Reputation Reminders

[The Barrow-Wight]

The reputation system is a great way to let a forum member know what you think of a particular post they wrote. You can tell them how much you liked what they had to say, or even what you didn't like. Each time you give a reputation comment, positive or negative, it adds to a cumulative total that determines that member's overall 'reputation' on the Downs.

Your personal 'reputation' has no real function on the forum, since it doesn't add or subtract any forum abilities, but it does allow you to gauge how well or poorly your postings are being received by the other community members. If your reputation is high, good for you. And if it is low, perhaps you might ask yourself why. We can be a fairly critical bunch here on the Downs, but overall we are seldom vindictive, so if your reputation is plummeting, the source of the fall is probably you.

But even if you are to blame for your own slipping reputation, that doesn't mean you have to suffer unconstructive criticisms, especially if they are rude or mean-spirited.

And that is why I have written these reminders:

(1) If you give reputation, add a comment.

(2) Comments should be civil and constructive

(3) Sign your comment

If you can't follow these guidelines, don't give a reputation.

That's it. Thank,

[Mithalwen]

May I suggest that this thread is made "sticky"?

[Morthoron]

I believe the problem is anonymous reputations. Perhaps if the reputations are automatically tagged with the poster giving the rep, it would alleviate the 'drive-by' unconstructive attacks. If you are going to be juvenile, at least have the guts to reveal your immaturity to the community.

I will have to say that, save for only a few completely inappropriate reps, I have been gratified, or at least amused, by the majority of the reps I have been given.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

It would be nice if people would be able to see negative reps as constructive criticism instead of feeling personally offended by them. That would take the sting out of an occasional red box. Of course, it would mean that those members giving negative reps should include comments giving their reasons for not approving of a particular post, and of course they should stand up to their opinion by signing.

I much prefer to give positive reps and usually do so, but when necessary I do give negative reps with comments and signature. I hope that members will think about them and improve the quality of their posts accordingly.


Two general aspects:

1. All members (ought to) know the forum rules; if not, they can read them. If they do not adhere to them, they should *expect* negative reps and comments.

2. Any crackpot can distribute negative reps that the recipient does not deserve. (I've gotten some from disgruntled members.) If you get one that is unjustified, just realize that it means absolutely *nothing*. It says something about the person sending it, not you. You can afford to lose a point - just post something amazingly good and you'll catch up again very quickly.


Reasons you could get negative reps:

1. You have not adhered to forum rules. (see above) Solution: Change your ways.

2. You have expressed your opinion in an inappropriate manner. Solution: Learn to be more tactful; be more objective and less personal in saying your opinion; avoid direct attacks on other members; make allowance for different opinions and the right of others to express theirs.

3. Another member disagrees with your opinion. Reason: The other member has not understood the reason for the reputation system. You have the right to express your own thoughts without being criticized for being different. Solution: Live with it - don't take it seriously. Above all, don't whine or retaliate. If you post well, you'll make up for a lost point soon.

4. Someone doesn't like you. Solution: Check for possible aggressive posting on your behalf; if there is none, ignore the person. Get some positive reps to make up for it. (see below)


Ways to get positive reps:

1. Make a good contribution to a discussion, with appropriate explanations, perhaps even quotes to support your opinion.

2. Tell something about your personal experience with Tolkien's works - touch others' hearts.

3. Make me laugh!

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Make me laugh!

The infuriating inundation
Of anonymous condemnation
Causes undue exasperation,
Whilst reducing one's reputation --
Wasting fawning solicitations
Expended on fishing for commendations!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

One more way to get positive reps:

4. Be generous in repping others. As the reply says, you may get some in return!*

(Then again, you may not - but as is also said, "It is more blessed to give...")


*Here's the exact quote:

May you be lucky enough to receive the same Reputation back in turn.

Wait a minute, what does that say about negative repping?!

[Lalwendë]

I've only just worked out how to give rep again on this bloomin' Mac of davem's!

[Inziladun]

Honestly, I never paid much attention to the rep system until recently. I wasn't on the forum much when it was introduced, and pretty much forgot about it. I'm trying to amend things though, letting people know when I particularly like their contributions.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

One more way to get positive reps:

4. Be generous in repping others. As the reply says, you may get some in return!

To get more rep, rep female posters, as shown here. Isn't scientific analysis a wonderful thing?

2. Any crackpot can distribute negative reps that the recipient does not deserve.

Why can't we find a crackpot or two that distributes positive rep, at least one in a while?

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by alatar

To get more rep, rep female posters, as shown here. Isn't scientific analysis a wonderful thing?

Well the percentages of 45% vs. 55% are within quite small margins, don't you think?

And that's a kind of a scientific reasoning behind that question as well. Think carefully which margins make a difference so that you should trust there is something in there...

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Well the percentages of 45% vs. 55% are within quite small margins, don't you think?

In some countries, smaller margins are considered "mandates."

