What is a reputation via notifications?

[Chris McCall]

I received a notification that somebody have me a reputation???  Huh.  I know I already have a bad reputation but what does it mean that somebody gave me a reputation?   I looked at the posting that caused it but can not see what happened. Sorry to be so stupid. :-)

[Admin_01]

Great question, Chris.

The software that runs our website has two "rating" tools that are available to registered members. One of those is the "rate" a topic and the other is to "give reputation" to specific posts that a member makes. You are asking about the second tool. Foremost, you do not have a bad reputation, either on this website or in real life. We know you and you are a good guy. People still to this day admire the stained glass window of our home.

When a registered member (guests are not permitted to give reputation) reads one of your posts (be it a topic starter or a post as a reply within a topic thread) and they either really like it or dislike it, they can click a button to give you either "positive reputation" or to "ding you for negative reputation". For more details, please see http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/463-reputation-issues-in-a-long-thread/#comment-1611 for more information about reputations.

It appears that your notification settings (part of the profile settings for your account) are configured such that you get a notification when you are given some reputation. You may change that notification setting to your preference. Most people like to know when they get some reputation, but you get to decide for you.

If this doesn't fully address your question, please ask for clarification in a reply to this posting. That is our job.

[JudyS]

I just checked the Notification settings, and I see only two options, to be notified of the reputation by pop-up or by email.  I see no option to avoid seeing it altogether.  The reputation pop-up is an annoying feature, but since now I know what it is, I will just ignore it.  There was a book called "What You Think of Me is None of My Business."  That's what I think of the reputation thing.

[Admin_01]

1 hour ago, JudyS said:

I just checked the Notification settings, and I see only two options, to be notified of the reputation by pop-up or by email.  I see no option to avoid seeing it altogether.  The reputation pop-up is an annoying feature, but since now I know what it is, I will just ignore it.  There was a book called "What You Think of Me is None of My Business."  That's what I think of the reputation thing.

Judy,

If you scroll further down while in the notification settings area, you will see additional options. To my way of thinking, waaaaaay too many options, but that is a different conversation.

There are three general "groupings" of the notification settings. The last option in the General group (the second or middle group) is about reputation notifications. Turn both of the options OFF, and then be sure to Save those settings by clicking on the button at the bottom of the options list. By "both of the options" I refer to the two columns: notification list and the email notification buttons.

Let us know how that works for you.

P.S., I did read the book by Terry Cole-Whitaker that you refer to, but it was several decades ago.

[JudyS]

6 hours ago, Admin_01 said:

P.S., I did read the book by Terry Cole-Whitaker that you refer to, but it was several decades ago.

Is that who wrote it?  I couldn't remember.  I used to go to the church of Religious Science in San Diego where she preached (if you can call it preaching - not a traditional church).. 

[JudyS]

I didn't realize you could turn them both off.  I thought you had to choose one.  I think I fixed it.

[Admin_01]

Glad that we were able to help.

[Panawanna]

OK.  Good.  I was wondering what the 'reputation' thing is as well.  However, I don't see if my 'reputations' given by readers is good or not.  I suppose if I receive a few not good 'reputations' I will hear from the Admin?  Not my goal, just to be clear.    I am finding this board, and the folks therein, to be very helpful and the voices to be very logical, reasonable and intelligent.  I hope I will achieve the same accolades!

[JohnF13]

The reputations thing is a waste of time.  Anyone that feels triggered by any comment you make can give you a negative reputation.  There is no policing of it and quite frankly it should be done away with.

[Admin_01]

On 5/4/2017 at 4:52 PM, JohnF13 said:

The reputations thing is a waste of time.  Anyone that feels triggered by any comment you make can give you a negative reputation.  There is no policing of it and quite frankly it should be done away with.

Your feedback and recommendation are noted. Thank you.

Going a bit further, please note that you are asserting something that is not correct, referring to "There is no policing or it...". All activity on CL is routinely monitored. Sometimes the monitoring is delayed, but eventually completed, typically within 24 hours. We suggest that you revisit Rule #7 at http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/6-terms-rules/.

[JohnF13]

On 5/4/2017 at 7:57 PM, Admin_01 said:

Your feedback and recommendation are noted. Thank you.

Going a bit further, please note that you are asserting something that is not correct, referring to "There is no policing or it...". All activity on CL is routinely monitored. Sometimes the monitoring is delayed, but eventually completed, typically within 24 hours. We suggest that you revisit Rule #7 at http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/6-terms-rules/.

Bud, are you saying that you monitor all reputation listings and verify if they are appropriate or not?  If so, then you are doing an heroic job!  My comment stands - if anyone upsets anyone else in the slightest perceived way it can result in a negative reputation.  Whether the comment is valid or not really cannot be objectively judged, it is all subjective.  Even a determination by yourself is subjective because it depends on your particular mindset.  None of this is meant to inflame passions or even promote arguments, it is merely my opinion.

