[Jeanne G]

To see stars, or not see stars - that is my question? Ok, so I couldn't help but get a little thrill when I saw I collected my first star. Stars are a good thing, right? Long time members seem to accrue more. But wait. Not always, just saw another member with no stars whatsoever, but over 15,000 posts. Say what? This star system is hinky then, don't know what the rhyme or reason is. Could be a great thing when you get to that many posts and have no stars. I just don't know any more.

Though I can't help it; I'm programmed since grade school. I want stars after my name, and lots of 'em.

Jeanne

[W.F. Lantry]

Jeanne,

It was explained to me once, but I've forgotten. It's got something to do with sex, and drugs, and rock and roll. But I'm too dazed to remember...

Best,

Bill

[Jeanne G]

Okey dokey Bill, gradeschool sucked anyway. Count me in, and bring on the par-tay!

[Brian Allgar]

Originally Posted by Jeanne G

Long time members seem to accrue more. But wait. Not always, just saw another member with no stars whatsoever, but over 15,000 posts.

Jeanne, I think it works in general as you suppose - the more posts, the more stars. But maybe it's like the mileage indicator on a car: once it passes a certain number, it reverts to zero.

Later: I've just seen that moderators apparently get seven stars automatically. Ordinary mortals, even with far more posts, seem to stick at five. There's obviously something very suspicious going on, but they won't tell you what it is unless you've got seven stars.

As far as I can see, the only people with six stars are those who live in black holes.

[Jayne Osborn]

Well, really, you'd think a moderator would know, wouldn't you?

Bill says it was explained to him once but he's forgotten. Er...that makes two of us!

But Jeanne, no matter how they're accrued, like you I got a little frisson when I started acquiring stars. I'm sure it beats getting them from working in McDonald's!

Brian,
We mods are still ordinary mortals (honestly ) though we do have a cloak of invisibility, Harry Potter style, which is why our names don't show in "Who's Online".

Jayne

[W.F. Lantry]

Originally Posted by Brian Allgar

There's obviously something very suspicious going on, but they won't tell you what it is unless you've got seven stars.

Many and many a year ago, I asked these same kinds of questions. I was told then the star system rewarded prowess and performance at super secret orgies, held in the woods at midnight on the solstice. OK...

It's a silly system, and frankly it's not worth the time to go look up the ruleset in the software. You get one star at some point, and then at another point (500 posts?) you get another, and so on. If you're a guest presenter you get some, and if you're a mod you get some other number. People with lots of posts but only one star probably were mods at some point, but de-modded themselves, and reverted to one.

Personally, I never much liked stars or holy cards or anything like that. Good citizenship points, participation points, points of any kind, seem, well, pointless, tools to perpetuate an hierarchical system. But the whole thing is so silly it's hardly worth arguing about. And believe it or not, if there were a campaign to 'ban the stars!' people would howl...

Best,

Bill

[E. Shaun Russell]

At another forum I frequent, I'm currently designated as a Mocha. After another dozen posts or so, I'll be a Macchiato. Like the star system at Eratosphere, this affects me in virtually no way whatsoever. Less so, in fact, as I only drink Americanos these days anyhow.

[Ann Drysdale]

Puts me in mind of Amway. It's a pyramid selling (Ponzi?) scheme. You get diamond and emerald and ruby status according to how many other people you recruit. They each pay money for stock to sell.

I went to a local meeting out of curiosity and walked out before the end. It seemed obvious to me that the more salespersons you recruit, the less their share of any profit, but when I asked questions the man told me to shut up because I was obviously not listening to what I was being told.

But I was. That's why I left.

[Brian Allgar]

That's all very well, Bill, but I observe that you're prudently keeping mum about who is chucking the six-star achievers into a black hole.

[Jeanne G]

Ann,
Let's see if I have this straight. Bill is regaling us with tales of sexual conquest and prowess, but really he and the other mods are peddling Amway on the side for extra stars. And that makes Alex the ponzi scheme king at the top of it all. Wowsa, it's a wonder they let you get out alive!

Jeanne