Reputations

[The Barrow-Wight]

Some of you have already noticed that we have activated the Reputation system of the Downs. If you haven't, look on any post on the forum, and you'll see a small icon beneath the name of each poster (right after the number of posts that member has). Hovering the mouse over that small icon will reveal that member's reputation on the Downs. Everyone starts out with the the reputation of "<member> has started on the path to adventure"

Looking below the Reputation icon, you'll notice another new icon in the shape of a scale. Hovering your mouse over it reveals the message "Add to <member's> Reputation." Clicking the icon brings up a small window where you can do one of two things: (1) Approve of the post; or (2) disapprove of the post. Both options allow you to add a comment stating why you made the choice you did.

As you can see, the idea is to rate the post, not the member. Your rating of the post, postive or negative, will affect that members reputation up or down. As reputations change, the Reputation messsage changes.

Please don't abuse the Reputation system. Don't use it as a way to play games or disrespect each other. Instead, use it to give your true opinion of the posts you rate. In doing so, you will give people a better idea of what we'd like to see on the Downs.

Thanks!

[The Barrow-Wight]

You can see the reputations you have received, along with their comments, in your User CP. This means that user can see what rating you give to their posts!

[piosenniel]

Will we have the opportunity of choosing to turn off the 'Reputation' function?

[The Barrow-Wight]

No, you will not be able to turn off the reputation feature for now. Unless the system becomes widely abused, we want it active so people can see what others think of their posts. Though the system is designed to make misuse quite difficult, if such a thing does happen and we are unable to control it (by censuring the abusers) we may consider allowing people to turn it off in the future, but I don't forsee the need for that.

[The Barrow-Wight]

I just noticed that by clicking the scale icon on one of your own posts you can see how many reputation points you have. It will also indicate if you are negative, even, or positive for that particular post.

[Eruwen]

I have a question about the reputation points. I know people give you your reputation, but on all of my posts it says that I have 14 reputation points and that the post is even. Even on posts that I just got done posting, it says that. Does the number of points ever change?

[Thorongil]

Thanks for clearing it up. And it is better if people give a comment, so you know why, If it's positive or negative.

[mark12_30]

BW-- Thanks for the info.

Green is good; blue/grey is negative? Then what's red?

[The Barrow-Wight]

I hadn't realized there was a red. Since the blue/grey we were talking about before added 0 points, perhaps blue/grey is neutral and red is negative. The descriptions I gave were educated guess, because I didn't recall seeing the icons described on the documentation.

An amended description of the reputation icons:

high positive
positive
balanced / neutral (0 points?)
negative
high negative

[The Saucepan Man]

Thanks, BW. That's useful to know.

I have received three blue boxes with no comment, none of which affected my reputation count. Each of them relates to posts which really had nothing in them to either approve or disapprove of (particularly as two were simply setting questions in the Quiz Room). Since these were all received within a week, and given the rule about spreading reputation around, either there is more than one of these 'wizards' or he/she has been very busy indeed.

Also, can members with under 50 posts still approve/disapprove of posts (even though they cannot add or subtract reputation points in doing so)? If not, this 'wizard' cannot be a brand new member, since he or she must have at least 50 posts in order to be able to bring up a blue box in people's User CP.

[The Barrow-Wight]

I think it must be a flaw in the software that those people actually show up on your list. Optimally they would not even be able to open the reputation box, or at least their clicks would never register. But until vBulletin sends out a fix, we will continue to see when people are doing this.

In the meantime, I will contact people who are abusing the system and get them to stop.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Same as Saucepan Man - I have had two of these neutral reputation boxes with no comment within the last week. However, one of these had mysteriously vanished when I looked this morning.

[The Barrow-Wight]

Remember that it is considered bad form to leave negative reputation without a comment.

