Reputations

[Encaitare]

Thanks, Boromir. 16 rep sway have I.

[Ainaserkewen]

A rep for my second to last post on this thread:

you mean, like this?

Who is this!? It bumped me up quite a bit...this is weird.

[HerenIstarion]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

1 point for every 100 rep points.

1 point for every 1,000 posts.

1 point for every year you are a member.

add 1 point for having more than 50 posts and positive repute (known also as one basic point)

Originally Posted by Ainaserkewen

A rep for my second to last post on this thread:

Who is this!? It bumped me up quite a bit...this is weird.

My apologies, lady, that prankster was me I sought to amuse you, but have to step forward since reaction produced is bewildermant rather.

cheers

[Lhunardawen]

*gasp* When did you learn not to sign reps, HI?

On a side note, I'd like to thank Mith and Gurthang for getting me out of Aragorn's court and bringing me to Rivendell.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lhunardawen

*gasp* When did you learn not to sign reps, HI?

On a side note, I'd like to thank Mith and Gurthang for getting me out of Aragorn's court and bringing me to Rivendell.

For information

I have said it before but obviously too many pages back to be remembered..... I feel very uncomfortable about having my reps made public since I regard it as a private matter...Obviously when given it is the property of the recipient but if I have a public comment I make it publically otherwise I use the rep/PM system. I don't want to resort to giveing unsigned positive rep (and I would never leave unsigned neg rep) but if my actions are made public I will take this course rather than not rep at all.

[The Saucepan Man]

I have to agree with Mithalwen there. It is becoming all too frequent for people to publicise the reps that they have been given and, for the reasons that Mith has stated, I don't think that's a good thing. If you want to thank someone for a rep, please do so by PM.

[HerenIstarion]

I third the call for privacy.

The previous case of mine being an exeption, of course - what Aina published was genuine anonymous rating, she was in the right. It was of my own free will I acknowledged its authorship too. But that was more of a joke, all of it, than anything else

In general, since the 'rater' in the case is unknown, anonymous ratings may be published (I believe)

In signed cases, keep your repute private, ladies and gentlemen

[Formendacil]

Agreed.

Reputation-giving is a private matter.

Those with good reputation sound too selfish when they talk about it, and those with low reputation tend to sound embarrassed.

And it's obviously not intended for the general public.

If one wants to reply to signed rep, the PM system DOES work...

[Imladris]

I fifth the call for privacy. As has been said before, the reputation system is for quiet recognition, not something to be flaunted.

[Ainaserkewen]

My apologies, lady, that prankster was me I sought to amuse you, but have to step forward since reaction produced is bewildermant rather.

No apologies needed, it did amusing me. I felt special and I though it was quite funny.

Though I'm all for privacy, it's pretty nice when someone important acknowledges your efforts. Congrats to all who've crossed over.

[Encaitare]

All who call for privacy regarding the rep system... your words are heard and I shall heed them.

[wilwarin538]

Right now I can only give 1 rep point but starting next wednesday it will move up to two, unless I make it to 200 rep points before then, then Ill be at three, or maybe I could post 616 posts before then also. So many possibilities.

[obloquy]

One time I got a positive rep on a post that was deleted by a moderator shortly after.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Originally Posted by obloquy

One time I got a positive rep on a post that was deleted by a moderator shortly after.

I wonder why. Perhaps a moderator can tell us all why a reputation point would be deleted. So we all know for future times.

[Boromir88]

I wonder why. Perhaps a moderator can tell us all why a reputation point would be deleted. So we all know for future times.

I think obloquy was talking about the actual post being deleted. The post that someone repped him for actually got deleted, not the rep points themselves.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Not a moderator, but just hazarding a guess, throwing in my '2 cents': what one person finds amusing or interesting, another may not, and similarly what may be considered by the author of the post and others on the board as well, may not actually be considered strictly suitable by a moderator and therefore deleted. Similarly it may just have such stupidly long sentences and awful grammar like this post that its simply a crying shame and would scare the children...

Just a thought. I mean, I've been surprised to be rated for a post before, a very short one - I wouldn't have expected to be rated for it, but someone on the board thought it was amusing, so, well, I ain't complaining. Similarly misunderstandings can come about from a post and so it may be rated negatively, even when the author did not mean it to be at all offensive - or it may be offensive yet someone finds it amusing and so positively rates it. If it actually is offensive or unsuitable, the moderators are just doing their job by deleting it. Don't worry, I'm fairly sure the admins don't roam the boards scrutinising reputations and then callously ghosting away the ones that have recieved rep points.

