Type More : Minimum 50 Characters Required In Every Post!

CEans,

Here's a quick announcement of the new 'rule' we're making mandatory for everyone. From now on, every post should be at least 50 characters long. That means, the system won't accept responses like 'Thanks', 'Hello' etc. In the past few days, a lot of time is being spent in fixing the short posts made on CE in most important discussions. Our ultimate aim is to make sure that we've quality content in each of our discussions.

I however wish to get your feedback on this. We certainly don't want posting to suffer because of this rule; at the same time, we don't want to have comments that don't add any value to the discussion.

Please share your opinion in comments below; in more than 50 chars 😁

Replies

  • Abhishek Rawal
    Abhishek Rawal
    Nice move Biggie.
    I truly feel that this will certainly enrich the quality of posts in CE.
    No more two-words lame posts !

    I suggest to cap it to minimum 80 characters.
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    I just setup a character limit and decided to seek feedback from our most regular members. We may keep the limit, increase it or even eliminate it completely if our members say. I'm going to leave it to the members to decide what to do.

    The fac remains though - the two - three word posts don't really add any value to the discussion. Also, imposing a word limit doesn't even ensure that we'll get more quality discussions. Let's just collect more opinions.
  • Abhishek Rawal
    Abhishek Rawal
    No assurance of quality of posts - I agree.
    but, surely no more whack two word posts, hence the questions asked here on CE will be in depth & easy to understand, & surely pretty easy to answer it.
  • sweet_honey
    sweet_honey
    This is a nice rule to get quality response from the CEans.
    One suggestion I would like give here is that make the number of characters visible ( if possible) as we get it in the cell phones while typing a message.
  • Sahithi Pallavi
    Sahithi Pallavi
    Nice, Nothing wrong in taking this step. I think we can reduce the spamming count.
  • Saandeep Sreerambatla
    Saandeep Sreerambatla
    This is a nice idea. But There are ways to pass this validation and post only good words.

    Like I post, Good work and series of return buttons then dude is also accepting the post.
  • rahul69
    rahul69
    This is a very good step to at least bring out the effort and to stop one word frustrating posts😁.
    CE Rocks!!
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    Nice thing here Friend

    And also plan on enforcing stricter rules in Post in profiles also that is also some times trouble some
  • Vishal1485
    Vishal1485
    i think this would build up healthy discussion. as we proceed through new rules we will also get result
  • Anoop Kumar
    Anoop Kumar
    50 chars would be good limit. more than it might a little bit annoying.
    Any meaningful sentence always cover this limit.
    char count can be added☕ but if not up-to "code" insertion symbol, its 50 chars😉
  • TheCoolDesiBoy
    TheCoolDesiBoy
    This move will prove to be very useful. When threads have proper titles it makes them easy to search and reply.
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    Well, I agree that it's possible to skip this rule; but we'll keep it that way. We don't really want to make posting difficult. We're in the 'twitter' era already where people can express everything in 160 chars. My only concern is to see if this takes our daily post count down.
  • Ramani Aswath
    Ramani Aswath
    'Mmmmmmmmmmm………Yessssssssssssssss……..suppppose sooooo'
    is more than 50 characters.

    I shall go with Oliver Twist and say,'Please Sir, I want some more'
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    bioramani
    I shall go with Oliver Twist and say,'Please Sir, I want some more'
    Well, I agree. The work around is very easy. But maybe the rule will act as a reminder that the character count is below the threshold. I can of course increase it. Do we have suggestions on what should it be?
  • Ramani Aswath
    Ramani Aswath
    For long I have been concerned about the lack of depth in much of the posts. Either people do not have the time or do not want to spend the effort to make an in depth reply. Occasional banter is not wrong. It may even give some welcome relief.
    However, to some extent this depends on the person replying. As they say, ' a leopard does not change its spots'.
    Your concern is valid and shared. SOlution is slippery.
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    #-Link-Snipped-# : I'm compelled to make it around 150 - 200 characters so that we can at least hope to see some more quality responses. From what I see is that most of our long time members don't need the rule. Increasing the limit might just scare away the newbies.
  • Ramani Aswath
    Ramani Aswath
    The_Big_K
    #-Link-Snipped-# : I'm compelled to make it around 150 - 200 characters so that we can at least hope to see some more quality responses. From what I see is that most of our long time members don't need the rule. Increasing the limit might just scare away the newbies.
    That seems better than 50. Something like 20 to 25 words. A lot can be done with that.
  • grsalvi
    grsalvi
    It seems every one agrees with new rule.But what if some one wants give a short feedback? Like if my question gets resolved & i want to thank as well as mention that its resolved? I suggest add more buttons with" like" to flag a post thank you or resolved or working on it...
  • CE Designer
    CE Designer
    50 seems like a good starting point. Its not the number but the message we are trying to push. We can always change later on but I think we have a good number to start with. I like the ideas of our leaders here on CE. #-Link-Snipped-# is my mantra in life and I am glad to see that we practice it here on CE too.
  • white_hat
    white_hat
    Oh this is a welcome move.Minimum characters of 50 is just perfect.Keep up the good work admins.
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    grsalvi
    It seems every one agrees with new rule.But what if some one wants give a short feedback? Like if my question gets resolved & i want to thank as well as mention that its resolved? I suggest add more buttons with" like" to flag a post thank you or resolved or working on it...
    We've that option on the list and it may become a part of the site. Thank you might be a good button to add; but I'm thinking of extending it to make it even more useful.
  • [Prototype]
    [Prototype]
    The same thing was implemented on some other forum and honestly its really annoying many times. This limit should be implemented on the general discussions forum. For technical, yes, this is very help.

