The cats I'm (no longer) feeding...

[Allhallowsday]

i am a crazy catlady, i freely admit that. i gave YOU good karma because you gave sound advice to what you thought was a serious post. i gave the OP good karma because i believe the apology WAS sincere.
    i don't give a whole lot of good or bad karma points here, in 10+ years i may have given out a hundred or so all told.to me, it has nothing to do with popularity, it is all about the content of the post. i THOUGHT that was how the system was supposed to work here, who cares about facebook?

I agree with you; however, this history is fascinating, and apparently, some members indeed do view the system as a popularity contest.  You might notice the karma people give one another if you had become aware of pot shots taken at yourself in that system. 

[316zombie]

in all honesty, i can't say i've ever looked at my karma points. maybe i will, but it won't matter much to me either way.

[AoTFan]

i am a crazy catlady, i freely admit that. i gave YOU good karma because you gave sound advice to what you thought was a serious post. i gave the OP good karma because i believe the apology WAS sincere.
    i don't give a whole lot of good or bad karma points here, in 10+ years i may have given out a hundred or so all told.to me, it has nothing to do with popularity, it is all about the content of the post. i THOUGHT that was how the system was supposed to work here, who cares about facebook?

I agree with you; however, this history is fascinating, and apparently, some members indeed do view the system as a popularity contest.  You might notice the karma people give one another if you had become aware of pot shots taken at yourself in that system. 

This is nothing, you should try those boards where they give out Likes and Dislikes but it's all done ANONYMOUSLY.  You want to talk pure popularity contests.  It doesn't really matter how eloquent or well constructed your posts, if you dare post an unpopular opinion, you're score (or reputation as some call it) will go down faster than the 1929 stock market. 

But, I won't give any specific examples coughcrackedcough.

Here, at least, if you strike someone down you gotta own up to who you are and at least give a reason why.

[Rev. Powell]

i am a crazy catlady, i freely admit that. i gave YOU good karma because you gave sound advice to what you thought was a serious post. i gave the OP good karma because i believe the apology WAS sincere.
    i don't give a whole lot of good or bad karma points here, in 10+ years i may have given out a hundred or so all told.to me, it has nothing to do with popularity, it is all about the content of the post. i THOUGHT that was how the system was supposed to work here, who cares about facebook?

I agree with you; however, this history is fascinating, and apparently, some members indeed do view the system as a popularity contest.  You might notice the karma people give one another if you had become aware of pot shots taken at yourself in that system. 

This is nothing, you should try those boards where they give out Likes and Dislikes but it's all done ANONYMOUSLY.  You want to talk pure popularity contests.  It doesn't really matter how eloquent or well constructed your posts, if you dare post an unpopular opinion, you're score (or reputation as some call it) will go down faster than the 1929 stock market. 

But, I won't give any specific examples coughcrackedcough.

Here, at least, if you strike someone down you gotta own up to who you are and at least give a reason why.

It used to be anonymous on here. Lester 1/2 in particular had a stalker who loved to give him negative karma. When Andrew instituted the requirement that you write a reason for your karma vote, negative karma almost totally disappeared from the board. Interesting psychology there.

[ER]

For my two cents on the topic of karma, I don't think I've given negative karma since 2008, and I bet I only gave out three total in my time here amid thousands of positive votes, shame on me for ever smiting anyone, and I wish it wasn't an option on BMDO at all, sort of like how on Amazon on the reviews now you can only indicate if you found something helpful, not if you disliked it.

Increasingly I am finding that if you know someone is likely to be writing something you don't want to see, don't read that person's posts at all. Some people I just plain and simple do not read at all anymore whatsoever, and that makes my visits here more pleasant. Of course in my ignorant bliss that member could be saying, "Quick, Evelyn, reply now and I'll give you my life savings!" and I'd be none the wiser.

Ideally we're all friends here, even friends who quarrel and sometimes disagree. There isn't anyone here I wish anything but good things for. Nope, not anyone.

[RCMerchant]

Karma just seems silly. I gave BAD karma to only one person- the long gone Wyre Wizard. But That was why he came here. He liked ANY attention- and BAD attention got him noticed. So I smitted him everytime he posted ANYTHING. It was his Birthday once- and I smitted him for that! 

Ah sigh-good times.   

[316zombie]

well. oh my. i think i owe a bunch of people thank you notes for my karma points! right now i wish i HAD been reading them all along... some of them from the past do my heart good,but i wish i'd seen them back then...
   thank you,my friends, all of you. and if anyone knows how to contact jay,please tell him to come home here, or catch up with me on facebook, i miss him so much.... thanks y'all. this was a good day to read your kind words over the years... yeah, i'm sappy,deal with it. 

[claws]

Karma just seems silly.

It's just a popularity contest, no matter what you call it. That's why I had mine disabled.
At blu-ray.com they have a feature called "Thanks given" but there's a daily limit on how many you can give. However, when you give "Thanks" it is only for the post (content). There are no individual "Thanks" counter stats for receiving persons, which kind of eliminates "favouritism" done by the usual suspects (forum cliques and best online buddies) "abusing" the feature for personal appreciation.

[ER]

If you don't like it, don't give it, you don't want it, don't take. Seems easily resolved.

[Pacman000]

A karma system can (hypothetically) work to point out trolls and trouble causers.

I think someone (Rev. Powell?) linked to an article about problems with online communities, and complimented Andrew for fostering a fairly nice one here. One of the article's suggestions was a karma system, for the reason I mentioned. (This board already had the karma system at the time; I'm only trying to say where I got the idea.)

I do like this board's karma system better than most other boards'; I like to know why some one "liked" or "disliked" a post, which post, by whom, etc.

[AoTFan]

Increasingly I am finding that if you know someone is likely to be writing something you don't want to see, don't read that person's posts at all. Some people I just plain and simple do not read at all anymore whatsoever, and that makes my visits here more pleasant. Of course in my ignorant bliss that member could be saying, "Quick, Evelyn, reply now and I'll give you my life savings!" and I'd be none the wiser.

Hmm.. is that why you missed out on my free car giveaway?!?   

[ER]

Increasingly I am finding that if you know someone is likely to be writing something you don't want to see, don't read that person's posts at all. Some people I just plain and simple do not read at all anymore whatsoever, and that makes my visits here more pleasant. Of course in my ignorant bliss that member could be saying, "Quick, Evelyn, reply now and I'll give you my life savings!" and I'd be none the wiser.

Hmm.. is that why you missed out on my free car giveaway?!?   

Oprah? Is that you?

[AoTFan]

Increasingly I am finding that if you know someone is likely to be writing something you don't want to see, don't read that person's posts at all. Some people I just plain and simple do not read at all anymore whatsoever, and that makes my visits here more pleasant. Of course in my ignorant bliss that member could be saying, "Quick, Evelyn, reply now and I'll give you my life savings!" and I'd be none the wiser.

Hmm.. is that why you missed out on my free car giveaway?!?   

Oprah? Is that you?

Sadly, no.

But she did call me about that loan I gave her. 

[BoyScoutKevin]

Increasingly I am finding that if you know someone is likely to be writing something you don't want to see, don't read that person's posts at all. Some people I just plain and simple do not read at all anymore whatsoever, and that makes my visits here more pleasant. Of course in my ignorant bliss that member could be saying, "Quick, Evelyn, reply now and I'll give you my life savings!" and I'd be none the wiser.

Hmm.. is that why you missed out on my free car giveaway?!?   

That reminds me. I once worked with a guy, who won a free car, or, I should say his wife won the car, as she just happened to be sitting in the audience during the giveaway.