REPUTATION

[admin]

We have installed a new feature (add on) that allows giving reputation points to the forum members as a way of evaluating the quality and relevance of their posts.

Points will be gained by:

- quality participation in the language learning activities (posting in Word/Grammar weekly, Reading, Listening etc.)
- posting relevant posts
- helping others to learn the language and improve their proficiency

We are currently testing this possibility and trying to find out whether or not it is something we want to fully endorse.
Currently, only certain power members can give evaluation points for relevant/quality posts.

Some members who made major contributions to the forum during the past year have been given some extra points in retrospect. But not all due points have been given yet.

This reputation/evaluation system is geared to be yet another tool to show appreciation to forum members who make the best contribution to the Lakota language learning community or to Lakota language literacy. It can also help new forum members and beginner learners see whose posts are most reliable and trustworthy to learn the language from.

The Reputation or Wačhíŋyaŋpi feature is under testing. The decision to fully accept it as part of the forum is to be made after a period of about two months.

[Wendell]

Hello,

Thank you for this feature. I think it will encourage people to participate more.

Best,
Wendell

[admin]

The REPUTATION feature has been active for less than a month now. We originally thought we would ask for feedback after about two months of testing it.
We welcome any feedback on it at any time. Do you find it encouraging, helpful, does it make sense to use it, and if so should it be called REPUTATION or something else? How do you feel about it?

[NancyD]

I like the reputation feature because it helps me want to participate more and it's kind of like getting a "gold star" like in grade or grammar school when you do well on a paper....Now maybe some people think I'm being silly, but when I was a little girl and I received stars on my papers, it always made me feel motivated to want to keep learning and do even better the next time.
Thanks, Nancy.....

[John Vander Veer]

I like the reputation points also and agree with Nancy completely. Even though the ultimate goal is fluency in Lakota, the points add an element of enjoyment to this process that do not detract from that goal. I have no problem with the term reputation. I prefer this term over terms like 'attaboys' or 'brownie points' since they do recognize hard work and effort. I say that you should keep this aspect of the Forum as it is. I like getting them, and I also rejoice in seeing others get them too.

John

[Brigitte]

Haŋ mitákuyepi,
I can still remember that the reputation points were called karma points in the very beginning. So I think, even if "reputation" does not fit at 100%, it's a lot less problematic than "karma".
I'm not yet sure if this system really encourages more learning at this point.
There are several things I wonder about and which make the system at time even more elusive to me.
1. Is the system endless in the distribution of points or is there a final limit?
2. Would points decrease again if you were inactive for a period of time and not giving feedback to others or sth of the kind?

Tókša akhé,
Brigitte

[Jan]

Thanks for your feedback, haŋkáši.

1. Is the system endless in the distribution of points or is there a final limit?

The number of points is infinite, there is no limit.

2. Would points decrease again if you were inactive for a period of time and not giving feedback to others or sth of the kind?

No, the number of points does not decrease because of inactivity. It can only decrease through receiving minus points.
Minus points should not be used commonly, only in extreme cases.

[Kostya]

There are several things I wonder about and which make the system at time even more elusive to me.
1. Is the system endless in the distribution of points or is there a final limit?

--Actually, it is endless with one hidden trick: if you happen to get the score 666, it is annihilated and you start from zero again

[Brigitte]

Jan, Kostya,

thanks a lot for your explanation! I understand this better now.

[Jan]

Jan, Kostya,

thanks a lot for your explanation! I understand this better now.

Haŋkáši, I hope you got Kostya's humor .

BTW, those of you who have 50 or more reputation points and 50 or more posts can give reputation points. I encourage you to give points to posts that you find useful, relevant or contributing to language learning. We need to test this feature thoroughly so that we can make a good decision on whether or not to keep it.
Reputation points should not be given only when people make correct posts, but also when they try hard and especially when they go back and edit their sentence - that is the most important thing.

[Brigitte]

Haŋ šič'éši,

That's what I figured, though computers and their programs are sometimes producing weird stuff .

I am also able to give reputation points but I often hesitate to do so, because I'm not always the first to read one's post. Thus I don't know if anybody else has already given reputation points for it, or is it requirable to give points at my own discretion even if somebody else has already given points for the same post?

Tókša akhé,
Brigitte

[Kostya]

I am also able to give reputation points but I often hesitate to do so, because I'm not always the first to read one's post. Thus I don't know if anybody else has already given reputation points for it, or is it requirable to give points at my own discretion even if somebody else has already given points for the same post?

--Hallo Brigitte, I guess that a good post can get positive scores from several members, as it occurs in many forums. No kidding.

