*Restarted* Post history review offer

[skarais]

I don't think my request was an unreasonable one, and if it was it'd be nice if I'd at least gotten a response one way or another.  I'm sure Theymos is hard at work developing the new obsolete forum software, but I know damn well he reads threads like the ones I've made, so that's the reason for my FU to him.  I calls 'em as I sees 'em.

I understand why you're so emotional right now, but I'm not sure it will sway theymos enough to agree to your request. I agree about one positive you might get once you decide to stop reviewing posts, you'll probably have plenty of time to do something more useful for the forum while still being a merit source.

Your request is reasonable and I completely support your wish, but you still can't force theymos to accept your request until now, maybe things will change later. The Pharmacist, you can still contribute as a merit source and stay that way even if you take a break from reviewing many post.

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[Igebotz]

I don't think my request was an unreasonable one, and if it was it'd be nice if I'd at least gotten a response one way or another.  I'm sure Theymos is hard at work developing the new obsolete forum software, but I know damn well he reads threads like the ones I've made, so that's the reason for my FU to him.  I calls 'em as I sees 'em.

I understand why you're so emotional right now, but I'm not sure it will sway theymos enough to agree to your request. I agree about one positive you might get once you decide to stop reviewing posts, you'll probably have plenty of time to do something more useful for the forum while still being a merit source.

Your request is reasonable and I completely support your wish, but you still can't force theymos to accept your request until now, maybe things will change later. The Pharmacist, you can still contribute as a merit source and stay that way even if you take a break from reviewing many post.

I understand his feelings. It's quite upsetting that he couldn't get a simple yes or no answer from theymos at least for the effort he's put in for many years on the forum, and it hurts to see that theymos favor only a few members on the forum. Even some new members who joined this year are receiving PMs from theymos, whereas he is experiencing total blackout.



someone who has distributed over 15k merits since last year This is enormous. If he enjoys what he does, why not give him a few extras as long as he doesn't abuse or trade them?

[The Sceptical Chymist]

I hate to say it, but once in a while I do run into an objectively bad post that you've merited perhaps a bit too eagerly (just being honest; it doesn't happen often and I'll dig up an example if you like).

I appreciate your candor, and I'm sure I've merited posts that others wouldn't think twice about skipping over.  The whole point of my offer was to help members who are at least putting some effort into their posts, even if they're not the most informative, insightful, or well-written.  And believe me, I've had to tell quite a few people that their entire post history wasn't up to my standards.

Thanks to those who've dropped some merits on me, but please don't; even with what I've received since starting this thread and giving away all of the sMerits I had about a half hour ago, there are still roughly 14 members in line for reviews--and that's on top of all the members who'll still need reviews in their next 30-day cycle (which I can't even promise I'll get to).

I will do my best from here on out to distribute merits to the people who've regularly been PMing me, and hopefully I've still got their PMs.  If you've been requesting reviews for at least 3 months and are due for a review, please message me just in case.  To the rest, I apologize sincerely for an offer that I'm unable to fulfill--and I mean that.  I feel terrible that members who PMed me last month still haven't had a review because I simply don't have enough sMerits.

Give your thoughts to Theymos, because at this point it's out of my hands.  

Your request is reasonable and I completely support your wish, but you still can't force theymos to accept your request until now, maybe things will change later. The Pharmacist, you can still contribute as a merit source and stay that way even if you take a break from reviewing many post.

I know I can't force him to do anything, especially by expressing my anger toward him--but since he's not doing a damn thing about this either way, what do I have to lose?  Is he going to ban me?  Probably not.  Is he going to fire me from my merit source position?  Dunno.  That would be silly, especially since I didn't ask to be one in the first place and am just trying to do a good job.

So, I have a question. Is it personal preference, strongly agree with a statement, like the user, super good post, or some other reason that decides how many merits you give a person when you merit them? I try to give 1-2 merits to users when I merit them. The only time I normally give more than that is if I see someone close to a new rank. As a merit source, wouldn't you be able to stretch things a bit further by limiting the number you give to users?