And that's a kind of a scientific reasoning behind that question as well. Think carefully which margins make a difference so that you should trust there is something in there...

I said this in the post:

and so I took the scientific approach and assigned the gender that most supported my results.

Which means that the only reason one does science is to get grants, or, in this case, to get rep.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by alatar

Why can't we find a crackpot or two that distributes positive rep, at least one in a while?

Perhaps we can encourage a crackpot or two with an actual diploma after he or she demonstrates facility with positive crackpottery?



PS: I am trying to resize this smaller but so far have had little luck.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Esty

*Here's the exact quote:

Wait a minute, what does that say about negative repping?!

Sounds suspiciously like an eye for an eye to me.

[Morthoron]

I've always wondered if they like to fish in Warsaw. I mean, do a large percentage of people in Warsaw (or Krakow for that matter) enjoy angling, and if so, what type of fish?

I really want to see a poll for Poles with poles.

Sorry, I really had nothing worthwhile to offer to this discussion.

[Lalwendë]

Question - should the rep button work when using the Safari browser on a Mac? As it doesn't work every time, and I'm thinking this is very odd now - I can understand it working none of the time or all of the time but not some of the time. Does the software support Safari on a Mac? Anyone else use this set up?

davem uses Firefox and I use Safari so we can both be logged in on the same machine and stop these 'posting as each other' mistakes

[Beregond]

Happens sometimes with me as well, on Linux. It's not just the rep button, it's also stuff like the Quick Links and Search buttons at the top. Might have something to do with Javascript, which controls the popup boxes, but I can't figure why it's "random".

But just right click on the link, and open it in a new tab or window - that should get the job done.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Question - should the rep button work when using the Safari browser on a Mac? As it doesn't work every time, and I'm thinking this is very odd now - I can understand it working none of the time or all of the time but not some of the time. Does the software support Safari on a Mac? Anyone else use this set up?

I don't routinely use Safari - love Firefox too much (it's on both my Macs and PCs) - regardless, I was able to open the rep box without issue using Safari. Maybe something else is going on.

[Inziladun]

I don't have a Mac, but I've noticed that I sometimes get a 'done, but with errors on page' message, and the rep button just doesn't work.
I'll try Beregond's solution the next time it happens.

[Andsigil]

May I humbly suggest that the requirement to spread reputation to 10 members before giving it to the same person again be lowered?

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Andsigil

May I humbly suggest that the requirement to spread reputation to 10 members before giving it to the same person again be lowered?

Really, you don't have to rep me *that* often...just send a note of appreciation.

[the phantom]

Same thing happens when I am on Safari, Lal. I frequently have to use the control button to get links to function for me. But yeah- not all the time. It's weird.

[Mister Underhill]

I think the code in some sections of the forum is wonky, and has been ever since we switched over to vBulletin and set up all the Barrow-Downs style sheets. In days gone by I would have tracked the problems down and fixed them by now, but I don't have the time to isolate them, educate myself on the scripting language, and write and test fixes.

I don't think it's random. If you run into problems, note down the subforum you're in and post it here. That ought to help with step one anyway, isolating the problem.

[Beregond]

Ah, well that makes sense then. The same thing happened to my forum when I upgraded between two 3.0 versions, and I think I fixed it by replacing, not fixing, the popup code. Wish I could help more, but I forget these things afterwards.

Anyway, opening a new tab should work without much hardship.

By the way, I use Firefox as well - so it's not just Safari.

[Mister Underhill]

Yeah, it'd probably be a matter of tracking down good code in a forum that works and popping it in where it doesn't work, but that's a job of its own.

Right-clicking (in Windows) and opening a new tab or window will work for reputation, but it doesn't help with some of the drop-downs like "Thread Tools", which is an occasional pain in the rear.

[Lalwendë]

Right-o! Some interesting advice there! Cheers! I'll give some of this a go, though there's no right click on this iBook thingie I'll also make a note of which area of the forum any odd things happen on if that helps.

At least it seems it's not something weird that's happening, just an odd code on certain parts of the forum.

[Aganzir]

I've noticed it happens only when a thread (or the Active Topics section) is longer than one page.
I have Ubuntu Linux & use both Opera and Firefox.

[Beregond]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

Right-clicking (in Windows) and opening a new tab or window will work for reputation, but it doesn't help with some of the drop-downs like "Thread Tools", which is an occasional pain in the rear.

When I did that, the thread tools were on the bottom of the page - I had to scroll down to the end of the thread. Weird, but it was there.

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Right-o! Some interesting advice there! Cheers! I'll give some of this a go, though there's no right click on this iBook thingie

Can you Ctrl-Click (or whatever the equivalent Mac key is)?

Originally Posted by Aganzir

I've noticed it happens only when a thread (or the Active Topics section) is longer than one page.
I have Ubuntu Linux & use both Opera and Firefox.

Yay for Ubuntu!

