What is your opinion on brohoofs on this site?

[MangoFoalix 24,944]

I had this interesting topic idea for awhile and have now gotten around to actually making it. What do you think of brohoofs/reactions on this site and how relate to a person. My personal opinion is that reactions show how popular someone might be but it doesn't meant that someone who have over 10k of them is more important than someone who has under 100 of them. This also goes along with "winning days". It's a fun thing to participate in for the first time or so but if you are looking forward to do it multiple times over then the novelty may as well just wear off.

Anyways, this is a thread for discussion on this topic, remember that petty arguing is not allowed and not to bash others opinions on this topic since I will be watching closely.

[Sparklefan1234 169,821]

Just now, TheTaZe said:

This also goes along with "winning days". It's a fun thing to participate in for the first time or so but if you are looking forward to do it multiple times over then the novelty may as well just wear off.

I still don't understand the purpose of "winning days", to be completely honest. 

[SDP40F amtrak 2,447]

Very a lot of brohoofs

[MangoFoalix 24,944]

3 minutes ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

I still don't understand the purpose of "winning days", to be completely honest. 

It serves no real purpose as far as I see it, maybe for some people it just serves to be there as some sort of bragging right?

[Ganondorf8 11,288]

I see them as relatively harmless though we have seen this be abused in the past. If people like a certain post for reasons of their own, providing a brohoof shows that the post in question resonated with what they were feeling at that precise moment.

[Sparklefan1234 169,821]

1 minute ago, TheTaZe said:

It serves no real purpose as far as I see it, maybe for some people it just serves to be there as sort of bragging right?

I honestly have the amount of brohoofs I do because I wanted to try to be at the very top of the leader board. 

I don't know why I cared so much. 

[MangoFoalix 24,944]

Just now, Sparklefan1234 said:

I honestly have the amount of brohoofs I do because I wanted to try to be at the very top of the leader board. 

I don't know why I cared so much. 

I mean, you did a very good job at it. You'll over take me at some point in the monthly amount you get.

On a serious note, a leaderboard could be seen as a breeding ground for narcissism.

[Tacodidra 61,081]

A way to measure popularity, maybe, but more so activity – especially on specific areas of the forums.

I could say my opinion on them is a little mixed. On one hand, I think it's nice to receive a reaction on a post – if no one replies, this will still show that others have read the post and think the post contributes something (though I'm not saying a post without brohoofs couldn't be even more valuable, in some cases they can be). But on the other hand, it's pretty easy to get addicted to them in a way. Thinking my post was somehow bad because it wasn't brohoofed (I've done that, though it was silly ), wanting desperately to win a day (I never admitted that to even myself but I did), staring too much at the leaderboards when I was bored... yeah, I've done all that.

I think the ability to give and receive brohoofs is nice, but it shouldn't be valued over actual conversation. The less you pay attention to them, the more you'll enjoy the forums – that's how I feel about it these days. Winning a day did make me happy, but looking back, it's really nothing special. Apart from being happy about it for some time and getting a banner with a trophy on your profile, it really changes nothing. The thing that matters is having fun and interacting with friends.

[SDP40F amtrak 2,447]

@TheTaZe @Tacodidra and @Sparklefan1234 

I own you a brohoof 

From black mess 

[Prometheus 3,038]

I think the brohoof system is perfectly fine to be honest, it does what it needs to. I mean, most forums have some kind of "reputation count" or likewise, so why should this one be any different? 

6 minutes ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

I still don't understand the purpose of "winning days", to be completely honest. 

The way I see it, I see "winning days" as a way to encourage competition within the forums. Like, say if you're working for a sales company, and you manage to bag yourself more sales than any other employee one day, it makes you feel good about yourself, right? Well, it also encourage the other employees to strive to get even more sales, so that they have a chance at "winning the day" as it were, adding a competitive edge to it all. 

I think that's probably the best way to describe it, albeit with a shitey metaphor, but I hope you know what I mean. 

 

[MangoFoalix 24,944]

Just now, SnekEater said:

I think the brohoof system is perfectly fine to be honest, it does what it needs to. I mean, most forums have some kind of "reputation count" or likewise, so why should this one be any different? 

The way I see it, I see "winning days" as a way to encourage competition within the forums. Like, say if you're working for a sales company, and you manage to bag yourself more sales than any other employee one day, it makes you feel good about yourself, right? Well, it also encourage the other employees to strive to get even more sales, so that they have a chance at "winning the day" as it were, adding a competitive edge to it all. 