Sure, that's an option, but I've actually increased the number of merits I hand out for good posts since I think I got a response to this thread a long time ago.  I don't have a policy as to how many merits I give out for posts of varying degrees of quality; in general I look for thought, effort, and content, and secondarily grammar and other factors.  I know a shitpost when I see it, and I also know what a post looks like from someone who doesn't know English very well but is at least trying to make a point.

Ideally I try to give members the full 50 merits per 30 days, and in a lot of cases that's totally doable, sometimes not.  The problem is in how many requests I've been getting as of late.  It's just too much to keep up with, and it isn't fair to those I've extended the offer to, keeping them waiting weeks, months, perhaps infinity before I review their post history.

[joker_josue]

I will do my best from here on out to distribute merits to the people who've regularly been PMing me, and hopefully I've still got their PMs.  If you've been requesting reviews for at least 3 months and are due for a review, please message me just in case.  To the rest, I apologize sincerely for an offer that I'm unable to fulfill--and I mean that.  I feel terrible that members who PMed me last month still haven't had a review because I simply don't have enough sMerits.

Give your thoughts to Theymos, because at this point it's out of my hands.  

I understand that it may seem like you are not keeping a promise! But think about it: you are doing what you promised, within your capabilities. And that should not be criticized or devalued!


Now maybe I ask a broader question: Why are so many people asking for merits?
In the places where they post, aren't there other members with merits who recognize the work of these users?

I ask these questions, because I never asked anyone for merits, even sometimes I felt that I deserved them but I didn't have that opportunity.
Therefore, I think that those who ask should also be available to receive a no, either for not meeting the proposed criteria, or for lack of sMerit.


@The Pharmacist
Allow me a suggestion, which may lighten this weight on your conscience a little:
Why don't you create a monthly ceiling for the sMerit you have, publicly informing that you have this specific ceiling (you don't need to say how many) and then make the distribution you think is appropriate.
And if you receive more requests, for what you have to give, a simple reply informing you that the plafon has ended and for them to try again, may help to minimize the situation. I think everyone should understand this.

[indah rezqi]

Let me give you a little thought because it seems like you never really intended to stop your contribution to the community especially when it comes to reviewing posts.

You have to have a really convenient way to do that without any problems and you probably don't need to spend 50 merit per month per user who making a request when you're not really getting the posts deserve. You can reduce the number of merit per user to eg 20-30 merit per review period so that you can reach more users in the same period. But all that is your right, so you are free to do whatever. Just a few thoughts from me.

Now I really hope theymos listen to your complaints and consider your request, meanwhile some other people can support you with merit too.

[NdaMk]

It's perfectly fine if you can't give people more merit than you usually do. The ones you've done previously have made many people to rank up and feel grateful for their contributions to the forum. You've done your best and we applaud your efforts in this forum, but we still hope your request is considered and more Smerit is given to you to help low rank users in the forum who have also contributed fruitfully. Thank you for everything you've done. Gracias The Pharmacist.

[Zanab247]

I've simply had too many requests and too few sMerits.  I seriously considered quitting the merit source position as a FUCK YOU to Theymos, but that would just be an emotional reaction which ultimately wouldn't help the forum.  But I'd still like to state it, and I think I just did.

There is no way you can satisfy everybody no matter how good or bad they are in this forum but the most important thing is to do everything within your professional knowledge to make people believe that you are doing the right thing which is part of those things that made people to elected you to be in this position. I guess, you will not break that trust people have for you by quitting from this position by people demands. 

[Halab]

Give your thoughts to Theymos, because at this point it's out of my hands.  

I have been following this topic diagonally for a few days and today I can't help answer you.
Forget the tag "Staff" under my nickname, this is just my personal opinion and not an "official" answer. I warn you it's just a reaction to this topic, I don't want it become a personal drama between you and me. Because yes, I might be a bit harsh. I'm not going to give Theymos my thoughts, but give you mine (for what it's worth).

What you don't say (or maybe don't know) is that you are already one of the biggest MS. So you are already very privileged.
I take Theymos' silence like this : learn to deal with what you have, I don't want to go brrrrrrrr.

When I see that you give merits by packs of 10, 8, 6, 5, 3, etc... give them rather by packs of 5, 3, 1. If finally you have some merits left, you can go back on the merits you gave like DdmrDdmr does. And everyone will be happy.

