The "Thanks" button is gone - Take II.

[The Chairman]

The staff has reviewed the

feature and has decided to remove it. We felt that it has contributed to an unhealthy polarization of the community and was susceptible to abuse by a few.

As always, your input and comments were invaluable in reaching this decision. Now it's back to your regularly scheduled thankless program!

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

To avoid additional confusion over the current state of the Thanks! button, I've split this thread off from http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/site-support/339822-thanks-button-gone.html Carry on!

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[Cave Diver]

OK, we may have found a way to re-integrate a newer version of the hack... it might mean a few changes here and there and it will probably reset everyone's thanks back to zero. Hang with us, as we try to integrate it.

We will be configuring thanks for these forums and their sub-forums:

• Introductions and Greets
• Scuba Diving Central
• Underwater Activities and Specialties
• ScubaBoard Pro
• Manufacturers Forums
• The Equipment of Scuba Diving

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Attention all concerned users

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NetDoc has asked me to reinstall the thanks hack for a limited number of forums. This is not an official vBulletin product and to configure it in specific forums only will take some time to implement.

Your patience is appreciated while this is being done.

 

[Cave Diver]

Thanks for the update CD...but can I ask a question...Is this "removal" something that actually affects the functionality of the board, or is it just someone's idea of control? If it doesn't affect the functionality then; WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?!?! (not yelling at you) Obviously people want the button, and there are people that think it's a joke (some of them are one in the same) To me this is just a huge waste of moderator resources and is apparently pissing a lot of people off in the long run! Like many have said, if you don't LIKE something, someone, or someplace DON'T go there!

But again..what is the big deal?????

The Thanks button is not a standard feature of vBulletin. It is an add on or a "hack." As such, it appears to have to be updated separately whenever upgrades are done. When the hack was uninstalled, it appears that something was lost, reset, or

The reinstall appears to be having a configuration problem and I know just enough about this stuff to be dangerous with it. I'm working through it, in my spare time, but it's not going to be an instantaneous fix.

To address Why? it was uninstalled, there were some complaints regarding the whole thanks issue and staff was reviewing these complaints to assess the merit and the course of action. Pete has been busy with other issues and missed most of the discussion, leaving it up to us to come to a consensus. When he came in and checked, his misread part of the discussion and killed the entire hack. He made note of that here:

As a whole, the mod squad has decided that something should be done about the thanks button and that was based on our collective experience in trying to keep things civil here on ScubaBoard. In actuality, I misunderstood the consensus of the mods when I totally killed the thanks button. For this, you have my sincere apologies. However, since they have clued me in a bit on what was actually decided, we are taking a bit of time to get it right.

So no, it was not done as a "control" thing. It was done as a result of a misunderstanding, which we are now working to correct.

Just to be clear, there are several issues that the Thanks! function has caused amongst users. It is not about an individual user, thread, or group. It's about a collective problem which I will not discuss further here.

In response to a few other comments that have been made in the thread:

• Yes, there have actually been complaints.
• No, you don't have to believe that if you don't want to.
• The reason why most of you aren't aware there is a problem is because you're not the ones that the emails, PM's and reports get sent to.
• Just because you can't envision how something can cause a problem for another user doesn't mean that it can't.
• People have the right to disagree on their opinions of the Thanks! or how they use it.
• Things that we consider abuses will be dealt with on an individual basis once it's been reinstalled.
• Expect that there will be some functionality changes and limitations

 

[DCBC]

If I'm interpreting Pete correctly, the problem seems to be that heated arguments draw more thanking behavior, which serves to escalate the debate. Readers add multiple thanks to a post they agree with, then multiple thanks to posts insulting/defaming/debunking/questioning the virility of others. Thus polarization. An example of this would probably be the banning thread we recently had.

I think it's natural in any discussion to support the side of the argument that you agree with. How many times have you read a post where someone is quoted and the person writes "What he said." The thank you button is just saves you the trouble of doing this.

Polarization occurs when there is a focus on a side to an argument. The banning thread that you mentioned was a good example. People didn't agree with the decision made by management. The same thing on this thread; people disagree with the thank you button being removed (some with the explanation given , or the so called logic behind its removal). This doesn't reduce polarization imo, rather it increases it.

Anyway this is just one more example that this is Pete's playground not ours. We are here at his discreation, or until we decide we've had enough. Democracy has no place here and we have no rights. It's a regime; like it or not.

 

[DCBC]

The Thanks button is not a standard feature of vBulletin. It is an add on or a "hack." As such, it appears to have to be updated separately whenever upgrades are done. When the hack was uninstalled, it appears that something was lost, reset, or

The reinstall appears to be having a configuration problem and I know just enough about this stuff to be dangerous with it. I'm working through it, in my spare time, but it's not going to be an instantaneous fix.

To address Why? it was uninstalled, there were some complaints regarding the whole thanks issue and staff was reviewing these complaints to assess the merit and the course of action. Pete has been busy with other issues and missed most of the discussion, leaving it up to us to come to a consensus. When he came in and checked, his misread part of the discussion and killed the entire hack. He made note of that here:



So no, it was not done as a "control" thing. It was done as a result of a misunderstanding, which we are now working to correct.

Just to be clear, there are several issues that the Thanks! function has caused amongst users. It is not about an individual user, thread, or group. It's about a collective problem which I will not discuss further here.

In response to a few other comments that have been made in the thread:

• Yes, there have actually been complaints.
• No, you don't have to believe that if you don't want to.
• The reason why most of you aren't aware there is a problem is because you're not the ones that the emails, PM's and reports get sent to.
• Just because you can't envision how something can cause a problem for another user doesn't mean that it can't.
• People have the right to disagree on their opinions of the Thanks! or how they use it.
• Things that we consider abuses will be dealt with on an individual basis once it's been reinstalled.
• Expect that there will be some functionality changes and limitations

Thanks for the clarification John. I know than many of us appreciate your efforts and those of the other Moderators.

 

[Hoomi]

Well, I suppose we could always just post this link every time we want to thank someone...

Thank You Very Much



You've been thanked one hundred times. Please play this video one hundred times so that everyone's thanks is properly expressed.

 

[ScubaSteve]

In looking for a suitable MicroManagement picture to post here, I found this???? Is the end game????

 

[DCBC]

In looking for a suitable MicroManagement picture to post here, I found this???? Is the end game????

The one on the bottom is giving piggy back rides right?

 

[wrybosome]

The Thanks button is not a standard feature of vBulletin. It is an add on or a "hack." As such, it appears to have to be updated separately whenever upgrades are done.<snip>
[*] People have the right to disagree on their opinions of the Thanks! or how they use it.
[*] Things that we consider abuses will be dealt with on an individual basis once it's been reinstalled.
[*] Expect that there will be some functionality changes and limitations
[/list]

CD, thanks for your time, your effort, and the explanation. It's easy to jump to conclusions when you have no real info.

Polarization occurs when there is a focus on a side to an argument. The banning thread that you mentioned was a good example. People didn't agree with the decision made by management. The same thing on this thread; people disagree with the thank you button being removed (some with the explanation given , or the so called logic behind its removal). This doesn't reduce polarization imo, rather it increases it.

Thank you for this valuable post!
It's definitely gotten nastier than I like to see, whether it's a regime or not (and if it is, it's at least a voluntary society). I enjoy the posts of pretty much everyone who's been on this thread and I hate seeing things like "I can't wait to tell you in person how much I dislike you" between people I've enjoyed reading before. The name calling just seems sad to me.
Enough rambling from me.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

In looking for a suitable MicroManagement picture to post here, I found this???? Is the end game????

Looks like polarization to me!