Add a post count to user names / accounts....?

I think its one site, if I wanted only one user name, or a post count, I'm free to use another forum.

*people are more savvy now

I have encountered it, and watch it blow things apart. A long time ago and people are more savvy. But unless there is also a way of tracking the changes it does leave a new route for trolling potentially. And there are a number of mn trolls who have tripped themselves up due to being unable to edit their posts.

yes - but on all the other billions of forums it's not a huge issue at all really

Yep me too but I like the fact that it means that you can read something, comment, and be certain that unless HQ step in that it is not likely to be changed making you look a prat. If I am going to look a prat from my post I'd like to do so with my own mistakes not someone else editing their to change things iyswm

What would really be useful is a user links section so you can have some personal shortcuts to boards.

I agree dark it is what makes it unique, but it is also what limits it and is quite frustrating! Sometimes, I just want to 'thumb up' a post or edit my stupid typos!

"such as a more a of welcome/ guide for newbies - what do folks think of a newbies corner? "

Isn't that covered by the FAQ/Acronyms section?

MN is an unusual forum in this way. Most other forums you can edit your posts. have favourite 'links', 'like' posts, quote people properly etc

but this is what makes it unique. I am here precisely because it is not like other places. Everything does not need to be like everything else, different is good and sometimes better

00100001 i can see a lot of people de-registering and re-registering so that they can safely name change.

My personal opinion is that making it more obvious who is new and who isn't is going to aid the construction of the mn royality that we are regularly reassured don't exist and not actually stop the trolls and goaders who quite frankly are either flash bang thus obvious or long runners who would put the work in to build up their posting history before they cause trouble.

Maybe have 'date joined' as public info rather than a post count, because I could have joined two weeks ago, gone mad with posts and have 3000 in that time, where as people like potatoes are the opposite.

Whatever else you do, please don't go down the road of supposedly funny labels to indicate how long/much a person has been posting. I'm thinking about this kind of thing:

Revered Elder of Mumsnet
Graduate Chatterbox
100 nappy sleepless Mum

Definitely no. I don't want my posts to be considered not worthy due to lack of posting. Also will some posts count more? eg I play the word association game thread at times. That'll up my post count but I'm assuming that's not the kind of posts you would want to include in the count.

I have been here a very long time, but rarely post. I really enjoy lurking, but I don't post all that often as I don't feel I have anything much to add.

I don't think that red dots or post counts are particularly needed - a newbies corner would probably be a good idea for the poor souls who post to introduce themselves and get a pasting.

I have a similar thought as pickled. I am a lurker of several years, but with a post count of maybe 20 or so. What does that mean? What will posters think when they see a post count of 20? Might be a troll? Not a regular user so posts not valuable?

Justine - as a "regular lurker" (!) prizes wouldn't lure me to post. It's a combination of not being able to keep up with popular threads, eg when at work, so never catch up with conversation in time to post, and some interesting threads going bad or changing course before I get to the end and can post! Can I ask why you want lurkers to post more? If we're visiting the site and enjoying the debate but not joining in all the time, is that a bad thing?

Most other forums do this - keep track of how many posts etc, and you get 'membership levels' next your avatar eg. Newbie/not so newbie/been around a while/old-timer

MN is an unusual forum in this way. Most other forums you can edit your posts. have favourite 'links', 'like' posts, quote people properly etc

don't get naice ham obviously missed that bit! or possibly just a bit dim

I hate the proving & namechanged for this etc that goes on also. It doesn't mean anything to me bc you could pick up penis beaker by being on here a few weeks or just going straight to classics. That said I've been here 8/9 years and don't get naice ham obviously missed that bit! On the one hand it could be helpful in explaining a few things but on the other hand how it is now makes mn more or less a level playing field which I like.

I like the idea, if you do it via ranking rather than post numbers you could actually create the "MN Royalty" people talk about.....

It shouldn't be necessary, Tiger, I would agree - but there seems to have been much recent unease by many posters about the proportion of threads/posts that are - or are suspected of being - 'challenging' on certain boards. I think people are just casting around for some sort of way to limit that proportion. (You could never eradicate it completely for the reasons mentioned by PP.)

Can't see the point of this at all. I don't understand what the relevance is of knowing whether a poster is new or been here since time began. They either have something interesting/useful/funny to say, or they don't.

I hate it that people feel the need to 'prove' themselves before they can post.

Name changing is fine by me - if nothing else, it keeps those who are fixated on such things occupied for hours !

Cozie

Name changing is fine by me - if nothing else, it keeps those who are fixated on such things occupied for hours !

You could have the new poster (or otherwise) status of the ID referenced to the system ID and not the name so that an ID with no previous posts but no dot could be seen as a clear and 'legal' name change or from someone who had registered before the time limit but chosen not to post directly. (Although from what ID - if the former - would not be known unless the person chose to disclose it.)

There have been a number of trolls who have been at one time considered much loved members of MN and even royality. Seriously it would not stop the determined trolls and potentially make them more determined to do the job properly so to speak. Vile trolls (and we have had a few) who pop up and are noticeble do damage but the long running ones can cause rumblings for years afterwards.

I don't think that identifying number of posts is a good thing, in stalking cases (and there have been problems for a number of mnners) this will just be used against them and potentially cause more problems.

A dot for a newbie might be ok to identify complete newbies but the uncluttered look is better and it is bad enough with the self talking/moving ads that have a habit of randomly popping up periodically.

Name change ability can keep people safe and allow much needed support. It is the one reason why I and many are still here.

OK with indicating year of joining - but a tally of posts and awarding members their platinum status for posting loads and / or highlighting a newbie'so posts as a newbie, no thanks (hierarchical, judgmental preconceptions, cliques and royalty and all that).

And no. of posts - well, that's easily enough searched.

And never really 'got' the sacrosanct nature of the inalienable right to name change...