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I have been a member of and contributor to this site for most of the time I've been a part of ELU. I really enjoy my time on here and was proud to be part of the beta.

However, I did notice when I logged in for the first time since the beta's end that I had lost my editing privileges that I had whilst ELL was in beta. I don't at all disagree with the non-beta reputation thresholds for privileges, but wouldn't it make sense for the beta-ers to keep the privileges that they earnt during the beta?

Assuming that the reason behind this is misuse, would it be any different if someone who earnt a privelege at a lower level misused it during beta or production? I don't think so. It's bad at any level.

I suppose you could say it's like giving a dog a toy, them growing attached to it, and then having it taken off them.

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    I sympathize. I was a close voter on ELL and Chem when they raise the privileges, then I had to struggle to regain the privileges again. But it's as it is. A discussion on Meta Stack Exchange about whether beta privileges should remain seems the way to go now, but I don't think it would be popular. 1) The main privilege thresholds are ones you see now. So the beta privilege thresholds were exceptional, not the graduated sites. 2) Then we have to discuss whether it's fair that someone has to earn 2k rep for a privilege while 1k sufficed in your case.
    – M.A.R.
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 6:17
  • I miss 20k a lot, but given how many people were using privileges carelessly that now don't have them, I think it might be a fair trade.
    – Nathan Tuggy
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 6:30
  • May want to pick a different metaphor. Every dog I've ever known will happily play with whatever next toy you give them... :-)
    – corsiKa
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 14:31
  • Except for the Weimaraner in the mockumentary Best in Show, who wants Busy Bee. youtube.com/watch?v=rARKAStGRy8
    – TimR
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 16:06
  • @corsiKa Hmm... Taking Pooky from Garfield then?
    – Dog Lover
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 5:54
  • I'm in a similar situation with some other privileges - and I think that being a long-term member, who helped the site out of beta should count at least a bit. But I'm not sure if it would be possible, software-vise, to distinguish between inexperienced users and the 'old' ones with rep that meets the old threshold. On the bright-side if you like to edit posts, now you will get 2 points for each edit ;-). I'm sure no user would reject your edit, they are always good ones, as far as I can remember.
    – Lucky
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 1:57
  • @Lucky I am a programmer (as a hobby, not professionally) and I know that there would be a way to recognise if a user is ex-beta. Most likely you would retrieve the date a user became a member of ELL and if that date is less than the date the site first went into production, then allow the user to keep those privileges. BUT any unearnt privileges should remain at their non-beta threshold to keep things fair.
    – Dog Lover
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 5:59
  • I didn't know that, thanks! Well, than it's a thing for SE as a whole to consider - I don't think we'll get our privileges back at old thresholds, but perhaps some other beta users in the future, will :-).
    – Lucky
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 8:01

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I am sad about losing my ability to edit tags in-line, but I don't think that I should get to keep them. Privileges aren't rewards, even though they can be earned. They have responsibilities attached to them, and you have to prove that you can be trusted with them.

Lower trust thresholds were necessary while ELL built up the community of trusted users. ELL wasn't going to get out of beta until there were enough high reputation users available to take care of those functions that only trusted users should be able to do and now that we have bootstrapped the community, there is no reason for me to have those privileges.

The privileges weren't for me - they were for ELL so that I could help get the site out of beta. If I had been more active, I could have built up the reputation to keep those privileges before the site left beta. Alas, I did not, so I have to turn them in and let the folks that did build up the reputation take over some of what I used to be responsible for.

There's nothing that makes me more special (in terms of SE reputation) than the person that joins ELL today and has to meet the new trust thresholds. Why should I feel entitled to only have to earn half the reputation they need to for the same privileges?

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  • This is a fair way to look at it. You really should be moderator; your contributions to this site are exceptional.
    – Dog Lover
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 5:55
  • @DogLover You can vote for her if she runs in the next election. :)
    – M.A.R.
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 12:38
  • @DogLover Thanks for the vote of confidence, but with great power comes great responsibility, and I'm already neck deep in responsibilities ;) I prefer to just pitch in whenever I can.
    – ColleenV
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 12:46

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