A Question About Reputation

[symestreem]

Good evening.

I've been participating for the last few weeks in an effort by Johns Hopkins University to create a forum, known as Cogito, for children and teenagers Gifted in math and science. One of the issues that has come up has been the issue of a 'karma' system, or as it is known here, reputation, as a way of identifying more experienced members. Some of the other participants are unfamiliar with this system and skeptical of its success. Since I knew it had been implemented here, I volunteered for this dangerous fact-finding mission.

So, if you're willing to spend a few minutes of your time, what do you think of the reputation system? Specifically, what are the biggest problems that have come up, and how have you dealt with them? I'm interested in the points of view of the mods and admins as well.

Thanks in advance-- any answers will be greatly appreciated by all of the Cogitorians!