Well. Fairly sure. Who knows what admins do for a laugh? Off away in their barrows...busy moving in mysterious ways...

[Lhunardawen]

Originally Posted by Encaitare

All who call for privacy regarding the rep system... your words are heard and I shall heed them.

Same here. My sincerest apologies, Mith.

[Bêthberry]

Just as a point of information, given Hookbill's question, my understanding is that the all-mighty Barrow Wight can reset reputation points. I think he said he would use this option if the system were abused and someone maliciously or randomly started handing out negative reps to do serious damage to someone's reputation. I've never known him to do this, as likely it would bring a public statement of shame upon the perpetrator of said abuse. You know what I mean, the internet equivalent of stocks.

But Boro is correct--Oblo was talking about having his post deleted, not his rep points. I think this is some kind of badge of honour for Oblo.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Okay, fair enough. I must have misread Oblo's post.
I do that a lot.
In the Words of Douglas Adams, "We apologise for the inconvenience."

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lhunardawen

Same here. My sincerest apologies, Mith.

well now I feel a bit mean... and I think I was over grouchy... and I didn't want to embarass Lhuna since it is the principle rather than the individual instance.... but it did make me uncomfortable ... partly becasue I am far more reserved in real life than on line and I was brought up that giving of all kinds should be done discreetly. And I don't give rep to get plaudits...

I haven't changed my criteria for rep as my own rep weight has increased - I rep what makes me laugh, what makes me think, what says what I have not the skill to express for myself... similarly I appreciate the kind comments of the newly dead as well as those of whom I was in total awe when I first arrived and whom I continue to admire. That I have now so many points is down to them and all the other downers who have taken the trouble to rep me. Truly I have only reached such heights because I was standing on the shoulders of Giants.

I find the rep system is useful as a guide to posting.... no " input" rep for a while is usually an indicator that I ned to make a bit more of an effort and on the "output side" I regard it as a variation on the pm system, another layer of dialogue not secret but more private. I just felt as if an "aside" had been picked up on a microphone

[Anguirel]

Actually I find low imput means I've been RPing a lot recently rather than posting Crazy Captions...bizarre that exercises in drama, characterisation, and general writing are rated so much less than a few cheap gags! I'm guilty of it too; I've only repped RP posts that make me shudder with laughter, mostly, incidentally, written by Kransha...

[The Saucepan Man]

There was a discussion a while back on whether RPG posts should be repped. I think that, if someone particuarly enjoys an RPG post, then they should rep it, just as they would rep a great insight during a book discussion or a witty post in Middle-Earth Mirth. Indeed, as far as I can see, the rep system should apply across the board. I have been known to rep posts in the Quiz and Quotes fora when I have thought a question to be particularly clever or a difficult question well answered.

[obloquy]

I hate when people say 'fora.'

[Lhunardawen]

Ironically, the most repped post (as of eons ago) came from The Green Dragon Inn.

[Boromir88]

There was a discussion a while back on whether RPG posts should be repped. I think that, if someone particuarly enjoys an RPG post, then they should rep it, just as they would rep a great insight during a book discussion or a witty post in Middle-Earth Mirth.

Occasionally I will give a rep to a really, really, well-written, intriguing post in an RPG. After being in a game that was fun, and conducted well, with very minor bumps (if any) I generally rep all the gamers that I enjoyed weeks of back and forth writing with. I think it is something that should go noticed. We have some talented writers here.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I can't see why repping an RPG post would be a problem. I got repped for writing a poem in one, and that was nice. So I can't see what the problem is.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Ironically, the most repped post (as of eons ago) came from The Green Dragon Inn.

Whoops! Now you've got me started.

Why should that be 'ironic'? As a Shire moderator I probably have a bias here, but I do not see why a creative attempt at storytelling should merit less consideration for rep than a scholarly analysis of some aspect of Tolkien's writings.

