I see where you are coming from DJ, but rep works both ways.
If the rep system, good or bad was taken away in the chit chat area, then it would become a free-for-all.
While bad rep is sometimes not deserved, sometimes it is.
I know what thread you are referring to, and as for me, I steered (store?
) clear of that topic altogether.
I let some news links speak for me.
I wasn't going to add to the fire, I just wanted to put some facts on the table.
Why does how much rep matter to a lot of people? Overall, the people who have the most good things to say have the most rep.
It's not a race to see how much rep a person has, it's basically a way of seeing who knows their stuff.
As I look at the people with the top 10 rep on CD, I notice common characteristics between all the people..
All know FIRST a lot better than I do, and are generally more freely to give information, or solve problems than the people on the bottom of the list, who may just have joined FIRST.
The rep system is flawed in some aspects, but just looking at the caliber of the people in the top 10, 20, or 50 people who have the most rep says that it is working.
Peace.
And no more sports or politics threads.. OK?
Just kidding.
But keep them civil, OK?