[Son of Númenor]

I absolutely agree. I have only given negative reputation twice, and both times I have left an explanation and signed my screen name. I expect others to at least do the former for me, though I'll note that many have not.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I have only received one negative point and it came with a pretty offensive comment as well (and without a signature, of course ). This irked me somewhat, especially as the post which prompted this proverbial assault was really a nothing post in which I criticised the Departure of Denethor in the film.

I would argue that it is bad form to negative-ise someone without leaving a comment as well as your screenname. It's not a playground, we should be able to deal with differences easily here.

[Diamond18]

I may just be paranoid, but the thought occured to me that anyone can sign their name as anyone. It's a little disconcerting. I seriously doubt anyone with much rep points to give would do something so immature, but the identity thieving comment would still be there, wouldn't it? I am paranoid.

Edit: Oh, duh. Nevermind me. I got the bright idea to go back and read the guidelines on the first page of this thread, and apparently anyone who hasn't been around very long/has less than 50 posts/has a low reputation, should not be able to give reputation points or comments.

[HerenIstarion]

The problem is solvable - if the person allegedly giving you bad rep have rated you before, you may know how much points his/her rate is worth. Per instance, if Mr BW rates you positive, you've got 10 points. If another instance you get negative of 2 points and it is signed BW, you know it's fake. The worth of rating of each member may increase (say, another 1,000 posts or similar will bring 1 point to the rating power), but over considerable period of time, and gradually.

edit: in answer to 'edit' of the preceding post

Anybody can give comments and points. Just prior to reaching 51st post (or so I gather) the points equal zero. So, the reputed member gets nice/grudgy comment and neutral blue-gray box with 0 points (not no points, 0 points, if you follow my meaning, kind ladies and gentlemen)

That is not deduction - I talk out of experience - several times I've been rated by newbies and the total score did not change, but the comments were there.

Thanks to all who took time, btw

cheers

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I received a *Blue* reputation point once. What's that all about?

[Mithalwen]

But I have other posts with one positive comment which are plain positive .... and the person who gave me them were lower in the rep ranking than the person who gave the somewhat positive rating

[Imladris]

Hookbill, blue ones are neutral. They are made by people with less than a fifty post count. They don't effect your score...

I'm sorry about the negative rep Aman..that's just mean.

[Amanaduial the archer]

And I'm sorry about that post being made - a case of, shall we say, 'mistaken identity'. There is another user who has my username and password and who I asked to come on to send a few PMs as to why I was AWOL (I anticipated not being able to get on for another week or so). I texted her before she actually sent anything on my account, but unfortunately it seems she didn't sign out - and thus that post was born.

Incidentally, I don't like answamachines...and I am liable to quoting films...but otherwise, that post is not true on my account.

My apologies for that

More levels in both directions? Hmm, I wonder how many more there are to go downwards...

How low can y'go...how low can y'go...

[Evisse the Blue]

It's very nice and refreshing that this a family-friendly forum but I think receiving an (anonymous, mind you) bad reputation because I used the word 'damn' (which you can see the board does not censor) is a little over the top. Especially since the term was not used as an insult but in a humorous manner (see post 86, page 3 of this thread). This is not to argue with the personal beliefs of the reputation giver - if he/she thinks I deserved a bad rep, so be it, they're exercising their board-given right. This is just to bring once again to the attention a problem that has been brought many times since the rep system was made, but never, to my knowledge has it been eradicated: that of NOT signing negative reps. No one hesitates to sign positive reps, but most negative reps are left anonymous. Hmm. A not so flattering appelative comes to mind, and one that is not a swear word.

Not that I mind bad reps. It's quite interesting to get them, because they became so rare. And a difference has to be made, or else we'd all be heading for the Straight Road sooner or later, and what would be the fun in that? I for one am happy to be at Aragorn's court for I am enjoying myself immensely and do not wish to leave.

[Mithalwen]

I think cowardly may be the word you are looking for.....

I finally cracked and gave a negative rep for a post I felt was quite malicious. But I signed it...