Ideally I try to give members the full 50 merits per 30 days

Excuse me, but this is the stupidest thing I've read about merits.
50 merits per month to each user will make him/her go up faster in merits than in activity. What would be the point ? What was the merit system created for ?

Exceptional members will never have a merit problem (merits > activity).
Good users will become legendary without much problem (merit = activity).
Less good users may have some problems, but there are ways to get the attention of MS (I think of this kind of topic or even this one).
That leave shitposters, trolls and bounty hunters, but they get what they deserve.

And as we say : the important thing is not the destination, it's the journey.
Climbing the ranks of Bitcointalk is a long and bumpy journey. But the satisfaction of finally becoming legendary will be greater.

Imagine if Tolkien had written the Lord of the Rings this way :
Frodo: So I have to take this ring to a volcano in Mordor ?
Gandalf : Yes.
Frodo : Pfff it's far and dangerous. Can't you use your magic powers to teleport me ?
Gandalf : OK....
THE END.

Exciting ?


And to finish on a lighter note:

I'm not in Theymos' head, but I understand this latest change as "You want sMerits ? Here are some sMerits!! Now stop bothering me with it for at least 2 years"

So far, I'm not wrong yet. We will see in July..

[Maestro75]

Another one bites the dust...

It is looking like what will eventually happen as theymos has not responded to him till date and this is very discouraging for a MS who is dedicated to seeing less ranked members cone up in rank.

Ideally I try to give members the full 50 merits per 30 days

Excuse me, but this is the stupidest thing I've read about merits.
50 merits per month to each user will make him/her go up faster in merits than in activity. What would be the point ? What was the merit system created for ?

Activities is never a problem because he only awards such huge merit to users who already have more than enough activities to their next rank but lack merit. It is not for every user he does that for.

[Sandra_hakeem]

I don't wanna quote anyone on this, though I've read alot of annoying, self-centered stuffs...

CHYMIST, you're just cute the way you are...btw, I understand how frustrating it is to tender a request only to get snubbed, for a couple of times that you'd easily manipulate -- that's if you had the Techs --. It's really painful (ain't gonna lie) that you're only gonna limit these for some reasons we all understand, it appalling.!! But you seeee, erhhh.... Sometimes, things are not just allowed to workout the way you'd seem to have it(maybe, getting usual obstructions from some powerful people, which is the case here) ... I'm not here to question Theymos for not seeing in the same spectacles as you did, but I'm not also citing his actions (most especially when he's not even saying a dime)... I just want you to keep it together; if someone would quote me previously, I never wanted this whole thing for myself alone, it was for everyone else and that's a priority to me... It's the fact that I felt maybe MS were some kinda logical when it comes to distribution so I had to awaken a lost thread, that's somewhat compatible, I guess it had a different impact anyways but that's not the point here. I respect your decisions as I don't think Theymos would wanna consider an incessant (as he'd have it) request fr.

@Halab, I mean no disrespect but that statement you wrote; that giving 50 merits in 30 days to a user is the stupidest ?? That's quite unruly. I wasn't expecting that you'd fuel up the whole situation like that.... How you expect CHYMIST to feel?? Yeah, that's unfair.
I'd get even more pissed if it were directed on me.

Sandra 🧑

[The Sceptical Chymist]

What you don't say (or maybe don't know) is that you are already one of the biggest MS. So you are already very privileged.
I take Theymos' silence like this : learn to deal with what you have, I don't want to go brrrrrrrr.

Biggest in terms of what, sMerits allocated per month?  I'm not sure what you mean by that, but currently I'm #13 on the most generous merit senders of all time (and no, I don't consider that list to be a competition).  That certainly could be due to the fact that I wasn't one of the original merit sources or that I started offering post history reviews very late in the game, but I have no way of knowing how my monthly allocation measures up to any other merit source.  If you're saying it's one of the highest then that's constructive feedback and something I wasn't aware of.

"Privileged".  BRB, going to scream into my pillow for a minute.

Ideally I try to give members the full 50 merits per 30 days

Excuse me, but this is the stupidest thing I've read about merits.
50 merits per month to each user will make him/her go up faster in merits than in activity. What would be the point ? What was the merit system created for ?

