Should we dump the reputation system?

[Vaquero45]

The reputation system is intended for fun, nothing more, nothing less.

Many people (like myself) like the rep system because I can give comments to folks for their posts "behind the scenes" so to speak.

For others it has become an obsession and a distraction.

And for some it has caused hurt feelings and ill will.

Tell me what you think... should we keep it or dump it?

I like to be able to give someone a pat on the back behind the scenes for a great post, making a point, good humor, or saying something I agree with better than I would have. It is fun to pos rep someone.

I can count the neg reps I remember giving out on one hand. (of course I could be forgetting some but I'd bet it's under ten... )

I'm neutral on "to dump, or not to dump", the rep system. If I logged on tomorrow and there was no rep meter thing I wouldn't care. Actually this is the only message board I've participated on that has a rep system. I'd know who's posts to watch for without it. I'd guess we will see a lot more :up: or :down: posts, and the PM's will get more busy if you do away with rep.

Listen to your heart, Knight... ( that's a touchy-feely sarcastic line I use a lot )

V45

 

[truthteller86]

...I'd guess we will see a lot more :up: or :down: posts, and the PM's will get more busy if you do away with rep...
V45

Good point ! :up:

 

[Delmar]

... The use of negative reps appears to be to a great extent the province of cowards who cannot stand opposing views...

That or a really fast way to say " I don't approve of what you said".

 

[Delmar]

I'm fine with keeping it, and I'm fine with dumping it. It does cause conflict but I'm not sure that is always bad.

 

[lovemeorhateme]

I like the rep system the way it is.

I don't wanna see it changed or removed.. I like to be able to say what I think of other people's posts.. and it can be fun to muck about with at times!

I say keep it!

:thumb:

 

[deathwish]

:singer: Don't get rid of it please.....

 

[Philetus]

Keep it! (if you can't improve it.)


Maybe we could go to something like the Homeland Security color system.

green.......pat on the back ….. Well done good and faithful servant.
yellow.....chicken smack …… Did I say that?
orange…..smack ……………. You will recover.
red .........death smack……….. It’s Gitmo for you buddy!

Philetus​

 

[kmoney]

I enjoy the rep system but I am fine either way. I know that doesn't help you much Knight, but that's basically my answer.

The rep system has basically become meaningless due to several factors. I'm not putting blame on anyone in particular, but I also contributed to it. That was possibly inevitable though. I primarily give positive reps. The number of neg reps I've given out can be counted on my two hands. Like many, I like to give little comments sometimes. It's just a fun thing to have and as long as people realize that it is just for fun I think some of the cons would be solved. If anything I think hurting TOL performance is one of the biggest cons.

So basically I can go either way.

 

[Yorzhik]

When the rep system first came online with TOL, I thought, "Oh cool! Another toy!" I played around with it for awhile, figuring it out. Then, I started feeling obligated to rep certain people because they had repped me for what I considered inconsequential posts. So, I took a break from giving any rep at all. I figured that I would only rep posts that I found worthy of my praise or scorn after that. Then, once again, I started feeling somewhat obligated to rep certain people. Right now, I'm back to only repping those posts that I find either really good or really bad.

My pros for the rep system:

• can give feedback on posts without disrupting threads
  can see what people think of my posts without having threads disrupted

My cons for the rep system:

• it begins to get cliquish
  I feel obligated to rep people at times.
  People make too big a deal out of the whole thing at times.

Right now, for me, the cons outweigh the pros. But, I would miss being able to give the feedback without disrupting the threads if it were to go. So, basically, I guess I'm saying I don't know. :chuckle:

Nori, good points.

I like tying a comment to a post, but the numbers are kind of meaningless to me.

 

[Granite]

Dump it. It's a silly distraction. TOL was just fine without it.

