Richard Slipper
On Paul Willis saidOn Richard Slipper saidOn Dai Davies saidNot as extensive a proposal in this post as in those above, but a simple (?) suggestion of likes/approval for posts. You see this on most sites. It also makes the site look busier as it shows that people are looking at posts!
I note that the S4S forum also seems to lack likes. I cannot think people on either would be motivated to post ‘clickbait’ so do not really see a reason why likes are omitted.
Knowing a bit about this, it’s the simple fact that the core forum software (phpBB in the case of the Scalefour Society Forum) doesn’t have the capability written within it.
There are plug-ins available from third parties that promise to provide such functionality. However, adding plug-ins creates more complexity in the package, there is the increased risk of crashes when one piece of software updates but the other doesn’t, and of course at the end of the day some poor volunteer has to maintain all of this.
There is a long-running joke made in comments on the Scalefour Forum of “Where’s the Like button”, but it’s never taken seriously.
What is quite serous is that Likes can have problems of their own. I have one friend that becomes extremely distressed if his posts on Facebook don’t gain as many likes as he hopes. It’s all part of the gamification of society (have a look at some of the academic literature on the “hooks” used by apps on phones, and realise how you are being emotionally manipulated), and as is inevitable in games there are always losers…
Best wishes,
Paul
“Knowing a bit about this” or anything else does not seem to me to be a reason for not considering change in a wider debate Paul.
Sadly, your comments comes over as negative and even an attempt to cancel debate by the closed nature of their tone.
Software doesn’t cater for it. – My reply, change the software.
Plug-ins cause crashes. – Doesn’t seem to be a problem on on other platforms.
This type of ‘it’ll go wrong’ thinking reminds me of a camera I bought in the early 80s, a Pentax ME Super with some automatic exposure capability. My father, an electrician with an interest in TV and Radio, drew in his breath and shook his head, ‘you do realise there’s more to go wrong’ – well of course it never did and the ‘more’ was always interesting as I’d never known any mechanical camera he had that went wrong anyway. So his opinion was just that, his opinion. Other opinions were available. And now I have a computer in the palm of my hand with a teeny tiny lens that can take fantastic pictures – and that doesn’t go wrong either.
Hard pressed volunteers. – When you volunteer, you volunteer. No point complaining. So don’t volunteer for something you cannot do. Or learn how to do what is needed properly. “If I don’t volunteer then the organisation will cease to exist.” Consider – if others haven’t volunteered but who could – maybe it’s not that important to them. Or if it is then an existential decision might draw them out. If anybody volunteers then they get the rough and the smooth and will only endure if the customers (members, users, etc etc) tolerate their contribution.
Long term joke on S4S nobody takes seriously. Oh dear. Perhaps they should – because as you know S4S is also having similar debates as EMGS about the future shape of that society, whether it will (should) survive and how to attract new members. Without change neither will, independently. Maybe they don’t need to. Maybe their job is done for those people from the 60s-00s who wanted the product they supply. Maybe todays people don’t or insufficient numbers of them do want that product.
Likes – for adults there will be a number of people seeking engagement whose ego is fragile so that lack of engagement causes them anxiety. I suggest that the anxiety exists in spite of Facebook and will be exacerbated in any situation where there contribution is not received in the way they think it should be. Pointing the finger at one situation – especially novel ones to which people and society are adapting – is like blaming a black cat owning women with a facial wart for potato blight. There may be other reasons for the situation. I suspect you know many more other people who don’t give a fig about how many FB likes they achieve or even give it a second thought. Facebook or any other platform for that matter is not in itself the problem.
For teenagers and children I think the issues are far, far different. Their inexperience, vulnerability, impressionableness, and attitudes, desire to be accepted, wanted, belong, etc create a myriad of situations which can create distress and harm.
Unless these societies in general have a large membership from these age groups I suspect the problem of likes is almost non-existent.
Specifically, much will depend, as you know I’m sure – but others may not, upon how this friend of yours posts on FB whether publicly, to friends only or to friends and friends of friends only, and will depend upon how many people see the post and how many are motivated to respond. There are many factors affecting it. For example a small number of ‘friends’ will result in few likes. Posting irrelevant, meaningless or clickbait content will be spotted and ignored by most.
I doubt that the unknown number of members of the EMGS and the 1700-1800 of the S4S are the types of people who would be the victims of the ‘gamification of society’ and would, as a group, have the benefit of critical thinking skills, a sense of realism, and be generally pretty grounded one way and another. To suggest otherwise is, I feel, a trifle disingenuous. But with your experience of both societies you will know more of them better than I.
If I was to predict I think that it is inevitable that within the next ten years the two finer scale 4mm societies will need to merge as neither will be viable alone. (I don’t understand why EMGS caters for P4 in the first place apart from trying to compete for members or for tribal reasons) There will have to be better and more user friendly online services to provide for an increasingly disseminated membership. It may be necessary to revise the purposes of the society(s) to cater for all those aspiring to finer scale 4mm models railways whatever the gauge (yes even 4.125′) as the disciplines of detail and finesse in scenery, buildings, operation etc become more generally adopted by a wider community. I’m sure some are already members for that very reason.
Enough. This could go on for ever.
But at least the forum is getting some engagement. 🙂
Richard