I think that's probably the best way to describe it, albeit with a shitey metaphor, but I hope you know what I mean. 

I find that to be quite interesting the way you put it. While I do agree with you I do have a nagging feeling that with most people, competition can lead to having an inflated ego which could lead to more problems later on. Thought competing does bring more attention to posting and contributing to the forum so it's usually not all bad.

6 minutes ago, Tacodidra said:

A way to measure popularity, maybe, but more so activity – especially on specific areas of the forums.

I could say my opinion on them is a little mixed. On one hand, I think it's nice to receive a reaction on a post – if no one replies, this will still show that others have read the post and think the post contributes something (though I'm not saying a post without brohoofs couldn't be even more valuable, in some cases they can be). But on the other hand, it's pretty easy to get addicted to them in a way. Thinking my post was somehow bad because it wasn't brohoofed (I've done that, though it was silly ), wanting desperately to win a day (I never admitted that to even myself but I did), staring too much at the leaderboards when I was bored... yeah, I've done all that.

I think the ability to give and receive brohoofs is nice, but it shouldn't be valued over actual conversation. The less you pay attention to them, the more you'll enjoy the forums – that's how I feel about it these days. Winning a day did make me happy, but looking back, it's really nothing special. Apart from being happy about it for some time and getting a banner with a trophy on your profile, it really changes nothing. The thing that matters is having fun and interacting with friends.

You aren't the only one, my dude. I'm guilty myself of looking at the leaderboard and seeing if I was anywhere close to the top. Sometimes I would feel disappointment in myself if I didn't get on there. I guess the way I also see it is that if I'm not on there that gives me the courage to start chatting with more people and contributing more. It's kind of a double edge sword. It makes me anxious but is also helps me with my motivation.

[The Recherche 29,967]

I like to consider them a game of sorts, and the same applies for winning days.  Do they measure a user's worth? Hardly, but they can definitely show who is the most active, and who posts content that other users like (which is why saying "brohoofs don't matter" is somewhat disingenuous). Of course, there are exploits (mass mentions, ass-kissing other users, especially Staffers, etc.), but generally, I think it's an acceptable system. I'm perfectly fine with all of the other reactions as well (sans I See and Pondering). Sure, they aren't directly related to brohoofs, but I believe they were worth mentioning.

[Tacodidra 61,081]

7 minutes ago, TheTaZe said:

I find that to be quite interesting the way you put it. While I do agree with you I do have a nagging feeling that with most people, competition can lead to having an inflated ego which could lead to more problems later on. Thought competing does bring more attention to posting and contributing to the forum so it's usually not all bad.

Yeah, even if some people have made it a competition, I haven't seen anyone post completely pointless content to get there (I wouldn't count games and such as that either, as even they have a specific purpose) – if brohoofs motivate someone to post good content, is it really a problem? Even if it's not the best reason to post...

7 minutes ago, TheTaZe said:

You aren't the only one, my dude. I'm guilty myself of looking at the leaderboard and seeing if I was anywhere close to the top. Sometimes I would feel disappointment in myself if I didn't get on there. I guess the way I also see it is that if I'm not on there that gives me the courage to start chatting with more people and contributing more. It's kind of a double edge sword. It makes me anxious but is also helps me with my motivation.

Yeah, and that especially happened to me every time I thought I had a chance of winning... I have no idea how many times I looked at it the day I won for the first time – probably hundreds...

Edited August 19, 2018 by Tacodidra

[碇 シンジン 27,431]

for a person like me who didnt have lot of experience on communities or stuff like that and some self worth issues at first i valued myself  based upon those which i think is pretty natural given the system and the circumstances that i was in, though it made me pretty uncomfortable and i really wasnt enjoying anything  but as time passed it faded away and the system has opened up to me in a completely different light. which is based on more on the interaction between users in the community and the uniqueness of those interactions give when engaging in a discussion/conversation and communication in general.

i think the system really gives value to the conversation at the base level and helps people engage into it more making it effective tool in maintaining the community investment in the discussions and giving users something that they can have on the side.

[MangoFoalix 24,944]

Just now, Tacodidra said:

Yeah, even if some people have made it a competition, I haven't seen anyone post completely pointless content to get there (I wouldn't count games and such either, as even they have a specific purpose) – if brohoofs motivate someone to post good content, is it really a problem? Even if it's not the best reason to post...

Yeah, and that especially happened to me every time I thought I had a chance of winning... I have no idea how many times I looked at it the day I won for the first time – probably hundreds...

