I still think this should be about the fact that, one way or another, the word newbie connotes ignorance. Even if he doesn't mind it, that can't be appropriate for niels. Similarly, once we have the LQnewbie title, "member" connotes a level of expertise that can be misleading for newbies.

regards.... andrew.

ROTFL...

My

New-here (less then 30)
Occasional visitor (30-79)
Regular contributor (80 up)
LQ-furniture (for >8000 posts )

FWIW, AFAIK all posting requires joining 1st; therefore it makes sense for the titles to include "Member". Including "Member" also tends to combat the impression that # of posts has anything to do w/ knowledge.

Also, I doubt that the post #'s dividing the levels will be changed. I do see the desirability of adding an additional level at 100, perhaps like this: "LQ Addict" & "Guru" are the current choices available to 5,000+ posters, I think that your "LQ furniture" is a really nice addition to those & I would like to see a "____ Member" choice. I just don't know what good suggestion for the blank would be. "Super-Senior Member" is the idea I want to convey, but I don't like the sound of it. "Master Member" would follow the pattern of the FAA in granting parachute rigging certificates, but I'm not sure I like it either.

Suggestions anyone?

too many alarums and excursions about labels. Who cares?

I myself posted a few months back about vetting members, when I wandered into a thread where the advice being given was compounding the OP's problem. I managed to solve the problem, too, though I had the OP doing some hex editing in order to do it.

It was pointed out to me (correctly) that LQ has no capability to vet posters and that no one is expert in all of this (can't be...too vast a subject which changes too quickly).

The only way around it that I see is to do what is done on some other boards; have the user self-rate in terms of experience. Labels could be something like newbie, casual user, user, advanced user, developer, master of the universe, guru, other where the user could put his own string in "other".

The occasional a$$ would self-rate as guru when his knowledge was minimal, but most people would do it right, and people reading threads could be guided thereby.

Might be worth doing.

Good idea. You could also have those being helped rate whether the advice proved beneficial, and so build up a picture that sorts out the self-proclaimed gurus. Or log the number of replies to other people's threads.

The archtoad set also seems to go a long way to address my concern:

Everyone's a member, so there's less reason for newcomers to draw inferences about expertise.

regards..... andrew.

Yes, that's something that has niggled me a little in the back of my mind, "member" after 50 posts (ok it's 30 now) - wait, wasn't I a member before that?

unfortunately "junior" does for me as "newbie" does for some members here.
(see: http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?q=junior&x=0&y=0 "Synonyms: inferior, lesser, lower, minor, second-string*, secondary, subordinate")

Newbie Member? Brand New Member for 1 post. Newbie has precedence in the computing world.

titanium_geek

I like the idea of rating, but what about those members that have been here for years, helping other posters? Will they start from zero?

User rating would obviously be new, but replies to other people's threads might be pulled out from the trusty LQ database?

I think you are right there. But there's a place for something (less normative) between "new member" and "member". I'd also personally prefer then to see member moved up from 100 to say 200 or 250 posts.

regards.... andrew.

I've been reading over this posting and I agree with Andrew that I don't really mind being called "Newbie" although at the same time I aspire to become a member. Maybe there could be newbie for the first 10 and then junior member till 50 if you want to rate time/#posts. Also, I like the idea of self-rateing (I would still pick newbie ) for those who are more experienced. ~just my opinion.

---------------------------------------
True wisdom consists of knowing that you know nothing.

Seems to me we have two separate classifications: 1)Experience 2)Contributions. Is it not true when one joins one becomes a member and when one posts a solution to a question one becomes a contributing member? Out of all who join, how many are willing to share their experience? I feel strongly that 'contributing members' should be recognized for their unselfishness. Perhaps 'new member' should relate to the legnth of time since joining, 'member' after their first posting, then recognize regular contributors with senior, guru, and the like?

From the FAQ:
When will the board stop calling me a newbie?

Your user title is based on the number of posts you have.

• 0 - 29 posts: LQ Newbie
• 30 - 999 posts: Member
• 1000 posts: Senior Member
• After 5000 posts you can choose between Guru and LQ Addict

Contributing member is a different thing altogether, see Contributing member for details.

Yeah, but you must make a distinction between contributing members in cash, as it has been until now, and in expertise.
Gosh ! XavierP just thought the same thing as me !
And if a member should decline the title of "senior" ?
I wouldn't mind being called "older" member, considering my posts show more of my getting sillier as time goes by instead of my increasing knowledge.

BUT the word or title 'GURU' is misleading in its use here since it has a totally different meaning in day to day life.
Check:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...dvanced+Leaner

I have resurrected this discussion, Please check:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...dvanced+Leaner