Sorry you feel that way, but there are a lot of members who are making decent posts but aren't getting any merits for any number of reasons unrelated to post quality.  And in response to your argument about activity and merits, there are a number of people who've sent me PMs that have >1000 activity but lack sufficient merits to rank up.  In any case, it seems like the ranking-up process has slowed down to turtle speed, and I don't think dropping 50 merits on a single member per 30 days is in any way stupid.  But hey, we can agree to disagree.

I do appreciate criticism no matter how harsh, as I'm trying to get a sense of what the community thinks (and having a staff member weigh in is great).

@Halab, I mean no disrespect but that statement you wrote; that giving 50 merits in 30 days to a user is the stupidest ?? That's quite unruly. I wasn't expecting that you'd fuel up the whole situation like that.... How you expect CHYMIST to feel?? Yeah, that's unfair.
I'd get even more pissed if it were directed on me.

Don't you worry about a thing, my dear.  I had skin as thick as a rhino before I joined the forum, and at this point it's so thick that almost nothing hits my nerve endings.  Halab is entitled to his opinion and I want that kind of honesty in a situation like this; sometimes more is gained from getting blasted than smooched from the backside.

[Halab]

]Biggest in terms of what, sMerits allocated per month?  I'm not sure what you mean by that, but currently I'm #13 on the most generous merit senders of all time (and no, I don't consider that list to be a competition).  That certainly could be due to the fact that I wasn't one of the original merit sources or that I started offering post history reviews very late in the game, but I have no way of knowing how my monthly allocation measures up to any other merit source.  If you're saying it's one of the highest then that's constructive feedback and something I wasn't aware of.

"Privileged".  BRB, going to scream into my pillow for a minute.

Check your PM.
(If a Merit source wants to know how much his allocation is per month, I can give him this info)

(and having a staff member weigh in is great).

I don't have the divine knowledge, I can say bullshit too .

@Halab, I mean no disrespect but that statement you wrote; that giving 50 merits in 30 days to a user is the stupidest ??

Do the maths :

you can only get 14 activity points every two week period.

and 50 merits / month.

What will reach 1000 first ? Merit or activity ?


Edit : OK, I was talking about recently created accounts, they will be restricted by the activity. For older accounts, this is less true.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Did I just get my name change granted???  I almost jizzed my knickers!  Thank you, Theymos!!

Halab set me straight via PM about where I stand in terms of my sMerit allocation, so I understand why my request was denied/ignored.  Well, I don't know why it was ignored but I get why no increase is forthcoming.  Therefore, I'm still halting requests via PM but will continue to review post histories from members I've been doing them for for at least 3 months--and I'll try my best to get to more recent requests, but I'm making no promises.

Again I apologize to those who PMed me and aren't going to have their posts reviewed or will have to wait for a long, long time before I get to them.  After reading what Halab sent me, I realize that it's not a problem with Theymos but with the scope of my offer, which is now obviously too much for one merit source to handle.  I feel icky all over, and I hope there are no hard feelings.

I'm rescinding my FU toward Theymos (and not because he granted the name change, lol).  I had incomplete information and probably too much hubris for my own good.  I'm going to leave this thread open for maybe another hour or so and then it'll be locked up for good and for all.

[Oluwa-btc]

It gladdens me to see that you got part of what you want, I just want to say Congratulations for the change of name my Man. At least, the change of name came quicker than expected as I expected Biq Daddy T ( Theymos ) to respond to my request as a Christmas gift.

And also, to the the user who almost spoiled your show, he/ her should try harder next time lol. Fvck whoever did that Shiiiiiitt!
You have been a great advocate from time, a good writer which I lurk around to learn vocabularies from lol. I'm just pleased you got this one after all of your plights.
You've been a great help to so many users ranking up, not just to Nigerians even to those I don't know, I'll halt me writing here.
Congratulations The Sceptical Chymist xx  

Thank You Biq Daddy T ( Theymos )

Edit: Chymist for abbreviation 

[rat03gopoh]

~

Any abbreviation or initial for your new name? writing your full name is too annoying I think. It wastes seconds

[JollyGood]

It is a happy ending for you in this thread before you lock it. Congratulations on becoming The Sceptical Chymist (may The Pharmacist rest in peace). What happened to the original The Sceptical Chymist who took the name when you announced you wanted a name-change and posted to make his own announcement?

