The first mistake new visitors make when coming here is thinking that a person's Karma score matters. Now don't get me wrong. Most people, whether they will admit it or not, will get a funny feeling in their pants if they get a post rated excellent. Likewise, they might get a sad panda face if their post gets rated down. The average rate of occurance for this phenomenon has been somewhat lessened since the elimination of numbers, but it still happens. But in the grand scheme of things, being a Guru, Sage, or a Scholar honestly has very little impact on how "We" view a poster's worth. It's kind of like an Employee of the Week award at McDonald's, you get a little pat on the back but it doesn't necessarily mean your paycheck is going to be any bigger.
Now on to the second mistake new poster's make. This one is less talked about, but usually more abused, especially by those who are new to the site, but want to become recognized as "Old School" as soon as they can manage it. They think that if they rack up a few thousand posts, their opinions and comments will somehow be regarded with greater esteem. You often see them bumping old threads in unused forums, maybe class specific forums for EQ, or some obscure server forum for FFXI. Lots of time you will hear about someone's journal that got nuked, or maybe one in which a group of people spam their way up. Or they could even be a part of some never-ending spamfest regarding someone's "favorite music thread" or one of those ghey "person before you" games in the Sandbox.
In truth, neither of these assumptions matters. People like Hellboy, Coddy, & Kupoback to name a few, are under the impression that if they can CJ and spam their way up that We will give them acclaim and actually care what they say.
In truth, worth around here is more on a sliding scale. Several things factor in, and it would take a mathematician or professional analyst to actually manage to score it. One dynamic that plays a part, is a ratio of Shit posts to worthy posts. Everyone makes Shit posts. That’s right, I said it, Everyone. However, those who are held in higher regard around here, have a better ratio of quality posts than Shit ones. Not necessarily saying the ratio is 12/1 for example, but considering many posters who come here are in the range of 1/1000 fair to Shit, the regulars who are closer to 1/10 look pretty damn good. Another factor is timing. A smart assed comment in general might make readers grin. However a smart assed comment made after 20 others have made similar or better is why we have a
icon. Another issue that can play a factor is tenacity. Some regulars around here have been crappy posters for so long it's ridiculous. Yet they still manage to garner attention simply because they've been brow-beaten and kicked to the gutter countless times and still come back for more. This factor taken by itself means nothing. (Shadowrelm). But taken in with a comedic comment now and then, an occasional flash of brilliance (in a idiot-savant sort of way), and a willingness to be the resident board Ho (Katie) might acquire a sympathetic favor of sorts, if nothing else. That being said, some people erroneously assume if they journal farm and rate-bot their way to several thousand posts, and then start putting forth a strong effort to make quality posts from that point on that We will forget how they got to that point. This board has a long memory, and a record to refer back to (post-UBB anyways).
So for those of you lurkers and brave/stupid souls that think to make their presence here known, think before you post. Quality is greater than quantity. Originality is even better. Most importantly, realize you are here to amuse We.
And for those of you who are about to reply with something accusing me of lacking the very things I have professed to you here today, I have this to say:
1. Do as I say, not as I do.
2. Lick me in a warm, dark place.
