I have something direct and honest to say...

[Haven]

CONGRATS ON REACHING 10K Cehra! I love your posts, and I look forward to reading 10,000 more of them.

As for the gift, I haven't been around very long, but from the start I never thought I would a) reach 10,000 posts, and b) have enough to contribute about diamonds to the site to deserve a gift if I ever did. I'm always a bit out of the loop, so I never realized that the 10K gifts were given to everyone until I met Andrey at a GTG and he brought up the idea of only giving them to people who contribute diamond knowledge to the site. THAT makes perfect sense to me.

Perhaps this is less about the $1,000 gift, and more about having a token to represent that you belong to the 10K club? What if one of our vendors stepped up to offer a simple, inexpensive *10K posts* pin to all of the posters who reach 10K? Would that make people feel better? (At work people get small gifts for each milestone: crystal bowls, watches, a wooden office chair, etc.) Is that what this is about?

As for me, I'll look at my post count once I post this, but I think I'm around 6,000 or 7,000. That's a lot for the short time I've been here, and considering that most of my posts aren't of the *valuable diamond or jewelry insight* or *helpful* variety, I'm just happy that Andrey lets me stick around!

I also think it's important that we remember that giving a gift like this to *anyone* is an extremely kind and unusual thing to do. I applaud Andrey for continuing to give the gifts to those who contribute immensely to this community, and I'd hate to see this pressure to give to everyone who reaches 10K make the practice disappear altogether. Yes, hangout and other areas are a huge part of this community, but this is a diamond forum, and it's those with the diamond and jewelry expertise who draw many of us here in the first place, and they are the backbone of this forum.

 

[Liane]

I also think it's important that we remember that giving a gift like this to *anyone* is an extremely kind and unusual thing to do. I applaud Andrey for continuing to give the gifts to those who contribute immensely to this community, and I'd hate to see this pressure to give to everyone who reaches 10K make the practice disappear altogether.

I'm of two minds about this.

On the one hand, it is an extremely generous and unusual practice for an Internet forum to give out such a substantial reward to its longtime members. That's a real big carrot. I have never seen any other place that offered anything at all like it.

On the other hand, it strikes me as an extraordinary invitation to the worst kind of drama and resentment. (NB: I'm not attributing this thought process to anyone on PS, and certainly not to Cehra, who has always been kind and warmhearted as long as I've been reading her posts. I am strictly speaking in the abstract here; I'm too clueless about the relationships on PS to be talking about any actual individual. My observations are actually drawn from a different Internet forum that I participated in for about a decade, and which eventually imploded partly as a result of similar pressures.)

In my experience, ANY kind of reward or recognition that is handed out to some members of a community and not to others of objectively comparable accomplishment will create resentment and jealousy. If the reward isn't tied to an obvious, objective standard -- such as 10K posts regardless of their content -- then someone, somewhere, is going to think that whoever is handing out that reward is playing favorites. The bigger the reward, and the greater the amount of subjectivity in evaluating performances, the more resentment it fosters. That's especially true where people have been in the community for a long time (as most people who rack up 10,000 posts on an Internet forum will be); they can get to feeling that years of emotional investment are being disregarded.

Realistically, most of us could earn $1K a lot faster by doing other things. (With a lot fewer words, too...) But the emotional issue -- that one person's time and contributions to a community are perceived as being worth less than some other person's -- is rarely affected by that consideration. It's not a matter of the money. It's a matter of your perceived status in, and value to, the group.

Obviously PS can't and shouldn't give out rewards to everyone who hits that postcount. The example of the member who just posted "+1" to get an inflated postcount shows where that would lead. A lottery might be a better solution. Eliminating it altogether might not be a terrible idea. That it's a subjective award right now, however, in light of its history on this board, seems fraught with risk to me.

I'll never get 10K posts here, so I don't really have any personal stake in the matter. But that's my two cents, anyway. Long-winded Captain Obvious signing out.

 

[Haven]

Liane--I think you make great points, and while I don't necessarily understand feeling resentful for not getting the award, I now understand how and why people may feel it.

After reading your post I'm really thinking that a very small gift for anyone who reaches the 10K milestone would be great. I'm thinking about the BGD rose gold pins that they're giving away right now--what if everyone who reaches the 10K milestone here on PS was sent a small pin to wear. Not only is it recognition, but it's also a little emblem that you belong to a certain club. (I'm imagining people wearing their pins to jewelry shows and spotting fellow PSers that way.)

Maybe one of our long-time vendors could volunteer to design and donate the pins. OR, we could hold a fun little contest and our jewelers could submit designs for voting, and the community could vote for their favorite.

