Rep Changes

[Descartes]

It's clear today that the upvote system was abused too, so whats the point of having it?

It might be an idea to just allow staff to downvote and block the rep system from everyone else.

Only downvoting would be a bad idea in my opinion. If anything, let the staff and MVCs both upvote and downvote the posts (and disable it for everyone else). This way people will be held back from trolling, but encouraged to make useful posts as well.

Also the reputation in your profile would actually reflect the user's contribution to the community, better than the post counter (let's be honest, the post count hardly ever goes along with quality of the posts)

[Shayla]

Sorry but when I look at certain profiles of active members here with serious (long) warn logs and see their rep is huge, it makes me think the system is completely worthless.

now that's another story

[Darth Laidher]

This is a sad day :(. Just another case of the man stickin it to us lol.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Only downvoting would be a bad idea in my opinion. If anything, let the staff and MVCs both upvote and downvote the posts (and disable it for everyone else). This way people will be held back from trolling, but also encouraged to make useful post, and also the reputation in your profile would actually reflect the user's contribution to the community.

Yeah we have decided that downvoting only isn't the way to go, I think we need a system where contribution is rewarded but at a moderated level, which is now the focus of our discussion on staff right now.

[Piggy]

I have never used it to be completely honest. :unsure:

[DJD]

Bring it back! I usually make good thoughtful post's and the majority of my posts got up voted because of my view on things not because I trolled. I enjoyed checking my profile to see if I got any new rep points because it ment someone was agreeing with me. Bring them back!

+1

Would have +rep'd you but they disabled it :shiftyninja:

Anyway i never noticed any abuse, and found the plus rep system to give you pretty accurate way of how much someone contributes by posting useful or insightful things.

Really hope you guys rethink your decision and set it back to plus rep only.

[Descartes]

Looking forward to see what you guys've got up your sleeves ;)

[Sethos]

Finally someone at the top realised how useless the system is and was, it was bound to fail as a quality assessment tool from day one.

[Piggy]

Can we setup a new system that allows the administration of a simple electric shock through the mouse to the usual trolls? (and to those that enjoy a little pain :shifty: )

[Fred Derf Veteran]

The purpose of rep points was to encourage people to be friendly and helpful to other members. Someone will help you with your router problem and you'd rep them up as a "thank you". I think various members learned early on that there were much easier ways to get rep points and it had nothing to do with being friendly or helpful. The reputation system that we've been using up until today hasn't been meeting the goals that we had set for it and this is as good a time as any to re-evaluate our approach.

I suppose if the system had only been neutral (not working towards our goal and not working against them) then we might have keep it going but it has now become obvious that it actually was detrimental to the goals of encouraging members to be friendly and helpful.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Finally someone at the top realised how useless the system is and was, it was bound to fail as a quality assessment tool from day one.

+1 Can't believe I agree with you there :p

[Lee G. Veteran]

I'm disappointed that's it's gone, but I can understand your reasoning. Although there was some noticeable abuse of the reputation system, I didn't think it was enough to consider removing it.

[Darth Laidher]

The purpose of rep points was to encourage people to be friendly and helpful to other members. Someone will help you with your router problem and you'd rep them up as a "thank you". I think various members learned early on that there were much easier ways to get rep points and it had nothing to do with being friendly or helpful. The reputation system that we've been using up until today hasn't been meeting the goals that we had set for it and this is as good a time as any to re-evaluate our approach.

I suppose if the system had only been neutral (not working towards our goal and not working against them) then we might have keep it going but it has now become obvious that it actually was detrimental to the goals of encouraging members to be friendly and helpful.

Ive gave several people rep points because they helped me out so its not like no one was doing it.

[Steven P. Administrators]

I'm disappointed that's it's gone, but I can understand your reasoning. Although there was some noticeable abuse of the reputation system, I didn't think it was enough to consider removing it.

I can understand your opinion on this, because you don't know who is abusing it and what staff have to deal with.

