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Re: Red dots
I really like the rep system. Yeah, they're just dots... but not only is it cool to have a way to congratulate someone on making a really meaningful post, but it was really kind of fun as a newbie on CD to see that others thought I was making meaningful posts and watch that little rep bar grow. Heck, it is still fun!
So I think there is a strong argument in favour of "green dots". Yeah, they are just dots, but what they represent in the way of a model to recognize community contributions is, I think, significant.
As for the red dots, the fact that they are so rarely used says a lot about the CD community. This is a pretty positive place. Yes, we could probably get by without them... and sure, they are probably used inappropriately sometimes... but there are times when they do serve a purpose and allow a small symbolic protest against rude, obnoxious, or repeatedly incorrect posts.
I think the system actually works pretty well... not perfectly, but pretty well... and do glance at a poster's rep bar. Since we lack the many unconcious signals that we get in face to face communication it is just one more indicator that can help us sort out who is posting and how we can best reply to their post.
Yeah, they are just dots... but I don't know too many people who've got a big green line of them who got there by accident!
Jason
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