Member Ranks and Reputation Levels

[Thorn Wilde]

I LOVE 'I would like to thank the Academy', I need that one to be in there. I second this title.

[W_L]

For everyone with 1,000 post, I'd add the rank:  "GA Fangirl Poster"

5,000 post: "GA Lifer"

 

For Reputations 10K+, I would change it to: "You are now Mark Arbour"

[Myk]

I'm highly prejudice towards reputation, I think it should be disbanded altogether. Either that or add an 'un-like' button

 

i might like reputation more if it wasnt combined forum post likes and story ratings because at the moment it is a meaningless number conglomeration that only serves the purpose of clearing the mod queue for posting stories. I think one title label system is enough, one too many in fact.

 

also, as amusing as the kitty reference is, it's not the best place for that, I think we can be a bit more professional and move on.

[wildone]

So I was thinking of replacing the Kitty reference with 'The Omnipotent One'

[Ron]

So I was thinking of replacing the Kitty reference with 'The Omnipotent One'

 

Do we really want to give anyone that much power? 

[Kitt]

Other than no longer being approved by mods, does any of these achievements do anything other than aknowlede that a large number of people liked what someone has to say in a story or other post?  These all sound like fun little things to achieve, a real ego booster for the newbies, and nice to show the established authors they still have it.  I don't think ( I might be mistaken) that any title gives anyone power. And we have the right to unlike someone/something we have previously liked if we change our minds.

[Ron]

I don't think ( I might be mistaken) that any title gives anyone power.

 

That was meant to be humorous, Kitt. A poor attempt and one that was okay in my head but not so much when blurted out apparently. This is not unusual. 

[Kitt]

Probably more a function of my mood when I read it than anything else Ron!

[Myk]

Other than no longer being approved by mods, does any of these achievements do anything other than aknowlede that a large number of people liked what someone has to say in a story or other post?  These all sound like fun little things to achieve, a real ego booster for the newbies, and nice to show the established authors they still have it.  I don't think ( I might be mistaken) that any title gives anyone power. And we have the right to unlike someone/something we have previously liked if we change our mind.

No no, I mean something more like dislike button then. I mean a -1. For one thing these numbers are getting super inflated, plus some really dumb or even evil things can be said at times. Maybe I'm just mean....

[Mark Arbour]

Do we really want to give anyone that much power? 

 

Yes. 

[Percy]

I propose giving us the capability to opt out of having number of posts on our profile.  On another site I participate in, we have a choice of whether to display that or not and it's a nice option.  Instead of a ranked title linked to number of posts, let each member choose their own title.  GA caters to creative types and this would be a fun way for people to personalize their identity, in addition to their name and icon.  If people don't want to customize, the default title could be "Member since [year]."

[Thorn Wilde]

No no, I mean something more like dislike button then. I mean a -1. For one thing these numbers are getting super inflated, plus some really dumb or even evil things can be said at times. Maybe I'm just mean....

 

I think that having dislike buttons can be a gateway to bullying. If a person dislikes another poster personally, the dislike button could be used to unfairly and indiscriminately 'vote down' that poster. You see it happening in all kinds of social media that employs a down vote as well as an up vote button. I think GA should be a positively charged space. Negative feedback is unhelpful, and if you have an issue with someone or what they've written or said, the decent thing to do is to tell them why, not just press a button and give a negative rating.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Thorn Wilde

[K.C.]

No no, I mean something more like dislike button then. I mean a -1. For one thing these numbers are getting super inflated, plus some really dumb or even evil things can be said at times. Maybe I'm just mean....

GA did have a red 'Dislike' Button that had -1 rep point that they stopped using a few years ago.   The problem with that is, it was "Anonymous".  If GA had Negative Rep Points that reflected like the Positive Rep points and showed the member and the date/time, I would have no objections.  I would like to know when someone dislikes something I've written or said in forums, but if it's Anonymous I would object.  It was severally abused that's why it was removed.

[Mann Ramblings]

A dislike button might also curtail authors who might submit a story or chapter that didn't have popular themes. You'd be less likely to push boundaries if you were spanked anonymously for doing so. One of the things I like about GA is its general nature of encouargment. I personally would like to maintain that. The "unlike" option is there is anyone feels the need.

 

In general, I like the titles as a sort of badge of honor. Are they important? No. But they are one of the minimal ways of seeing our progress. The vast majority of readers don't review. You can't force it, but the like buttons are an acknowledgement we might not otherwise have from those who don't have the time or inclination to give us more feedback.

