Why do you give rep points?

[INTJMom]

There have been so many jokes about her god-damn filter.

Which words can't you see, I wonder, Mom? Can you at least see damn?

p.s. Is it just me, or do the smilies change positions even in the pop-up window of smilies? I swear I try to memorize where my favorites are, like 'row four from the bottom' or 'midway down,' but they change, and it's frustrating.

Naw. There's two bleeps.

Xander was right! Having the word bleep in there is a lot more amusing than ***!

I know how you feel about the smilies. It irritates me too to always have to hunt for the one I want. I'm not really sure why they rotate like that.

 

[Athenian200]

A few reasons:

1. I thought the post was a interesting/valuable contribution. (Was intelligent, funny, moving, etc.)

2. To communicate back and forth short messages.

3. Reciprocate for rep given to me.

That's about it, really.

 

[Mempy]

Well, in part, how some people got so high up there is probably from chatting and talking in threads with their friends, who appreciate them and praise them, which encourages the attitude of praise-giving in general, which results in one group of friendly people increasing their rep and their rep-giving power among themselves. There's no limit to how much you can rep anyone, really, so it is a kind of back-scratching orgy, which is expected among friends. I don't blame anyone for the way the system works; those people would feel positively toward each other and compliment each other whether the rep system was there or not. The rep points just embody the praise they would have given and received anyway.

I bet the number of serious posts that are repped versus the number of funny/filler posts that are repped is a ratio of around 1:5. Virtually none of my serious posts are ever repped: the funny or lighthearted ones are, however. I'm guilty of repping funny posts way more than serious posts, myself. I think one of the ENTPs (Sub? Obe?) mentioned the same thing: I could spend hours on one post and not get anything, but one funny joke could give me several pats on the ass, so to speak.

And to Heart, who repped this post: Yeah, it is just a way to send messages for some people. Definitely.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

I'm so fucking drunk on power/rep points right now.

[SLURRING SPEECH]Who wants some fucking whatchamacallit? YOU? *points in your areas and hiccups* You sunnu'a...BITCH.,,///

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I'm so fucking drunk on power/rep points right now.

[SLURRING SPEECH]Who wants some fucking whatchamacallit? YOU? *points in your areas and hiccups* You sunnu'a...BITCH.,,///

All right, all right, this guy is cut off. No more rep points until he sleeps it off. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here, buddy.

 

[Dansker]

I don't rep that often, but when I do it's for:

1. A post that expresses a viewpoint I agree with better than I could/did
2. A post that makes an interesting, valid point concisely

These are the primary instances that I would give rep.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

All right, all right, this guy is cut off. No more rep points until he sleeps it off. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here, buddy.

Yoi shuttdpodu JEsUS with your *tries to get out of chair but falls on the ground* .hat//

yu canto evne score om a hokcye teanm you losserr[[

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Yoi shuttdpodu JEsUS with your *tries to get out of chair but falls on the ground* .hat//

yu canto evne score om a hokcye teanm you losserr[[

Father forgive him, for he knows not what he does.

 

[Tigerlily]

:yim_rolling_on_the_ I love it when people drink and post!

Now that I'm awake I do realize you weren't really drunk, but still funny!!

 

[substitute]

Actually Mempy, most of the times I've been given points it's actually been for a good post...a lot of them have come from people who don't 'socialize' with me at all... I have some 'silly' points, but nowhere near enough to say it's how I got 'up here'

 

[Mempy]

Well, thanks a lot, Sub. *sadly checks her rep comments* You'd made me feel completely intellectually deficient now. *bleeds from the wound to her pride and the apparent crater in her head*

At least Clown School will be proud. Unfortunately, MENSA is going to want their invitation notice back, tear stains or not.

 

[Geoff]

I wonder how we convince people to use the negative rep system.. that seems to me surely the only way to make the system have any purpose!

 

[Mempy]

Hmm... I recommend that instead of trying to get people to use negative rep, you make it so that people can leave neutral rep comments that don't affect rep at all, or very little. I'd use that kind of system for criticism (constructive, of course, EXCEPT IN SUB'S CASE, damn dream-taker).

It won't take away from a person's rep, but since mods and admins (or just admins?) can read rep comments, it would still alert the authorities when more than one person had a complaint about someone's behavior.

 

[Carebear]

Any post that I like, basically. If it makes me laugh out loud, or smile a secret smile; if it says something eloquently and well; if it's original, thoughtful, but also if the poster shows impressive restraint, I rep for that too. Like if someone makes a post and someone else replies in an inflammatory way, but the other person stays cool and calm and doesn't descend to insults etc, I rep for that too.

I haven't neg repped except once and I wish I hadn't done that either really. Reason being that you never know who will take it personally or the wrong way or whatever, and I can't be bothered with people harbouring grudges against me for silly things like that. If someone's gonna have a grudge I'd rather it was for something that I meant to do.