I'm seeing a 25K pin, too--we have some posters who have reached that milestone, as well.

Any vendors interested? How much can a little pin cost? Certainly not so much that it wouldn't be worth the good will you'd earn for participating.

ETA:
Liane--I also meant to say that as a teacher, I completely understand and relate to what you're saying in your post. Over the years I've learned the absolute necessity of creating clear and objective measures for measuring student performance. It isn't easy, and whenever I've tried to assign a grade for anything that is even remotely subjective, it's backfired. (I'm thinking about the common practice of giving grades for participation, which is a very difficult thing to accurately and fairly measure in a classroom. Students don't have post counts, after all, and if they did, there's still the task of accounting for the quality of each post.)

 

[Maisie]

Liane--I think you make great points, and while I don't necessarily understand feeling resentful for not getting the award, I now understand how and why people may feel it.

After reading your post I'm really thinking that a very small gift for anyone who reaches the 10K milestone would be great. I'm thinking about the BGD rose gold pins that they're giving away right now--what if everyone who reaches the 10K milestone here on PS was sent a small pin to wear. Not only is it recognition, but it's also a little emblem that you belong to a certain club. (I'm imagining people wearing their pins to jewelry shows and spotting fellow PSers that way.)

Maybe one of our long-time vendors could volunteer to design and donate the pins. OR, we could hold a fun little contest and our jewelers could submit designs for voting, and the community could vote for their favorite.

I'm seeing a 25K pin, too--we have some posters who have reached that milestone, as well.

Any vendors interested? How much can a little pin cost? Certainly not so much that it wouldn't be worth the good will you'd earn for participating.

Excellent idea Haven!

 

[Mara]

Ditto TG.

AND FWIW...as someone who got the gift (since that will be pointed out!)...I may even have been the first, I don't remember...BUT back then 10k was a BIG FRIGGIN DEAL. As in... I think I was the first or second person ever to hit 10k posts on PS. When I joined PS they got like 10 posts a DAY. It was a handful of people--maybe 30-40 regular posters. PS was TINY. 10k was big numbers a few years later. And after me... there were I think 1-2 more people over the span of the next 1-2 years who it hit. Not many at all.

Since then things have changed. The forum is huge. Now there are so many people that to equal the same importance of hitting 10k posts from YEARS ago-- people would have to actually make like 50k posts before it reached the same crazy significance. The forum is WAY bigger than 5x grown.

I do think that there should be some recognition, even a post to say HOLLA to those who are loyal to the site--but that whole 'I didn't get the $1k gift, blah blah'. Now if they gave it out and 30-40 people a year got it... it doesn't make sense financially OR from a numbers perspective.

I think the way that PS has gone--given the gift to people whose contributions are priceless, is the right way to go. It's not just #'s anymore.

That said, congrats Sara on reaching your 10k. And AGBF...girl you have been around just as long as me.

 

[TravelingGal]

Hey Mara...congratulations...I just noticed you vaulted over 30K posts! Is there a gift for that???

 

[lulu66]

first, congrats, cehra! i can't imagine reaching 10k posts & i believe you display great loyalty & caring to this site will all enjoy!

Liane--I think you make great points, and while I don't necessarily understand feeling resentful for not getting the award, I now understand how and why people may feel it.

After reading your post I'm really thinking that a very small gift for anyone who reaches the 10K milestone would be great. I'm thinking about the BGD rose gold pins that they're giving away right now--what if everyone who reaches the 10K milestone here on PS was sent a small pin to wear. Not only is it recognition, but it's also a little emblem that you belong to a certain club. (I'm imagining people wearing their pins to jewelry shows and spotting fellow PSers that way.)

Maybe one of our long-time vendors could volunteer to design and donate the pins. OR, we could hold a fun little contest and our jewelers could submit designs for voting, and the community could vote for their favorite.

I'm seeing a 25K pin, too--we have some posters who have reached that milestone, as well.

Any vendors interested? How much can a little pin cost? Certainly not so much that it wouldn't be worth the good will you'd earn for participating.