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Ive gave several people rep points because they helped me out so its not like no one was doing it.

True. However, we now believe that the experience on the whole was more negative than positive. The bad outweighed the good.

[SimplySchizo]

Now to remove/hide join dates and post counts... :D Anything that serves as an e-peen stat.

[Darth Laidher]

The rep points really don't matter. I just liked them because how I got rep points were legit.Now I could see a problem with them if you all had a contest based on rep points, then it would be a big problem. But really I don't judge an answer by the rep points. Theres been a lot of comments I didn't agree with that got rep point's but they weren't trolling comments either. I just like to see that people have a common belief in some things.

But what is done is done I suppose.Hopefully you all will come up with something new for us or something I dunno.

[Sethos]

Just need to implement some moderator system, where troll posts which wouldn't usually warrant a warning could get -1 rep ( public or internal display ) and when it reaches -10 or -15 across the board, it would

unlock a warning. Then on the other hand, making great posts and being very helpful would allow staff to give you +1 on the profile and when you reach +10 or +15, you'd get a little special star and when you reach +50

perhaps your warning level would go down 10%.

See, there's a reason to take posting seriously!

[Lee G. Veteran]

I can understand your opinion on this, because you don't know who is abusing it and what staff have to deal with.

Good point.

[Piggy]

Just need to implement some moderator system, where troll posts which wouldn't usually warrant a warning could get -1 rep ( public or internal display ) and when it reaches -10 or -15 across the board, it would

unlock a warning. Then on the other hand, making great posts and being very helpful would allow staff to give you +1 on the profile and when you reach +10 or +15, you'd get a little special star and when you reach +50

perhaps your warning level would go down 10%.

See, there's a reason to take posting seriously!

Why? Mods need to do less rather than more. They don't need to babysit every troll.

How about this: Be a dick, get a kick.

Temporary bans for repeat trolls (even if your warning level is low)

[Sethos]

Why? Mods need to do less rather than more. They don't need to babysit every troll.

How about this: Be a dick, get a kick.

Temporary bans for repeat trolls (even if your warning level is low)

They wouldn't be babysitting, they would click a little plus sign or minus sign based on what they thought of the post, that's it.

Wouldn't have to do it on all posts, just the best / worst.

[SimplySchizo]

All public systems are subject to abuse. not implementing one is your best bet.

Internal is another. Maybe you guys should keep it to yourselves. Only allowing Staffers to +/-. This makes it easier on you guys when you have to sort things out between members. Of course, this is Tons more for you guys behind the scenes which goes back to my original thought. No system is best.

[Vice]

Sorry but when I look at certain profiles of active members here with serious (long) warn logs and see their rep is huge, it makes me think the system is completely worthless.

We're already talking about adding a system that rewards true good contribution to the site, and that will be added in due course. This system is useless.

People agree with what they want. You can't control that. Simply labeling upvoting of contraversial posts as abusing the system is you believing everyone should agree with your concept of right and wrong. That wont ever happen.

I understand that you guys own the site and run it how you wanna run it but at the same time you need us to be here for the site to function and at some point you have to negotiate with the community, you aren't selling a service or a product your hosting a website that requires the community to create the content. It can't always be a one way street or the users will go to other sites with more democratic decision making.

[Steven P. Administrators]

"Be a dick - Get a kick", I like that Piggy :p

[Fred Derf Veteran]

With the previous system, highly opinionated posts received +1 votes from like-minded people.

You could get the most rep point by:

Attacking Apple outside of the Apple forums

Attacking Microsoft in the Sony Console Forum

Attacking Sony in the Microsoft Console Forum

Attacking either Democrats or Republicans in Real World Issues / Domestic Politics

So basically, I could post stuff about "the Apple tax", "the red ring of death" or "Obama's socialist agenda" and I'd be in rep heaven. Does any of this make Neowin better? Does it show my value to Neowin? No, it makes Neowin a less friendly more divided place. That isn't what we want.