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Give and get support around quitting

Giulia
Member

What's the Point?

I didn't want this exchange to get lost as it is, at the moment,  just comments within a badge gifting.  And so I'm putting it into conversation mode so that others can be made more aware of it and be more likely to comment.

Nice Work
  • 37f8bb7b-8d5f-41a8-974d-5d3a4ba2e3de.jpeg.png
Cool! I would have given you this long ago for your work on Ex....but didn't know about them. They're kind of dumb (sorry EX). It should say GREAT WORK! Oh---and glad we made you laugh! Here's some points too.....I can't seem to spend them anywhere elseGive someone a badge

Comments

  • Youngatheart.7.4.12

    Wow  - so sweet of you!

    Thanks!  I will use them wisely (once I figure out what, if anything, I can do with them!)

    "-)

  • Sootie

    Why? Who"needs" them? I mean I am really not trying to be sarcastic.....why do you need them (seriously)? Just to move higher on the leaderboard? I don't care about that at all. I'd rather give them away to people who make my life on EX fun, interesting, challenging and worthwhile. 

    Giulia  Youngatheart.7.4.12

  • Giulia

    Sootie  of course badges and points don't mean anything...to those who have a sense of security about their quits or their commitment - or THEMSELVES for that matter. To those who understand that .... oh - don't get me started - never mind I have started.  lol  

     

    The POWERS THAT BE believe that Badges and Points "gamification" as they call it - are incentives to those who have the psychological NEED for that, to ENCOURAGE them in their quit progress, to help motivate people not only to quit, but to become and remain active within the EX Community. It's based on statistical findings that have no true relevance to this support community (in my humble opinion). I think what makes people remain active here (or at least keep them lurking) is that we disseminate heartfelt, passionate truths about this addiction from the point of view and actual experience of those who have "been there, done that."

     

    Although,  like you I'm able to see both sides.  And I understand that some people, I guess, really need that kind of psychological award/reward system to motivate them and spur them on to the next day's quit. The trouble is - none of us with long-term quits find that tactic useful. We find it silly. What's USEFUL is the support, knowledge and wisdom of this community. What's USEFUL is the Daily Pledge,  Freedom Train Ride mentions. The Elder List accomplishment. Because it's a PEER BASED accolade. The motivation to quit comes from peer support, acknowledgement, pressure... whatever. (Just like the motivation to put a cigarette in our mouths for the first time did.)  Points and Badges are for children. And that may work wonderfully well for them. But I think we've shown after all the years on this site of talking and railing against such trivial accolades - that the badge that truly motivates is that Badge of Honor we acquire for ourselves by remaining steadfast to our commitment to our quits. And the points that count are really the amount of smoke-free days we’ve earned.

     

    If you're spending most of your time studying the leaderboard and your stats on it, then you're paying less attention to the material you should be on this site.

     

    MOO

39 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

I resemble this discussion!!! 

I must admit I got a kick out of getting a badge from Sootie because it was a heartfelt thank you from her.

Do I need them to encourage me?  NOPE!  They could easily become meaningless if you got one regularly.  I have spent my time here for the past almost five years because I can make the time, and I want all who come here to find the wonderful freedom from addiction I have found. 

I would like to hear the young folks' take on them - and hope they will find and participate in this conversation.

Nancy

0 Kudos
Giulia
Member

I got a kick out of getting a badge

I hear you!  It's fun to get a badge.  

How do I give points away. I wanna take em down to zero.

KOKO,

0 Kudos
YoungAtHeart
Member

See the gear at the bottom of a response?  Or the "Actions" mention at the top of a blog?   If you click on either, you will get an option to "give a badge."  When you give the badge, it will give you a scale where you can award points to the person you are gifting.

I would just keep giving them until they don't let you anymore........then you will know you are down to zero.  I think the most you can give is 100 at a time with a badge..................I don't think you can give points without a badge.....................

0 Kudos
elvan
Member

YoungAtHeart   I think you can also click on a person's avatar and go to their page and click actions and along with direct message and some other things, there is the option to give a badge and I think the maximum number of points is 1,000 at a time!  Could take a while to get rid of all your points Mike.n.Atlanta‌ but it might be fun to try.

0 Kudos
CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

Mike.n.Atlanta wrote:

How do I give points away. I wanna take em down to zero.

KOKO,

It would be hard to get to zero.  Good luck with that . You get points for things you do and when people like/mark correct or helpful content that you create.  Unless you're really good at making enemies I think that's going to be hard. I'm sure you're liked around here!

Points are also one aspect of the virtual currency to indicate your credibility and time investment on a community.  While established members don't probably look at this, a new member is more likely to trust the response of an established and respected member of the community compared to a newer member. 

Yes, there are probably some trolls who have been around forever or some people who get points fast by gaming the system with a second account. And even some people who gain points fast because others are liberal with the Like and Helpful Answer options but typically the dedicated people are obvious by their existence on a leaderboard of some kind. Those "exception" members usually are around only for a limited time and eventually disappear into the ether. Some of the "serial quitters" may fall into this category, in some of your opinions.

 I'm sure some of you get followers from new people just because they see you either followed by lots of people or you are following lots of people and have lots of points.  They want to know what you're up to. If you didn't have those points and followers, then you might not stick out from the crowd as someone who might make them successful in quitting.  By you merely having those things in your profile it indicates that the site is probably successful because you've put in that time investment, you're participating and if they put in a portion of that effort they might also have the potential for success.

Mark
EX Community Manager

EX Community Admin Team
Pops
Member

It's fun to give them too...I have received a bunch of them, and I have given alot of them as well as points.  The whole thing is cannon fodder.  I bust my butt all day long in the cafe on a Sunday, and at the end of the day that silly counter thingy next to your name shows something like...oh I don't know...maybe 115 points.  Then on a day when I'm not doing anything, it might show 110 points!?  No real rhyme or reason to it.  I said during the EX teleconference that we really didn't need the "stinking badges" anyway.  I still feel that way.  They do not measure the quality of a persons state of mind, or their ongoing strength of quit either for that matter.  When I get a positive feedback from an elder on this site...for something that I said, or did...well that trumps any badge that I could ever get.

imhoo

YoungAtHeart
Member

"imhoo" In my Humble Onery Opinion?

Pops
Member

How on earth can you think of me as onery?    lol. Thx for the badge Nancy!  I'm going to try to get the bed early tonight. Weather is looking like a bike day tomorrow!