ETA:
Liane--I also meant to say that as a teacher, I completely understand and relate to what you're saying in your post. Over the years I've learned the absolute necessity of creating clear and objective measures for measuring student performance. It isn't easy, and whenever I've tried to assign a grade for anything that is even remotely subjective, it's backfired. (I'm thinking about the common practice of giving grades for participation, which is a very difficult thing to accurately and fairly measure in a classroom. Students don't have post counts, after all, and if they did, there's still the task of accounting for the quality of each post.)

haven, the idea of a small "token" gift for everyone who reaches 10k (or whatever #) of posts is an excellent idea. a pin would be great or a small charm that could be put on a bracelet or necklace. its a great solution to this problem that's arisen more than once since the gifts for everyone 10k post have been discontinued. whenever i see that you have posted, i know that a level-headed answer with a creative solution is going to come forward & i just want to say that i appreciate your way of always "keeping the peace." i have no doubt that you are an excellent teacher irl b/c of what you reveal in this forum. so thanks to you too!!

 

[Haven]

haven, the idea of a small "token" gift for everyone who reaches 10k (or whatever #) of posts is an excellent idea. a pin would be great or a small charm that could be put on a bracelet or necklace. its a great solution to this problem that's arisen more than once since the gifts for everyone 10k post have been discontinued. whenever i see that you have posted, i know that a level-headed answer with a creative solution is going to come forward & i just want to say that i appreciate your way of always "keeping the peace." i have no doubt that you are an excellent teacher irl b/c of what you reveal in this forum. so thanks to you too!!

Lulu--That was really nice of you to say, thank you. I'm actually blushing over here.
P.S. My nickname IRL is LuLu! (My real name is Lori.)

 

[Lauren8211]

I never expected the 10K gift since I'm really more of a social poster rather than a diamond poster. However, I happen to think that I give fantastic advice that deserves rewarding!

Teasing.

Congratulations to Cehra and to anyone else who has met the 10 K milestone. If you've hit 10K and have not received a gift, just join me and we can just start a Facebook hate group about it. Right?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Haven, a looong time ago they did a "diamonds on the web" pin and gave it to valuable members. Not sure why old management stopped.

About the 10K gift, I agree with many have already mentioned. Back in the day only a few people a year hit the 10K mark. I guess that automatically made it a bigger deal b/c it was so rare. Other members would start threads to congratulate the honored member and the old management would contact them weeks, sometimes months later offering them the gift. It was not automatic (in timing). When Andrey took over I do think he made it very, very clear that they will no long be offering the 1K gift whenever a member met the 10K milestone.

Congrats on hitting 10K. Hopefully this will not taint your view of PS.

 

[fieryred33143]

If I hit 10k posts and still have a job, I'll consider my paycheck the gift :p

I think Mara hit the nail on the head. Back in 2001, forums weren't as popular as they are now so some of our old timers hitting 10k posts was a really big deal. Now we are all so dependent on online communication that merely being a frequent poster isn't enough. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes the new crop of PSers just a few months to hit 10k.

FWIW, I have over 13k posts on another forum. Not only did I not get recognition but someone created an "alter ego" to tell me and other regulars that we are annoying and pathetic lol. Good times.

 

[Upgradable]

If I hit 10k posts and still have a job, I'll consider my paycheck the gift :p

I think Mara hit the nail on the head. Back in 2001, forums weren't as popular as they are now so some of our old timers hitting 10k posts was a really big deal. Now we are all so dependent on online communication that merely being a frequent poster isn't enough. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes the new crop of PSers just a few months to hit 10k.FWIW, I have over 13k posts on another forum. Not only did I not get recognition but someone created an "alter ego" to tell me and other regulars that we are annoying and pathetic lol. Good times.

Boy, am I lame!!! I've been here over six years and haven't yet gotten near halfway there!

 

[Laila619]

I think the way that PS has gone--given the gift to people whose contributions are priceless, is the right way to go. It's not just #'s anymore.

The problem is, "priceless contributions" is subjective. Some people who feel they did contribute a ton are going to get their feelers hurt when they don't get a gift. Especially when some people in the past received the gift just for being a popular and fun poster, and now what's worse is they don't even post anymore! Did they just get the gift and run?

And just in case anyone thinks I'm worried about any gift for myself, I am not. I will probably never reach 10k posts, nor do I feel entitled to anything at all, which would be incredibly presumptuous and rude. I'm more worried about long-time vets who might get ignored and feel hurt, and leave the community.

 

[Bliss]

I thought the 10k gift was gone a long time ago! I understand why some who pour their hearts and souls into the site would feel a little like, "Hey, why not me?" But then again, that's a really big gift to hand out indiscriminately for a milestone like that. I would imagine, as many wise posters said, that it wouldn't make financial sense after a critical threshold.

