SMILES

Just finished reading the other thread about new members and smiles. Opinions must have changed within the last year. 

I decided to repost what I put lower in the comments because I figured nobody would possibly see it over there.

This is in response to multiple back and forth regarding the top place in the leaderboards.

The thinking that we are somehow smiling on old thrads to boost counts is inaccurate (not to mention, silly). I posted on this in another trhread but was chastized into deleting my explanation. I looked into this after the original accusations has surfaced and I noticed this: if you change the settings on the sorting of the leaderboards to narrower recent time frame, the poster you don’t like gets completely off the board. That would not be the case if we continued to smile on her old posts for some reason. The only reason she is still on top is because that’s an all-time leaderboard. As time passes, other people will get more smiles and replace her.

I said it a year  ago. The Smiles are Unnecessary.  They create far more problems than one would think. … Let them Go, HSN. We are adults now and we don’t need them.

But on Second thought, there does need to be some form of acknowledgement for SOME threads. Perhaps you can keep the Smile, but Do Not Maintain the Smile Leaderboards.

That Smile Leaderboard has caused Many problems for those who got carried away with it. It caused some to be  Blocked from the Very Forum and Smiles that they Craved and  Adored.

I CERTAINLY find this THREAD to be EXTREMELY Informative in the following MANNER:

(1) It CLARIFIES the inner workings of HSN’s Forum "Smiling" feature Using ACTUAL example – (a) HOW SMILES are TIME LOGGED, (b) Who Put "SMILES" on which post and (c) How "SMILES" are added.

(2) It shows HOW it can be MISUSED and MISUNDERSTOOD.

(3) It Clears UP any Mis-Statement and/or Conclusion Made.

Just a SUGGESTION to HSN if it does not intend to remove the Forum’s  "smiles" feature :

– CHANGE the "TOP Smiled authors" designation to "Most read Posters", as the replacement title Draws No conclusion one Way or Another since MANY definitions of "smiles" have already surfaced. 

In conclusion, THERE IS NO REASON to REMOVE this thread or PULL any POST as the THREAD is EXTREMELY helpful to any READER who WANTS to get a better understanding of the Forum’s "Smiling" feature.

Thanks again heyBooBoo575  for sharing your knowledge here.

OH, PA-LEEEESE!  Everyone loves the smiles and they know it!  I think eveyone is just trying to mitigate their guilt of loving it so much by challenging the ‘smiles’ system.  HA! HA! :smileylol:

I think we can both agree that HSN implemented smiles 

with good intentions.Unfortunately,on many occasions

they are not being used in the way they were meant to be.

Why delete my thread…I’m not attacking anyone?

Time for this thread to be deleted mods!  What happened to the guideline "do not attack other members"????

Thank you, heyBooBoo575. The emperor really isn’t wearing any clothes, and you have written an honest post — illuminating and disappointing, but honest. I’m all for getting rid of that "Smiles" counter. It has caused a lot of problems. Some people have been all-consumed by the "competition" and apparently have used the same "strategy" that they accused another of using, ridiculing and harassing and riding that poster out of town on a rail. Let’s just say oops, you’re busted. Meanwhile, I happen to love the JPA thread. It’s funny and kind, and who is to say what has VALUE TO OTHERS? I personally find FUNNY and KIND quite valuable, and I will continue to bestow smiles on such. And here’s one for all the kind people on this thread. 🙂

I’ve been waiting for someone else to address this issue, but since no one has, guess I will.

The reason why a non-participating poster was able to maintain rank on the Top Smiled Authors leader board was because she has minions smiling upon months-old posts. To see what has been going on, go to Arcades "Club 52," especially from Part 33 to Part 58, clicking on "who smiled" at a post. Although many discussions closed out months ago, "smiles" were given within them shortly after her departure. Select a post, then next to the smile icon, click on "(number of) people have smiled," and you may…or may not…be surprised who gave that post a smile many weeks or months after the original post was made. It will give you the exact date a smile was given, or say something like "3 weeks ago." Compare it to the date of the original post.