    Also make the rule for bypassing the limit and its not very long you will see posts like " Thank you. 50 chars limit..........."
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    In such cases, the mods can simply delete the posts. We didn't do that before, but I think it makes sense to delete spammy posts.

    There's an excellent suggestion in this thread that will make it easier to say 'Thank You', with just a click of a button. I'm already exploring possibilities of implementing it.
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    The_Big_K
    We've that option on the list and it may become a part of the site. Thank you might be a good button to add; but I'm thinking of extending it to make it even more useful.
    I found one thing Biggie in EDAboard they have an option called "Helped Me" Instead of a thank you post you just press this button It is more technical and also fine looks
  • Anoop Mathew
    Anoop Mathew
    Hi... *test*
  • Anoop Mathew
    Anoop Mathew
    Is it effective with blanks (null character). The above reply from me got posted although I had left 4 lines of blank space. Have you lifted the restriction?
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    If this rule itself is a head ache to you guys just browse through the rules in Sonsivri you will loose your interest in Tech Discussions forever

    This is a great move Biggie the quality of posts will increase and in the long run you will see quantity and quality meeting both ends
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    anoopthefriend
    Hi... *test*
    How did you manage it man any twist works or the rule is stayed out for a while
  • grsalvi
    grsalvi
    What if some posts require only few short replies ? For example : "Please tell me which are the good books for electrical machines?" or "which are the best sites for Java programming ? " .
    What in that case ???
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    It's possible to break the 50 character rule and we don't want to make it very strict. The idea is to make sure that whenever we type a response, it's well thought and adds value to the discussions. So, yes - there are ways to get around.

    #-Link-Snipped-# : You could of course type why you think the book you recommended is a good book and why the site you're suggesting is a good site for Java Programming. That'd make the discussion more useful for all the readers.

    There can be very short responses like 'Thank You' and 'I agree'. We'll have a mechanism to let our members post those short responses. Something's already under tests; I'll announce it very soon provided it gets a green signal in our internal testing.
  • Ankita Katdare
    Ankita Katdare
    I am really glad to see so many CEans in agreement to the new rule. 👍 It just speaks volumes about the positive spirit of the engineers here and their belongingness to the community. Way to go, friends!
  • grsalvi
    grsalvi
    The_Big_K
    It's possible to break the 50 character rule and we don't want to make it very strict. The idea is to make sure that whenever we type a response, it's well thought and adds value to the discussions. So, yes - there are ways to get around.

    #-Link-Snipped-# : You could of course type why you think the book you recommended is a good book and why the site you're suggesting is a good site for Java Programming. That'd make the discussion more useful for all the readers.

    There can be very short responses like 'Thank You' and 'I agree'. We'll have a mechanism to let our members post those short responses. Something's already under tests; I'll announce it very soon provided it gets a green signal in our internal testing.
    Okay.I got an idea how to reach 50 characters by adding additional details.
  • Danny Stillone
    Danny Stillone
    agree and that's the way what we must to do as CEans, it's remaining us how to make a valuable post, not the waste words 😁.. increasing the effective time, at least.
  • grsalvi
    grsalvi
    Quick feedback :

    1) New rule makes me think beyond what i usually do while writing reply.

    2) This definitely increases quality of my reply (exactly as the new rule really wants to achieve i.e. quality posts).
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    Well, what we want is not to try to 'reach' the character limit; but make sure that our posts add value to the conversation. I'm of course keeping the short-posts in mind and I think that process can be simplified. Wait for an announcement in coming days 😀
  • whiz.kid.aniket
    whiz.kid.aniket
    check!




