Ratings system, reputation, weenie tags and what not...

[WeatherNC]

Saw the OT topic on a ratings system and figured this topic should not be buried over there, thus more deserving of a place over here even though it is not "help" but a more seriously trafficked staff area. I like the idea of a ratings system, but one that only allows staff to see the members' credentials not only goes against the transparency of this Board's mission, it also does not allow the member or met to see their deficiencies (or garnered respect) and gain insight from that. Keeping it private to staff and the actual user would be a much better option imo going foreword if you guys go the private route, but how would other know? I like the setup from yesteryears of the 5 star rating system with a drop down menu when looking at the user from in a thread. Maybe add X stars (20 ratings) and keep count of the ratings so we can identify the smucks easier. Keeping track of not only the star count, but an actual count (weighted avg) of how many users have rated the said person adds more credibility imo.

I do not like the reputation thing as it can lead into flaming wars, especially in OT and during periods of high traffic, as one does not like what the other says and -1's commence. A weighted avg of a 5 star max, being viewable to all is the best course going foreword, with this being viewable to all to enhance the respect of those who garner it. Also, the warn bar at the bottom of the poster's profile in a thread (I know you guys are busy and thank you, just a suggestion as priorities are set) as it gives them a clue they are f-ing up. That coupled with a "Policies" or "Rules" header should leave no room for interpretation.

Weenie tags need to make an appearance... The classic pink version, just a simple Weenie (in pink) as that says it all. Limit them to 5 posts a day, or less, just to spread the word that it can happen (generally speaking as most of them get handed out during active periods).

Excellent work guys, and thank you!!!

[WeatherNC]

Warn status cancel, see I now have that... Staff doing a bang up job!!!

[Bozart]

I'm not fond of these policing/rating devices, just on general principle. But aside from that, we might be jumping the gun. Let's see how it goes as we experience a few big weather events. Maybe we won't have as big a weenie problem here in American as we had in Eastern.

[Kmlwx]

I'm not fond of these policing/rating devices, just on general principle. But aside from that, we might be jumping the gun. Let's see how it goes as we experience a few big weather events. Maybe we won't have as big a weenie problem here in American as we had in Eastern.

Highly doubtful...in the end I believe most if not all of the membership will trickle over here. Including the horrible posters who were previously banned from Eastern.

Although hopefully the new rules will curb this.

[BayBreeze]

Highly doubtful...in the end I believe most if not all of the membership will trickle over here. Including the horrible posters who were previously banned from Eastern.

Although hopefully the new rules will curb this.

maybe some sort of separate rating system would work. just brainstorming here. suppose two people really dislike each other because of political views. this rating could theoretically spill over on to someone who posts well on the weather side or OT. dunno. interesting though. overall, i dont like ratings. seems like a popularity contest. which is good if you get rated well, but there are those that will look at a well rated person and decide "i don't like him or her" and click zero or whatever. potentially.

[wxmeddler]

I don't like the idea of account based ratings. One can get quickly shot down before having a chance to prove him/herself. It also leads to fights and flame wars.

However, I think a post based rating system may work. I know on wunderground blogs this has worked quite effectively on high traffic blogs. The premise being that if a person is trolling, the majority of people usually know that post is troll post and is not beneficial to the discussion. Users can hit a "-" or "dislike" button if the user believes it is a troll post. Or on the flip side if is a beneficial post users can hit a "+" or "like" button. Both buttons are small and unobtrusive (15x15 px.) Once the combined number of + and - passes -15 (I think) is obtained on the post it is hidden from view unless someone wants to specifically view it. In a users settings there is also a "tolerance" setting. aka. block the post after x amount of total people have disliked it.

This cuts down on non-useful posts. For example if a user wants to come in and see the main highlights and data. He/She can set the tolerance on the highest setting and see only the key discussion posts (Because they are rated the highest). The more tolerance you allow the more non-useful the posts get, until you get everything (including reportedly troll posts). It also cuts down on posts such as "+1" or a big whole long quote box just to have one person say "I agree" and if someone does do that. You just minus him. All of this is of course is totally anonymous to the standard user so there is no fights etc.

Moderators can see the amount of total positives and negatives when viewing the forum and can quickly identify the repeated trouble posters. I believe there is also a way to go back and see who plus-ed and minus-ed for a select few of the moderators. This is to cut down on a troll who just goes through minus-ing everyone on the entire page. Its even easier to spot if the troll has multiple accounts.

Of course I realize this is not going to be easy to implement in terms of development but its something that I have seen work and just one more idea to put on the table.

[PottercountyWXobserver]

I don't like the idea of account based ratings. One can get quickly shot down before having a chance to prove him/herself. It also leads to fights and flame wars.

However, I think a post based rating system may work. I know on wunderground blogs this has worked quite effectively on high traffic blogs. The premise being that if a person is trolling, the majority of people usually know that post is troll post and is not beneficial to the discussion. Users can hit a "-" or "dislike" button if the user believes it is a troll post. Or on the flip side if is a beneficial post users can hit a "+" or "like" button. Both buttons are small and unobtrusive (15x15 px.) Once the combined number of + and - passes -15 (I think) is obtained on the post it is hidden from view unless someone wants to specifically view it. In a users settings there is also a "tolerance" setting. aka. block the post after x amount of total people have disliked it.

This cuts down on non-useful posts. For example if a user wants to come in and see the main highlights and data. He/She can set the tolerance on the highest setting and see only the key discussion posts (Because they are rated the highest). The more tolerance you allow the more non-useful the posts get, until you get everything (including reportedly troll posts). It also cuts down on posts such as "+1" or a big whole long quote box just to have one person say "I agree" and if someone does do that. You just minus him. All of this is of course is totally anonymous to the standard user so there is no fights etc.

Moderators can see the amount of total positives and negatives when viewing the forum and can quickly identify the repeated trouble posters. I believe there is also a way to go back and see who plus-ed and minus-ed for a select few of the moderators. This is to cut down on a troll who just goes through minus-ing everyone on the entire page. Its even easier to spot if the troll has multiple accounts.

Of course I realize this is not going to be easy to implement in terms of development but its something that I have seen work and just one more idea to put on the table.

I would love for this to happen. If it is just the individual posts that get rated, that could really come in handy, especially if you want to skim through the pointless or negative reviewed posts. This would make reading through all the threads so much easier and faster to get the info you like the best. I agree with everything you said.