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

My ability to rep comes and goes. Doesn't care which browser I'm using, doesn't care if I'm on a PC or a Mac or on a Linux box. I have no idea why. I can click on the rep widget, and sometimes the box opens up, and sometimes nothing happens at all. When nothing happens at all, I test it by trying to rep someone I repped recently. The thing then promptly tells me I can't rep them again so soon, but when I go back and try to rep the person I really want to rep at the time, nothing still happens. A day or two later, I can, if I can remember the post I wanted to rep. I'm not a frequent user of the rep system, so I don't imagine I'm overusing it, but this gets to be a tad frustrating when it happens and I really, really want to rep someone, but can't. Hrmph.

[Hakon]

Is there a time limit in between giving rep? Like if you give rep to one person, are you required to wait a certain amount of time before you can give rep to another person?

Also on a side note, I am going to figure out which one of you kept giving me negative rep.

[Boromir88]

Not a time-limit, but a wight-limit you might call it. You have to rep a certain amount of different members before you rep a person again. I'm not sure how many it is though.

Don't let the negative reps get to you, they are usually always anonymous. There is no requirement to leave your name, but if a person can't stand by what they said, and write who they are, well I always think it's not all that important anyway. If it was a big deal, the person will not be anonymous, or would just send you a PM.

I remember many negative reps for vague and various reasons, but the only one I truly remember was from the one person who left her name. I can still tell you the comment to this day (but will keep it private ), I didn't agree with the reasons, but got the point. All the other anonymous ones I've gotten...mean nothing to me. *shrug*

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Hakon

Is there a time limit in between giving rep? Like if you give rep to one person, are you required to wait a certain amount of time before you can give rep to another person?

I think it's something like 10 (or twelve) reps in any 24 hours - and (about the ) same thing with repping the same person (like ten other reps before you can rep the same person again).

Also on a side note, I am going to figure out which one of you kept giving me negative rep.

That's an age old discussion. The possibility of neg-repping is good to have around but it really should be used only with the really abrasive, malvolent or other offensive posts. Let's be fair: we're different people here with different backgrounds, ages, experiences, ideologies, beliefs etc. We should tolerate each other when we disagree and try to see the good sides of each other - and no one of us is so wise and learned that one could just wipe away any other thoughts on subjects discussed here.

It is nice that when someone reps you they also add their name into the end of the rep so that you can see who liked your post / effort in a game, whatever... but it should be required that the person neg-repping you would stand behind his/her act to make him/herself known as well! I don't know if that has ever been discussed with the B-W, that there should be a tag on the neg-reps required by the system so that you would know where they come from even if the sender of the neg-rep wouldn't her/himself make that actively known...

[Hakon]

Thanks for the information. With the negative reps I got, I think I deserved one cause I was rude but the other was uncalled for. Anyway again thanks for the information. I also think this may just be my computer, but I keep trying to give rep to someone but it doesn't work. My guess is it is just my computer glitching or it is cause I am using firefox.

[Boromir88]

Sometimes mine is like that too...if you right click on the scale, and click open link, you should be able to get to it.

[Hakon]

What I just figured out that works is clicking on the post so it is only the post open and giving rep that way.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Hakon

My guess is it is just my computer glitching or it is cause I am using firefox.

I use Firefox as well and have no problems at all.

The thing you need to do is to right click on the scales (at the end of the post) and then click the "open to a new ..." well whatever it is English; not a "new window" but the next option like the new "interleaf" or the "new intermediary page" or whatever. Then the Firefox will open a new sheet to the upper part of your browser and clicking it you come to the reputation screen... and then just write your message and sign it.

And as Beregond already said, right-clicking the "thread tools" gives you the printable version fex. but you have to go to the end of the page to find it after clicking it.

[Hakon]

It does work if you right click and open it as a new tab. Also I found double clicking it sometimes works.

[alatar]

Just a quick question that needs only one response. In the attachment, you can see two reps that I got. In order from top to bottom, please verify the colours of the boxes to the left of the reps. Thanks!

* Yes, this is some new evil scheme.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by alatar

Just a quick question that needs only one response. In the attachment, you can see two reps that I got. In order from top to bottom, please verify the colours of the boxes to the left of the reps. Thanks!

* Yes, this is some new evil scheme.

The top appears red, the bottom green.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

top red, bottom green

[alatar]

Thank you both; I just want to confirm what I was seeing.

[Bêthberry]

It's good to see that Inziladun and Estelyn have confirmed alatar's comment to me, that there is indeed a red rep there. I was suspecting the old boy had fallen prey to Deuteranopia.

Instead, it appears that my attempt to give al a positive rep fell upon a hard time, if not a wrong button.

Could some kindly Admin type Downer please repair the frightful damage done to alatar's rep by replacing the red rep button with a green one and adding the lost point to his rep count? I'm sure he will be relieved and obliged if this could be done, to say nothing of the public scourgings that he has prepared for me.

Thanking the Admins kindly. I will forthwith make an appointment to correct my occularly challenged sight.