[Jan]

I am also able to give reputation points but I often hesitate to do so, because I'm not always the first to read one's post. Thus I don't know if anybody else has already given reputation points for it, or is it requirable to give points at my own discretion even if somebody else has already given points for the same post?

Haŋkáši, at first I though that the fact that we don't know if someone has already given points for a post is a problematic feature of the reputation system. But now I don't think so. A good post may get points from one or two forum members, but a really good post may get points from many more members. In other words, the number of people who give positive points for a post is also a message to the poster. The more people like it the better post. I am thinking that when more people are involved in giving points it will make the system more ballanced.

[mitchmiye]

Is there any way there can be a tally or count displayed next to the thumbs on individual posts to show how influential individual posts are (ala Facebook)? If I'm clicking through the forum and I see that a particular post has received a lot of thumbs up, I'm perhaps more likely to stop and read that post more intently to understand why it has been considered influential or popular by multiple people.

So far this reputation system is focused on highlighting the users reputation as a total tally, but it is not highlighting the content that got them their reputation in the first place - in a way for other users to see as they click through the forum. Is that correct, or is there a part of the reputation feature that I'm overlooking?


Mitch

[Jan]

Is there any way there can be a tally or count displayed next to the thumbs on individual posts to show how influential individual posts are (ala Facebook)? If I'm clicking through the forum and I see that a particular post has received a lot of thumbs up, I'm perhaps more likely to stop and read that post more intently to understand why it has been considered influential or popular by multiple people.

So far this reputation system is focused on highlighting the users reputation as a total tally, but it is not highlighting the content that got them their reputation in the first place for other users to see as they click through the forum. Is that correct, or is there a part of the reputation feature that I'm overlooking?

That is correct. The Reputation MOD does not show the total number points give per a post. As the Reputation MOD is a php script added to the forum we have no control over what it does and does not do. All we can do is look for MODs that best suit our forum's needs. I know that this feature is on the to do list of the Reputation (Karma) MOD's author. But when that will be done is unknown.
There is a different MOD available, one that allows evaluating posts by giving them stars, but it does not show the overal stars (points) given to a member. At this point I don't think we want to install another MOD or combine the two. So for now we will just have to bear with the Reputation MOD and after a while decide whether or not we want to keep it.

[Rolf]

Is there any way there can be a tally or count displayed next to the thumbs on individual posts to show how influential individual posts are (ala Facebook)? If I'm clicking through the forum and I see that a particular post has received a lot of thumbs up, I'm perhaps more likely to stop and read that post more intently to understand why it has been considered influential or popular by multiple people.

So far this reputation system is focused on highlighting the users reputation as a total tally, but it is not highlighting the content that got them their reputation in the first place - in a way for other users to see as they click through the forum. Is that correct, or is there a part of the reputation feature that I'm overlooking?


Mitch

Will this not be decided by members who award points to a certain post? Let's say, if for your post you receive a thumbs-up from me, but from nobody else, it shows clearly, that the post had a relevance only for me. If you had also received thumps-up by Ali and Jan, the post was obviously of a greater importance.

[Jan]

Will this not be decided by members who award points to a certain post? Let's say, if for your post you receive a thumbs-up from me, but from nobody else, it shows clearly, that the post had a relevance only for me. If you had also received thumps-up by Ali and Jan, the post was obviously of a greater importance.

The thing is that the information on who gave the points to a post and how many he/she gave is not displayed anywhere on the post (and in fact nowhere in the forum). In other words, this system shows the total number of points given to individual members, not the number of points given to individual posts. The latter is what Mitch requested, but it is not a feature of the current MOD.

[Jan]

After having used the points for some time and discussing it with others I have a suggestion: why don't we call it "Appreciation" rather than "Reputation". The term reputation might give some underlying negative connotation to the point system because when someone has a low number of points it makes it seems as if his/her reputation is bad, which doesn't necessarily have to be the case.
So how about if we just give each other "appreciation points" ?

[NancyD]

Jan, that's an excellent idea. Appreciation points does sound better and may not have the negative connotation as you pointed out.
Thanks..Nancy

[Colleen]

Jan, I think that is a great idea as well as that is what we are really giving the points for...our appreciation for the particiapation or help received.

Colleen

[Stephen]

Jan:

Frankly, I never liked the phrase Reputation points, as if someone was Fastest Gun in the West.

Appreciation Points or a variant of the feather award would be far more cordial.

Stephen

[Gerda]

Appreciation Points or a variant of the feather award would be far more cordial.

Jan, that's an excellent idea. Appreciation points does sound better and may not have the negative connotation as you pointed out.
Thanks..Nancy

Jan, this exactly reflects my thinking too. Appreciation Points would sound much nicer than Reputation Points.
Gerda