What is Reputation? And those green dots?

[Ivo]

Originally Posted by Panda77

Ivo, you surprise me! You should know it since you are a TM Guru!

you're right.
actually I have never paid attention to it. Just a few days ago I realized that there's something like green dots etc. Believe it or not, i've been a member of the TM forum for almost a year now, but paid attention to the content of the messages only .

Just kidding, anyhow, the sentence changes as you increase your reputation points. You start with xxx just joined TM when you have very few or no reputation pts. and as reputation increases the sentence changes.
The sentence changes several times before you actually can acquire a new green dot.

thank you for your answer. I just hoped to get a more concrete idea of how it works. Aren't there any rules anywhere which would explain all this in detail?

[wasleys]

How does rep scoring actually work?

If I give rep I don't get any choice of the number of points to give, just whether it is positive or negative. Yet when I receive rep the number of points from different individuals appears to vary.

Am I missing something?

Michael

[Erin]

The reputation system is complicated. Only the original programmer understands it fully. The amount of reputation you can give depends on many factors, including the number of posts you have, how long you've been a member, and your own reputation. So generally the senior members have greater rep-giving power. For example, if I give rep to somebody, it is worth more than if a new member gives rep. If I recall, members with zero posts cannot give rep at all; members with at least one post start off with one point of rep-giving power; admins can give ten or fifteen points of rep. I think some people might actually be able to give more than admins, though. (People like you--longtime members with decent post counts and a fair amount of rep received.)

[wasleys]

Erin,

Thanks. Not an issue but just one of the oddities of life that cause continued puzzlement.

Michael

[TheGuru]

true, for instance, you get the most points when i give you a rep. ('coz im The Guru)

[wasleys]

Originally Posted by TheGuru

true, for instance, you get the most points when i give you a rep. ('coz im The Guru)

TheGuru,

Go on then. Let's see what you're worth.

Michael

[TheGuru]

how dare you try to test me

[coolpaggy]

Originally Posted by Erin

The reputation system is complicated. Only the original programmar understands it fully. The amount of reputation you can give depends on many factors, including the number of posts you have, how long you've been a member, and your own reputation. So generally the senior members have greater rep-giving power. For example, if I give rep to somebody, it is worth more than if a new member gives rep. If I recall, members with zero posts cannot give rep at all; members with at least one post start off with one point of rep-giving power; admins can give ten or fifteen points of rep. I think some people might actually be able to give more than admins, though. (People like you--longtime members with decent post counts and a fair amount of rep received.)

Erin have you ever even considered of repping me ? I have been here for long. Real long. One of those rarities who have continued posting at TM after, yes after getting admissions. No I dont post in WLT, I am concentrating on VISA forums! So I am declaring my candidature. A few oddities apart, people really thank (Coolpaggy: Please elaborate Visa appl Procedure in India!) me for my continued (Coolpaggy: Please elaborate Visa appl Procedure in India!) contribution.

And I have metamorphized into a sober avatar on mothers day.

So REP me ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[kkitkat]

Erin, per your request

I just bumped into this (Unable to download attachments from a Thread) (Unable to download attachments from a Thread) post and I'm wondering what's the rationale behind not giving new posters the ability to give reputation points. If, as a new poster, I've received some excellent advice here I want to be able to give reputation points to person who gave me the advice even if this is going to be my only post ever. Am I missing something?

(Sorry about starting a new thread. I actually read this one before I posted. I guess I should have figured out my question was appropriate here. Can't wait for your answer)

[Erin]

No worries about starting a new thread. Different forums have different philosophies about whether to bump old threads or to create new threads; I like to have things all in one place.

I just checked--new posters can give rep. The rationale for limiting the amount of rep new users can give is simple: people cannot create a new dummy account to give themselves rep. (It happens, believe it or not.)

As I've said, the formula is complicated, but it takes into account:

• how long you've been a member
• how many posts you have
• how much reputation you've received

Just to give you an idea of the ranges we're talking about--rep-giving ability generally ranges from 0 to 10. Most members can give 1 to 3 points.

Reputation is a weird thing, and it's caused a lot of problems in a lot of forums. I've seen a lot of places turn it off after using it for many years, so I've limited the ways that reputation can be used. For example, I've turned off 'negative reputation' for regular users. I also allow users to see who's given them reputation. So far, I think things are working pretty well.

I hope that answers some of your questions.

Originally Posted by kkitkat

I just bumped into this (Unable to download attachments from a Thread) (Unable to download attachments from a Thread) post and I'm wondering what's the rationale behind not giving new posters the ability to give reputation points. If, as a new poster, I've received some excellent advice here I want to be able to give reputation points to person who gave me the advice even if this is going to be my only post ever. Am I missing something?

(Sorry about starting a new thread. I actually read this one before I posted. I guess I should have figured out my question was appropriate here. Can't wait for your answer)