I am not happy with the new rep system.
 

I'm assuming that the daily amount of rep that a user can give out in a 24 hour period has recently changed because today I reached my limit and I could not have given out more than 5 reps.

I don't quite get this whole rep debate. So there were some longtime users who were gaming the system to achieve more rep. So what? What good does more rep do you once you hit 75? Nothing, other than the fact that it allows us all another way of expressing ourselves. The point of rep is to be able to quickly drop a note of approval on posts that one deems worthy. Sometimes that means you won't rep anyone in a day or two. Other times it means that you will hand out 10, 15, or even 20 reps in a day. The amount of time a user spends on this site, along with the quality of posts during that time period can vary greatly.

I've always thought that the value of the rep system was the user to user feedback, not the aggregate value of total rep. Therefore, I think limiting the number of reps a user can give out in a day limits the value of an inherently good system. If there has to be a limit, I think it should be higher, say 20.

To summarize, I don't think that we should allow a handful of users who have gamed the system to greatly limit the greatest value that the rep system has. Most days I won't even give out a rep, but I feel like I should be allowed to give out 20 in a day when the quality of the posts warrant it. It would be a shame if the cure was worse than the disease. In this instance I truly think that is the case.

The amount of rep you are capable of giving out in a 24hr period hasnt changed as far as i am aware.

Then what is the exact amount of reps that a user can give out in a 24 hour period?

Right now it is 5 reps per day, with 10 reps until you can rep the same person twice.



The issue was with some people handing out handfuls of rep every day (I think the old number was 20), and when you get 20-30 people doing that on a daily basis it gets out of hand real quick.


It's not an ideal situation, and it punishes a lot of innocent members unfortunately. It's a case of a few ruining it for the many. If it works, it will stay. If it becomes very unpopular and obviously not sufficiently effective compared to the outcry it produces, then it will be changed. There's no hard science to this, we're trying to keep things in line but we're trying to enact policies that people will have a hard time finding their way around.


But since we have to wait until people react to the rules we put in place, we are always a step behind. We have to react to everything unfortunately. So it is with this one as well. If people hate it and it doesn't fix the problem, it will be changed. If it works flawlessy, then it will remain.

Ah, i was wrong.

Damnit. We are going to need to do a job-performance evaluation on you soon. You are just fucking up left and right, and you haven't put covers on any of your TPS reports. Did you get the memo?

Well, I think you are neutering one of the greatest values of the rep system. Most days I do not need to give out 5 reps, yet other days I need to give out 15. I think a better way of policing the system is to instill fear into the hearts of those who game the system. Reduce their rep by 90% if they are caught. But please, by no means limit the expression of those of us who play by the rules. It is not fair but more importantly, it undermines the rep system itself which is responsible for much of what makes this site so special.

Personally, I would much rather a handful of users have an inflated overall rep and be able to express myself on a rep to rep basis than restrict the few users who game the system and also restrict everyone else who is honestly using the site. I think that the site will be harmed more with the restrictive rep policy than with the liberal one in which some users abuse.

It you guys are able to detect the "rep fraud" (is that the right term?), then you can punish it harshly enough to deter it. Positive feedback is what drives most forum posters. It's what drives people to excellence. It should only be limited in the most extreme circumstances. I don't think this is one of them.

jokerthief for Prez in '08!!!:grinsmile1:

Lol. Jokerthief, I think you are going to become the champion of all new members who disagree with the rep system. Lol, despite the fact that your message is a critique of the system, and not a disagreement with the core premise, I think you are going to find yourself a very popular man with a large segment of people who read only enough of your post to think that you are trying mightily to tear down the Berlin wall that is the rep system, lol.

I can see the arguement for giving out more than 5 a day and more harshly punishing the people repping for no reason.

What about possibly bumping the number of reps per day back up to 10 but increasing the # of reps required before repping the same user. Thats always an option to test.