Reputation systems scares you away from post

[Ryan Albright]

Hi guys well i mean i was just sitting here and i was thinking and i wanted other peoples input.

WE have had the reputation system for awhile and i think its pretty good. I am just afraid to post as much as i am used to. I have been posting on CD a little over a year and when i post i dont post crap, wheni post i post stuff that i know what ia m talkign abourt or asking a question or answering one. But lookign at my reputation i have all approvbes execpt for three and i mean i think this repuation thing is on peoples opinion well it is.

Example
I posted under a thread pit politics and i thoguht i covered everything in that thread and i got a disappove cause the CD member said that i didnt talk about anything related to that thread and i went back and red through my post and it matched everythign that was said in the post and i just expanded a little moer and since then i got appoves about that post that people like

All i really wanted to say now with the reputation system in place ia m afraid to post. Becasue everythign i post i mean but i just dont want it to look like ia m fooling around. So i mean this whole thing scares me

So what do you tink

[Jessica Boucher]

You know, there's a couple of things I'd like to say about this...

- I can see where you're coming from. When I came back to the forums full-time, one of my early posts got negative criticism because they didn't like my style of writing. And I was pretty pissed...who are these people who never even knew me back then, and why are they allowed to say that my points aren't valid? I know a couple of older FIRSTers who graze the forums every now and then who have the same feelings towards reputation.

- People like to criticize more than they like to praise. We don't give eachother enough credit, and I wish it was different...but that's the way things are.

-I LOVE getting reps, especially from people I don't know and people with reps higher than my own. My face literally lights up every single time dlavery gives me positive reps...because I know my opinion mattered enough for him to make the couple of clicks and think of something interesting to say to cheer me on.

So...maybe some solutions? I know! Mid-Season Resolutions!
-I resolve to give out more reputation. My favorite area of the reputation area is the comment area. If you've recieved a rep from me lately, I try to always put in a word or two either of praise or of ways to make it more palatable (lately it's been a LOT of words!).

-I also resolve to not give out negative feedback without a comment. This way we know what we're doing wrong, as opposed to knowing someone thinks we're wrong but didn't care enough to say why. It also makes us think before making those couple of clicks.

Dont be scared away from posting. Voicing our opinions is what makes us human, voicing our opinion frequently is what makes us FIRSTers. And you definitely have valid points to make, so if we all resolve (or at least keep in mind) to show eachother that we appreciate one another, I think that we're well on our way.

Hope that helps!

[KenWittlief]

I think the most important thing to notice on the rep points box is the choices are

I approve

or

I disapprove

it says nothing about whether you AGREE with the post or not.

A forum is a place for people to publically express their ideas and opinions, observations, and to interact with others they would not normally have access to.

If every thread started out with the first person making a comment, and everyone else chiming in that they agree - there would be no point in having the forum.

people will have differences of opinion and different ways of seeing things. I wont give anyone negative rep points unless they are rude, abusive, vulgar, or attacking someone personally.

think about the words "good repuation" and "bad reputation" when giving points - people have the right to disagree with you, if they do so in a civil manner - that should not earn them a bad reputation.

If I disagree with someones post I have sometimes given them postitive points, but put a comment in that I dont agree with them. I still approve of them making their views known, and esp appreciate someone taking a stand on a difficult subject (not that there have been any on here lately :c)

PS - scare me away? I think if my rep points went seriously negative I would conclude that I am not wanted here, and in that case, yes - I would stop posting on CD.

[EddieMcD]

I'll tell you this right now. I very rarely (if at all) give out rep. I don't even look at rep. It's all the way on the right side of the page, after all. I can glance through posts without looking at any green whatsoever. Besides, why should someone with 10 green dots be taken more seriously than someone with one green (or heck, even still on gray) when at face value, all their opinions are very valid. In which case I'm forced to think who deserves my rep. Does that person with 10 dots deserve it more simply because he has the 10 dots. Maybe I should give a leg-up to the person with 1. If it goes to the person with 10, it's a popularity thing. If I go to the 1, it's a pity thing. Maybe I give it to both, but that almost defeats the purpose of the system.

And then there's bad rep. I myself have gotten bad rep based on Jeopardy questions. How wrong is that? If someone only adds one line to a discussion, should I give him bad rep? I mean, he is adding to the discussion after all. Should all posts under one line be judged as bad? There may be valid opinions in that one line. Maybe someone double posts (which is very often by accident). Should they be penalized for that? I don't agree with a post? Bad rep? (I'd never give out bad rep because someone disagrees with me, but I'm sure it happens). Someone has started flaming other users. Should he be given bad rep? Yes he should (sorry, just making sure you're still paying attention ). If someone pointlessly gives you bad rep, do you have the right to fire back at them (which is a dangerous thing considering a lot of people can fire a negative rep of 15 points)?

I speak my mind. It's just who I am. Which puts me between a rock and a hard place. I want to get my opinion out there (i.e., speak my mind). The problem is my opinion often differs from that of my peers (in this case, the users of CD). I'm not afraid of bad rep, but I'd kinda like that bad rep to be justified. Are you going to give me bad rep because I disagree with Operation Reelect- er, I mean Operation Iraqi Freedom? Are you going to give me good rep because you're good friends with me? Things like this have made me just disregard the entire rep system.