 

[jeremiah]

The rep system is fun and helpful, and thus you should keep it! As long as everyone realizes it is a non scientific poll, of the perceived wisdom, or wit, of the member.
The biggest current problem is the reps have to be zeroed out at this time.
For instance you could have a hundred casual members rep you for a truly great post, and it would not even equal one rep from Knight, if it didn't happen to catch his fancy, or even his attention. That is wrong, and a silly system.
The second biggest problem is the human competitive spirit gone awry. Whenever you set up a ranking system. certain people, more than others, become very competitive. If there are any ways to eliminate people who try to manipulate others just for the points, it should be tried.
For instance, here is one that comes to mind immediately. "Honey, so and so has just passed me in the rep system. Would you and our daughter rep me so I can pass them?" "Sure, honey, no problem.....or just use our passwords, and do it yourself." Tell me this doesn't happen!?
If there is a way to prevent family members from repping each other, it would be a "fair" improvement.
The biggest factor in the rep system, beyond wit and wisdom, is time and posts. I am quite content being way down the list, since I infrequently post, but that is why I need the feedback even more than others.
Those who post frequently, know who likes, and does not like their posts by now.
Please don't let the naysayers get to you, and scrub the whole system.
I suggest you zero it out sometime soon, and tweak it a little, to make it a little fairer, and just have fun with it!

 

[truthteller86]

Dump it. It's a silly distraction. TOL was just fine without it.

No one ever said that about you of course...:think:

 

[Stripe]

the rep system could be improved with a weighting in favour of recent rep change - for example: if the rep received in the last 2 (say) weeks was multiplied by 4 (say), then reputation would be more dynamic within a more stable limit ...

dunno if thats possible though .. but it'd be cool.

 

[allsmiles]

I voted "no" because I have fun with it. There have been infrequent occasions where I think it's been abused, but it's never been so bad that I think it should be dumped.

 

[JoyfulRook]

Nori, good points.

I like tying a comment to a post, but the numbers are kind of meaningless to me.

What if we had some kind of "leave a comment" thing for each post? It would be tied to that post and would not change any reputation (because there would be no such system). The person leaving the comment could choose whether to have the comment public or private.

 

[elyah]

I agree, but maybe that's another problem with the rep system.

Maybe (and I am just thinking outloud) if we didn't have the rep system we would get more comments on the threads? :think:

Maybe many of the comments that would normally be made on threads are made in private via the rep system?

Just brainstorming here.

Maybe the absence of substinative commentary is inversely proportional to the abundance of rep points? har har!

 

[Aimiel]

I say keep it, although I never pay it much attention, other than when someone needs more negative rep to warn others of their personal stature; or when I feel someone needs to be rewarded for standing up amidst overwhelming odds and stating the truth. My only suggestion would be to limit the amount of negative rep given so that everyone has the same level of points, say 10, to give out negatively. Perhaps those with a larger negative rep would appear more negative, if that were the case. Maybe they would 'get the message' too. Just a thought.

 

[avatar382]

I voted "No".

I find it funny that "People's feelings get hurt" is a con. Since when do you all care about people's feelings? :chuckle:

I will agree though, it's become rather meaningless. It's more a measure of how active someone is on TOL than anything else.

 

[elyah]

I say keep it, although I never pay it much attention, other than when someone needs more negative rep to warn others of their personal stature; ...... Perhaps those with a larger negative rep would appear more negative, if that were the case. Maybe they would 'get the message' too. Just a thought.

There you go in a nut shell, ... (not you Aimel), but you inadvertantly touched the very esence of the matter... The group mind mentality. "Stay green ...you're keen, get red, ... you're dead..." Sure its comedy, ... and only to be taken lightly... Yeah Right! OK all you little kiddies 16 years and older, don't read the next few lines....

In the Pro Right "group-think" mentality which TOL sports itself as and would like to promote its Pro Right POV as G-d's POV too, ... I'm very proud of my little red rep badges of honor... As the saying goes... in the land of the blind or blinded, the one eyed man is king... so, .... Aimiel, steer clear of me.... or I'll get ya, ... Booooo

 

[ApologeticJedi]

I like the private feedback (positive and negative) the rep system gives ... however I understand why some might get angered that they carry around the red color just because someone disagreed.