Fluff Posts

[GuerrillaIM]

Hi,

I notice a lot of posts that seem to have no value other than to get the posters post count up. What is the motivation behind this?

Does some part of the forum open up at a certian number of posts? Or perhaps people plan on selling a wso and want a high post count to make themselves look more legit?

Sorry for making my own fluff post but it's bugging me.

Thanks,

G

[R Hagel]

Hi G,

Yes, folks seek to get their post count up in order to post WSOs and so that they can PM others. I think you need about 30 posts to do these things. However, some go overboard and try to really jack their post count in hopes that people will associated "high post count" with "expert."

Cheers,
Becky

[Paul Buckley]

Yeah. The forum has been flooded lately by newbies whose "guru" has sold them on the idea of selling to other gullible newbies in the WSO forum. I can't imagine that any of these light weight "30 posts to WSO riches" chumps are actually making any real money so it should peter out after awhile. One can hope

[Marty S]

Yes you do have to wade through the mud here now, and account for rather heavy bias in replies. The idea (marketing) is to get your sig line in pertinent posts, so as to attract the interest of new IMers. Some of the extreme examples I have noticed here are:

If someone posts on a VIDEO topic, you can be relatively assured of particular repsondents.

If someone posts on a REWRITER topic, you can be relatively assured of particular respondents.

If someone posts on an ARTICLE MARKETING topic, you can be relatively assured of particular respondents.

etc etc

Now that is the crux of their business to do so, and a lot of replies are still valuable, if not slanted. It's just the nature of the WF, and its also why it is so busy.

[Steven Wagenheim]

The irony of this thread is just hysterical.

The OP is of no more use to this forum than the crap he's complaining about.

And my post, ironically, also adds nothing of value.

If irony was money, we'd all be rolling in it right about now.

[R Hagel]

Originally Posted by Razer Rage

The only thing that disturbs me is all of the "black hat" methods being sold in the WSO section, and even worse, is all of the WSO's that are stolen/rehashed content, or outright scams.

If you see those sorts of WSOs, report them to the WF helpdesk.

Cheers,
Becky

p.s. And if you see spam and such elsewhere on the forum, click the little triangle "report" button next to the post, since members are moderators.

[GuerrillaIM]

I like the idea of an ignore list.

I do find it pretty funny when you can see how powerful some WSO's are. For instance I think there must be a WSO on how to make money in the JV section. I made a post a while ago looking for host beneficary deal and got super spammed with people who hadn't even read my post but were spamming me with their totally irrelevant white labeled products. The majority of these people had low post counts and seemed to be newbies. I did however make some great contacts, so don't let that put you off using the JV section.

I make it a point not to judge people on here by their post count. I have got some of the best money making tips from people with low post counts. I've also seen some rubbish posted by people with high post counts. The thanks button is a good idea but I notice a few people who coincidentally have wso's listed thank each other for almost every post. They will say something like "Yes, that right" and you will see the same group of people saying thanks to it. I guess its the nature of the beast. You put a feature there and people will do their best to make it work for them.

[dvduval]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

The irony of this thread is just hysterical.

The OP is of no more use to this forum than the crap he's complaining about.

And my post, ironically, also adds nothing of value.

If irony was money, we'd all be rolling in it right about now.

Unfortunately, there is a perceived value (that I didn't know about). I've never posted a WSO, though I may one day. I do still see a lot of quality posts, and moreso than many other forums, and I do commend the people who run this forum.

[GuerrillaIM]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

The irony of this thread is just hysterical.

The OP is of no more use to this forum than the crap he's complaining about.

And my post, ironically, also adds nothing of value.

If irony was money, we'd all be rolling in it right about now.

Didn't mean to come across as complaining. I have seen it on some forums where threads open up when you get to a certain amount of posts. I just wanted to understand why people were doing it. I guess its just to get signature links out there and make them look good for the wso's they sell.

Steve, do you drink a lot of coffee? You always sound so cranky!

[Robin E. Anderson]

I love your post, Steven. I say, "touche," but I can't add the little French grammatical mark with my keyboard, so please excuse its absence.

As a newbie who has struggled valiantly to reach the 30 post mark, I take issue with this thread. I have posted often in what may be regarded as a flluffy manner partly to increase my post count, I admit, but also because I have little to offer in the way of advice yet. I want to interact, to learn, to become a part of thecommunity, but I can only do that by responding to others more knowledgeable. As my wisdom and awesomeness grows, I promise to post more profoundly, but 'til then, be gentle with those of us who are only trying to come on board this awesome forum.