I love Cehra's posts and many other posters bring so much information and variety to the site. I've just gotten so much from PS - in terms of advice, AWESOME TTC tips and support, now amazing mommy advice and I have a great diamond collection that is growing thanks to PS. Just happy that I found it and feel like I got much more than I ever gave. I know once I reach 10k posts, the value I've gotten out of the site will be worth way more than $1k - I've made friends, learned a great deal and had some great entertainment on those pie drama days! That stuff is priceless! LOL

Just having the site is great protection and value for us and for the vendors. We spend a lot of money with them and PS helps us stay informed. Also, if you're a PS vendor - that's a pretty high standard so I feel like we get our money's worth for sure. I would never have known Mark T at ERD, WhiteFlash or Yekutiel at ID Jewelry and they've made me so many beautiful things. I even consider some of them my friends outside of PS - and have gotten to know them quite well in real life!

BTW, congrats to you Cehra! You've been a great contributor and I've really appreciated your insight and humor!

 

[Siamese Kitty]

Ditto TG.

AND FWIW...as someone who got the gift (since that will be pointed out!)...I may even have been the first, I don't remember...BUT back then 10k was a BIG FRIGGIN DEAL. As in... I think I was the first or second person ever to hit 10k posts on PS. When I joined PS they got like 10 posts a DAY. It was a handful of people--maybe 30-40 regular posters. PS was TINY. 10k was big numbers a few years later. And after me... there were I think 1-2 more people over the span of the next 1-2 years who it hit. Not many at all

I think the issue is that it is STILL a big friggin deal to those who hit the 10K, be it 4 years ago or now. It's still 10K posts. The person in question is still putting an extraordinary amount of time into the forum. Not to mention, if it is taking you 4-5 years to get to 10K, you probably have contributed where you had something you thought was valuable to add, not just to rack up posts. To have someone pick and choose who is recognized makes those who aren't selected feel like their contributions over the course of X amount of time weren't valuable enough. Talk about a let down. Or even a regret for "wasting" your time. (I mean this independently of the gift.)

This is not my forum, and I really don't have a place to criticize the gift policy, but I can see why Cehra was taken aback. In fact, I saw her 10K thread the same day the other two well-deserved gifts were announced and thought, "Huh?" I figured they brought the 10K gift back and forgot her.

At the end of the day, it's just nice to know your participation is being appreciated, kind of like when someone posts for diamond help, gets 25 replies, and never comes back to say thank you. It seems that rubs many the wrong way from the pet peeve threads. Making Cehra's thread a sticky was a nice gesture.

FWIW, I think the pin idea is genius, or some other less expensive gift that can be extended to everyone who hits 10K. $1000 is a lot of $$$ to be handing out. Maybe that would also lessen the incentive a bit for those +1, ditto, smiley people, who by the way, irked the cr*p out of me. (so obvious what they were doing) That way it is more of a recognition then a huge prize. But again, not my call. I'm pretty sure I'll never hit 10K, but I participate as much as I can and am very grateful to those who do more because it keeps the ball rolling.

Oh, I'm a teacher by trade, too.

 

[luckygirl333]

Since I will never come anywhere near hitting these milestones I feel very confident that my opinions are not self serving. (I am mostly a lurker)

I. thought that 10k/$1k was CRAZY (And it actually made me think that maybe I shouldn't put SO much trust into the forum...I mean if they are making enough $$ to do that, is this place really objective, or is it just big business.

2. I think that $1k subjective is BEGGING for hurt feelings

3. I LOVE the idea of charms...for 5k, 10k, 15k (Pandora - esq maybe) with the value of the charms increasing with the higher #s...

4. For $1000 I might post lol and and Oh, Pretty! Seventy-six times a day.

And, gift or not, 10,000K deserves acknowledgement. So, CONGRATS!

 

[TravelingGal]

Ditto TG.

AND FWIW...as someone who got the gift (since that will be pointed out!)...I may even have been the first, I don't remember...BUT back then 10k was a BIG FRIGGIN DEAL. As in... I think I was the first or second person ever to hit 10k posts on PS. When I joined PS they got like 10 posts a DAY. It was a handful of people--maybe 30-40 regular posters. PS was TINY. 10k was big numbers a few years later. And after me... there were I think 1-2 more people over the span of the next 1-2 years who it hit. Not many at all

I think the issue is that it is STILL a big friggin deal to those who hit the 10K, be it 4 years ago or now. It's still 10K posts. The person in question is still putting an extraordinary amount of time into the forum. Not to mention, if it is taking you 4-5 years to get to 10K, you probably have contributed where you had something you thought was valuable to add, not just to rack up posts. To have someone pick and choose who is recognized makes those who aren't selected feel like their contributions over the course of X amount of time weren't valuable enough. Talk about a let down. Or even a regret for "wasting" your time. (I mean this independently of the gift.)

