Reputation

[JonE]

It does beg the question of how EXACTLY the stars are given; presumably by some algorhithm? I can't see how stars actually confer "reputation", Russell. I imagine the equation concentrates more on replies than initial posts.. but surely they can't have any bearing on how useful or quality-laden those replies are? (Not saying that they aren't useful - just would be interesting to understand how it works!)
i.e. are "stars" just a factor of how long you have been around gassing... or is there more intelligence/human qualitative judgement in it than that?

[Ruairidh Dunford]

The more you post the more stars you will get, automatically.

Stars do not confer reputation, the reputation score does that.

[squeak]

Ruairidh I do now better understand the current system,   regards  Russell

[Timothy P]

Jon, The stars and corresponding standard user titles are all defaults of the forum software. I won't put the exact figures but stars come up purely on hitting certain amounts of posts, it doesn't matter whether it's a thread or reply, if you've posted more than a certain number of times you get the star.
1 star for 0 posts going up at milestones to a max of 5 for 'Registered Users'. (you've topped out Jon!)
Admin automatically have 7 stars so they can be identified even with a custom user title, again this is a forum default setting.
I do hope with this outlined the number of stars shouldn't cause anyone any stress, and hopefully encourages joining in?

[Tony Press]

I look at the posters  name (hopefully name ) sometimes see the stars and rarely look at the reputation (and try to ignore the annoying repeating ad nauseum 'footers')

Thank you R

[JonE]

I do hope with this outlined the number of stars shouldn't cause anyone any stress, and hopefully encourages joining in?

we are only discussing this is theory, but in light of other posts too, I just wonder if it REALLY encourages equality, when we are seeking new joiners and valuing a new post as much as one of us who has made a lot. I just think it makes it an in-crowd in the way that facebook does not. Would we have a few more of the 2200 on FB if we didn't have all the extraneous information on how marvellous we all are?

In short, I'm not sure that having stars does anything at all to get new people on board. Admins of course need identifying.

We already know that this forum is perceived, by a range of core long term A7 people, to somehow not allow sign up and posting (witness the 30/40 silent watchers on most evening sessions)... so it's just another thing for discussion - no right and wrong, just discussion as to how the forum could be more widely used than it is.

[Hugh Barnes]

I don't think this has anything to do with equality does it? I really don't think that anyone sees this as anyway hierarchical as to who is who on the forum, do they? The system has been explained quite clearly. I think perhaps Russell was looking for something like the 'like' option that one has for a post on Facebook, but this software doesn't support that and handles it in other ways. In my experience from other groups, the Facebook community and the forum community are often quite different. The facebook page is often a way of driving traffic to the forum when someone posts a reply saying this has been discussed on the forum and providing a link.

Also in my experience of other fora, there is always a 'silent majority' of those who don't post, but merely read. That doesn't suggest in anyway a failing of the forum. It is quite possible that those 'watchers' might well be 'bots' from Google and the like adding to their 'indexing' of web pages that will then show up in searches.

I don't even notice the stars and reputations, I just look at the content of each thread and hopefully learn from it or contribute where I can.

[Duncan Grimmond]

Mutter mutter, the class system raises its ugly head again, harrumph.
I'm not proud, I'll look down my nose at anyone ;-)

[merlinart]

I look up to him, he looks down at me.....I just know my place!

Why does any forum need or use a sycophantic back scratching system anyway.....the content of the proposition/question/answer should stand up on it's own surely?

All this "like/reputation" stuff is simply encroaching Americanisation, and who needs such nonsense anyway?

Arthur

[JonE]

exactly!