Gas_Buddy

Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:26,197 Points:3,061,500 Joined:Aug 2004
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Message Posted: Mar 5, 2012 6:06:27 PM
I think both Scrapheap and kwzh are correct.
I've said similar to Scrapheap in a now long closed topic on more icons/points levels Closed thread
I responded multiple times in that thread, which was started by the moderator JT, in response to the voting poll question: "Currently, there are over 100 members with more than 1,000,000 points, and at the top level for car icons. We would like to recognize the contributions of the top point earners. Would you like to see more car icons/point levels on this web site?"
One of my comments in that thread (and in many other threads started by members on the icon/points issue, almost always started by new members), read in part:
"It doesn't appear that the folks "at the top" bother to respond (with only a couple of exceptions over the past several years; it appears that those with the 1,000,000 points - as well as those with 2,000,00 or more, are satisfied with the way it is.
The majority of people saying there needs to be more point levels are the newest members, who, in some cases are making this one of their first message posts, and often before they've done more than a few gas price posts (if that many); it seems that they believe there needs to be more recognition and levels without having made any significant input. And, quite a few of them believe that the newest members should get an icon so they don't feel left out; it doesn't seem that participation to the website is as im portant as having your anonymous screen name being recognized as... as, I guess, that you're a member."
Scrapheap's correct: "Funny how most of the people with red cars seem less concerned with the icons than those with no icons. I know I cared less and less about them as time went on. They are just fluff."
To use jhnri4, who started this topic, as an example (and I'm not picking on him in any way), he joined in November 2011, has 33 message posts, and 4,555 points, including points for starting this thread February 25. To begin with, why worry about icons, let alone about "after members reach 10,000 points") when you only a couple thousand points in three months? The icon's can't be that important - let alone need to be improved - if you're not, for all intensive purposes, participating.
kwzh's comment "...if you make it to *easy* to get the higher ones, then it's meaningless" merely reiterates what I've been saying.
That said, I admit that I frequently, and probably unnecessarily, chide new members (as well as multi-year members with under 10,000 points, and more often under 5,000 or 2,500 points) for not participating more, and for not posting gas prices. But, in this case, for this thread, if icons are important enough to be commented on, it would help if the member took the time to participate while the discussion was on-going. Especially since the member started the discussion.. I repeatedly noted that except for me and one other regularly posting member in that topic, both of us saying the which
Funny how most of the people with red cars seem less concerned with the icons than those with no icons. I know I cared less and less about them as time went on. They are just fluff.
If anything, I think the icons should go on a logarithmic scale. It would take more point and longer the higher you get to advance to the next icon.Closed thread
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tjc09f

Veteran Author
Tallahassee
Posts:477 Points:693,725 Joined:Mar 2011
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Message Posted: Mar 5, 2012 4:21:43 PM
animated speed lines would rule!!
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Scrapheap

Champion Author
Virginia
Posts:14,692 Points:2,386,530 Joined:Sep 2006
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Message Posted: Mar 5, 2012 3:56:31 AM
Funny how most of the people with red cars seem less concerned with the icons than those with no icons. I know I cared less and less about them as time went on. They are just fluff.
If anything, I think the icons should go on a logarithmic scale. It would take more point and longer the higher you get to advance to the next icon.
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kwzh

Champion Author
San Jose
Posts:20,790 Points:3,710,915 Joined:Jul 2001
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Message Posted: Mar 5, 2012 12:14:39 AM
rayla, if you make it to *easy* to get the higher ones, then it's meaningless.
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Gas_Buddy

Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:26,197 Points:3,061,500 Joined:Aug 2004
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Message Posted: Mar 4, 2012 8:00:49 PM
rayla36: Earning the car icons is "fun"?
I would suggest that, rather than being "fun", it's an indication of achievement.
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rayla36

Sophomore Author
Columbus
Posts:118 Points:39,410 Joined:Mar 2012
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Message Posted: Mar 4, 2012 11:52:10 AM
I remember when I was getting my first stars on ebay and how happy I was to get each. Now that I'm over 1000, it'll take forever to get my next one. If you make it too hard to get the higher ones, it's not as fun.
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RichWLIN

Champion Author
Indiana
Posts:4,250 Points:666,565 Joined:Jun 2011
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Message Posted: Mar 3, 2012 5:38:06 AM
Whoa! Something wonderful happened when I hit 200K points this morning. I got a brand new car!
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Gas_Buddy

Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:26,197 Points:3,061,500 Joined:Aug 2004
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Message Posted: Feb 28, 2012 10:26:45 AM
Considering that the original poster hasn't changed points status in the three days since he started the thread (12 posts/1205 points), it adds to the thought that the points and the icons are important to new members, though it seems that it's not important enough for many that they take the initiative to earn them.
I full agree with kwzh's comment below: "The higher you get, the less important it seems." I'm personally more impressed with the number of points accumulated or earned than I am by an icon (for which I have to check the points to understand the relationship).
Improve the icons? Sure. Remove them for all I care, and leave the points number; that I can easily relate to.
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buckeyecountry

