I will leave this up for a few days to let you all decide. Should there be a tie, it will go to the mods & admins to make the final call. Also: I’m not a huge fan of polls in discussion forums, so once this poll is closed I will disable the addon.

They really don’t matter that much to me. I don’t judge a member by their badges so I guess I can’t really give a yes or no answer. That’s just me but I will be happy either way

I’m not sure what badges you are referring to. Please explain your term…

Badges?! We don’t need no stinking badges! Sorry… I had to.

I think the badges are good for new people because it makes the forum feel more interactive. For some reason there was a ‘cool factor’ for getting my first five post badge and the badge you get for adding an icon. Like it was said above I don’t judge people by their badges though but it did encourage me to participate. I was a Boy Scout so earning those merit badges has been ingrained into my psyche. But I digress.

Oh, Roderick. You are quite the king of out of context quotes. =D>

Ha! They are just for fun.

Everybody can see them. They are a way to show how active a member is. There are badges for comments, likes, agrees, photos, etc. And there is the ability to add custom badges. http://snuffhouse.org/activity

Nope, @Troutstroker is back! I refuse to comment on your blabbering… :-"

I think what we need now is a global map showing where members are from ! It would be helpful in so many ways . Plus it would help with my book . SHOW ME YOUR BADGES ?

@Roderick has a fifth anniversary badge, which is pretty impressive. Very few members at that one. Also if you don’t already have it, you can get the photogenic badge by re-uploading your avatar. I noticed Troutstroker did this the other day, and gave a bit of an upgrade to his old one.

I definitely think we need a location addition somewhere. Either flags or a slot in the profile where you can write it

I noticed I’ve got a badge and it appears that I received it about an hour ago because five people have agreed with at least one of my posts. If this is correct–if I agree with something somebody said, do I click on the icon at the top of their post, or the smaller icon(s) under their post? How about if there are two icons under the post? If my understanding of this system is accurate, I like it. Since I am involved in some very contentious forums and discussions, it is very refreshing to be part of a forum where there is so little discord and tension.

right below the persons post next to the flag hover over that area with the mouse and you’ll see some like agree options. I’am glad there is an agree button cause sometimes you agree with bad news.

Use the icons under the post. You can only choose one. If you clickone twice, it cancels it.

@bob and Xander, thanks. I think I understand the system now.

Badges are fun and something to stride for, I lurked a long time before I became a member. And in a little over a month I will earn my birthday cake badge for one year. Time sure flies when your having fun !!!

As a new guy in these parts, I kind of dig 'em. In fact, I would go as far as to say maybe we could get a little “foursquare” up in here and add some novelty badges. I’m not sure how labor-intensive something like that is, but if it’s easy enough to set up, I say it fosters interactivity. Just my .02.

I like the badges alright. They can’t hurt anything. Plus you can be all like, “Yeah look at all these badges, booyah.”

question: do the like and agree buttons on people’s posts require badges be activated?

I am neither here no there on badges - but having lived with the changes in format for a few months I would go back to something like the original look. I don’t see what we get from having the categories. I was in favour to begin with but I really dislike it now.

Initially I thought the same, Snuffster, but I did not care for the change initially … and I know this site is a labor of love for you, as is snuff making and snuff … but I think now that I have gotten use to it, I like it better. I went the opposite way as you. I think the categories, right or wrong and personal opinion only, offers new snuff folks very distinct places to search, look, for information. How I have modified my site behavior is that when I log in, I go straight to “Discussions” … and it shows me all new posts, from all categories, in one(read “same as it use to be”) thread. I can catch up … and be on my merry way. I do think the organization and categories serve a purpose, is what I am suggesting … in that there is a ton of fantastic information on here … to have it reasonably parsed in find-able areas, I think, is a benefit for many. Just my 2 cents … although may be worth less than that now!

@snuffbrant nailed the reason for the categories. When Alex first started Snuffhouse he used categories, the current system is a homage to that. If I still had access to the original theme we would be using it.

I like my 5th anniversary badge as well, keep 'em. Stefan

Whatever the outcome I am sure it will be good, the mods do a great job and I don’t mean to criticise.

Personally I’ve liked the changes so far as they’ve been adding and not subtracting things as far as I can see. In any event with such fine ladies and gents this forum couldn’t be made into one I dislike.

I enjoy the changes new looks and features .And cstoke4 is doing a great job keeping the site modern and interesting. I been here less than a year and seen members disappear; Why, did they get bored?

Maybe some people don’t disappear as much as they just enjoy reading what others have to say. Maybe some don’t always have input to give and feel it would be extraneous in doing so. Also, on topic, I’ve enjoyed the changes I’ve seen pass by in my short time here. As to the question, I initially said yes, I still lean toward that but it really isn’t a big deal. If we keep’em, good, if not, that’s also okay.

@basement_shaman - I think people may get bored. I find it hard to find things to post about when you really can’t talk about politics and the like. I mean, I understand the reasoning behind it but I think an area where we can discuss world issues wouldn’t be a bad thing. It seems the members here are respectful enough to be courteous to one another. I think discussion, debate, and reasoning about current events is a healthy thing. Again, this is my opinion and this isn’t my forum but I just wanted to put it out there.

I’ve been on this site for 4 years and I’ve never seen ONE political thread that didn’t turn nasty. Aren’t there other forums to discuss politics?

@miamimark - yes there are. I was sharing my thoughts. Consider it dropped.

Yeah it’s a nasty subject. It’s kind of like rabbies. That was a nice dog but he got bite by that issue and now he’s froathing at the mouth. Even when it goes well someone will cross the line. The main thing I want to like you all so it’s best this way.

@bob I understand. I didn’t realize that political topics had turned so ugly on this forum. It’s a shame that people can’t act in a civil manner on such topics to reach a better understanding of the world around us. But hey, onward and upward to better things.

That’s just it…people here do act in a civil manner. Perhaps because we do not discuss politics or religion. :)) I have yet to see a board that could maintain a civil discourse on either. YMMV

The reasons I love this site is because there is no drama, members are civil, and no politics. Talking politics makes me feel sick inside most times, so I avoid it when possible.

YES …VERY NICE

If it doesn’t relate to tobacco or food ,I not interested. I don’t believe in P. and I have R. indigestion enough said

Yeah there’s Facebook for all the drama over politics and religion among other things

someone eventualy says you’re stupid for thinking that. And then everyone tries to prove them right. It’s not a good scene. That’s cause all religions are silly except mine and yours the rest though. My favorite was the time happy christmas got a response of that’s dumb. I was so tempted to instead of trying to calm things down to get violentily headstrong about my believe in Santa though I didn’t because I felt it could have been taken the wrong way.

Well, with the vote being 47 - 4, in favor of keeping, we will keep the badges. And no, we will not tolerate religious or political debates on here. If you want to talk politics with someone, PM them.