Moreover, I frankly feel that Tolkien would have said the same thing. What primarily draws us to this site is Tolkien's creative work: his ability as a teller of tales, rather than as an academic. Yet, in the Letters, we are repeatedly reminded that Tolkien was somewhat embarassed by the amount of time he spent on his "private hobby". He felt defensive about his creative efforts and wondered if his fellow professors at Oxford would privately chide him for spending time on something as commonplace as storytelling and invented languages when he should have been engaging in more 'serious' pursuits. Tolkien's contributions as an academic are indeed very great. Yet as much as I value the commentator on Beowulf or the translator of Gawaine, it is the storyteller who holds the dearest place in my heart. If there is one thing that Tolkien teaches us, it is that we are all part of a greater story and that stories must be held dear....and that includes even the honest if flawed attempts that many make on this website.

Tolkien, moreover, intimated that his world was not a closed one. Perhaps knowing that he would never truly "finish" the Legendarium, at one point he suggested that others bring their talents to bear to flesh out the tales. This is certainly not to say that every RPG post rises to the level envisioned by Tolkien, but then neither does every book post. There is a range of quality in both. There are book posts that make me sit up and think, and for those I am immensely grateful. There are others that seem little more than tearing apart something that might be wiser to leave whole. (I am, of course, paraphrasing Tolkien here.)

At its very best, a strong RPG (or fanfiction story) not only shows evidence of the posters' writing skills and a strong mastery of the facts, but something more than that....the ability to reflect back Tolkien's spirit of Middle-earth in a believable fashion. That is a gift and should, in my opinion be acknowledged by a tip of the hat or the granting of rep.

Indeed, there is one thing that intrigues me. I may be off base here, but I wanted to share this thought and see if others felt the same. When I first came on this board a number of years ago, there were many serious threads directed at the material in Silm and HoMe. I remember drawing back and feeling rather intimidated because I feared I lacked the in-depth knowledge to contribute to such discussions. Today, there seem to be far fewer threads focusing on this "historical" material (meaning pre-LotR). The best of our current book discussions tend to be literary or philosophical in nature treating the history only in passing. The one place on the site where 'history' now dominates are the RPGs. More and more of these tales explore the earlier history in some form or fashion. And I do think that is worthy of acknowledgement, whether by rep or some other means.

Rant over....

[Mithalwen]

I am all for repping RPG - it is just that I don't read a lot of it unless I am involved in it. I have been known to rep particularly cunning / skilfully crafted Quiz questions or answers. They may also be manifestations of great knowledge and love of the Prof's work.

If I have made a change in my repping, it has been to try to cast my net wider. I don't always succeed but I regard it as a failure if I get the command to spread it around to often... but then it is hard not too when some folks post so well so consistently.......or just make me laugh so much...

[mormegil]

The way I look at the whole thing is this: It is my rep and I will give it out to whoever/whatever I feel deserves it. Weather that is a crazy caption/ RPG/ a good point that I may or may not agree with but made me think. I don't think there is anything right or wrong to rep just so long as the person who read it enjoyed it and felt like giving it. I've probably been "guilty" of giving rep to post that the author didn't find overwhelmingly great but I enjoyed...so there!

[alatar]

First, let me confess that I'm a rep junky. There's nothing like a cup of percolated coffee, a frosted donut and a rep to start the day off right.

But it's not the points that are the addiction, but the comments that are attached. As I don't 'PM' (whatever that is), or email, or correspond with other wights beyond postings and rep, I find rep to be my little message board for the BD world. Rep is somewhat like "you've got mail from the Barrow."

I give rep not only to acknowledge a great post, but, as others have stated, for posts that are unusual for some reason - they make me smile, think, laugh, act, etc. As I was encouraged by rep when I started here, I've hoped to do the same now that I'm 'older.'

And as I'm confessing, I would let it be known that I'm a hypocrite in regards to rep. I enjoy a detailed rep explanation, but have more than once sent "Nice post" as my comment. With time and therapy, would hope to change that.

[mormegil]

So people actual do appreciate a bit lengthy of a rep. I tend to cut mine a bit shorter than I would like because I thought people would get annoyed with a longer than average response.

Anyone else have opinions on that?

[alatar]

Originally Posted by mormegil

So people actual do appreciate a bit lengthy of a rep. I tend to cut mine a bit shorter than I would like because I thought people would get annoyed with a longer than average response.

Send pages - I'll read them.

I think that one can be succinct yet still let the poster know what made the post worthy of attention.

[davem]

Don't know if this has been brought up before because I haven't read the whole thread, but I'm a bit uncertain about the way rep gets built up.