[Keith Woolford]

Receiving a 'negative reputation' might discourage a member from posting again.

[Penny]

Bud, turn this damnable thing off. It is both a nuisance and annoying.

[Bonnie]

I can see some value in the reputation arrows. One negative reputation can and should be ignored, but if there are, say, three or more, I think the poster can assume that his post was not well-received by the community. Positive reputations, on the other hand, are indicative of community appreciation. In other words, they could serve as a form of behavior modification. In any event, few people appear to make use of the reputation buttons. And they can easily be ignored if someone sees no value in them. In short, no big deal. (I'm not sure, but they may be built into the format of this forum and therefore not susceptible to being "turned off.")

 

[JimAndNena]

B. F. Skinner would be thrilled.

I like the Facebook notation better, Like or nothing.

[JohnF13]

6 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Receiving a 'negative reputation' might discourage a member from posting again.

Just not us, huh Keith?  

[Dottie Atwater]

On 11/14/2015 at 5:33 AM, JudyS said:

"What You Think of Me is None of My Business"  was also quoted by the late Wayne Dyer. It's my motto for life!

 

[JimAndNena]

2 hours ago, JohnF13 said:

Just not us, huh Keith?  

From my favorite movie.

 

[Keith Woolford]

3 hours ago, JohnF13 said:

Just not us, huh Keith?  

Got no time for negativity John.

 

Edited May 5, 2017 by Keith Woolford

[JohnF13]

Quote

Nope.  Old enough to not care.

 

[Admin_01]

This is the second time that this subject of disabling the reputation reporting system functionality has come up in CL's life. What we write here is NOT meant as a final decision, but rather continuing the discussion to be sure that we all truly understand all of the issues and goals.

One of the underlying goals of CL is to provide a non-confrontational social medium addressing life in the Chiriqui Province. The reputation system is basically a tool to facilitate "self moderation" by the members. Several "tools" exist to assist in achieving this goal, and reputations are just one such tool.

We have seen several instances where reputations have resulted in members "moderating" their words. In some cases, some of those who received negative reputation have left CL and moved on to other venues that allow them unfettered negativity. We wish them well in those other websites that permit them fulfill their need to post caustic words.

One of the side benefits of reputations was beginning to be surfaced in Bonnie's posting that starts out with:

On 5/5/2017 at 8:40 AM, Bonnie said:

I can see some value in the reputation arrows.

...

I am curious how many of our users are aware of or actually view what is called the "leaderboard". Please visit http://www.chiriqui.life/leaderboard/. From the current reputation levels, you hopefully can see that Roger B and Bonnie, and etc., are valuable and respected members of CL. The leaderboard is a dynamic display that changes all the time. The leaderboard allows users to "drill down" and form their own opinion as to who provides valuable content. Note that the leaderboard does not allow one to "drill up" from the least favorite direction. There is value in knowing whom others view as providing valuable information.

Are we as the owners/administrators able to shut down the reputation system? Yes. We currently are not strongly motivated to do that because there is value in this self-moderation tool. However, we always do listen to our members and try to provide a resource that is used, supported, and favored. At the same time we definitely do understand that receiving a negative reputation oftentimes is not a pleasant experience. (I have received negatives in my "Bud" persona; management accounts cannot receive reputations.)

Next, addressing an aspect highlighted by JohnF13, referring to the monitoring of use (abuse) of the reputation system. Monitoring is done on an ongoing basis. We cannot and do not assess use of the reputation system based on their "validity". Everyone has their own mindset about what a reputation means to them, and their own value reference scale. Monitoring means that we watch how many reputations are given by any member (only registered members can give reputations; members cannot give themselves reputation) during a time frame. Current thresholds are three or more reputations within a short period of time. Once we see three or more reputations in a short period of time, we then look at the full picture and make an admittedly subjective decision regarding abuse or not. If there is an issue that needs to be pursued further, then we do that in private with the involved member.

What the owners/administrators are asking now is for those with an interest in this topic to look at the leaderboard, and provide their additional feedback with that knowledge and experience of the leaderboard behind them, coupled with a rethinking of the concept of self-moderation tools. We listen to our members, but have a different viewing portal from regular members because we have the advantage of all of the [both supportive and opposing] feedback from all members, coupled with the experience of the results of a fairly good self-moderating tool.

We look forward to hearing additional feedback and comments here in this thread (for all to see).

Thanks.

[JimAndNena]

OK, I admit it up front, I am a geek. Or a nerd, not sure which. Anyway, I love math.

I looked at the leaderboard and I could not resist putting it in order.  The pure points count didn't seem to tell the whole story so I scanned it into a spreadsheet to get a points per post value for ranking.  Keep in mind, I do this for entertainment (I used to make a living at it too but still fun).

So, here is how I see the most valuable contributors to CL. jim

[Bonnie]

I don't understand this, but it sure looks impressive!