This is not my forum, and I really don't have a place to criticize the gift policy, but I can see why Cehra was taken aback. In fact, I saw her 10K thread the same day the other two well-deserved gifts were announced and thought, "Huh?" I figured they brought the 10K gift back and forgot her.

At the end of the day, it's just nice to know your participation is being appreciated, kind of like when someone posts for diamond help, gets 25 replies, and never comes back to say thank you. It seems that rubs many the wrong way from the pet peeve threads. Making Cehra's thread a sticky was a nice gesture.

FWIW, I think the pin idea is genius, or some other less expensive gift that can be extended to everyone who hits 10K. $1000 is a lot of $$$ to be handing out. Maybe that would also lessen the incentive a bit for those +1, ditto, smiley people, who by the way, irked the cr*p out of me. (so obvious what they were doing) That way it is more of a recognition then a huge prize. But again, not my call. I'm pretty sure I'll never hit 10K, but I participate as much as I can and am very grateful to those who do more because it keeps the ball rolling.

Oh, I'm a teacher by trade, too.

SK, since I think Cehra would own up to this, the "person in question" was on track to get 10K posts in a year, maybe two. It was a LOT of posts in a very short amount of time, with lots of topics opened to ask questions on ring design, plus responding to every poster in individual posts. Nothing wrong with that, as that's her posting style. The reason she took 4 years is that she took a pretty long hiatus from PS.

 

[Siamese Kitty]

Ditto TG.

AND FWIW...as someone who got the gift (since that will be pointed out!)...I may even have been the first, I don't remember...BUT back then 10k was a BIG FRIGGIN DEAL. As in... I think I was the first or second person ever to hit 10k posts on PS. When I joined PS they got like 10 posts a DAY. It was a handful of people--maybe 30-40 regular posters. PS was TINY. 10k was big numbers a few years later. And after me... there were I think 1-2 more people over the span of the next 1-2 years who it hit. Not many at all

I think the issue is that it is STILL a big friggin deal to those who hit the 10K, be it 4 years ago or now. It's still 10K posts. The person in question is still putting an extraordinary amount of time into the forum. Not to mention, if it is taking you 4-5 years to get to 10K, you probably have contributed where you had something you thought was valuable to add, not just to rack up posts. To have someone pick and choose who is recognized makes those who aren't selected feel like their contributions over the course of X amount of time weren't valuable enough. Talk about a let down. Or even a regret for "wasting" your time. (I mean this independently of the gift.)

This is not my forum, and I really don't have a place to criticize the gift policy, but I can see why Cehra was taken aback. In fact, I saw her 10K thread the same day the other two well-deserved gifts were announced and thought, "Huh?" I figured they brought the 10K gift back and forgot her.

At the end of the day, it's just nice to know your participation is being appreciated, kind of like when someone posts for diamond help, gets 25 replies, and never comes back to say thank you. It seems that rubs many the wrong way from the pet peeve threads. Making Cehra's thread a sticky was a nice gesture.

FWIW, I think the pin idea is genius, or some other less expensive gift that can be extended to everyone who hits 10K. $1000 is a lot of $$$ to be handing out. Maybe that would also lessen the incentive a bit for those +1, ditto, smiley people, who by the way, irked the cr*p out of me. (so obvious what they were doing) That way it is more of a recognition then a huge prize. But again, not my call. I'm pretty sure I'll never hit 10K, but I participate as much as I can and am very grateful to those who do more because it keeps the ball rolling.

Oh, I'm a teacher by trade, too.

SK, since I think Cehra would own up to this, the "person in question" was on track to get 10K posts in a year, maybe two. It was a LOT of posts in a very short amount of time, with lots of topics opened to ask questions on ring design, plus responding to every poster in individual posts. Nothing wrong with that, as that's her posting style. The reason she took 4 years is that she took a pretty long hiatus from PS.

Travelinggal,
I'm not sure I expressed myself clearly there-sorry, I'm tired tonight. Anyway, "person in question" is meant to mean any person who has hit 10K posts, not necessarily Cehra. And the 4-5 years thing was referencing something a page or two back about people who have been on here a long time and are only recently hitting the benchmark. I hope that makes my point clearer.

 

[TravelingGal]

Ditto TG.

