Mooing Tricycle said:
If you dont want to be a part of the system. Dont use it. Just because it is there for you to be able to use. does not mean you have to use it.
What she said.
I didn't like the idea because it seemed far too open to abuse, or as if it might be used by many members as an alternative to the karma system, with people who don't agree with an underlying message in a post finding some way to punish it, rather than just flag it as being disagreeable.
The number of members that will have the ability to use it though, it's not going to explode... it's not even going to burn a little bit. It's essentially a non-existant waste of Rich's money and his programmer's efforts. Not many, if any people are going to pony up one hundred dollars for this ability if they weren't inclined to do so to begin with, I know I'm sure as hell not going to throw away a nice night out or a good chunk of grocery money just to punish someone who wrote a post that had naughty language in it.
I think I'm often seen as being someone who posts in a negative manner. I point out why something is wrong or why something won't work or why someone is an idiot or why some practice is detrimental... rarely do I go posting about kittens and rainbows and I believe that many of the more frequent fauna users probably recognize my tendency to jump on anything I can criticize. Now this is
me telling some of
you that you're coming across like negative bastards with a grudge in the way this is being attacked and some of the points people are trying to present as arguments against it.
Rich: Here's an admission of my lack of desire to keep being beaten up for this website. There is a potential alternative that might result in higher standards of moderation- allow me to explain the hypothetical.
Everyone: Oh no! No! No! No! It's too easily abused! I called someone a name two years ago/two months ago/two weeks ago/two days ago/two hours ago and I don't want to be banned for it! The system is broken! It'll result in nothing good!
Rich: You're right, mob mentality, it won't work well if it's open to that kind of abuse. I need to put in some kind of failsafe to ensure that a reasonable effort has been made to differentiate between members who are invested in the success of the site and those who are not. Post number doesn't work since those can be inflated too quickly and easily by a determined individual. Length of membership doesn't work since multiple logins and dormant accounts exist. Membership levels might work, but twenty five dollars is low enough where determined and angry individuals might abuse it anyway as being a minimal loss. Guess I'll need to set it at the next contributor breakpoint.
Everyone: That doesn't let me assign points! I meant it needs to have a failsafe against abuse that coincidentally still gives me full access! Also, you can't make me moderate your site! if the tool is there, I'll mindlessly be forced to utilize it, I have no free will of my own! Waaaaaagh!
Seamus: Man... this is getting stupid. These people sure do like to argue way more than can possibly be healthy.
