Reputation

[Behelit]

A good way to encourage constructive criticism would be to have a reputation system implemented. Anyone that is willing to take the time should be rewarded and recognized for their contribution.

I suppose it is arguable whether or not a reputation system would fundamentally encourage guidance and not just create an alternate reason. Surely people should already desire to contribute. I wouldn't want to get away from that, but I still feel strongly enough about it as a means of recognizing great contributors.

Thoughts?

 

[Parqstu]

I think it sounds familliar with the ranking system. Could you explain how it's different please? And hi Behelit, nice to meet you

 

[Behelit]

The ranking system, as far as I know, rewards largely for post count. Not to knock the ranking system by any means, but correlation is not causation and thusly does not always equate to contribution. A reputation system would be a means of members to show each other recognition for their assistance or guidance.

Nice to meet you as well, Parqstu.

 

[Donny Bruso]

Behelit makes a good point. One that I have observed in people for years. Just because they are talking doesn't mean they are saying anything. I've done a quick run through the showcase, and aside from there only being a few works in there, the response to them has been pretty scarce, at least in public. Now, that doesn't mean that none of us are reviewing the material. I know personally I prefer to send my reviews in private. Not because I'm being rude or disrespectful, but because if I make my observations and other people read them, then read the piece, they are reading A) looking for the mistakes I've already noted, and B) with any preconceptions I happened to put into my posts.

But overall yes, it would be nice to implement a system that rewards people for trying to help their fellow authors improve their work.

 

[Black Dragon]

We're thinking on the same wavelength.

I'm planning to add something very similar to a reputation system, which is known as a "Likes Tree." It gives members the opportunity to reward quality posts by "liking" them. It will keep count of how many times a user's posts have been liked, and display the count under their avatar and rank, as well as on their profiles. In this respect the system is virtually identical to the reputation and thank you systems used on many forums.

There is an added element to this, however, which makes it stand out. At the top of each thread there will be a minimized "Likes Tree," which will expand when the user hovers over it. It will display a summary of each post in the thread which has been liked, with the most liked posts at the top. This allows users to see the most popular posts in each thread at a glance.

This software is in the final stages of testing, and is due to be released within the next few weeks. I've been using a release candidate version of it on another forum which I frequent, and am very impressed with it.

As Behelit pointed out, the ranking system rewards members for quantity of posts. The likes system will reward them for the quality of their posts. This will add another fun dimension to our community.

 

[Legerdemain]

The ranking system, as far as I know, rewards largely for post count. Not to knock the ranking system by any means, but correlation is not causation and thusly does not always equate to contribution. A reputation system would be a means of members to show each other recognition for their assistance or guidance..

Does that mean I do not win with my awesome post count? Sigh... I agree completely. Any positive way to encourage appropriate participation in the Showcase looks to be good in my humble, honest opinion (which is diminished in value due to my over posting blabbering) .

 

[Behelit]

Not because I'm being rude or disrespectful, but because if I make my observations and other people read them, then read the piece, they are reading A) looking for the mistakes I've already noted, and B) with any preconceptions I happened to put into my posts.

That's smart thinking there.

Does that mean I do not win with my awesome post count?

I'll race you to 1000. Anyone for that matter.

Lucky you, you already have a lead on me!

 

[Black Dragon]

We tried out the Likes System mentioned above, and it didn't look quite right with our forum's layout. So... we've decided to give the reputation system a try after all.

Notice a star now appearing beneath each user's info (to the left of each post)? You can click on the star to add to their reputation. It's a way of saying thank you.

Let us know what you think.

 

[Mdnight Falling]

Oh! This is an absolutely wonderful idea guys! I know my posts haven't been all that informative.. But then again I'm here to learn from other people as well as put in my own input when you guys (which is rare) talk about books I know about x.x! As stated I've just started reading fantasy more then other books... Mostly I'll read just about anything put in my hands LOL. I have read books I'm not sure consititute as fantasy because while they take place from god only knows where, they're about animals LMAO! like Watership Down..

Anyway, there I go rambling about nothing again x.x! I really do think this is an excellent idea >^.^<

 

[At Dusk I Reign]

Well, I can't see it being a bad thing. If nothing else people will have some actual feedback on whether their posts have struck a chord or not.

And BD, why haven't you given yourself twenty green blobs already? What's the point of having power if you don't abuse it for your own nefarious ends?

 

[Mythos]

Well, Critique Circle, a website where you can critique other people's writing, and then have yours critiqued, uses a system of credits. For each critique you give you receive one credit, and it takes three credits to submit a piece of writing. Newbies begin with two credits.