AND FWIW...as someone who got the gift (since that will be pointed out!)...I may even have been the first, I don't remember...BUT back then 10k was a BIG FRIGGIN DEAL. As in... I think I was the first or second person ever to hit 10k posts on PS. When I joined PS they got like 10 posts a DAY. It was a handful of people--maybe 30-40 regular posters. PS was TINY. 10k was big numbers a few years later. And after me... there were I think 1-2 more people over the span of the next 1-2 years who it hit. Not many at all

I think the issue is that it is STILL a big friggin deal to those who hit the 10K, be it 4 years ago or now. It's still 10K posts. The person in question is still putting an extraordinary amount of time into the forum. Not to mention, if it is taking you 4-5 years to get to 10K, you probably have contributed where you had something you thought was valuable to add, not just to rack up posts. To have someone pick and choose who is recognized makes those who aren't selected feel like their contributions over the course of X amount of time weren't valuable enough. Talk about a let down. Or even a regret for "wasting" your time. (I mean this independently of the gift.)

This is not my forum, and I really don't have a place to criticize the gift policy, but I can see why Cehra was taken aback. In fact, I saw her 10K thread the same day the other two well-deserved gifts were announced and thought, "Huh?" I figured they brought the 10K gift back and forgot her.

At the end of the day, it's just nice to know your participation is being appreciated, kind of like when someone posts for diamond help, gets 25 replies, and never comes back to say thank you. It seems that rubs many the wrong way from the pet peeve threads. Making Cehra's thread a sticky was a nice gesture.

FWIW, I think the pin idea is genius, or some other less expensive gift that can be extended to everyone who hits 10K. $1000 is a lot of $$$ to be handing out. Maybe that would also lessen the incentive a bit for those +1, ditto, smiley people, who by the way, irked the cr*p out of me. (so obvious what they were doing) That way it is more of a recognition then a huge prize. But again, not my call. I'm pretty sure I'll never hit 10K, but I participate as much as I can and am very grateful to those who do more because it keeps the ball rolling.

Oh, I'm a teacher by trade, too.

SK, since I think Cehra would own up to this, the "person in question" was on track to get 10K posts in a year, maybe two. It was a LOT of posts in a very short amount of time, with lots of topics opened to ask questions on ring design, plus responding to every poster in individual posts. Nothing wrong with that, as that's her posting style. The reason she took 4 years is that she took a pretty long hiatus from PS.

Travelinggal,
I'm not sure I expressed myself clearly there-sorry, I'm tired tonight. Anyway, "person in question" is meant to mean any person who has hit 10K posts, not necessarily Cehra. And the 4-5 years thing was referencing something a page or two back about people who have been on here a long time and are only recently hitting the benchmark. I hope that makes my point clearer.

It's OK. I'm drinking tonight (embarrassingly bad, low alcohol beer, but still). My apologies for misunderstanding.

 

[risingsun]

ETA: Not worth the debate. Nothing to see here.

 

[Mara]

ITA that 10k is a big milestone. My point in calling attn to it in my post was that when the forums are on a MUCH smaller scale, contribution levels are different.

It doesn't meant that the person is not loyal or didn't spend a lot of time crafting what, in the end, amounts to a TON of words, but the value is subjective.

Yes, of course, just as 'priceless contributions' to the forum are subjective. Really everything about PS is subjective in the end--we are all here at the grace of the owners of the forum.

Put quite simply, I think it's obvious that not everyone is going to get something for posting 10k times. YES, it would be great if there was this or that small token, but if there ends up being nothing, hopefully that doesn't drive anyone to decide to bail out.

And TG... your continued presence here is gift enough... Of course your presence in my hometown with PIE would have been even better.

PS...Marian I think your post was fine, and you didn't need to add all those ETA's or delete it-- the other discussion about the 'old PS' makes me have to say this because IMO that is exactly what I was talking about in my post in that thread. If you want to say something, say it and don't be afraid of writing disclaimers around offense.

 

[iheartscience]

by thing2of2: Sorry, but I have to call BS. People who have been posting since the 10k gift was given to all PSers who reached 10k posts aren't entitled or presumptuous in thinking that they would probably receive it, too.

So, it is a matter of legitimate expectation?

I posted and ran off to my family's Fakesgiving, but yes, exactly. I'm half drunk, my parents found a skinny little rat terrier today and I think I adopted it , and again, I don't really care about $1k, but you seem to get my point, Steal! (And sorry you can't get $1k aside from posting on PS-I'm still bummed you didn't get that job-I was pulling for you for realsies! )

The bottom line is that the 10k gift is now subjective, and that's ripe for causing hurt feelings. Perhaps if clearer guidelines were set people would feel better about it?

And while I think your idea is really great, Haven, I should point out that I don't particularly care about recognition or a charm or anything...I think it's more the principle that irritates me. (But not enough to keep me up at night!)

