TERB Credibility

[tg_toronto]

All terbites:
I have come to the conclusion that TERB is starting to suffer greatly from a credibility problem. I think it would be a good idea if we found a way to mark a credible poster.

Now I know what you’re thinking, that’s like defining happiness. Depends on who you are and how you see things.

I wanted some way to give the solid, fair and yes maybe the frank poster his due. Also I wanted to see the SP, sometimes maligned unfairly able to have some power to change the force of an unfair review. I think that the opinion of Moderators, and very active members should be recognized in some way.

So here is the problem my friends. How do we make TERB more relevant, and fair? I think it is by trying to increase our CREDIBILITY.

Are there any initial opinions? I have an idea, but I think we have to do something as a group. Supported by all types or mostly all types of our users.

Is everybody with me so far?

The main groups as I identify them are:
1. Advertisers (At first I was going to say agencies but we have more than just agencies)
2. Moderators, who better than a well read umpire of the board to know what is what.
3. Veteran users of the board. Now by that I mean customers.
4. S.P.’s If you ever questioned there presence here think of them as partners in this business.

 

[tg_toronto]

cred

Now for my scheme:
Think of the Academy awards. The awards are given by people “in the industry” who recognize the efforts of their colleges.

I would like to start a scheme of awards given by the 4 groups above. They would grant an ICON under your name. One that would recognize that they appreciate the posting that you do, hopefully believe in your fairness, and can count on you to be forthright in future posts. (That means they have the right to remove those ICONS when they think you have not acted responsibly.)

These ICONS will replace the rather meaningless SENIOR POSTER title under your name.

In operation you can see if I am critical of agencies or a girl because I am a shill you might never see icons from other advertisers (maybe specific award agent could be ID’ed by roll over or something)
If on the other hand I was overly favourable to only one agency you could instantly see that if anyone considers me credible.

 

[smitherz]

this forum software has a built-in user rating system, similar to what you're suggesting, which is currently disabled (understandably) to save on bandwidth and resource usage.

The rating system works like this: Each user is allowed to rate other users on a scale of 1 to 5. the average score of each user is shown under their name next to their post count etc. ... you can change your rating of a user at anytime but only the latest entry is used to calculate their average score.

Of course it's up to Fred and his admin staff to decide if somehting like this is needed, or even doable on the present server given the traffic and bandwidth use of this site/forum. I'm sure i'm not the only one that would hate to lose the search function again.

 

[gramage]

our credibility to who? now I think shills or petty BS negative reviews suck as much as anyone, but lets not forget these reviews exist for one reason: to help our fellow clients find the ideal lady to see in whatever field it's in. we're not doing this for posterity's sake, were doing it for us in the here and now. so as long as there's legitimate reviews and the BS ones are identified the customer that does a search is not being disserved, so where's the major crisis?

 

[Goober Mcfly]

For the love of Pete, please, oh please, don't let people rate me.

 

[breadman]

Almost sounds like the rankings on Ebay....the closer you are to a perfect score, the more trust you gather. But i dont know exactly how to start to working towards a more credible board.

Everybody on this board has a reason (or should i say motive) for posting/lurking on this board....and how you decide to use this forum. This board is a very popular medium for research, advertisment, etc....and has gained in popularity tenfold since it began. But its my opinion that the information and credibility of this forum has taken a bit of a dive.

It all comes down to trusting in the person who made the post.... And how many out there frequently read between the lines trying to figure out the reliablity of the information being provided????

 

[kwong_1978]

For the love of Pete, please, oh please, don't let people rate me.

I hear ya. I don't think my ego can take such a hit.

 

[gramage]

and I know I couldn't take the praise

 

[revolver]

I think it's a good idea.

Goober, I'd rate you ahead of some others. j/k

 

[C Dick]

Ratings would be a good idea, not to ban people with low ratings, just to have a general idea of how respected someone is in the community without having to follow all their posts.

 

[tg_toronto]

Gentlemen

I suggested an award because rating all would not work.

I think the majority would have no awards for some time.

And yet there are certainly 3 or 4 people here that deserve recognition. We wouldn't be voting on Goober. Although he is somebody whom we might recognise as a good poster.

I think if you don't mind you could read my two first posts again.

 

[drlove]

Sure... why not??

 

[zydeco]

A good idea in theory - but I don't see how it will increase credibility on a practical level. For example - If I understood the initial post here, we would have some members rating the very people that they earn their livelihoods from. This could result in even more uncertainty about the motives behind a given post than currently exists.

 

[xarir]

My rating of Goober

Occasional wittiness: +1
Proper spelling in posts: +1
Mom is in the biz: +1
Prolific poster: +1
Sens fan: -5

Overall rating of Goober: -1

 

[zog]

Credibility

There is no sure way to ensure credibility on this board without compromising anonymity.

We're left with reading reviews, comparing opinions, and learning which members we agree with most through experience and track record.

There are a number of members on this board that have achieved a solid reputation for honesty and reliability. There are others that are known to shill, bash, or type just to see their own words and handle on the internet. After spending some time reading reviews, participating in the hobby, and comparing results, we get to know who is who around here.

It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got.

Zog.

 

[WhOiSyOdAdDy?]

tg_toronto.. You have said that you log in almost everyday.. I am surprised that in almost 3 years you have not figured out who is "credible" and who is not. You want to question everyone`s credibility... but I was just curious... what have you done to prove that you are "credible" before you questioned everyone else`s credibility?

 

[Itwasntme]

Don't waste the time

I think this would be a waste of already streatched resources. I have no trouble figuring out who is credible.

If you see a resounding positive reveiew on an SP who has been badly reveied and see that this new review is a members first post, well you do not have to be a rocket scientist to doubt the voracity of the post.

If you see a member who does nothing but negative posts, then you have someone with terrible luck, or is into self torture, or just likes to malign people and vent using this as a venue. Ignor them.

I use this board for research, when I am researching an SP I search for posts, when I see a trend, I can be confident it is probably true (haven't been let down yet) when I see a review which stands apart from the rest, check out the poster and judge their credibility for yourself.

I post for the bennefit of others in the hobby, maybe you can use the information to make more informed decisions, maybe you do not trust me and ignor what I say. I don't really care what my credibility is, I put in as re-payment for the information I take out.

By the way this problem refered to here will get worse, as the board gets more popular, the "improper" use of it will increase so buckle your seat belts.

Love this board, don't change a thing!

 

[MuffinMuncher]

The best example of this I can think of is comparing TERB to the ASPD board used so heavily in Dallas.

Providers in Dallas want to know your ASPD handle and because the board is so tightly moderated, it is actually part of the screening process there as the women feel more secure seeing an ASPD member.

The same cannot be said about TERB, where many providers prefer to avoid members, and it certainly does not work to your benefit to divulge your nickname during a session.

 

[LeatherDoll]

How about keeping it specific to the context

Is it not possible to rate the review and not the reviewer?

 

[Keebler Elf]

I don't like it - sounds too much like a glorified popularity contest. As in life, "buyer beware."