I guess we all live only with positive feedback. It is sad that there are people who never or just occasionally get a "reward" or confirmation of their importance or general acceptedness for being around. We need to be confirmed by others. I guess this is a general psychological rule that applies outside the Downs, in the RL. But if it does, so does it have any ramifications here?
Surely it has, I think.
I entered the Downs on Lommy's recommendation just in January this year. I have been an active ww-gamer (need a break soon) and I have participated in some RPG's. Occasionally I have had time to check in and comment on some of the more seriously Tolkien-directed threads. I have a lots of reputation and am quite at loss with how to cope with it. It sure feels nice, and let's face it, we all love it? But as I look at the posts of f.ex. Raynor and others making their learned discussions, I just think that my knowledge on Tolkien is just a drop in the sea in all this. I might have some good points occasionally because of my learning and life-experience, but still. I've read my Tolkiens the first time at the 70's, but still only a couple of times during my life. So I feel myself here like an
amateur (somewhat in it's proper meaning: the lover) of Tolkien, enjoying the discussions and playing the fun (and addicting) games.
Sorry about the monologue, but after that you know from what viewing-point I'm looking at the issue...
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That the green bar for everyone to see does not change after eleven spots is good, I think. That lessens the want to compare the points each one has - but still works as somekind of an indicator of the person taking part in the discussions etc.
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The weight of the persons years at the downs & her/his posts are totally underbalanced. Just hanging around and posting a lot for a long time surely is no merit in itself, but tells more than just how one has fared somewhere (f.ex. the ww-games just bring you an outrageous sum of reps! I don't complain, but there's surely a structural problem here, if one wants to steer the reputation system somewhere away from its current trend) and surely is more justified - or at least more democratic - than making up a "council of Elders" deciding the amount of reputation each one will be able to spread.
So as Heren states, that:
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I spy with my little eye what I would describe as greatest danger of the reputation system - it may become end in itself, not means it is designed to be. We (I hope) avoided that danger for we do care (I hope) for the thing we meet here for more than for reputation we may get for it (I hope)
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I wholeheartedly agree with him. The rep-system is great as it allows people to appreciate others for what they do (and give us the positive feedback so important to our mental sanity and wellfare), but surely some actions here merit more reps than others - and I'm not sure if they make it according to the spirit of this site's founders.
But as I said, I'm not the one who should complain. I just wanted to raise the issue.
The important thing, I think, is that different people find "a home" here and enjoy their time together. And maybe a full-time werewolfer gets some nice ideas from other threads as well as some "scholars" could find an addittional thrill from a ww-game?
I've loved my short time here so far and believe I will do the same in the future.