I'm not saying that rep is just a popularity contest, or a tool to keep political enimies (for lack of a better name) at bay. You have no clue how tempted I was to fire a -15 bomb in the direction of the people who gave me bad rep based on Jeopardy questions. I never did, but I wouldn't be suprised if that's another large source of bad rep. I'm pretty sure that a lot of rep givin out is deserved either way. But even if 90% of all rep givin out is justified (and IMO, it's probably less than that), that makes 10% of the system a popularity contest, and a way to oppress those that disagree with you. And 10% of all the points givin out (or heck, lets count 10% of the people) is a lot of points (or people). Again, I'm just speaking my mind. I'll take you seriously even if you're in red. And I won't let other people's opinions on you (in the form of rep), be them good or bad, influence how I feel about what you say. You agree with me? Cool. You don't? Maybe we can have a friendly debate on that topic. Don't be afraid to post what's on your mind. You'll never get bad rep from me if you do.

So, how 'bout them Red Sox?

[Brandon Martus]

To quickly address something in your post ..

I may see how hard it is to put a hack in vB3 to disallow reputation in certain forums. (game forum, chit chat(?), etc..) I'm not sure if this will solve anything, though .. any comments?

[IsabelRinging]

I don't really see how the reputation system benefits us. Sure, it helps to discern who is helpful around here, but that should be fairly evident anyway. Also, I haven't seen anyone with a negative reputation, so it seems to be less of a matter of who has more reputation rather than who has good reputation. This pretty much boils down to who posts more and has more of an opportunity to have their posts seen and appreciated.

However, my feelings on the reputation system's existence are fairly neutral. I don't care that it's there, nor would I care much if it was to be eliminated.

[Ryan Albright]

Brandon ya it sounds good to try to take it out of certain forums but dont kill yourself

And like i said again its not that big of deal to me. I mean i do not like seeing negative rep.

I just get excited when i see liek good repuataion from people like any of the kens,Andy baker, dave lavery and countless other ones. I mean i am 17 years old i turn 18 in less then a month. I have just started touching the engineering outlook. These guys i have name have been in engineering for years. ONE EVEN WORKS ON THE ROBOT ON MARS! To get one of your post or threads noticed by these guys is amazing. When i see a good rep from them its just something that gets me excited about robotics even more. I think everyone can agree with me when you get a good rep from them it feels good because they are the leaders, mentors and people that have changed our lives in many ways.

[Jillian B.]

*please don't give me anything negative for this one!*

I am a little lost also on the reputation system. I posted a simple response on the "What are you listening to..?" thread, and suddenly, someone gives me a negative point for saying the title and artist. Nothing provacative. Why is this?

- Jill

[Ryan Albright]

jill,
check this thread

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...137#post198137

[Pamela]

I think reputations points will allow new/inexperienced delphi users to find the information they need from good sources. They can see someone has a good reputation so obviously their opinion on fixing a problem is more valued, because they are known for good advice. On thing that should be changed is that if you give negative reputation points it should be required you leave a comment as to why you feel the person deserved it. That way the person recieving negative points can fix what the problem is in future posts. This will also discourage users from abusing the point system.

^just my 2 cents

[Matt Attallah]

Originally Posted by Pamela

I think reputations points will allow new/inexperienced delphi users to find the information they need from good sources. They can see someone has a good reputation so obviously their opinion on fixing a problem is more valued, because they are known for good advice. On thing that should be changed is that if you give negative reputation points it should be required you leave a comment as to why you feel the person deserved it. That way the person recieving negative points can fix what the problem is in future posts. This will also discourage users from abusing the point system.

^just my 2 cents

Good sources? I think just about everyone on here is a good source. If they don't know - than they probally won't post. If they do post something - i have only seen good.

I don't really care for the points. I guess they are more or less a quest for attention. I am pretty neutral about mine. Points are kinda pointless to me - i have been here since before vB - so i could see them go or stay...

[Yan Wang]

Personally, the rep system amuses me. I look at my list and say - "Lol! That person needs to chill." I deserve some of the negative rep I've gotten but some are just ludicrous (and thus highly amusing). I just sent an IM to Brandon to reinstate some rep because someone removed some points because I posted in a chit-chat thread (Dream Computer) that was a year old(Reason: "sorry..old thread..."). I've also GOTTEN points for posting in Word Association. I've also lost some because I posted my opinions in the "Music" thread (I don't care if you disagree with my tastes - DEAL WITH IT). Lol <-- All I can say.

[Jay H 237]

Personally I don't follow the rep points too much. It is nice to read the ones you got and to realize you helped someone or some team and that you had made a difference. I also rarely give out reputation and when I do it's because I feel the person has significantly helped me, my team, and/or the entire CD community in general. To date I have never given out negative rep.

It's been said in previous posts and I'll say it again, no matter what you do not everyone will agree with you and you MUST respect that. The same goes for YOU not agreeing with everyone else.

[Trashed20]

Originally Posted by Brandon Martus

To quickly address something in your post ..

I may see how hard it is to put a hack in vB3 to disallow reputation in certain forums. (game forum, chit chat(?), etc..) I'm not sure if this will solve anything, though .. any comments?

yeah, i think this should be inacted. I got a negative for my post here
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...20891#poststop

And after I've been using this system for a while, I don't like the reputation still. Its just a huge popularity contest. It isn't helping the boards in my oppinion.

[DanL]

Overall I like the rep system due to the fact that yes, it does show new members who are the people that really do know what they're talking about.

Then again, I feel it has been abused again me - specifically, it has been used as a tool to express the person's opinion rather than if they approve of the post. I feel like one person in particular (who is actually a moderator and should know better) uses the rep system repeatedly to express a grudge he has against me.


Use the boards to express your opinions, and use the rep system to reward or punish etiquette and intelligence.
Disagreeing with a person's views is no justification for damaging his reputation.