Why the Rating System Works Here

[Kieren Barnett 76]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but since its Simtrop related, I guess its right.

I'm trying to push for a rating system in this forum, however other members, and a couple of mods over there, don't believe it works all that well. More info in the thread linked above.

So I'm wondering, more so from an ethical point of view than a technical point of view, does the Simtrop rating system work and if it does, why?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I think the rating system was a built-in in one of the upgrades.  However, it has become relatively popular.  Seems to work well for people with CJs.  I am relatively indifferent to it.

[zimmie 521]

I really like it personally. The accumulation of the points are meaningless to me. But it is pretty slick to be able to click on your posts and actually see which posters like your pics, comments, etc. Sometimes you don't have time or just don't like spelling out a response but you can let someone know that you like what they've said or done with just a click of the mouse. I hope I am talking about the same thing here, not sure. If it's something else just disregard my comment and carry on.

[Cyclone Boom 16,852]

Although it’s just a number, I think reputation is a useful way of showing appreciation to fellow members. But it does depend on the type of community. Being a city-building community, we have quite a few interactive sections that benefit from the system, including:

• STEX comments
• CJ entries
• CJ comments
• News article submissions
• News article comments
• Omnibus articles
• Omnibus comments

 

I think that’s mostly why it works -- it’s simple and does the job. Though people shouldn’t be discouraged by having a low cumulative total or “post-to-rep ratio”.

This heavily depends on general activity, and the sections you contribute in.
 
Here, only 1 positive point can be given to each post. Though some forums have other variations, such as neutral and multiple negative rep (thumbs down). The main problem with these is the potential to be used maliciously. Posts could be voted down based on opinion, rather than helpfulness or quality. It could also be used by spammers and to hold grudges. Either way, I agree it's not a good idea and could be disheartening.

[Kuewr665 40]

I agree that downvoting a post is not a good feature. If you disagree with someone, it should be explained by making a post. Also, if a post really is bad or breaking a website rule, it can just be reported to staff.

[Bipin 3,402]

I feel as though the rating system is quite helpful. I can say with great confidence that I've seen a correlation between the time a user has been active on here and the number of points they've accumulated. Or likewise, the number of posts they have in contrast to their number of points. For instance, if someone has a few hundred points that's great, but if they have several thousands posts, then perhaps that's indicative of them often posting lower quality content that doesn't garner points. It isn't always this way as there always a lot of variables at play, but I find it to be quite accurate in a lot of situations nonetheless.