• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

What's happening to the Rep Power?

I am unfortunately not very computer literate so I did a search for 'karma vBulletin' and came up with this among many others the search brought up, this may not be correct but others more better than me can do their own searches and find more info. As my Dad always tells me 'Get the facts first' :)

**********************************************





After weeks of testing we finally decides to release karma v2.

Hope you like it.

Features

1. Admin

- Set points for each
~ newthread
~ reply
~ points for thread owner if thread's view exceeded certain number.
~ extra points to user from admin/mod
~ extra points for thread owner if the thread's reply more than certain number.
~ search members by karma points.
~ create redeem items for members to redeem when they reach have enough karma points.

- Admin/Moderator can also add/delete points to user who posts useful thread or nonsense.

- Admin can set auto ban feature to on or off. If this feature is set to on, users' karma points that
exceed the negative point admin set to, will be banned from posting or replying threads.

2. User

- User can comment on other people's post and if they agree that post, the user will get karma points
for that. If user disagree with what they post, their karma points will be deducted.
- User can earn karma points when they post new thread, replies, many people view their thread, many
people reply their thread.
- User can also earn karma points from administrator or moderator if they post useful thread.
- Their points wil be deducted if they post nonsense.
- User can view the highest karma points members to lowest points.
- User can redeem items when they have enough karma points.
 
From what I can see, that is a hack that can be applied to a vbulletin based message board. That is not what is running on this system. This is the standard "reputation" system that comes with vbulletin. I simply decided to change the term "reputation" to "karma".
 
Awesome!

Karma for Dummies.

May I ask a question Lucille? If you're a facilitator of this site, wouldn't it have been simpler, quicker, and smarter, to post a link to the EXACT information you posted that a few people were seeking? Ya know...rather than play like you're an illiterate to computers and fauna searches, but even with those deficits...just looky what I the computer dummie found? You're not a dumb lady and I don't think you like making others look dumb, but...thats the way your post came off to me...and I'm sure quite a few others.

Chow...
 
lucille said:
I am unfortunately not very computer literate so I did a search for 'karma vBulletin' and came up with this among many others
Click to expand...

Just so you don't think I'm harping...the quote above is what I'm talking about.

You mean to say that you need to be computer literate to do a search on karma? You? With 2,500 post under her belt? You're a facilitator and you now darn well where the bulletins concerning such matters as rep/karma point changes would be kept. Tsk tsk.

You were being snide and sarcastic Lucille. The very traits that breed and inspire remarks which Rich is trying hard to rid of this site.

Again...at least thats the way it appears to me.
 
And if you dont add sugar its diet karma. I am the boy george of karma. karma karma karma karma karma chameleon.
Click to expand...

M'kay, whatever Chuck. :)

Karma, Reputation, it really doesn't make a difference. It's just a fun little distraction, the points don't mean anything, not really. I think some take the points just a liiiitttle too seriously. If ya know what I mean :)
 
For some it seems that rep points offset the lack of a trader reputation and warning levels they may have received. At least thats the way it seems to me. For the casual hobbyist who might not buy stuff through fauna to earn a solid trader reputation, but yet has received countless notes of thanks for their insight into various topics, some not even reptile related, are now down to zero. I can see how that might disturb such a member. For that I apologize because I have been guilty on few occasion to abuse a system that might have very well been an invaluable service and tool to them.

I think the best way to go is straight ahead with a new found respect for the new system in place so everyone can enjoy it.
 
critical bill said:
I think the best way to go is straight ahead with a new found respect for the new system in place so everyone can enjoy it.
Click to expand...

Yes. Yes indeed. Newfound. Respect. Yessiree. Yup. YOUbetcha.