I suppose the only thing worse than not signing would be to sign with someone elses name... but perhaps I shouldn't give folk ideas...........

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I'd actually wondered about that, Mith... If some mischief-maker with a bad sense of humor decided to neg-rep somebody and sign it The Barrow-Wight, or Esty, or... davem. The only way you could tell is if the points you receive don't correspond with the points they have to give.

What got me thinking along those lines was the Crystal Heart fiasco and how we don't really know who anybody is at any given time, but for pure trust in words. Is there any way for our beloved Higher Ups to moniter rep-giving? I don't remember if that has been mentioned before. I know that most of my reps come from the real deal Downers, because they have cute personal references and such, but how can you really tell?

-Conspiracy Theory Fea

[Mithalwen]

But does neg rep have the same weight as positive? I think I just lost one point each time but since it was anonymous there was no way of telling if that was their "weight" or normal.....

Unsurprisingly it was that unfortunate business that prompted my neg repping - not the incident itself but a response to it which was too full of schadenfreude...

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Could they be really old things from Crazy Captions

If that is true, will there be a point at which someone will get the title, " ____ has seen Gandalf the grey, uncloaked"?

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Ah HA! I think I may just have cracked it!

Look at 'the guy who be short' on the Name generator. You get "Six-toothed Dwarf"

As The Guy who be short is a dwarf, can we assume that that is where Petty Dwarf comes from? It’s the best I could come up with.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

All I found was an amorous dragon.

Who would have thought that this 'treasure hunt' could be so much fun?

[The Saucepan Man]

'Creepy' is another adjective that the generator uses, so it could be ? was a Creepy Petty Dwarf ...

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Eomer, did you capitalise 'the guy who be short' ? Because I didn't. Does that make any difference? But all the same, this is what I got...



So there!

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I did not capitalise.

And davem is not a frightened wood-elf according to my generator.

[the guy who be short]

Wow... Odd how that prediction came true.

I doubt the petty dwarf refers to me - I'm not really as established on the Downs as all the others.

[Firefoot]

I made my way into someone else's rep? Now I'm going to have to figure out what I'm right about... Hm. Under the context, I could see it being from the "Island of Sorrow" RPG, but I'm not sure what I'm right about. Puzzles, puzzles. Oh well. I can do the phantom-thing and just take it to mean that I am ultimately right. Therefore, balrogs have wings.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I made my way into someone else's rep? Now I'm going to have to figure out what I'm right about... Hm. Under the context, I could see it being from the "Island of Sorrow" RPG, but I'm not sure what I'm right about. Puzzles, puzzles. Oh well. I can do the phantom-thing and just take it to mean that I am ultimately right. Therefore, balrogs have wings.

Actually, it's not from Island of Sorrow. But it's more fun not to tell you who or what it's from... I just feel like being that way tonight.

[Gurthang]

I just got an unsigned, no-comment rep. Don't know if it's the same as some of these other unsigned ones that are floating around, but I wanted to see if I could discover who it was. So I looked through the Member's List and came up with these three possibilities: Shelob, Lalaith, and NightKnight. Now, I probably missed some possibilities, but I'm sure it could have been any of those three.

So, whoever it was, confess now and no harm will com to you.

[The Perky Ent]

Gurthang, is the hunt on? I want an excuse to use my Balrog mask!

[Glirdan]

I think I should be exempt from that. I am after all a fellow Black Beorning, right? Right?? Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm not the one who repped you. I normally comment and sign mine.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

OffTopicOwl says: "Lets get back on topic."

[Gil-Galad]

I just wanna say thanks to Saucey for his last rep, he has always pulled out for me some way or another


and fainu, stop it, your turning into the BW...its creepy...


and i beleive the OffTopic Owl says : Off Topic ........

[Thinlómien]

Another reputation-feeling: I've been away from the Downs for over a week and have found a lot of good new posts and I've wanted to positive-rep TGWBS three times. That's quite a lot.