Newbie question

[umgowa]

Here's a complete newbie question.  When you look at the posts there are some notations and icons on the left of each post that I don't understand.  Here's one.  It says "Thumbs up" and then another live button for "thumbs down".  Could someone tell me what those are for?  Also there is a notation that says "Number of cheeses".  Could someone tell me what that means?  Suppose it could mean the number of different cheeses you've tried to make.  Or it could mean the number of different cheeses you've actually made successfully.  I could guess, but I'd like to know for sure.  Thanks.

[MrsKK]

This was just recently asked by another new member...but that's okay, we're all newbies at one time and need answers.

The thumbs up and thumbs down are for giving approval or disapproval to another member and the result is a cheese - or a negative cheese if the person started out at zero (or so I would assume - I've never seen negative cheeses).  So, if someone is particularly helpful or you think they've gone to extraordinary lengths cheese-wise, you can give them a thumbs up.  If someone is discouraging or nasty, you can give them a thumbs down.

I really like the system and would love to have it available on other forums I frequent.

There is a section here of FAQs, I believe, with info for finding out how things work here - sorry I don't know the name of it off the top of my head.

[umgowa]

Karen, thanks.  You've raised another issue . . . those little wedges of cheese on the left.  So if I see a lot of cheese wedges, that means that person has received a lot of thumbs up on their posts?  And if they start getting some thumbs down, then their little wedges of cheese would presumably get fewer in number?  Is that how the little cheese icons work?

[Cheese Head]

Thanks MrsKK, umgowa here you go, don't worry you are not the first or will be the last. Also in the FAQ's Board are some useful posts on how to attach files like pictures, how to change your visible name, how to make pretty hyperlinks like the one above etc.

The cheese wedges are just the count of posts a member has made, nothing to do with thumbs up/down, I need to add a FAQ about that.

Cheers!

[umgowa]

Thanks, John.

[Tom Turophile]

Ha!  I thought "cheeses" was the number that we had made.