Why do you give rep points?

[heart]

I just see it as a way to send PM without leaving the thread...Just saying hey your post touched me and I felt like saying this.

*reps heart: "LOL"*

Well, I can't really take a popularity contest all that seriously. It blows my mind that anyone else would either. But a way to send private and sincere comments is something I can understand.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

Green boxes are my crack.

 

[heart]

Green boxes are my crack.

If that were true, that would be really sad.

 

[Tigerlily]

A big ol' slap on that fine fanny, hotpants!

UK fanny or US?

Green boxes are my crack.

Then you're fucking jonesing aren't you?

 

[Domino]

There's our winner.

I think the ranges should be increased so that hitting the top level is nearly impossible.

The highest repped person right now should have no more than two green bars.

Ok! Someone here wants a fanny-slap too! *feral smile* C'mere, baby! I've got my batting arm free!

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

If that were true, that would be really sad.

*Looks up at you and smiles with green dust all over nose*

Huh?

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

Then you're fucking jonesing aren't you?

I'm freaking the fuck out, lady!!!

 

[Tigerlily]

Hopefully Mom has her filter on.

 

[Mempy]

I'd bet that most of my points go to compliments on someone's avatar/signature and compliments on a funny comment someone made. The rest go to people who have expressed very well something I myself was thinking, or people who have shed insight that hadn't occurred to me onto a topic that I'm interested in. People who craft their posts superbly or just say something I find funny or moving get my rep points.

I like when I get rep points and don't really care why. I have no shame in saying I like my points because I feel like I'm moving up the ranks in terms of rep. However, there's also the aspect that the points themselves come with a compliment that I enjoy (unless someone is using the rep system as a means of back-and-forth communication, or they just rep me without saying anything, which has happened to me). I don't dwell on my compliments though. They're sugar in the cup, but they're not the tea (or mocha) itself.

I read somewhere that happiness does not depend on how much wealth you have, but on how much wealth you have compared to your neighbors and the people you know. As long as you have relatively the same amount of wealth or more wealth than most people you know, you'll feel pretty good about your wealth and your status. That's why people in third-world countries can feel pretty wealthy, because as long as they have comparative wealth or more wealth than their neighbors, they're wealthy. I think it's similar with rep (but, not for all people). I feel pretty good about my rep at the moment because even though I'm on the second page, I'm still not doing bad compared to most people. Plus, I've gotten almost all of that rep without trying or with very minimal effort, so I feel like I've gotten a deal. It doesn't matter to me that people on other message boards that I'm not a member of have millions of rep points. It only matters that I have relatively the same amount of rep points as a lot of the people on MBTIcen. The more rep points you have compared to everyone else, the more repped you feel.

I don't deny I liked it better when I was almost in the top ten in terms of rep, but I don't mind overmuch. We all fluctuate in rep.

 

[INTJMom]

Hopefully Mom has her filter on.

Oh yeah, twenty-four seven.

 

[INTJMom]

As a matter of fact, Xander gave me a great idea for putting the word "bleep" in the place of the 3 ***. A bunch of bleeps would make it amusing. I'll probably do that soon.

 

[Mempy]

Oh yeah, twenty-four seven.

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.

 

[ygolo]

Why? WHY? WHY??????

I just gave you points for your unfinished thought in the thread about finishing thoughts.

First time I've done that since the first few weeks when we were experimenting with the system.

I feel dirty.

 

[heart]

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

General George S. Patton was asked if he ran his profanity filter and he said "Every G-d damned day."

Okay, no one here probably gets that joke, I could not resist. Sorry.

 

[Mempy]

Well, it's funny because it's ironic, if nothing else. "Do you hate swearing?" "Goddamnit, yes! Stop fucking asking me, you twat!"

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

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
3. A post that makes me want to respond with a note that is off-topic
3. A post that makes me laugh

I don't rep reciprocally, because I think that makes it mean less. I also think that much of the agita over this system happens because rep is worth more when it is given by people that have high rep themselves. I think that leads to the perception of "cliquey" behavior and I think it's a bad idea. Rep should be worth the same from everyone.

 

[heart]

It is based on the movie "Patton."

 

[Mempy]

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
3. A post that makes me want to respond with a note that is off-topic
3. A post that makes me laugh

I don't rep reciprocally, because I think that makes it mean less. I also think that much of the agita over this system happens because rep is worth more when it is given by people that have high rep themselves. I think that leads to the perception of "cliquey" behavior and I think it's a bad idea. Rep should be worth the same from everyone.

Yeah, I agree with the idea that everyone should be able to give about the same amount of rep. How much rep you can give should only grow a little over a long period of time, and then level off, if there must be an inequality. It would be just as well if there were no difference in rep-giving power, but a little wouldn't hurt. At the moment, we have such a difference between what people can give, with some only being able to give a couple points and some being able to give an astronomical amount, that it does center the rep around a few people and probably contributes to cliquey behavior. Some people might be tempted to cater to the people who can give the most rep, in a kind of "begging from the rich people" or "rubbing elbows with the stars" way. Rep does rub off, so why not pick a group of people who rub off the most rep?

 

[ygolo]

Rep should be worth the same from everyone.

I agree (or would if I cared). I wonder if the rep system would make for a good simulation (pt?).

I think, it eventually becomes a system where we have "hubs" where certain members have given out more rep-points than everyone would also tend to be the most likely to have high rep.

Anyway, the system aspect intrigues me. I am guessing that the graph (vertices being members, and directed weighted edges for who gave rep points to who, weighted by the net points given by members to other members) would have cliques (or near cliques) in it (in a graph-theory sense).

I am almost certain that the "flow" between high-rep members and lower rep members would be much lower (off-the-cuff guess, a factor of 5) than between high-rep members themselves.

It's really too bad all of it is private. It would make an interesting study.

 

[proteanmix]

I am almost certain that the "flow" between high-rep members and lower rep members would be much lower (off-the-cuff guess, a factor of 5) than between high-rep members themselves.

It's really too bad all of it is private. It would make an interesting study.

If you're saying that high rep members reciprocate more between themselves than high to low rep members you are correct sir.