A Problem caused by the FUNK points system
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FUNK: 140Rank: Humble Squirrel Monkey
DISCLAIMER: Gabs Incorporated is, in no way, against the website’s FUNK points system. However, this post underlines some of the problems with it. Think of it as a SAMTIME video titled “(insert clever title here) | FUNK Points PARODY”.
Warning: This post may contain facts that are incorrect. After reading, please check the replies for corrections.
The flaws of FUNK points on FUNKY forums
The problem with the FUNK Points system and how to improve it
The FUNK POINTS System is a way to measure FUNK invented and patented for use only in the FUNKYTIME.TV website. Created in 2019, the system allows a user to, by the act of posting topics and replying to others, measure approximately how FUNKY they are when compared to other users. While this is certainly a clever, easy to understand way to know your FUNK status, the system is not without its problems.
Before anything though, let us acknowledge the system in a positive manner. Before FUNKYTIME.TV 2.0, the biggest ways to be classified FUNKIER than others were:
- To win a certified Samp of Approval, given only at FUNKY mondays;
- (unofficially) Get recognized/appear in a SAMTIME YouTube video;
Previously, there wasn’t a widely used system to quantify FUNK [citation needed, see replies in case], so figuring out who was the FUNKIEST other than SAMTIME was harder than it seemed. However, in present times, thanks to the new website forums, it is now possible to visualize something that was previously much, much harder to understand at a simple glance of the leaderboard. Not only that, but the addition of the FUNK scoring system inspired competition to not only strive to be funkier by posting more on forums, but engaging more with the community as a whole, bringing new life into the world of FUNK.
However, the major flaw with the FUNK points scoring system is, most obviously, the ability of point farming. This post isn’t meant to target any particular users, but it is well known that, despite what the rules say, many create multiple posts over the span of seconds describing ideas that could well be summed up to only a single reply, therefore polluting and ruining the actual discussion of the topic. This is what I and website makes like to call Forum spamming, and it affects every website that encourages its users to post new topics with points.
Coincidentally, spamming forums is mostly caused by the desire to compete for better ranks and brag to others regarding larger numbers. If FUNKYTIME.TV wants to succeed in the forum “business”, the fact that there are users that just create posts just because ‘Points!’ could absolutely decimate its reputation. While the website does a good job to keep bots off, that’s not the problem. Bots create posts for advertising or linking to malicious websites, and those are well banned here, so why are there still some bit of spam lurking around?
It could be that the more-than-once posts and replies that aren’t really contributing anything are not really classified as “spam”. A conspiracy theory brought up when you think about it is that the website owners actually want more posts and larger numbers, but that doesn’t really scream “FUNK!”, does it? The most probable answer is that there just isn’t much of a demand to do anything about this, and the authorities overseeing all of the posts just don’t mind the aforementioned replies. This does give an impact on actual website users though, and it can even slightly discourage some people from checking post replies, with a minority simply assuming they’re full of spam, which isn’t the case most the time.
HOW TO IMPROVE THE FORMS, WITHOUT KNOWING HOW
It’s simple! There are 3 main ways:
- The Brute Force method: Warn and/or ban users who “spam” forums
- The Rule-changing method: Change the rules in regards to duplicate/idealess posts/replies
- The worst case scenario: Stop rewarding users FUNK points for creating topics or replying to others
In conclusion
The FUNK points system is a great way to reward users for being FUNKY, and despite its flaws it can be a great way to create a small, healthy competition for who can be the best at contributing good, clever and interesting content for the community to see. When perfected, it could encourage users to post content without having to worry if others really mean what they said in a reply.
Hope this issue can be at least brought into awareness, as it can really get worse in the future.
Thank you for your time. Stay safe,
~Gab P. (Gabs Incorporated)
Gabs, you are a mind-reader. I’ve been in touch with @bzerk86 about this very issue, and we will discuss matters with POPE SAMTIME as soon as possible. I’ve been meaning to summarise everything in a post on the moderators forum, but I’ve been very busy with work. You did it much more comprehensibly than I would have, THANK YOU. I have been trying to enforce the brute force method, but I have a full-time job and sometimes it’s not possible to issue all the necessary warnings and bans.
Yeah this is definitely a problem. I always try my best to make topic / replies that has meaning but sometimes that doesn’t happen. And i think that the solutions will work. And i have wanted to be a mod but i haven’t heard back from samtime. And i think we need more mods. And thank you for making this btw, this will help greatly.
FUNK: 140Rank: Humble Squirrel Monkey@Adriana It’s Okay! Not even I have the time to write a gigantic post regarding forum issues, as I’m a bit occupied with homework my teachers are giving me every day. Somehow I found some time to write that, and I’m glad I did. You’re welcome!
Don’t feel overloaded though! To be frank, if we’re going with the Brute Force method™ (patent pending!) the website needs more moderators overseeing topics, as thanks to the Massive FUNKYTIME® User Boom of January 2020, loads of new posts are being created every minute, and I feel like the current scale of moderators per post is way too small. It should be at least 1/152*. There are other ways of solving this issue I didn’t cover in my post/essay, but if the aforementioned method is the way to go, we need to employ more active mods soon, or else things could get a bit out of hand. Good luck!
*numbers may change in the future without prior notice
Great Point Gabs! Some things are soon going to have to change on Funkytime.tv or it’s all going to go south. I especially see the need for more Moderation as the only mod that I know if is Adriana. (Correct me if I’m wrong)
No @bzerk86 is also a mod.
LeWise ツ and Bixby.Boi, everyone can help out in keeping the forums clean by clicking the report button when they see spam posts. It would certainly make things easier for us mods as well. It’s preferable to do that, and not engage in conversations with spammers.
As a response to Gabs Comment about the “spamming”. I will personally try to give thoughtful answers. (at least a few sentences) So I don’t myself contribute to this growing problem on funkytime.tv If There is any way I can assist please let me know
*edit I will try to report the spam instead of replying to it. Thanks for all you do Mod!
I don’t feel so good…
but in all seriousness I’ve been trying not to make pointless one word responses.
I feel like FUNK should be 100% REMOVED. All the fuss about it is quite true and for that, FUNK should be removed.
HOWEVER
It should be replaced with FUNK Coin. E.g Do something nice for someone then earn FUNK Coin.
I don’t think more moderation is necessarily better moderation. If we were to ban everyone who’s ever made irrelevant posts, there would be few people left. And it would make for an oppressive and hostile atmosphere.
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