My favorites were those included in a conversation string, where the current non-participating poster, likely needing to take a break, typing "be right back" before rejoining the discussion in a short while, to have that post smiled upon months later. BRB + 9 Months = Smiles. The result: Additions were made to the smile leader board.

Coincidentally, some lamented many were jealous of that poster’s likability, and therefore were trying to out-do her on the smile leader board. The term "high school" was intoned, but it seems to me high school in this context was given a bad name.

Fortunately, it looks like within the last few days the PTB at HSN caught on and whittled down everyone’s smiled-upon numbers. Now other posters are among the top recipients of smiles. Still, it must be sad for those who committed late-night hours to clicking on smiles on old posts for weeks on end.

The Q Blogs and Forum Board recently adopted a similar program as HSN’s to manage its forum, and very shortly after got rid of its "hearts" leader board. Members can still bestow hearts — the equivalent here of smiles — on individual posts to express support or thumbs-up, but they translate to short-term feedback. It seems to be working at the Q, and, as several contributors to this thread stated, it should be implemented here.

Keep Smiling it looks good on you ,In the mean time I will try Not to ask so many Questions, 😉

Monday, Oct 5-2015… I don’t mind the ‘smiles’ per se. What I DO mind is the ‘Top Smiled Authors’ ranking as well as the ‘Ranking of Members’… and for a couple of reasons. The obvious first one is the competitive nature of having such rankings to begin with.

The second is this– practically NONE of the members in the Forums are  actual ‘Authors’… ‘Top Smiled’ or not. In other words, nothing is being written of any real value… it’s all chit-chat that’s being exceedingly smiled upon… especially in the JPA and 52 threads. They’re both in the Arcade Forum, thus, CAN be smiled upon, but, why is that? From what I see, about 95% of the content is chit-chat and 5% actually about Arcade games. When ‘goodnight, be well, and what not‘ get 10 smiles each, I have to wonder what’s actually going on here. To me, these kinds of Threads should be in the ‘Talk Among Yourselves’ (TAY) Forum.

But, as I said, I don’t mind the ‘smiles’ per se… and I say that because everyone likes to be acknowledged that someone, anyone, has read their posts… even me, *lol*.

However, the ‘Counting of Smiles’ and the ‘Ranking of Members’ by HSN should absolutely stop; for competition is not conducive to cooperation… never has been, never will be.

I give out smilies here,just like I do at the Q board.To the posts that are helpful,informative,very kind on a day when I feel bad.I also give them out if I am wanting to keep track of whether a fellow poster gets a certain item that they really want  .THat makes me happy when items are offered that excite us.

If I have given 1 out to someone that dislikes it,please forgive me.My intentions were good.:smileyhappy:..I have also given out 1 or 2 to HSN Managers when I have a question or problem and that manager helps me.

But I have noticed that some who signed up recently,do not post much,have lots of smilies.That part,I do not understand.:smileysurprised:

I know each of us feel differently,so I hope noone is offended by my opinion.

I think the only way to get rid of the ‘smiles’ is to just not use that function.  Although, I think we are in the minority.  I think most of the people on this forum love that feature and will continue to use it.

I agree on getting rid of the smiles. It has caused nothing but hard feelings & useless competition. Earning these so called ranks has done nothing . People want them so bad they do anything to get smiles to raise their ranks and for what? It is not as if having a rank gets you any status like a discount with HSN, it doesn’t prove a poster has more knowledge on product or being more helpful on the boards to obtain a rank so now when I see someone has a Maven status or such it means nothing. When I first came to the forums I thought it meant the person had a high rank from earning it by providing knowledge, being helpful to others, having knowledge on product lines etc. & I thought this came from years of being on the forums & then the past year I saw how it really was & I see no point in it. I am not being disrespectful just giving my opinion as I see it.