Well done for your perseverance in this matter, you got there in the end even though it looked like it was not going to happen  

Did I just get my name change granted???  I almost jizzed my knickers!  Thank you, Theymos!!

Halab set me straight via PM about where I stand in terms of my sMerit allocation, so I understand why my request was denied/ignored.  Well, I don't know why it was ignored but I get why no increase is forthcoming.  Therefore, I'm still halting requests via PM but will continue to review post histories from members I've been doing them for for at least 3 months--and I'll try my best to get to more recent requests, but I'm making no promises.

Again I apologize to those who PMed me and aren't going to have their posts reviewed or will have to wait for a long, long time before I get to them.  After reading what Halab sent me, I realize that it's not a problem with Theymos but with the scope of my offer, which is now obviously too much for one merit source to handle.  I feel icky all over, and I hope there are no hard feelings.

I'm rescinding my FU toward Theymos (and not because he granted the name change, lol).  I had incomplete information and probably too much hubris for my own good.  I'm going to leave this thread open for maybe another hour or so and then it'll be locked up for good and for all.

[Timelord2067]

Feel free to review either (or both) my entire post history and my trust feedback posts.

Good, bad and indifferent.  Warts and all.

It is a happy ending for you in this thread before you lock it. Congratulations on becoming The Sceptical Chymist (may The Pharmacist rest in peace). What happened to the original The Sceptical Chymist who took the name when you announced you wanted a name-change and posted to make his own announcement?

What indeed ??

BPIP has already updated the name too.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Any abbreviation or initial for your new name? writing your full name is too annoying I think. It wastes seconds

TSC or Chymist or whatever if you have to use my brand-new username (whoop whoop!).  I agree it's long, but I'm still glad my request was granted.

What happened to the original The Sceptical Chymist who took the name when you announced you wanted a name-change and posted to make his own announcement?

What indeed ??

I was wondering the same thing, too.  But unless Theymos drops the knowledge on us, I guess we're going to have to speculate or just forget about it.  Me?  It troubles me not one bit what happened.

All that said, I'm locking this bitch up.  Thanks to everyone for their input.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

I'm bumping this thread because I've been getting PMs from people who don't meet this qualification:

If you've been requesting reviews for at least 3 months and are due for a review, please message me just in case.

I am not taking any new requests for post history reviews and until further notice I'm only doing reviews for members who've been consistently PMing me--specifically for the last 3 months (since September).  Any member who doesn't fit into that category and sends me a PM is just going to have it deleted without reply.

Currently I'm waiting for my sMerit allocation to refill before I start doing more reviews.  I've got roughly 50, and once I get my normal monthly allocation I'll start up where I left off.  I'll leave this thread open for a while in case anyone has questions and so that people have time to see this.

[Sandra_hakeem]

I'm bumping this thread because I've been getting PMs from people who don't meet this qualification:

If you've been requesting reviews for at least 3 months and are due for a review, please message me just in case.

You seeee... Its appalling -- how some new users had significantly taken advantage of the monthly review..

I know for sure that this man, Chymist won't even dare to look into a dumb profile twice -- talk more of meriting a post outta some petty sentiments, pity or as a mistake -- I could vouch for him. Sometimes, I'll just have to take a quick trip around those profiles and truly, they deserve merits -- so is that supposed to mean that the system is running on a scale of imbalance? Or maybe they ain't enough sources? Or no one cares?
When I got registered in here, I could remember how hard it was to get my first merit; all thanks to some eccentric dudes like Fillipone and CHYMIST who've stood firm to swirl the stress (for some newbies) of "posting in mega boards like dev&tech just to get merited " and as a result, they'll plagiarize and will have no choice but to face some witty juries...
My whole point is that; looks like this is a designed formula just to curb some incessant circulation ( maybe to some shitty accounts?)? If yes, then that's crazily programmed yunno... Or maybe it'll be more of "Theymos not giving an increase on the source merits" ?? Who knows what's on TSC's mind ??

Sandra 🧑‍🦰