[Tyrus Antas]

I don't know. What do you think?

Tyrus

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

Didn't mean to come across as complaining. I have seen it on some forums where threads open up when you get to a certain amount of posts. I just wanted to understand why people were doing it. I guess its just to get signature links out there and make them look good for the wso's they sell.

Steve, do you drink a lot of coffee? You always sound so cranky!

I'm not arguing that this stuff goes on. Of course it goes on...and worse.
But complaining about it doesn't solve the problem.

Here's what does.

1. If you see somebody starting a thread that adds no obvious value or
is apparently made just to spam the forum, report it.

2. If you see a person who continuously makes nothing but "Thanks for
the great post" posts, report them.

3. Ignore the posters themselves. If we do that, they'll get discouraged
and leave.

And for those who say that they're new and have nothing to add...bull.

Think about it. If somebody makes a post about a method of promotion
and you thought it was a good post, here is something you could reply
with that is more than just a "thanks for the great post."

"Thank you for sharing this method with us. I am going to test it out and
see what kind of results I get. I'll then come back to the forum and report
them to others. Maybe I'll find something out along the way."

or...ask a question of there is something about the method that you're not
sure about.

There are SO many ways to contribute to this forum without just saying
"Thanks for the great post."

You have feelings, opinions, questions, concerns.

Express them.

Nobody will shoot you for it and they'll see you as a true contributing
member rather than just a post accumulator.

[GuerrillaIM]

I agree completely. I report the posts, mainly because it means I have to scroll down further to reply.

My main reason for making this thread was that I expected there to be some magical present that I get when i get to 1000 posts. I notice all the "My 500th post" threads and thought it might open up another thread or something or give an extra feature.

I read all the stickys but couldn't see it mentioned. Now I know there isn't a magical surprise for me

[Mollysbrother]

"Fluff" posts. Sigh. This is tricky for me. I rarely initiate a thread, unless--as in the past has happened--I had a real problem that I knew fellow warriors could help me out with. Sometimes I respond to a person with my two cents/thoughts knowing that it might help the person begin to gather information/triangulate information so they can then formulate their own opinion or solution.

With that being said, sometimes this place is so incredibly intimidating with so many great minds that it is difficult to add a comment. I only say or write less than 1% of what I originally want to say. However, it does bring me out of the lurking shadows and into the conversation of the forum which has been incredibly valuable for me.

[GuerrillaIM]

When I say "Fluff Post" I in no way refer to someone asking a question. OK, if its something the could have googled themselves I may not take the time to answer but I would never shoot anyone down for pursuing knowledge.

I meant the posts that say "That is interesting" or something similar. Then usually if you search posts made by that person you will see a big list of 1 sentance posts that are just a random comment. I was just wondering about the motivation.

[WritingMadwoman]

Originally Posted by Robin E. Anderson

As a newbie who has struggled valiantly to reach the 30 post mark, I take issue with this thread. I have posted often in what may be regarded as a flluffy manner partly to increase my post count, I admit, but also because I have little to offer in the way of advice yet. I want to interact, to learn, to become a part of thecommunity, but I can only do that by responding to others more knowledgeable.

Robin, don't worry about it. I haven't peeked at all of your posts but I'm sure the majority of them are not the type of "fluff" the OP is referring to - there are a lot of really junky posts that have no purpose but to bump a post count in preparation for a WSO. You can spot them immediately as you browse around.

Don't feel that you can't post because you're not yet as knowledgeable as those who have been here a long time. Share what you can, ask questions, and you'll find that most of the people here are decent people. A few grumps here and there too, just ignore them.

Wendy

[R Hagel]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

Now I know there isn't a magical surprise for me

Not entirely true. Your daily income increases by $1 for every post you make on this forum.





(Edited to add: Or maybe it goes down by a $1 a day for every post. I can't remember.)

[sbucciarel]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

The irony of this thread is just hysterical.

The OP is of no more use to this forum than the crap he's complaining about.

And my post, ironically, also adds nothing of value.

If irony was money, we'd all be rolling in it right about now.

Caution: Fluff Post
lol ...

[tommygadget]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

I'm not arguing that this stuff goes on. Of course it goes on...and worse.
But complaining about it doesn't solve the problem.

