Thread: Negative Rep

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Anything that you can not do publicly with your name attached to it should not be done. If you have to be ashamed to be connected with an action, dont do it.

The thing is, though, you could be quite comfortable having your name attached, and not be ashamed, but that doesn't mean some one else won't give you negative rep for it.

I think I gave a negative rep when I wanted to give a positive rep ... lol.

That was a few months ago and it included some cryptic text I put in there for fun.

Yeah ... how do you work this thing ?

Anyhoo, you cant please everyone all the time.

LOL I supposed so! Took me until today to find out how it came.
You need to check the right box!

The bottom line here is that the rep system isn't designed for abuse or to get back at someone or to harm someone in any way.

You are free to post on any forum and say what you please and as long as you say it in a way that you stay on subject and address the issues with facts you need not have any concern.However, if do not act in a gentlemanly fashion and you personally attack people or denigrate them or marginalize them or seek to do a host of nasty things the rep system is there to impress upon you the proper way to act.

I'm all for keeping a +/- rep system.

I think that it adds to the forum, and I agree with other who have suggested making them separate buttons that are big and clear for all to see.

I also think it's perfectly okay for it to be anonymous. So many folks seemed concerned about abuse, but I think 'most' of the time it would be use for the right reasons, and a person who already deserved negative rep is probably more likely to abuse the system by retaliating than the average user is likely to abuse it to begin with.

This is the same reason that ebay stopped sellers from being able to leave negative feedback. Buyers were afraid to leave a negative no matter how well deserved, because the seller would just leave retaliatory negative feedback, no matter how UNdeserved.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Typically, you leave your nick with a pos rep so that the one receiving it know who it's from. Leaving your name with a neg rep is not typically done.

I would prefer it the other way Bruno. You know, leave anonomous good rep but names left on bad rep.

The rep system is anonymous to prevent people from retaliating. Given human nature, that is probably a good idea.

It seems to me that an anonymous system is more likely to be abused and used for retaliation more often than a non anonymous system. Besides which, if I have something to say to another member, I'll generally do it in the open an attach my real name to it or send a PM.

Originally Posted by JMS

It seems to me that an anonymous system is more likely to be abused and used for retaliation more often than a non anonymous system.

The problem is that it's sort of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. If bad rep is anonymous, people are more likely to leave it for stupid stuff, but they have no way to leave it as retaliation because they won't know who to retaliate against.


On the other hand, if you can see who left it, people will be less likely to leave it for stupid stuff, but it opens up the possibility for retaliation.

The potential for abuse is there either way, it's just a matter of which kind of abuse you find more likely.


A perfect example of all this, was a thread I posted a few weeks ago that unintentionally ruffled some feathers. One user who I spoke to at great length through PM's could have left me anonymous negative rep, and he had such high rep that it would have put me well into the negative. But, he didn't do that. Instead we discussed the matter like adults through PM's just like you.

At the same time, I've seen some pretty seriously heated debates around here, and I can easily imagine a couple of people getting into a ridiculous neg-rep war.

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

The problem is that it's sort of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. If bad rep is anonymous, people are more likely to leave it for stupid stuff, but they have no way to leave it as retaliation because they won't know who to retaliate against.


.

I was thinking of retaliation for comments made openly

Negative....whut?

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

Okay, just went to look and see for kicks if I'd been bitten. Along with all my thanks there is one (green, does that mean it was positive??) about my post in the SRP T-Shirt thread asking for a picture of the keychain... comment reads "chady rocks - shameful self agrandization [sic]"....

Can anyone explain this???

Yes, green is positive reputation. As for the text. Someone must clearly be going around giving out positive rep claiming to be me!

It's true though, I do rock.