And AWAAAAAAAAAAAY we go.
 
can't give Karma Points

That isn't totally accurate, at least in theory. I could give Karma points to some people. In application, though, I cannot...because the system won't allow it. I read the new guidelines, and I must say that having to give KP to 20 people before I can repeat has left me...well...handcuffed. I check the new posts, usually a few times/day, as my schedule permits. I check through certain forums regularly, and a few others when I think about it. Periodically, I come across something I would like to acknowledge and that is where Karma should come into play. EXCEPT, that there are limited number of people that have come up with something that strikes me as worthy of note...and I have already given them points, so recent attempts to do so are thwarted. Sure, I could stray from my areas of interest, and/or expertise, and try to pass a few; read old threads, trying to find something deserving; just start distributing them until I have effectively reset my controls; or even make a greater effort to give negative points (hey, karma is karma). Unfortunately that seems to defeat the purpose of the system, and, in fact, hails to the reason it was changed in the first place. Instead, I just PM the intended recipient of my thought/effort and move on...but that sort of defeats the purpose of the system, as well. Would it be unreasonable to cut the "quota" to a more attainable number, and attach a time frame...maybe 2 weeks or even a month...and when one limit or the other is reached, enable us to repeat? Granted, I don't know the extent of the abuse of the former reputation system, but the new system seems to be too restrictive.
 
Agreed, Harald. It seems that from the amount I read, it is USUALLY the same people that are posting things I think are worthy of the points...not always, of course....but it seems I don't have much opportunity to even give any out lately.
 
I do understand what you are saying, and agree to some extent, but the restriction was put in place to combat some obvious abuses that some people were engaging in. The "scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours" method of racking up the karma points just got way out of hand and was obvious to the point of being ridiculous. So yeah, it looks like a few bad apples did spoil the bunch, but at this time, I can't think of any better way to combat this problem. It is certainly not something I intend to babysit every day just to keep watch on the few people who were abusing it.

Sorry, but as is usually the case here, the minority of people causing the abuses are the ones who guide what restrictions will be put in place on everyone. I certainly don't like rules or restrictions any more then the next person, but I see no choice but to react to things that force me to implement them.
 
DAND said:
:bawling: :bawling: OH NO MY STATUS!!!!! :bawling: :bawling:

Rich,

Now that I have the joking aside. I would have been a little more creative with dealing with this. Like when bcfos was doing this a while back you blew him out of the water and made an example out of him. The reputation system has been being abused for quite some time though, not just recently. Now there are (were) a few taking it too far, be it giving negative points just for the sake of making that person rise in the negative ratings or giving positive points to remove one from the negative position they were in. Either way the system was being abused. (Not knowing if it is possible or just too damn hard to do), I would have undone what these people had done and in turn zeroed them out for a set amount of time. Set up a very short set of rules that if it was done a second time a fine/suspension would follow and a permanent zeroing out.
Click to expand...

David I am glad I can be foremost on your mind as an example of this (no coy sarcasm intended either). Granted I have not been around in a while but even before I stopped posting the rep system was being used in a method not in keeping with the intentions of which it was presented. Now Rich has changed that and made some other strides in keeping this board out of the “muck” which tends to frequent other boards with a vengeance. I think Rich and company are on the right path in doing this. Granted that path is not easy and has some bumps and detours in it but the recent changes have been a good thing in my opinion.

Now before I get blasted I want to say something I think and deeply feel I need to say. I went out on a limb and contacted Rich recently. We worked out our differences and I think we pretty much both agreed we are a good bit alike in that we tend to stand firm behind out beliefs and actions. So we bumped heads, I acted like an horses rear end and I apologized for that.

The main things which made me see Rich’s point of view on the entire pay for the membership situation was my own current endeavor. I have always been one who worked for others and never put a real value on my time. But as of the end of this month I tender my resignation at my current job and start my own business (yeah I even give up those super sweet stock options). And putting my professional reputation on the line. I now see time is valuable money. What little he asks is a pittance considering how much time Rich puts into this. Running a board is not an easy thing to do by any means. No matter what you do you can’t make everyone happy. Try as you might there will always be some who complain about this or that. And for what? For providing a service to everyone which many take for granted.

Now don’t worry about me being a venom for this board. I don’t want to fuss or fight with anyone anymore, and quite frankly I don’t have much time to be a very active member. I just felt I needed to say what I said and I hope no one takes any offence about it. So thanks for the time you spent reading this, and best wishes to all for the current new year.

Brian C. Foster
 
Thank you Brian. This never needed to be said in public to clear the air between us, in my opinion, but I do appreciate your taking the time to do so.
 
WebSlave said:
Thank you Brian. This never needed to be said in public to clear the air between us, in my opinion, but I do appreciate your taking the time to do so.
Click to expand...


It's no biggie Rich. Just shows you are really an ok guy no matter what others may think. But really they can roll in their own hate as it does no good for our hobby nor community in general. ;)
 
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