How do I rep people?

[ilovethescudo]

This probably sounds like the most ridiculous question in this forum, but: How do I rep people? I've heard that you click some red checkmark by the post number, but i see no such checkmark.

 

[the Interceptor]

The rep system was shut down some time ago.

 

[ilovethescudo]

Uh, really? Why?

 

[bergauk]

It was pointless...

 

[ilovethescudo]

uh, oh ok. Ok mods, like do your stuff or something.

 

[Barracuda]

It was pointless...

Hey, even if it didn't have much of a purpose, it was still a nice feature to have.

It was removed because after allowing people to view the reps they had gotten, a few people selfishly abused it.

 

[the Interceptor]

I am a former fan of the reputation systems, but I must say I learned to see their deficits over time. All the forums I attend either made at least one full reset of the rep points or shut the system down completely. And in the forums that still use it, it is obvious that the points seldomly are consistent with the quality of posting for the individual.

A simple example. In many forums with rep system, a simple fart joke or a funny picture you just found somewhere will earn you more points than a well thought out post you put a lot of time and work into. That issue alone shows that a rep system does not what it's supposed to: encourage to make good posts.
Besides that, the mod crew will have way more work. Just think of the amount of complaints about unfair reps, whole groups repping each other up or an unwanted member down.

Therefore, I can understand that the rep systems slowly die.

 

[niky]

I am a former fan of the reputation systems, but I must say I learned to see their deficits over time. All the forums I attend either made at least one full reset of the rep points or shut the system down completely. And in the forums that still use it, it is obvious that the points seldomly are consistent with the quality of posting for the individual.

A simple example. In many forums with rep system, a simple fart joke or a funny picture you just found somewhere will earn you more points than a well thought out post you put a lot of time and work into. That issue alone shows that a rep system does not what it's supposed to: encourage to make good posts.
Besides that, the mod crew will have way more work. Just think of the amount of complaints about unfair reps, whole groups repping each other up or an unwanted member down.

Therefore, I can understand that the rep systems slowly die.

Yup... big issue before on one board, and got some members infractions... two or three guys repping each other to high heaven just for the hell of it.

One board I'm on has updated rep (since nobody there uses it) to "Thanks", with a more prominent button. That's pretty easy to abuse, too.

But I will miss the "rep" button. This is one of the few boards where I got rep points earned the hard way... I'll miss that "Quality Posts" badge... nobody else will give me any...

 

[Pupik]

It was pointless...

You weren't even a member here when we had the reputation system in place: How can you have an opinion about it? Wise man does not click "Submit Reply" if he has nothing to say.

Anyhow, the GTP reputation system had its perks and flaws, but it was abused after a little over a year-and-one-half, which led to its demise by a handful of members. All "Quality Posts" badges were turned in, and the checkmarks disapeared. It was one of the most controversial features we've ever had at GTPlanet.

Every so often, I run into a signature reminding people to "click the red checkmark" that isn't there.

 

[homeforsummer]

I am a former fan of the reputation systems, but I must say I learned to see their deficits over time. All the forums I attend either made at least one full reset of the rep points or shut the system down completely. And in the forums that still use it, it is obvious that the points seldomly are consistent with the quality of posting for the individual.

A simple example. In many forums with rep system, a simple fart joke or a funny picture you just found somewhere will earn you more points than a well thought out post you put a lot of time and work into. That issue alone shows that a rep system does not what it's supposed to: encourage to make good posts.
Besides that, the mod crew will have way more work. Just think of the amount of complaints about unfair reps, whole groups repping each other up or an unwanted member down.

Therefore, I can understand that the rep systems slowly die.

There's a motorcycle forum I use where it works really well. There are different sections to the forum and each section has an effect on how much rep you receive. If you're posting useful info in the main biking section, then any rep has a significant effect but if you're misleading or talk off-topic in this section then negative rep also strips your status quickly.

However, there's also a general section. Rep in this section doesn't count for much, but that means that anyone posting random stuff or making fart jokes doesn't get an unfair increase (or decrease) in rep.

The system is also self-regulating. If people choose to post in bright colours, and entirely in bold or italics, or punctuate badly, or swear, it automatically removes rep. If users get rated down enough they automatically get banned so it reduces the work the mods need to do.

I'm not saying it would necessarily work here, but it is a very good system if applied well.

