One item open for debate: should a new member start with some small level of reputation, or start at 0?

--jeremy

Zero. How can you judge someone who's just joined?

Zero.

I agree. Start at zero.

The only bad reputation I have is in General, where it really doesn't matter. I ALWAYS help Linux users, because Linux means the world to me.

Will the members current number of total and thanked posts, and number of posts reported as (un)helpful be used to set the initial value of the members reputation? Or is that information just going to be thrown away?

Evo2.

Personally I never really cared much about the "Thanks" count, nor am I that particularly interested in this new "rep system", but it's opt-out, so that's cool.

As for new members' starting rep count, I'm with brianL...you can't really make a proper judgement on someone who has only just joined the forums.

Thanks will have no bearing on the rep system, although it's possible the helpful system will. How long you've been a member and how many posts you have will also play some role.

--jeremy

I wouldn't see it as making a judgment, more along the lines of a good faith recognition that most people will join with positive intentions. Starting with some "skin in the game" seems like it could have benefits (even though they wouldn't immediately be able to *give* reputation either way).

--jeremy

1 members found this post helpful.

Hi Jeremy,

you asked for feedback, and received much on this topic in the earlier thread:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-at-lq-828007/

From this thread, it seems that of the members who do care about having some sort of rating system, they think the thanked posts count (or fraction) was the most important thing. Why ignore that?

Evo2.

As I mentioned in that thread, a "thanks" had no qualitative measure, no guidelines and no consistency. Trying to work something like that into a future reputation system does not make a lot of sense IMHO.

--jeremy

Hi,

Good question.

Jeremy: any ideas on this?

Evo2.

1 members found this post helpful.

Nor should it. It was a quantitative measure.

IIRC, there were instructions for using the thanks feature... but can't find them now (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Perhaps true but how could that be achieved with any system without intervention by moderators. Is that what is being proposed for the new system?

Fair enough.

Cheers,

Evo2.

1 members found this post helpful.

However it's implemented, it's going to be hard to keep it objective.

Cannot the same be said about the "helpful" system?

How about factoring in data from both old systems and progressively reducing their weighting as time goes by?

Actually it makes sense to reduce the weighting of all aged data as time goes by. It would deal with the otherwise delicate issue of downgrading our reputation as we descend into senility It would also deal with members who join knowing little and develop technical expertise and helpfulness -- realistically their reputation should be based on recent performance, not on their early performance as neophytes.

3 members found this post helpful.