Now I'ma go play with this skinny deer dog and ponder how the hell she tricked me into keeping her.

 

[Siamese Kitty]

TG-no worries, more power to you. I'm stuck writing stuff for my never-ending thesis. Bad beer would sure bring me back to a much more exciting time in my life. Ah memories...

Don't know if this is the place to comment, but I really agree with risingsun here:

*edit 1:removed your comment, since it seems you'd rather not have it posted
*eta: maybe I should remove mine since there is no context, but what the hey! Marian, at least you can see what someone else thinks.

I learn so much from the men and women on this board, and we're all from such diverse backgrounds. My favorite part of PS has always been the abundance of varied, well-argumented stances about interesting topics. Let's face it, this is a smart group. If we could set some basic guidelines, maybe we could take on some of the taboo topics?

About RT. This is only my opinion. RT does seem to have a clique of several "Negative Nellys" who poo poo posters' choices of stones, and seemingly try to talk above their heads, be it purposefully or not. There are also a few that post opinions as unquestionable facts, when they are, well...wrong. That said, at least they're contributing, which is more than I can say for myself most times. This has just been my feeling about RT in recent past, and I'm feeling frisky with all of the honesty being thrown around today. tonight? tomorrow? yikes, back to work.

 

[risingsun]

ITA that 10k is a big milestone. My point in calling attn to it in my post was that when the forums are on a MUCH smaller scale, contribution levels are different.

It doesn't meant that the person is not loyal or didn't spend a lot of time crafting what, in the end, amounts to a TON of words, but the value is subjective.

Yes, of course, just as 'priceless contributions' to the forum are subjective. Really everything about PS is subjective in the end--we are all here at the grace of the owners of the forum.

Put quite simply, I think it's obvious that not everyone is going to get something for posting 10k times. YES, it would be great if there was this or that small token, but if there ends up being nothing, hopefully that doesn't drive anyone to decide to bail out.

And TG... your continued presence here is gift enough... Of course your presence in my hometown with PIE would have been even better.

PS...Marian I think your post was fine, and you didn't need to add all those ETA's or delete it-- the other discussion about the 'old PS' makes me have to say this because IMO that is exactly what I was talking about in my post in that thread. If you want to say something, say it and don't be afraid of writing disclaimers around offense.

Mara~ I have become very disillusioned about PS lately. I don't have the energy to defend my posts. The "ETA's" were meant to be a demonstration of how difficult it is to post an opinion without someone saying "well, I didn't mean you; you are too sensitive; put on your big girl panties"; etc. I have been on PS for four years now. I have seen a significant change. I have encountered posters who call themselves direct, whom I would call mean-spirited and nasty. I have been insulted by a male poster about a health-related topic, which is very important to me. He showed an incredible lack of tolerance for a man who claims to hate intolerance. I have also experienced a great deal of support here, as well. It is what keeps me coming back. Since we have no PM's, I also have received a great deal of support on FB regarding some of the things that have taken place on this site. I really can't go into anymore than what I have said without opening up the floodgates. Thank you for your comments

 

[Cehrabehra]

You know - not to continue beating the horse, but the more I think about it the more I really like the idea of a "poster of the month". It gives a minimum AND maximum threshold for contributions... it would give people to actively work for every month, be on good behavior, do their best to contribute. It wouldn't be about numbers but about people actually shining - the cream rising to the top. But not passively, actively. With intention and effort. I don't see that as a bad thing. And yeah it's subjective, so what? Every month it would almost be like a lottery - who is it... who is it... and yet it's guaranteed there won't be more than one a month. And if EVERYONE is really bad.... NO SOUP FOR YOU! There could be minimum requirements, like must have 1or 2k posts and been here longer than a year or two - something so that people aren't just flashes in the pan but that it no longer becomes about quantity but rather quantity that has quality.

JMO

 

[Gypsy]

Got and idea for you... about Member Milestone accomplishments (since 10K is GONE). I think an alternate type of acknowledgement for Milestones (maybe 15k since 10K is pretty easy to reach these days) would be lovely. It could be something as simple as a special AV given to members to use for a month. Like a crown or something silly, and fun and eye catching. Like Mardi Gras-- King or Queen for a month. This is a business after all but it doesn't have to cost much to make someone feel special. Maybe we can all think outside the box of things requiring monetary value. After all the goal isn't financial incentive to post, it's recognition that someone is a member here and as such unique and appreciated. And that can be done in many ways.