My only concern is how you and @The Recherche mentioned before about exploiting the system. People like @hampony have done it so far and it's been a nightmare for anyone who wants to see their notifications.

[Frostgage 7,975]

I think it depends on the type of post. Brohoofs are a great way to show support for, recognition of, or agreement with a post, without necessitating an actual reply. Personally I don't put too much emphasis on a user's totals or winning the day, because even a user who makes frequent, well-thought-out posts could never win days without actively striving to do so via mass-mentions and other similar methods. Nevertheless, I'm very glad that the system exists, as the aforementioned benefits outweigh the comparatively minor drawbacks, and even after several years on this website, I still get a little dash of excitement/satisfaction when I receive that glorious brohoof notification

[DonMaguz 1,023]

Reactions are a great way to let someone know that you agree with their comment, had a good time reading it or made you wonder about some ideas explored on it. In any case, appreciating someone's entry when you don't have anything else to add (otherwise a reply is preferred).

About leaderboards, it's always a good way to promote new discussions if you're into it, but it's not good to lose yourself into thinking making the leaderboard is an achievement beyond the forums themselves. I lost myself a few years ago into a facebook poker game and at the end I only lost time, I have a friend who couldn't sleep whenever he lost a PRO Evolution Soccer game online when he was in the global top 300, and his mood changed a lot when he had just won one. Being in an online leaderboard gives a false sense of accomplishment, it's mandatory to keep in mind that its value is what we think it is and nothing more.

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

When looking at the brohoofs a profile has received I don't tend to look at the brohoofs alone but also the post count. I find the ratio interesting - I think it gives a fairly clear indicator as to 'public figures', as well as those who are not. I fall firmly into the latter category, with a 1:1 ratio*, but if we look at @TheTaZe there's a whopping 15.9 : 1 ratio of brohoofs to posts; when they post, a lot of people read and find reason to brohoof.

 

As an aside, as I was glancing down, I noted that a lot of the posters have what I would view as a fairly high ratio (more than 3:1), with the rest falling around 2:1 - and that most of the posts here have multiple reactions^ (around 3? Not counting the more recent ones that probably haven't been read by many yet.) That does make me wonder if the brohoofs tells you more about *where* someone posts rather than what they post"".

 

As an interesting aside, does anyone know if the site collects brohoof metrics? One could theoretically scrape the data [location & reactions] off the profile pages, but it would be easier if it were collected automatically. If the place and future of brohoofs / reactions is being considered then it's worth having the numbers``.

 

*which is to my preference to be honest - I'm much more inclined towards 1:1 or small group conversations, which would be the sort that give that kind of ratio

^for the sake of simplicity I am counting all reactions as one brohoof

""not to disparage the quality of what high-reaction posters post, but quality alone doesn't determine reaction - visibility plays a significant part. 

``If reactions can be reliably be modelled by the location of the post (perhaps with a staff modifier / exemption) then it would suggest that they don't mean much.  

Edited August 19, 2018 by Once In A Blue Moon

[Rikifive 24,126]

Brohooving / reacting is a quick and effective way to express your opinion about the post, so you don't have to spam with a post saying "yeah I agree", but just leave the reaction. Now eventually if you have something more to add, you can still do it. Reacting and replying play together well. It's also just a nice way to express, that you simply like the content, which gives hints to the users, that they did something right and encourage them to do so in future.

As for the counter, it more or less reflects how active and friendly the user is. If a user is ... you know, unfriendly, he probably won't have many, so do when he won't be active, obviously. Some could say it also reflects the quality of content the user posts and while it is true, it plays an extremely tiny part here in my opinion.

Basically, participating in forum games that don't require even any effort will get you way further than posting well built posts, that take a while to write. Now don't get me wrong, activity is still activity, I'm not complaining.  If it encourages to participate in forums games and off-topic sections, then that feature does its job, doesn't it? 

If I see a user, that has a lot of brohooves then I know, that he plays forum games and/or just talks to other members a lot, but I do not assume right away, that the user posts quality posts, as this factor is pretty much irrelevant to that counter. So it just shows how active and friendly the user is, as these two factors alone are more than enough to raise the counter to the sky. 

 

As for winning days and that whole leaderboard system... I have a mixed opinion on that one to be honest. Personally I completely don't care about that one.  I simply know, that I don't have chances to appear there, as I don't play games / participate in simple discussions etc. as often as some other members tend to. Also considering what are the best ways to receive these, I wouldn't feel good with fighting for it, as I'd have to force myself to post as much as I can, which I don't find necessary. I have my own style of posting, where I post as much as I need, which apparently isn't 'profitable', if I could name it that way, but I'm fine with it. 

