)
 
  • Like
Likes Evo
  • #32
TumblingDice said:
Bits are being pushed in the wee hours of the morning at PF! I received an Alert at 3:40am PDT (5:40am CDT?) notifying me of my By The Book trophy! :)
Got mine as well. Looks like that's working now.
Oh no, the emoticons have multiplied! :)
 
  • Like
Likes Evo
  • #33
TumblingDice said:
Bits are being pushed in the wee hours of the morning at PF! I received an Alert at 3:40am PDT (5:40am CDT?) notifying me of my By The Book trophy! :)

Computers never sleep and Greg only rarely sleeps :D
 
  • Like
Likes Evo
  • #34
Borg said:
Oh no, the emoticons have multiplied! :)
They're breeding. Why don't we have an angry smiley? We need an angry smiley.
 
  • #35
:mad:
 
  • Like
Likes Evo

Similar threads

  • Feedback and Announcements
Replies
26
Views
819
  • Feedback and Announcements
Replies
11
Views
1K
  • Feedback and Announcements
2
Replies
46
Views
4K
  • Feedback and Announcements
Replies
4
Views
901
  • Feedback and Announcements
Replies
34
Views
3K
  • Quantum Interpretations and Foundations
2
Replies
43
Views
896
Replies
1
Views
973
Replies
1
Views
452
Replies
2
Views
47
  • General Discussion
Replies
4
Views
1K
Back
Top