Here's what does.

1. If you see somebody starting a thread that adds no obvious value or
is apparently made just to spam the forum, report it.

2. If you see a person who continuously makes nothing but "Thanks for
the great post" posts, report them.

3. Ignore the posters themselves. If we do that, they'll get discouraged
and leave.

And for those who say that they're new and have nothing to add...bull.

Think about it. If somebody makes a post about a method of promotion
and you thought it was a good post, here is something you could reply
with that is more than just a "thanks for the great post."

"Thank you for sharing this method with us. I am going to test it out and
see what kind of results I get. I'll then come back to the forum and report
them to others. Maybe I'll find something out along the way."

or...ask a question of there is something about the method that you're not
sure about.

There are SO many ways to contribute to this forum without just saying
"Thanks for the great post."

You have feelings, opinions, questions, concerns.

Express them.

Nobody will shoot you for it and they'll see you as a true contributing
member rather than just a post accumulator.

Thanks for the great post Sorry, but I don't have anything else to add.

TomG.

[JohnMcCabe]

Robin, you may not feel you can give advice yet, but your very newness can add value to a lot of threads.

> When someone asks for a site review or comments on a page, take a look and voice your opinion. Your point of view could prove more valuable than an old-timer's.

> If someone makes a post with a method or technique, and there are parts you don't understand, ask questions. Many times, people are so familiar with what they are posting about that they skip or gloss over important things that are second nature to them. Asking for the sake of clarity adds a lot of value.

Just a couple of examples that any newbie can use to build their post count, and their profile o the forum, without resorting to the kind of fluff the OP was complaining about.

Originally Posted by Robin E. Anderson

I love your post, Steven. I say, "touche," but I can't add the little French grammatical mark with my keyboard, so please excuse its absence.

As a newbie who has struggled valiantly to reach the 30 post mark, I take issue with this thread. I have posted often in what may be regarded as a flluffy manner partly to increase my post count, I admit, but also because I have little to offer in the way of advice yet. I want to interact, to learn, to become a part of thecommunity, but I can only do that by responding to others more knowledgeable. As my wisdom and awesomeness grows, I promise to post more profoundly, but 'til then, be gentle with those of us who are only trying to come on board this awesome forum.

[billt91]

I agree with Steven

[Paul Myers]

Paul,

The forum has been flooded lately by newbies whose "guru" has sold them on the idea of selling to other gullible newbies in the WSO forum. I can't imagine that any of these light weight "30 posts to WSO riches" chumps are actually making any real money so it should peter out after awhile. One can hope

You hope in vain.

The thing that keeps this happening is the same thing that guarantees that we will be seeing the same questions, complaints and problems 10 years from now that we've seen for the past 10 years: The moving parade.

While individuals can grow in experience quickly, populations tend not to. Even if all the information is recorded and passed along, there will be a lot of people coming in who haven't accessed it, or don't know it exists. The goal is to shorten the learning curve, since we can't eliminate it. That's happening, but not as quickly as the population is growing.

There are ways to deal with parts of that, but nothing that will stop "teachers" from telling people to come in here as a way to make some quick money, or to keep the new folks from ignoring what they're told about how things work. The less they know, the more certain they are that they're right.

It's not going to stop. Remembering why that's true does make it easier to deal with, though.


Paul

[Josh Anderson]

A lot of people post on specific subjects because they hope to get knowledgeable answers from those who have experience in the subject matter.

A person who works in one subject all day every day because it is part of their business is likely to respond to that topic and contribute quality answers and content to the discussion. Members benefit from the contributions of folks who understand some subject matter in and out and who have a solid understanding or level of success iwith specific subject matter.

If you participate because you enjoy the community and you sincerely wish to either learn or help others make money online then all the other benefits follow naturally.

Its NOT normal nor desirable for people to participate in threads where they have no experience or interest in the subject matter.

That would be likely the kind of "fluff" that the OP is referring to.

Also article type posts that some newbies use to start threads... that are basically just copy and paste articles with no real meaty value.

The great thing is that with practice you can get to the point where you do not even notice the threads that do not interest you or the one's that are nothing more than fluff.

Every member of this forum should read this thread posted by Paul Myers and made a sticky in its entirety:

Being a better member moderator

[Paul Myers]

Every member of this forum should read this thread in its entirety:

Being a better member moderator

[ahem]

Yeah! What he said!