Champion Author
Ohio
Posts:8,188 Points:727,680 Joined:May 2011
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Message Posted: Feb 28, 2012 10:24:14 AM
kwzh
Congratulations by the way. Total committment to the site. Deserving of a much bigger icon.
[Edited by: buckeyecountry at 2/28/2012 1:25:13 PM EST]
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scoutmaster

Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:82,171 Points:3,281,170 Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Feb 28, 2012 3:43:16 AM
As of now, you are maxed out regarding the car icons, kwzh.
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kwzh

Champion Author
San Jose
Posts:20,790 Points:3,710,915 Joined:Jul 2001
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Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 9:05:24 PM
The higher you get, the less important it seems. I hit a new level yesterday and didn't realize it until it was pointed out to me.
If I were in charge of redoing it, I'd make it logarithmic. If we keep 10k and 35k as-is, then continue with 60k, 100k, 175k, 320k, 560k, 1m, 1.75m, 3.2m, 5.6m, 10m, then we wouldn't need so many vehicle icons; I'd also redo the colors to start from purple and progress towards the more visible red, in spectrum order.
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scoutmaster

Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:82,171 Points:3,281,170 Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 7:41:25 PM
Less than 50% of the vegetable plan is green.
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Gas_Buddy

Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:26,197 Points:3,061,500 Joined:Aug 2004
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Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 12:46:44 PM
Peopl complain now of too much red with the suggested vegetable plan there's too much green. How about using presidents or dollar bill denominations. Or classical music composers such as Bach, Motzartand Chopin. Or, better yet, instead of cars you get the name of a Hank Williams song. Makes about as much sense as most of the suggestions.
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scoutmaster

Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:82,171 Points:3,281,170 Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 11:31:44 AM
I know, instead of car icons, we get vegetables!
10,000 - Beet 35,000 - Carrot 100,000 - Acorn Squash 200,000 - Okra 350,000 - Crimini Mushroom 500,000 - Celery 750,000 - Snow Pea 1,000,000 - Avocado 1,250,000 - Green Bean 1,500,000 - Cauliflower 1,750,000 - Endive 2,000,000 - Wax Bean 2,250,000 - Broccoli 2,500,000 - Red Onion 2,750,000 - Eggplant 3,000,000 - Brussels Sprout 3,250,000 - Cabbage
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Gas_Buddy

Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:26,197 Points:3,061,500 Joined:Aug 2004
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Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 8:43:55 AM
LakemontPark: You wrote: "I like the idea esp after you hit a certain point all the cars become red and similar I would love to see the cars change maybe every 50,000 that way you want to post some when you have to get over 100,000 points to move after you get upo there it seems your stuck on the same car forever."
First, if you changed icons every 50,000 points, that would mean changing icons for many members, perhaps for most members, more often than every two months. Icons would lose all sense of value (if there is any value to begin with), and would be virtually no different than changing "points numbers". If you're simply going to change the icon every few weeks, then why not eliminate the icon and simply indicate the number of points "earned"?
As for "it seems your stuck on the same car forever", if you participate in the points activities regularly (not even frequently, but simply an earn several or more thousand points weekly. As a point of reference, for whatever reasons you elected to take six months to achieve your points level (63,990); other members have achieved that amount of points in approximately two months. It's simply a matter of participation.
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LakemontPark

Veteran Author
Pennsylvania
Posts:279 Points:153,195 Joined:Aug 2011
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Message Posted: Feb 26, 2012 6:32:50 PM
I like the idea esp after you hit a certain point all the cars become red and similar I would love to see the cars change maybe every 50,000 that way you want to post some when you have to get over 100,000 points to move after you get upo there it seems your stuck on the same car forever
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unclesnipe

Champion Author
Cincinnati
Posts:21,906 Points:1,314,300 Joined:Oct 2009
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Message Posted: Feb 25, 2012 6:05:35 PM
maybe we could go monopoly on em. new members start out with the old shoe? sorry if that joke's been done before... but at 5 mil I say you should get a space shuttle :D
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scoutmaster

Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:82,171 Points:3,281,170 Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Feb 25, 2012 5:25:17 PM
I want a unicycle!
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Gas_Buddy

Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:26,197 Points:3,061,500 Joined:Aug 2004
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Message Posted: Feb 25, 2012 1:23:51 PM
With 2,105 points after three months of membership, it doesn't appear this is a suggestion that needs a time-sensitive response. If the icon's were "improved", whatever "improved" is supposed to mean, in the next year, there'd still be plenty of time before the icon was awarded.
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CampKohler

Champion Author
Sacramento
Posts:9,681 Points:1,584,410 Joined:May 2007
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Message Posted: Feb 25, 2012 10:52:02 AM
I want a wheel barrow.
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buckeyecountry

Champion Author
Ohio
Posts:8,188 Points:727,680 Joined:May 2011
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Message Posted: Feb 25, 2012 9:57:43 AM
Not sure I have seen anybody with home site just "Gasbuddy"? Ya would think it would be at least listed as a state....like mine "Ohio"
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CelticHeart

Champion Author
Detroit
Posts:138,761 Points:3,193,125 Joined:Aug 2004
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Message Posted: Feb 25, 2012 9:20:18 AM
This has been discussed many times.
Why are you taking so long to get your first car?
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