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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:02 pm
by danc1005
MonMotha wrote:The rating system is run by a machine. A computer. It doesn't know when you're joking around and when you're serious. If posts are rated the opposite of what they should, rankings will be affected in a manner opposite what they should.
This doesn't address my argument, that the user in this extreme case would have been taken care of anyway, in the slightest.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:13 pm
by MonMotha
Don't definitively state what you do not know for certain.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:16 pm
by blackcat
Forums would be so much better without the rating system. No joke. I admit that I abuse it, but it's simply because it is there, and if I see something rated that I feel shouldn't be rated that way, then I will change it. I am a defender of my friends.

I really don't like it though. I think that rank should be based on how much you post. That is all I have to say.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:55 pm
by Cbav
lol@dan

admin warning. i'mma rate you bad badboy. :roll:

pepperonis!!

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:23 pm
by Ho
Potter wrote:sorry :(
Your apology is both accepted and appreciated.
danc1005 wrote:
MonMotha wrote:The rating system is run by a machine. A computer. It doesn't know when you're joking around and when you're serious. If posts are rated the opposite of what they should, rankings will be affected in a manner opposite what they should.
This doesn't address my argument, that the user in this extreme case would have been taken care of anyway, in the slightest.
I would like to remind you and everyone else that the point of the rating system was to provide for a reward for people who add value to the community and to give the forum's users a chance to act in addition to direct moderator action if people were clearly making a negative impact on the community.

As MonMotha stated, the rating system does not understand jokes. And personally, I don't appreciate jokes of this nature. So if you give a Marvelous to a troll, both the system and I will assume that you approve of this action and are stating that you believe it adds value to the community.

The system will blindly follow your lead. I, on the other hand, choose to exercise my ability to disagree with your decision--regardless of whether you thought you were just being funny. Some of this is perhaps my fault for being really lax on enforcing this, but it has become clear that people aren't taking it at all seriously--especially given that someone other than myself saw fit to start this thread addressing it.

The intent pf the system is for common forum users to be involved. It helps the moderators and gives users a voice and some amount of power that they do not have in most other forums. But if everyone treats the rating system like a joke, it loses its value and ability to promote positive posting and shape this community.
blackcat wrote:I really don't like it though. I think that rank should be based on how much you post. That is all I have to say.
Personally, I never liked this because it just encouraged people to be postwhores. You will notice that people's post count is not displayed with each post they make here. This was an intentional modification to the phpBB standard.

I really don't care if you post once a year or once a minute as long as you have something worthwhile to read. I don't mind goofing around and being silly, but I find much more value in the sharing of information and the rational discussion of varying viewpoints.

Also, the ranks in most forums don't come with any special privileges or have any meaning beyond just the fact that you've posted a little or a lot. I wanted a way for myself and others to recognize and reward people for being truly exceptional in the hopes that others would be encouraged to become meaningful contributors as well. But it seems that there are some who would rather treat the whole thing like a grade school popularity contest.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:57 pm
by elcuebee
blackcat wrote:Forums would be so much better without the rating system. No joke. I admit that I abuse it, but it's simply because it is there, and if I see something rated that I feel shouldn't be rated that way, then I will change it. I am a defender of my friends.
I have friends also, but if they say something stupid, i'm going to downrate them, and i would expect them to do the same to me. Same for if they say something good, vice versa.

I wouldn't bias and ignore facts or common sense just to rate someone badly because i didn't like them or they didn't like me.

The problem with the rating system is like Ho said, people abuse it and rate just solely on their relationship with someone, which turns the entire forums into a bunch of cliques.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:16 pm
by BigBadOrc
Ho wrote:Also, the ranks in most forums don't come with any special privileges or have any meaning beyond just the fact that you've posted a little or a lot. I wanted a way for myself and others to recognize and reward people for being truly exceptional in the hopes that others would be encouraged to become meaningful contributors as well. But it seems that there are some who would rather treat the whole thing like a grade school popularity contest.
Don't hate the playa, hate the game.

Ho, I agree that it's stupid to uprate people like austin mcree. However, I think that a lot of people come here to have fun - to make jokes and be amused by whatever silly stuff people came up with. And, of course, to share info on music games:)

So I don't think it's either fair or even a good idea to put people on administrative discipline for trying to make a joke. Jokes and good humor are essential :D And much more interesting than serious drama.

Very interesting blog entry on social software

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:24 pm
by Merk
For serious, user rank only affects how much a person can post. It's a message board-- this isn't like some serious business life-altering entity where people live or die based on their rank. I'm on administrative warning, holy shit, I can only make 10 posts a day instead of 40. On any given post-heavy day of work I'll make about 8 posts tops, I guess that means I can still contribute as much as I want!

It's Brian's site, if he wants to slap on a fairly unique tag for me and give me 10 posts a day then that's great, call me whatever! I used to admin the now defunct videocartel.com message board and it was a blast, everyone had a title and it was a silly happy good time. I was "Dancing College Faggot" appropriate, yes?

I'm just saying, I thought I'd be witty and give the obvious troll a good rating well after he got ranked game over. I thought it was funny, Ho didn't and e-scolded me, and the world went on. The point of a message board is to make posts, I can make posts, therefore I can enjoy all the benefits of post making regardless of rank.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, stop caring about something that doesn't even matter.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:38 pm
by Ho
Merk wrote:I guess what I'm trying to say is, stop caring about something that doesn't even matter.
The thread that started this entire episode had certainly devolved to this point.

As for your "punishment" ... Yes, it's not exactly potent, and it's not really intended to be. I'm not really taking away anything of particular value. The point was that I disagreed with how ratings were being used and all three of you that I targeted basically came out and stated that you were using them in exactly the opposite way in which they are intended.

I have stated and demonstrated many times that I prefer not to take direct actions unless I feel they are really necessary. And even then, I try to do as little as necessary just to restore order and not upset the natural flow. This was merely an action to draw attention to and address a trend I have deemed negative in the hope that everyone will get the point, all this will just go away, and we can all get back to normal around here.

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:53 am
by Fluffyumpkins
Can I get bumped down to Administrative Pimpin'?

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:35 pm
by hascoolnickname
there should be a curbstomped status where all your posts come out garbled you cant post for more than that day before you go to the hospital and die. aka ban

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:32 am
by aspen
Ho wrote:If I have not made this clear in the past, let me state it quite plainly now...

Rating posts solely for the purpose of trying to sway another user's rank will not be tolerated. I will remove your privileges at my discretion if you are found to be doing this.

You should already know that I try to keep a hands-off approach to moderating this forum, but some of you insist on abusing this freedom. I do watch. I do care. I will take actions when I feel it is necessary.

People complain that the rating system is broken while simultaneously trying whatever they can to break it. Thank you for demonstrating the value you place on our efforts to provide uniqueness to this community.
Bold it, underline it...probably still won't sink in.

Do what you have to do to make it work.

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 12:42 pm
by danc1005
hascoolnickname wrote:there should be a curbstomped status where all your posts come out garbled you cant post for more than that day before you go to the hospital and die. aka ban
best idea ever.

or...

sbi@de 1tav$e$%re