    .
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    Deleting spamy posts takes moderators less than a second. So no point in showing us how you can escape the 50 char rule, right?
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    It is unwise of regulars to show new entrants how to violate any rule period.
  • whiz.kid.aniket
    whiz.kid.aniket
    The_Big_K
    Deleting spamy posts takes moderators less than a second. So no point in showing us how you can escape the 50 char rule, right?
    50 char rule: I think the count is less, and why this rule for old members?
  • whiz.kid.aniket
    whiz.kid.aniket
    jeffrey samuel
    It is unwise of regulars to show new entrants how to violate any rule period.
    I m not against it! I was just testing it.
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    Hello big Guy there is a small loop hole here Especially if a person quotes another persons Text we find that the number of character is exceeded and the rule gets wavered Do check it out man
  • anshu5358
    anshu5358
    The_Big_K
    CEans,

    Here's a quick announcement of the new 'rule' we're making mandatory for everyone. From now on, every post should be at least 50 characters long. That means, the system won't accept responses like 'Thanks', 'Hello' etc. In the past few days, a lot of time is being spent in fixing the short posts made on CE in most important discussions. Our ultimate aim is to make sure that we've quality content in each of our discussions.

    I however wish to get your feedback on this. We certainly don't want posting to suffer because of this rule; at the same time, we don't want to have comments that don't add any value to the discussion.

    Please share your opinion in comments below; in more than 50 chars 😁
    yes, it is ofcourse a very good initiative. this will definitely improve the standard of important discussions
  • Pensu
    Pensu
    Thats a good move. I am sure, its going to improve the quality of discussions.
  • Gurjap
    Gurjap
    Well, this severely limits the chance of Oscar Wilde-isms. But a good move.
  • grsalvi
    grsalvi
    #-Link-Snipped-# : The new rule has been started ? , i think yes .But why the number characters entered is not shown while writing ?
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    Yeah Big Guy there are some loopholes worth consideration

    Need little modifications especially when we are quoting text
  • sweet_honey
    sweet_honey
    grsalvi
    .But why the number characters entered is not shown while writing ?
    Now it is showing
  • sweet_honey
    sweet_honey
    When I replied to another thread then it showed that characters are less than 50, but in this reply it hasn't shown anything and also accepted reply of less than 50 characters.😕
    Why is it so #-Link-Snipped-#?
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    It would help if you could tell me which reply accepted less than 50 characters?
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    sweet_honey
    Now it is showing
    This reply Brother
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    That is general Refer my previous posts here #-Link-Snipped-#
    jeffrey samuel
    Hello big Guy there is a small loop hole here Especially if a person quotes another persons Text we find that the number of character is exceeded and the rule gets wavered Do check it out man
    This is the only problem
  • Saandeep Sreerambatla
    Saandeep Sreerambatla
    jeffrey samuel
    That is general Refer my previous posts here #-Link-Snipped-#


    This is the only problem
    I think this is because of quotes.

    Note: The above message "I think this is because of quotes." I posted without the quoted text, and it is giving me the error of 50 characters , if I quoted text it is not giving that error. That means that if we are quoting those are also counted.
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    Using quotes isn't a problem when used reasonably. I've already said that we don't want to 'enforce' the 50 character limit on users and make posting 'difficult'. If we were to enforce it, we could even put more checks - like SMS lingo, spelling mistakes, thin content and so on.

    Remember that this character limit is a gentle reminder that unless you don't have anything significant to contribute - you shouldn't. It's not meant to 'discourage' users from posting and sharing their views. I don't think I can be more clearer on this.
  • Saandeep Sreerambatla
    Saandeep Sreerambatla
    The idea behind this implementation is understood Biggie, I am answering people for their questions!
    And yes as you told people will not quote unless required.

    So there is no problem at all.
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    English-Scared
    The idea behind this implementation is understood Biggie, I am answering people for their questions!
    And yes as you told people will not quote unless required.

    So there is no problem at all.
    Oh well, I was answering the post before you, but you typed faster 😁. Happens!
  • Ramani Aswath
    Ramani Aswath
    As the management guys say.' If you have nothing to say, say nothing'.

    Even if 50% of faff is cut out the exercise is worth it.
    I did get a popup (in rather angry DMK colours!) giving short shrift to my (number of) character(s)
  • grsalvi
    grsalvi
    sweet_honey
    Now it is showing
    No i replied a post but coulod not see the char counter.Are you sure ???
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    grsalvi
    No i replied a post but coulod not see the char counter.Are you sure ???
    We don't have a characters counter. It might be enabled - only if it adds value. Generally, 50 char limit only cuts down the posts that don't add any value (a generic assumption, there will always be exceptions).

    In the past few days, I've been working on cutting down JavaScript usage.
  • Jeffrey Arulraj
    Jeffrey Arulraj
    The most common threads which get deleted are these

    • Thank you
    • Just help me in
    • Help needed
    • Pls Do help me
    And the like were deleted in some threads and are being enforced in other threads too I guess
  • sweet_honey
    sweet_honey
    Yes as it is being discussed that the characters of the quote are also counted. Thus it may be the problem you are facing otherwise try without quoting, you'll get an error.
  • Smriti Jha
    Smriti Jha
    And here I was, spending all my life perfecting the trait of being terse and precise. Damn!
  • Chinu1
    Chinu1
    Its a nice validation. This would build up quality response.

You are reading an archived discussion.

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