[John Durham]

Originally Posted by Mollysbrother

However, it does bring me out of the lurking shadows and into the conversation of the forum which has been incredibly valuable for me.

I lurked for 10 years and feel as if I know many of these senior warriors personally as I have watched them grow... for me, I try to add value, however just the idea of coming out of the shadows and participating with the community I have grown to love over the years is my main motivator.

I already have ways of making money that don't depend on the warrior forum...although much of it was learned here. No ulterior motives. I tend to be fluffy at times and have no regret for that, sometimes fluffy can be nice too...

This very post I am making right now is pretty fluffy as a matter of fact, but for a person who feels the same way, it speaks for them as well and thusly adds value to their experience, to know they are not alone.

I would say the whole idea of this very 'thread' is fluff. Fluff is relative to what you are seeking at the time.

[Virginia M. Clemmons]

Originally Posted by kadensnga

I lurked for 10 years and feel as if I know many of these senior warriors personally as I have watched them grow... for me, I try to add value, however just the idea of coming out of the shadows and participating with the community I have grown to love over the years is my main motivator.

I already have ways of making money that don't depend on the warrior forum...although much of it was learned here. No ulterior motives. I tend to be fluffy at times and have no regret for that, sometimes fluffy can be nice too...

This very post I am making right now is pretty fluffy as a matter of fact, but for a person who feels the same way, it speaks for them as well and thusly adds value to their experience, to know they are not alone.

I would say the whole idea of this very 'thread' is fluff. Fluff is relative to what you are seeking at the time.

I agree. I see no point of the so called "fluff posts" as they add no value to the overall discussion. I try my best to only respond when I have something significant to contribute. Otherwise, I keep quiet. (Maybe that's why my post count is so low for the length of time I've been a Warrior! lol.) Also, I think you lose credibility when you make nothing but fluff posts anyway. Just my 2cents.

Virginia

[spookylilgir]

forgive the newbie question but what is wso this is my 2nd post and im not sure whats even going on yet thanks

[Virginia M. Clemmons]

Originally Posted by spookylilgir

forgive the newbie question but what is wso this is my 2nd post and im not sure whats even going on yet thanks

WSO = Warrior Special Offer
It gives marketers an opportunity to give participants of the forum a discount of their latest products and services. Some marketers also use WSOs to promote their own services (like article writing or graphic design, for example). And other marketers use it to offer one-of-a-kind products to Warriors which is not offered to the general public.

P.S. You need a minimum of 30 posts to post an offer in the WSO area.

Hope this helps clarify it for you,
Virginia

[regska]

That's also what I've been noticing lately. It's really annoying to see someone post a "thanks", when they can just pm to say thank you, or if they are not yet allowed to send PMs yet, at least try to post more than 1 sentence.

[Kay King]

P.S. You need a minimum of 30 posts to post an offer in the WSO area.

Now you need to be a member of the War Room to post a WSO.

My fluffy contribution for the day.

[sbucciarel]

Originally Posted by Kay King

Now you need to be a member of the War Room to post a WSO.

My fluffy contribution for the day.

I concur .... my lil' bit o' fluff.

[JDArchitecture]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

I notice a lot of posts that seem to have no value other than to get the posters post count up. What is the motivation behind this?

You may not see it this way, but this place is also a community. Not every post is going to be particularly substantive.

The good news is that Admin has chosen to use the "Thanks" feature. If they hadn't, you'd see a whole lot more "fluff".

[bretski]

Originally Posted by sbucciarel

I concur .... my lil' bit o' fluff.

Careful Wags'll report ya!

Seriously though... just like the trolls/spammers who come in waves, give it time and it will peter out. The blatant spammer are more sport than the latest...what do you call them anyhow? I miss the trolls...weekends it was like fishing..."Oh! I got one!"

I know that people are gullible but does a high post count really make you think "wow, this guy is wicked smaaaat!" or "sheesh! This guy has been on the forum for three months and has ten times the number of posts that I do. I bet he'd get more work done if he wasn't such a Chatty-Cathy!"

Don't worry though. Soon enough it will be something different like...posters with pictures of hot chicks to attract attention. Ok...now I've done it!

[Kevin_Hutto]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

Or perhaps people plan on selling a wso and want a high post count to make themselves look more legit?

bullseye!!! I think that some people think that making a few sales on the WF is really internet marketing...