Discussion about reinstating neg-rep

[Dannytheman]

I think only PAYING members should have REP privileges.

If people want the option, let them pay for it. Then at least I know a forum supporter is involved.

[dc dalton]

Vic, you summed up my feelings to a tee!

The viciousness, trolling and just generally pathetic behavior since the removal of neg rep has been, to say the least, mind boggling. Personally I see it as frustration of a lot of people not being able to clock some troll with a few neg points in private. What was once a 'your an xxx for saying xxx' in a private neg rep has boiled to the surface into what HAS to be one of the ugliest directions I have ever seen a forum take.

And yes there will be those one or two incidents where someone gets neg repped back to the stone age (credit to HC) but when that happened in the past the person more than likely deserved it.

There's enough decent people here that know when to use neg rep and when NOT to use neg rep that the small minority of incidents when the system is abused is far outweighed.

The other thing that no neg rep has caused IMHO is the fact those that are not members and are reading some of the bile that has been spewed over the past few months are instantly 'run off', not wanting to be a part of the mess, so to speak.

No neg rep also tells honest to god trolls they can get away with an awful lot if they are just careful how they phrase things, and THAT pisses a lot of respectable members off.

Just my point of view but I agree with HC, it has to come back or this place may just implode in it's own ugliness.

[Hawk]

LRT and st8shooter covered my thoughts pretty well....

I've seen a positive change in the forum since the removal of neg rep.

The guys who handed it out like candy no longer can
...which in turn...
permitted the guys who were afraid to give their true opinion to do so without fearing retribution from someone who disagrees with them
...which in turn...
balanced the forum's "distribution of power"
...which in turn...
made the forum a much more pleasurable place.

Several times over the past few years I was ready to give up on the forum because of a certain group I called the "wolf pack" that handed out neg rep to those who disagreed with them, and positive rep only to those who agreed with them. I was glad to see neg rep go away.

I come to the PAFOA forum for information and entertainment and not to "fight" with fellow members. As others have mentioned, I wouldn't mind if the rep system went away all together. A members post count, how long they have been a member, and their "known" reputation on the forum via the content they post is all that matters.

[41 Redhawk]

I too vote for eliminating rep all together. This is the only forum that I participate on that has a rep system and it seems to be the source of many problems.

[PAOhio]

How about instead of negative 'rep', we make an easy to use 'ignore user' function?

[CHEMICAL]

How about instead of negative 'rep', we make an easy to use 'ignore user' function?

precisely what I was going to say. there is no use for neg rep. There are far too many cliques on here and I have seen people get ganged up on with neg rep by certain groups of friends for stuff that had nothing to do with the post.

If you don't like someone just ignore them....stop trying to "chase them out of "YOUR" forum"

too many people got power crazy with neg rep. if someone is truly a "troll" just report them, if you simply disagree with their opinion be an adult and let it go. But these neg rep mobs are worthless and the gang mentality left a very bad taste in a lot of mouths.

The same can be judged by rep, if they have 3,000 posts but only 40 rep power its pretty prevalent that they may not exactly have something good to say, while if they have 100 posts but 530 rep power its pretty obvious that they contribute a lot.

or make it so each neg rep only detracts so many points, so that one egotistical jerkoff with like 3000 rep power cant destroy someone with 1 neg rep simply cuz they disagree.

[normanvin]

Could the neg rep be something to trigger a message to the mods? If poster x get so many neg reps, in such a time frame, he goes bye bye. Or at least gets a close look at from the mods.

[normanvin]

And thanks for the opportunity to voice an opinion.

[ChamberedRound]

what keeps.some one you simply disagree with from giving you negative Rep? I enjoy adult knowledgeable discussions. I do not like name calling, childish attitudes. Will negative Rep help this? Or will negative Rep make posts more about agreement than discussion? I voted yes for negative Rep. But am now rethinking the vote.

To answer your question, nothing. In fact, just as pos rep is used to tell someone you like/agree/support what they're saying, neg rep is used to tell them you don't like/agree/support. It works like pos rep in the sense that a user can't send multiple reps to the same person without "spreading the love", etc.

Some feel neg rep helped keep the trolls in check, whereas others believe the trolls just took advantage of neg rep to "push buttons" of other users. This is all part of the discussion surrounding the question posed.

However, I have absolutely zero faith that this poll will do anything to reinstate neg rep. It will only work to further the divide between the "posters" and the "management" of the board.

But at least the impression of "change" is being put out there again .

I'm glad you feel that way, because nothing has been decided about reinstating neg rep one way or the other. There is a consensus among the admins/mods, but the discussion here may ultimately change that, hence my interest in hearing what everyone has to say. It's quite possible that we have this discussion and nothing changes as far as neg-rep is concerned, but IMHO that doesn't mean the discussion isn't valuable.

There you go talking about "members" again... So confusing...

Substitute "users" for "members" if it makes you feel better, and please keep the discussion on the issue of neg rep.

We'll see how this goes, but I do appreciate the effort. Thanks, CR. ( i have my eye on you..! )

Thanks, just trying to do what I can.

[jcabin]

Why not revamp the system? If you're here for 1 year, you may contribute 1 point to pos or neg rep, 2 years, 2 points, 3 years, 3 points, so on and so forth.

That way you don't have peoples rep sky rocketing or being raized over night by 3 or 4 morons with high rep levels.
It's a bit conservative, but I think it's much more fair than the current rep system we have.

There are alot of "good ole boys" on this forum with -enough- rep to ruin someones day if 2 or 3 of them neg rep the same guy. Which has happened in the past, and will happen again in the future.



ETA: I voted to return the neg rep, but after reading some of the posters comments I'm on the fence right now. I'd like to say for the record, alot of crap went on after neg rep was removed that never would have made it half as far as it did if neg rep was never removed.