Some of us near the top of the table rep wise hand out a lot of points (I think I'm currently throwing out about 34-35 points a time) each time we rep someone, while others 'lower down' may only give out 2 or 3 points. This means that a post which may get a number of favourable reps won't earn the poster as many points as a single rep from one of us in the 'higher echelons'. Is that really fair? A post which impresses half a dozen members enough for them to want to show their appreciation really should gain the poster more rep than they would get from from just one person. I wonder who would be top now if we all handed out just one rep point each every time we voted.

Of course, rep shouldn't be revelled in, & it certainly doesn't prove that those higher up have a greater knowlege (or, Eru forbid, love) of Tolkien, but I sometimes wonder if it doesn't give that impression.

Don't know if there's any way with the current system to reduce everyone to the same number of rep points to hand out, but I would stress that just because someone is higher up the table doesn't mean that they are more 'appreciated' by the membership.

[Lalwendë]

Well sometimes I feel like 'teacher' if I write too much on a rep comment I send to someone, so I try not to write too much! As for what I rep, I often simply think "that was good" and hit the button, and it might be as simple as a joke that made me laugh out loud, or it might be a good question posed, or in fact anything that I liked. I have no more elaborate criteria beyond that.

[Kuruharan]

In sort of a related line to what davem just said, I've sometimes wondered if what is going to happen eventually is that everybody's reps will be leveled and we will all start again from scratch. The people at the top have maxed out their little green boxes and their titles, and inevitably most of the rest of us will get there too. What then? There doesn't seem to be as much point when all of us have eleven boxes (although we probably won't get to that point for quite a bit yet, but still...)

[Ainaserkewen]

I think the point is that all us underlings have to aim at impressing the top guns around here...

Seriously, it's all relative. People have liked your posts enough to get you that much rep weight to begin with rignt? Hence, you are supposed to have a better feel for "good posts". It's like if Ken Jennings got to decide who would get to compete on Jeopardy.

[Encaitare]

As to the issue of long rep comments... bring 'em. I love reading long comments because it means that someone has cared enough to take the extra time for it. Although, really long comments are not always necessary; if I like something in Captions, I'll usually just write "LOL! ~ Enca : )" and with much enthusiasm if something had me in hysterics. I try to say more than "nice post" if I can help it. Usually I try to say exactly what I liked about it.

RPGs, as Child put so well, definitely deserve recognition for exceptional writing or characterization.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

In sort of a related line to what davem just said, I've sometimes wondered if what is going to happen eventually is that everybody's reps will be leveled and we will all start again from scratch. The people at the top have maxed out their little green boxes and their titles, and inevitably most of the rest of us will get there too. What then? There doesn't seem to be as much point when all of us have eleven boxes (although we probably won't get to that point for quite a bit yet, but still...)

I think the moderator will cross that bridge when they get to it. But as Ainaserkewen said, does it really matter how many reputation points you get? I mean, it just goes to show that you've posted some good stuff.
We can expect new systems of repp when it gets to the stage you're talking ab out Kuru.

[Lhunardawen]

Child,

Eep! Yet again another misunderstanding due to my wrong choice of words. I wasn't saying anything against repping RPG posts. That statement was in response to the previous posts saying that they tended to rep non-RPG posts more. I was just wondering why if that were so, the most repped post once upon a time was, in fact, an RPG post. I did not mean to say that RPG posts are less deserving of reps; I have never been in an RPG and have no right to say that. Although I do know for a fact that it is hard to write RPG posts...my brother Nilp tells me so. For that alone it makes such posts worthy of recognition!

[Mithalwen]

I think there may be a case for capping rep weight at a certain point . When I was fresh carrion and the rep system was in it's early days I remember being amazed to get 10 whole points from one of the great and the good. Now I pack twice that and I certainly do not regard my opinion or judgement now twice as good as theirs was then - in fact I feel I have sneaked in like Sam at the council of Elrond. . But as my original kind benefactor pointed out .. one gives the points one have to give. I don't begrudge them but it does seem disproportionate. If it were restarted there perhaps should be a certain point decided 10, 15 points whatever .. a point by which if you reached it you had shown "your quality" as Sam would say, and that would be enough and as good as it got rather than gathering rep weight ad infinitum ( to the point where we would explode on the consumption of a " 'waffer'-thin mint" ? ) which must be a bit dispiriting for newcomers. I mean it is one thing for the person at the top to have 10 times more but if it got to 40 or 50 times more...