[Daithi]

My only comment on the idea of likes and titles is that mostly everything is set up for the writers, granted the population of members are writers there probably isn't a really large amount that are just readers like myself. Using the like button for chapters ad such is a neat idea is a great idea it gives the writers some feedback since not everyone leaves reviews which is the ideal.  But on the other hand adding in the forum and other listings really isn't a plus for me. What i would like to see if your going to continue this is maybe having it separated so that the authors get there boost with their writings but also the non writers also have a chance to get the levels and titles as well we don't write but we like the odd boost to our morale as well.  I don't think its really an ego thing persay or a competition to see who gets th highest or whatever but it is a boost to see the different levels and titles you get.  Meh I'm just as bad if you want to get down to the nitty gritty as I've enjoyed seeing my name rise to second place on the reviewer list but that's not why i review I enjoy it its my way of writing and letting you guys know what I think of your stories.  So I think the ranks and levels here should reflect that but even them out a bit so that non writers as well as the writers have a chance to see themselves rise in the ranks. Not everyone is a writer, not everyone does the forums posts so the likes and titles should reflect that even out the playing field guys . 500 posts or likes to be able to add some colour or flair to my kitty avatar when you don't write is a forgone conclusion it ain't happening within the next decade is all I'm saying lol. Just my thoughts on the topic or rant if you want to be snarky lmao

[thebrinkoftime]

I participate in this one other forum and it gets really ridiculous, people hang on to their vendettas against you (whether they are based on reality or their mistaken impression) and others just neg you if you express an opinion even slightly different from theirs. These functions can be ludicrous. Like a certain pop star? Well, I don't! Neg! Use an expression that irritates me? Neg! Didn't laugh at your joke? Neg! That's not a healthy way to act.

 

It also might promote elitist behavior. It's easier to fall into than you'd think. I don't think anyone wakes up one day and says, "I'm going to be an elitist from now on." The transition can be kind of subtle. Long time forum members in any place know the unwritten social rules of the place (one of those shows up in this very thread) and new members don't necessarily, unless they are newbies who have lurked for a long time. If newer members don't follow these rules and get negged for it, what can happen is that members who are used to the atmosphere here assume everyone should know these unwritten social rules. Some members will be clever and courteous in letting the new ones know, others might just use the neg button and the person would have no clue what they're supposedly doing wrong, giving them mixed signals, so to speak. I felt this in real life when I didn't have a clue about a lot of gay issues until I found myself drawn in the world.

 

For instance, I assumed that gays being just as human as anyone else, there would be conflicts among them, but I had no idea there were problems that arose about your level of "gayness" or whether bisexuals were "truly" bisexual -- I assumed that homosexuals had too many other problems caused by their sexual identities to get into stuff like that. I'm pretty sure that more and more members are catching on to the fact that I love to joke around and in real life, my humor has no boundaries, so there's always a shaky period where I'm trying to get used to just where the boundaries are in a new place -- to me and my circle of friends it's always obvious it is a joke because very few decent people would ever say something like that. If I hadn't known about these issues, I may have made a joke I thought I was harmless, something potentially insensitive like, "Are you sure you are bi or are you just cheating to get more action?" Another example is the plight of transgendered people or those with gender identity issues. Especially in Englsh, it's really easy to use terms like "Stop being such a little girl about it!" or "Man up!" or "Grow a pair of balls!" and not realize how those terms came to be or how potentially damaging they can be to people's psyche. Many many just assume that such expressions are nowhere near damaging because they've not swear words or insults, per say (those three in particular are often used to encourage someone to do something) and they've never encountered a situation that pointed that out to them. I'm thinking GA wants to be welcoming even to people who aren't yet very informed about gay experiences and act as a pleasant place where they can get informed without being harassed. So my point is negging people for insensitive or ignorant behavior won't go very far in ameliorating the problems with that behavior.

 

In fact, it just seems like an open invitation for problems. I can't imagine that the mods and admins have to deal with complaints about likes very often. ("People aren't liking me enough! Discipline them!") Also, no I haven't been here very long, nor do I read all of the forum threads, but I don't see a whole lot of behavior that would truly warrant giving negative feedback for. And in the small amount of cases where I've tilted my head and thought, "What was that?" I can imagine that leaving that to the people in charge is a much better idea. In each case, I'm not sure what went on behind the scenes, but each thread got back on track and everyone was quite civil. So if we did re-implement a negging system, then I would be for it only if it was at the sole direction of the mods and admins. Maybe it would show up in the user's status bar as a replacement of the warning system. "A mod/admin negged your post in this thread." (Maybe anonymously for them too, so they don't have to deal with angry users who try to PM them every single time it happens.) That way the user could reflect and use their own discretion on what the directors of the forum's behavior guidelines thought objectionable. (Maybe I'm using too many swear words lately? Maybe I'm being too aggressive? Maybe I should more sensitively state my opinion in a debate thread? Maybe I need to stop policing threads? Maybe I need to put on more deodorant in the morning?) And the mods could save themselves a bit of time.

 

But we already have the warning points system and it seems to me (I don't know, I'm just guessing) that the purpose of that was to keep reputation as a positive indicator and the warning points as the negative one. That seems like a good way to do it to me.

[sat8997]

 

also, as amusing as the kitty reference is, it's not the best place for that, I think we can be a bit more professional and move on.

 

 

Spoil sport!

 

I find the Kitty reference extremely amusing. Whichever admin picked that is a genius.