Now why the mixed opinion?
+ From one point of view it encourages activity of users, who are interested in it. This gives them a some kind of an objective, which slightly raises their desire to post.
- From another point of view, the rivalry it brings is completely unnecessary and in general it is poorly balanced. You don't even need @hampony; Only two users and one simple forum game is enough to get a significant boost of brohooves. Just poke your friend, go to counting game and keep posting numbers one after another while brohooving each post. YAY you both will appear on the leaderboards, enjoy your win. It's hard to actually care about this system, when it practically encourages effortless activity, which is a path I don't really want to choose.  But again, I can't blame others for having fun, so I just mind my own business.  

In my opinion winning a day should be based on number of brohooves gathered in a single post (choosing the post of the day), rather a total number from the whole day. That way, it would encourage quality posts and would let ponies, who deserve that win. -- of course I'm not saying, that the ponies currently winning don't deserve that, don't get me wrong! 

Edited August 19, 2018 by Rikifive

[SharpWit 2,614]

I used to care a lot about them. It's nice to have yourself liked and feel popular. But then I see other users tha that had fewer posts than me yet had so many more brohoofs, and I only recently realized that the topics I browsed weren't as popular or just saw less use of the feature. I'm fine with them, they're useful for expressing how you feel sometimes. I often brohoof a post if I genuinely like it, agree with it, or if it mirrors what I might say, and clicking that button feels better than repeating what's already been said.

[bronywhocodes 218]

yeah they're alright.

 

i dont care too much but its nice to see that someone liked my post.

[Tacodidra 61,081]

24 minutes ago, Once In A Blue Moon said:

When looking at the brohoofs a profile has received I don't tend to look at the brohoofs alone but also the post count. I find the ratio interesting - I think it gives a fairly clear indicator as to 'public figures', as well as those who are not. I fall firmly into the latter category, with a 1:1 ratio*, but if we look at @TheTaZe there's a whopping 15.9 : 1 ratio of brohoofs to posts; when they post, a lot of people read and find reason to brohoof.

 

As an aside, as I was glancing down, I noted that a lot of the posters have what I would view as a fairly high ratio (more than 3:1), with the rest falling around 2:1 - and that most of the posts here have multiple reactions^ (around 3? Not counting the more recent ones that probably haven't been read by many yet.) That does make me wonder if the brohoofs tells you more about *where* someone posts rather than what they post"".

I wouldn't put much value in the ratio, to be honest. Most of my activity here is posting status replies, which doesn't increase post count. It would technically be possible to have a post count of 0 and 40,000 brohoofs, if all your activity was in the areas that don't change post count (forum games, status updates, status replies). If only forum posts were counted, I believe my ratio would be between 1:1 and 2:1.

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

49 minutes ago, Tacodidra said:

I wouldn't put much value in the ratio, to be honest. Most of my activity here is posting status replies, which doesn't increase post count

I had forgotten that certain posts didn't 'count', and it makes me wonder if such posts should be counted (or that reactions from non-posts shouldn't be counted.) It does still tell us something about the profile in question, however.

49 minutes ago, Tacodidra said:

I believe my ratio would be between 1:1 and 2:1.

Hmmm... 

 

 

And the results are in!

A pretty good call there - the 6.7:1 stated ratio of the past few days is nothing like your 20.0:1 stated overall ratio, but you were almost dead on with 1.8:1 true ratio. I'm curious about how your posting has been different over the past few days (since Thursday), as I doubt that the difference is due to additional brohoofs accumulated over time (note that checking recent posts will systematically underestimate the number of brohoofs a post will receive.)

As an additional remark, if I were doing a proper analysis I'd like to check activity over the period of a month and that is a week old (so a real-time monitoring of all posts with a time delay of one week) to allow for variation in activity.

Edited August 19, 2018 by Once In A Blue Moon

[Longhaul 6,838]

Doesn't matter to me in the least.

[Misty Shadow 7,846]

The brohoof system is totally fine so long as you don't take it too seriously. I'll embarrassingly admit to being one of those people who's gotten insecure and overly self-conscious over certain posts of mine that I put a lot of work into and/or were "potentially controversial" getting no brohoofs at all in the past, but I always stick to what I say and refuse to lie, conforming to the "popular opinion" to get more likes. Though they're fun to get, what always matters to me most is the quality of the posts.