I also think that people need to realize that the PS 1K gift certificate appears to be for going above and beyond as defined by the owners of the site. Most members contribute-- most are unique and bring lots of different strengths and information to the table. Most members care about one another and try to help. That's what we DO-- that's what being part of PS means. The gift though, it's like earning a bonus at work. It is a BONUS for doing more than your job-- you get your salary for your job. I think those who have been recently awarded the 1K gift certificate (and one was at 7K posts the other at 14K posts BTW) really epitomize the spirit of going above and beyond. Dreamer has been amazing on RT and FHH and Stonecold stepped in to a vacuum left by Storm, Ellen, Lorelei and MANY others and took it upon himself to become a great resource to all the newbies. I've seen him click on every "I need a round brilliant but do I really need to get a good cut" thread and I gotta say kuddos, cause I certaintly don't do that. Just because Dreamer and Stonecold do this doesn't mean that I'm not special or unique or whatever... it doesn't say anything about me at all. It's not a competition folks. It's not about you if you are not picked for the gift. If you feel you want the gift think of what more you can do, look to the example set by those who have gotten it and emulate that.

Plus, the cool thing about the award of the 1K gift certificate now is that you can get it at anytime. Say you've been just an 'average' member on here for two years (and our average members are still pretty special) and suddenly (regardless of your post count) you really feel the urge to start doing something on here that is truly special and deserves a huge kuddos. It's a merit based reward now. I think that's great. It's an incentive to improve PS, to make PS a better community, rather than a reward for typing "ditto" 2,000 times. I like that. I actually think that Andrey's changes are in keeping with the original intent of the gift when PS was started. To reward loyalty and endurance and accomplishments above and beyond the norm. I don't see Irina giving 1K to anyone who hit "ditto" 2000 times.

Off my soap box. For the night. Or longer. LOL.

 

[Liane]

I'll throw in a +1 for the idea of a small pin (preferable to a charm since not all of us have/wear charm bracelets, but anybody who wears clothes can stick a pin somewhere), if there's going to be a recognition award for longtime contributors. I'm assuming this can be done for a sub-$50 cost (which is still a sizeable sum, don't get me wrong, but makes it possible to award 20+ people instead of 1 person under the current system). I do think the primary criterion should be objective -- 10K posts, five years of meaningful participation in the forums, but something concrete and external -- and then subjectivity can come in to either eliminate the "+1"/smiley-face posters or give bigger awards to the people who go above and beyond.

If there's going to be any reward along these lines (and I'm not 100% convinced there should be, but for the sake of argument, let's say it's a good idea), then smaller/more frequent/more objective is the best way to go. To the extent that people DO participate for the idea of some reward, making it more frequent encourages them to participate more. The fact that the award is of less financial value probably doesn't change anything (although if this is going to be done, I do think it ought to be a real object rather than a special avatar or stickied post, in part because having a super secret club decoder ring amuses me). And, as discussed exhaustively in my previous post, objectivity and transparency are good, subjectivity bad.

Unless I'm badly mistaken, the forum would have to get a LOT bigger than it is now for that to equal or exceed the cost of the old 10K gifts... and if that happens, well, then all our wailing and moaning about the decline of PS will look pretty silly, won't it?

So, in sum: I'm not sure any award is necessary or warranted; however, if there is to be one, Haven's pin idea is excellent.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Hmm...what about a congratulatory PS Rock Walk Album? Nothing like more eyecandy (even if it is only on paper) to make a rock-junky happy!

Congrats Cehra!

..hehe, I've never even set (virtual) foot in Rocky Talky I don't think...I was always a Colored Stone gal from the get go. I like the community there, and of course, I love the photos and projects. And I do what I can do enable the creation and enjoyment of more eyecandy

 

[Rhea]

I. thought that 10k/$1k was CRAZY (And it actually made me think that maybe I shouldn't put SO much trust into the forum...I mean if they are making enough $$ to do that, is this place really objective, or is it just big business.

This. When I found out about the gift, I quit posting as much. I guess I'm pretty oblivious, but it took someone else pointing it out to be for me to notice. I also thought there was cake or pie or something. Now that I've typed that I'm wondering if I made it up. Was there cake?

 

[canuk-gal]

Sara-

I'm glad you said what was on your mind. Those of us who were here for a long time and saw other people reaching 10,000 postings assumed that one day we would have the chance to do that, too. I empathize. You really are valued here by many people, however. Please hang onto that knowledge!

Hugs, love, and deep respect,
Deb/AGBF

HI:

Yup. The true "gift" here is your knowledge of cushions and the discussions therein that has benefitted countless readers.

cheers--Sharon