 

[Pupik]

There's a motorcycle forum I use where it works really well. There are different sections to the forum and each section has an effect on how much rep you receive. If you're posting useful info in the main biking section, then any rep has a significant effect but if you're misleading or talk off-topic in this section then negative rep also strips your status quickly.

However, there's also a general section. Rep in this section doesn't count for much, but that means that anyone posting random stuff or making fart jokes doesn't get an unfair increase (or decrease) in rep.

That's a good idea; since we are a GT-based forum, weighting the Gran Turismo-related posts (if rep'd) over other posts might be the way to go. It was sort of the point of the rep system, so new members could evaluate which posters are being helpful to others.

Unfortunately, we still had a few issues like people getting negatively-repped for their less-popular opinions in the Opinions forum, even if their posts were well-thought, arguments well-constructed, and insulted no other members. As much as I enjoy the Comedy Corner, there really isn't any reason to rep someone's post in that forum.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

There's a motorcycle forum I use where it works really well. There are different sections to the forum and each section has an effect on how much rep you receive. If you're posting useful info in the main biking section, then any rep has a significant effect but if you're misleading or talk off-topic in this section then negative rep also strips your status quickly.

However, there's also a general section. Rep in this section doesn't count for much, but that means that anyone posting random stuff or making fart jokes doesn't get an unfair increase (or decrease) in rep.

The system is also self-regulating. If people choose to post in bright colours, and entirely in bold or italics, or punctuate badly, or swear, it automatically removes rep. If users get rated down enough they automatically get banned so it reduces the work the mods need to do.

That's basically membership by committee. Really wrong. We looked at feeding negative scores into a "last chance saloon", but it wasn't really trustworthy. I think that the rep system was a good idea, and we tried very hard to make it work. For the main, it did, but the abuse was too prevalent to retain the value in the system as a whole.

 

[Duke]

Uh, really? Why?

It was pointless...

Actually, it wasn't pointless at all and was potentially quite useful and valuable, particularly in the last version just before it was closed down. However, it was abused by a handful of users to the point that it was simply better to do away with it rather than let it stay.

Unfortunately.

 

[Robin]

I was also a fan of the rep system and it was a pity that a few people abused it runing a system which worked fine for everyone else.

Robin

 

[homeforsummer]

That's basically membership by committee. Really wrong.

I suppose it is but it works. Users who consistantly post drivel, flame other users, curse like a sailor, type in text speak and refuse to construct a legible sentence, constantly go off-topic when there's a perfectly good 'random banter' section etc either get smited by users using the karma system or by the forum itself when it recognises no-nos. Users who do all of that and see their karma heading south either turn themselves around and become respected users, or eventually get banned.

The weighting of karma/rep works really well too, you know for sure that the users with higher rep, combined with their join date are going to be the helpful ones, and users with lower rep are either newbies or people who don't really contribute.

 

[dylansan]

Yeah, but according to what you said even Famine would probably get low rep for his indigo typing.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I thought it was a cool system. But i also thought "if i ever wind up with a Quality Posts badge, i must not be speaking my mind clearly enough.

 

[McLaren]

It was an ok system, but it went just as I thought it would. We had the same problem on UCP's, although it was thrown away for other reasons. The god thing, though, is that when Jordan removed it, we didn't really lose that many people like we had on UCP.

But, besides that, the only reason I hated to see it go was probably because I had just gotten a Quality Posts badge.

 

[superberkut]

I was spared when it was gone, but I really could have used the criticism. I first started using the rep system just before it was shut down, so you can imagine that I got the wrong idea when it was taken down.

Anyways, to you, ilovethescudo, this is why people use invisible rep, or air rep points...

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I was spared when it was gone, but I really could have used the criticism. I first started using the rep system just before it was shut down, so you can imagine that I got the wrong idea when it was taken down.

Anyways, to you, ilovethescudo, this is why people use invisible rep, or air rep points...

Yeah i still say "+REP" to someone or something i like occasionally.

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, but according to what you said even Famine would probably get low rep for his indigo typing.

Well yeah that is something, but I'm sure Famine would care more that his posts remain of the quality they are than if their appearance stayed the same. Trust me, on that forum it seems to work, it stops n00bs coming in and typing all in caps lock in bold text, or people littering the forum with pink text or something stupid. It's always easiest to read plain text.

Anyway, like I said I wasn't suggesting it would work here, but it does there.