If I did neg rep, then it'd be for posts containing personal insults (not just to me, but anyone), hypocrisy, BS intellectual conceits, received wisdom, and general non-coolness. Again, because I'm also sometimes guilty of these things, I don't really wanna 'cast stones'...

I also don't give rep points to people who represent serious competition for me, for the top spot *

I hemmed and hawed over whether to hide my green boxes, but opted to show them in the end, because I figured to hide them would be hypocrisy on my part, pretending a modesty that isn't truly sincere. I'd rather be sincerely vain than falsely modest. To me, insincerity is one of the worst crimes.

edit - I don't give them for 'friendly' or 'bonding' purposes, and I can't decide whether it irritates me or not, when people give them to me for those reasons. I guess it would, if I didn't actually appreciate the sentiment - only sorta half-wish it'd be expressed some other way (I say half, because I am vain and competitive enough to just think 'yay! more points!' as well). I sorta want my rep to mean something... something more than just 'someone who dishes out a lot of points per rep likes me a lot'. But as I say, I do appreciate the motive and sentiment, so I don't actively try to discourage it for fear of hurting the feelings of the people who do it, only meaning well. I don't want them to feel like I'm rejecting them or their intentions, cos I don't. And I also don't want them to stop doing it, or I'll never beat PinkPiranha or whatever to the top spot!!


*joking, joking!

I was forming an answer in my head until I read this one. It's exactly how I think as well. (And I repped substitute for it. Yep, I rep people for agreeing with me. )

 

[substitute]

It's funny though... I mean sometimes I put a lot of effort into a post, and get lots of responses to it in the thread, but nobody reps me for it, despite lots of people getting mileage and enjoyment out of it... and then I'll write a one-liner that makes someone laugh and they rep me for that.

I mean, even if someone's rep points are mostly 'silly' or 'social' ones, it still doesn't mean that they don't make serious or thoughtful ones.

Like, last night I busted a gut to marry fluff and intellectualism in some witty Latin acronyms; I spend time sharing unique and interesting life experiences on my blog - and not a sausage! Then I get a load of points from someone that just say 'because i like you' or something. *shrug*

If anything, all it says is that 'serious' people are stingey bastards, but social people like to show when they appreciate something or someone. Duh!

I don't really give points for agreeing with me. If I agree with someone, simply, then I just say so in the thread. It's well put together posts, self-control and honourable behaviour that impresses me, whether they agree with me or not - because these are the things that make a forum IMO, a good place to be as opposed to a petty battleground full of shit. So I'm probably more likely to rep someone who disagrees with me but does so respectfully and eloquently, than someone who simply agrees with me but doesn't say anything special or original themselves. It just happens that more of the people who make good posts and behave well are people who agree with me, since I'm the supreme arbiter of honour and quality, after all.

 

[INTJMom]

Hmm... I recommend that instead of trying to get people to use negative rep, you make it so that people can leave neutral rep comments that don't affect rep at all, or very little. I'd use that kind of system for criticism (constructive, of course, EXCEPT IN SUB'S CASE, damn dream-taker).

It won't take away from a person's rep, but since mods and admins (or just admins?) can read rep comments, it would still alert the authorities when more than one person had a complaint about someone's behavior.

I think that's a good idea.

 

[substitute]

It's okay Mempy, I was lying

Good idea though about having the option to neutral rep. Like. I'd use that for people who I just agree with, or just for a sorta mini-PM.

 

[wildcat]

If you play with the ideal you do not play.

Say you adopt a moral standpoint.
Sound and just?
Who is the beneficiary?
You are.

And you knew it all along.

 

[CzeCze]

I think people avoid neg repping for fear of things devolving into flame wars. It's almost cold war in nature. Oh sure, it's all fun and games until everyone's pretty stack of green boxes have been razed to the ground!

Also, let's be honest, if neg points flowed half as freely as positive points, a few users would be neg repped to oblivion. *ahem* And I mean unintentionally (Maverick doesn't count).

You can say that positive repping is silly and inconsequential which is exactly the reason it will continue, enough folks find it fun and harmless.

I personally wouldn't mind using neg repping judiciously, but I think especially on an online forum where all we have is text and maybe some snazzy avatars to represent us, it's very easy for neg rep to be taken too seriously. And frankly, I don't trust people to be judicious enough not to neg rep back just to be retaliatory. I mean...ever hear of e-bay? Hahahaha.

Worst case scenario, people censor themselves. All that effort to edit what you are going to say would just create a bottleneck, less posting, and a less active site.

That being said, if folks want to announce that it is a-okay to leave neg rep and admin give criteria on what constitutes a valid neg rep, I'm for it.

Frankly some people need an occasional flick on the head.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

my head is killing.

i swear i'm not going to use rep anymore. i swear it.