[Thorn Wilde]

I can say with perfect honesty that I have no idea what the kitty thing is about.

[Myk]

I think that having dislike buttons can be a gateway to bullying. If a person dislikes another poster personally, the dislike button could be used to unfairly and indiscriminately 'vote down' that poster. You see it happening in all kinds of social media that employs a down vote as well as an up vote button. I think GA should be a positively charged space. Negative feedback is unhelpful, and if you have an issue with someone or what they've written or said, the decent thing to do is to tell them why, not just press a button and give a negative rating.

If anyone bothered to read my original post where I used 'unlike' instead of 'dislike', they would see that comment was tongue in cheek, or more literally ' ' . On the other hand though, bullying can be done in many ways and usually comes as hurtful words, -1's don't seem so hurtful to me. In addition a dislike button would allow other members to curtail written bullying through the use of this system. Plus if it was posted with your username like kc said it would be less likely to be abused. So it's not the system, it's how it's used.

 

GA did have a red 'Dislike' Button that had -1 rep point that they stopped using a few years ago.   The problem with that is, it was "Anonymous".  If GA had Negative Rep Points that reflected like the Positive Rep points and showed the member and the date/time, I would have no objections.  I would like to know when someone dislikes something I've written or said in forums, but if it's Anonymous I would object.  It was severally abused that's why it was removed.

I thought I remembered one from somewhere, forgot it was here. I wasnt very serious, but if it was marked with member name like you said I wouldn't object at all.

 

A dislike button might also curtail authors who might submit a story or chapter that didn't have popular themes. You'd be less likely to push boundaries if you were spanked anonymously for doing so. One of the things I like about GA is its general nature of encouargment. I personally would like to maintain that. The "unlike" option is there is anyone feels the need.

 

In general, I like the titles as a sort of badge of honor. Are they important? No. But they are one of the minimal ways of seeing our progress. The vast majority of readers don't review. You can't force it, but the like buttons are an acknowledgement we might not otherwise have from those who don't have the time or inclination to give us more feedback.

Hmmm...maybe you are right, buttons are bad! If you have to choose between 'like' and 'comment' are you less likely to write a comment? Maybe the like button is suppressing actually useful and treasured feedback. I would definitely not complain if all buttons were removed from stories...forces readers to leave a few words to show support and hopefully positive and constructive criticism too.

[wildone]

I can say with perfect honesty that I have no idea what the kitty thing is about.

 

You don't want to know

 

GA did have a red 'Dislike' Button that had -1 rep point that they stopped using a few years ago.   The problem with that is, it was "Anonymous".  If GA had Negative Rep Points that reflected like the Positive Rep points and showed the member and the date/time, I would have no objections.  I would like to know when someone dislikes something I've written or said in forums, but if it's Anonymous I would object.  It was severally abused that's why it was removed.

 

You are right KC. Actually moderation issues are always kept between the individual and FMT, but I think it is safe to say that is exactly what happened with the 'Dislike' Button. A FEW people would use their daily maximum of Likes/Dislikes to sabotage another members Rep Points. There is always the option of reviewing a story, using the PM system to message the person, or even responding to a post.

 

To have an anonymous 'Dislike' button I personally think (my personal opinion, not the FMT's or anyone else) is a poor way to try to communicate and builds on the feeling of 'Who could be doing this to me' feeling that you get when you see your Rep continuously going down and having no feedback as to why. That is not a feeling that I would wish on anyone

[Thorn Wilde]

bullying can be done in many ways and usually comes as hurtful words, -1's don't seem so hurtful to me. In addition a dislike button would allow other members to curtail written bullying through the use of this system.

 

Yeah, but you can't reprimand someone for just disagreeing with someone, nor can you prove that it's systematic bullying even if it is, but you can deal with someone who bullies outright. Personally, hurtful words don't bother me so much. That I can deal with. But I would be severely hurt and discouraged if people kept 'disliking' things I said or did (perhaps especially stories I'd written) without ever telling me why. That might discourage me from writing at all, or at least from posting my writings. A negative ratings system is not productive for a creative environment.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Thorn Wilde

[Daithi]

a like or dislike button is a cop out you push a button doesnt really tell you anything. leave a review message them tell them what you like or dislike about whatever your reading make it an original not a generic whatever.

[Zombie]

Explosive Member – 250 posts

 

Would this cum come with a graphic?? 

[Ron]

Would this cum come with a graphic?? 

 

Naughty Boy, stay on topic!

[Kitt]

. "A mod/admin negged your post in this thread." (Maybe anonymously for them too, so they don't have to deal with angry users who try to PM them every single time it happens.)

While i agree that any sort of negative point system - the current warning points or a dislike or whatever - should be left to the administration, I don't think it being anonymous should happen. Granted the admins don't need angry personal messages, but anonymously posting warning points or reducing rep points or any other sort of negative feedback of that nature has to be accompanied with some sort of explanation.  What good does it do to tell someone they have been a bad boy or girl if they are not told what was bad about their behavior? One cannot correct something they don't know is wrong.