Forum feature highlight: the reputation system

[KasperVld]

The Kerbal Space Program forum has a lot of features that deserve to be highlighted: one of those is definitely the reputation system. The reputation allows you to give a compliment to other users who have made a quality post or have helped you. Giving a reputation point is generally considered a nice gesture. You can view the reputation that you have received in your User CP and you will be alerted when someone has given you reputation points. Your total reputation will be shown as series of reputation indicators in your posts and profile. The more positive your reputation, the more positive icons will be shown.

[table][tr][td]Giving reputation

To give reputation, click on the reputation icon in the relevant post. This will reveal a form where you enter a reason for giving the reputation, though you're not required to. You may not give reputation for the same post twice and you need to spread some reputation around before giving some to the same user again. The image on the right shows which icon represents the reputation system.

Reputation levels

Reputations come in many levels. The more reputation points you obtain the more you will 'rise' in level. The reputation levels you can obtain and the minimum reputation points for each are:

• Username has just applied to the Kerbal Space Program (0 reputation points)
  
• Username mops and brings people coffee (10 reputation points)
  
• Username owns a roll of duct tape (20 reputation points)
  
• Username was hired as part of the ground crew (50 reputation points)
  
• Username is a trainee engineer (75 reputation points)
  
• Username is a well respected engineer (100 reputation points)
  
• Username is allowed to draw blueprints (150 reputation points)
  
• Username has assisted many engineers in trouble (250 reputation points)
  
• Username is a master kerbal engineer (500 reputation points)
  
• Username is the reason many Kerbal space programs are successful (750 reputation points)
  
• Username has a reputation that rivals Jebediah's (1000 reputation points)
  
• Username is sucking up reputation like a black hole (2000 reputation points)

Reputation power

Your reputation power can be found with this formula:

Where s equals the days since your registration, t equals the amount of posts you have and u equals your own reputation. The maximum reputation power is 5. Every time you give another user reputation their reputation is increased by the amount of your reputation power. For example: user A has a reputation of 8 and user B has a reputation power of 3. Once user B compliments user A for a post, user A's new reputation level will be 11.[/td][td][/td][/tr][/table]

[Majiir]

Will the reputation "bar" thresholds be adjusted to be in line with the new level titles?

[KasperVld]

The bar doesn't seem to be adjustable, but I'll look into it

[check]

The bar doesn't seem to be adjustable, but I'll look into it

It really should be.... because if you look at the member list and sort by reputation, out of 85,000 members:

Two have 11 full reputation bars, one has 3 full bars, seven have 2 and the rest have 1 or less... It kind of defeats the purpose when only 0.01% of your members have received the second/third lowest number of rep bars.

[KasperVld]

It really should be.... because if you look at the member list and sort by reputation, out of 85,000 members:

Two have 11 full reputation bars, one has 3 full bars, seven have 2 and the rest have 1 or less... It kind of defeats the purpose when only 0.01% of your members have received the second/third lowest number of rep bars.

That I agree with; however, this is a limitation set by the forum software.

[popeter45]

in the future will there be any special benefits of having a good rep?

[KasperVld]

Nothing is currently planned, but who knows..

[DMagic]

So did the reputation system change, or are you just explaining how it works here? I don't remember have +5 rep before (or as I like to think of it, the Kerman ring of Reputation; +5 RepPower, +2 Courage, -3 Stupidity), so I assume that something about that calculation has changed.

And I kind of like that the green bars have such high requirements to add more. Sure, there are very few people that have more than two bars now, but that will change. And that should be a decent indicator of who really contributes and is involved in the forums.

[llamatoes]

Okay... This is complicated.

[TADBTD]

how does the "bar" become green, and how do you change the name under the "bar"

[ZingidyZongxxx]

how does the "bar" become green, and how do you change the name under the "bar"

The bar becomes green after receiving one rep point. You change the name under it by going to settings and edit profile, then changing the custom user title.

[Dispatcher]

KasperVid, apparently I cannot bring up the dialog when trying to click on a reputation bar. Would the fact that I'm using Safari and the latest Mac OSX have anything to do with it?

[The Destroyer]

Oh yes, I remember this system. New titles, yay!

[KasperVld]

So did the reputation system change, or are you just explaining how it works here?

The system did change a little, but it didn't affect your existing reputation

how does the "bar" become green, and how do you change the name under the "bar"

I'm not sure what you mean by the name under the bar. If you hover over the bar with your mouse pointer it will show you your current reputation level, if that is what you mean. This level is changed by receiving reputation.

KasperVid, apparently I cannot bring up the dialog when trying to click on a reputation bar. Would the fact that I'm using Safari and the latest Mac OSX have anything to do with it?

You shouldn't be clicking the reputation bar, but the star icon underneath the post

[Aphox]

You shouldn't be clicking the reputation bar, but the star icon underneath the post

In the event that you are clicking the star icon and the dialog still doesn't appear, right-clicking and opening the link in another tab will normally work. That's what we found out when the forums were being fritzy and a lot of the system dialogs weren't working.

[Dispatcher]

Doh! Thank you KasperVid and Aphox. Maybe I should look around and see what else I can do with all the little icons and such. :-) I'm LOL right now at myself. Take care!

[Spartwo]

I thought power of giving rep should be proportionate to the percentage of posts to rep given if you're harder to impress being so should be worth more*places two cents*

[Mr Shifty]

It really should be.... because if you look at the member list and sort by reputation, out of 85,000 members:

Two have 11 full reputation bars, one has 3 full bars, seven have 2 and the rest have 1 or less... It kind of defeats the purpose when only 0.01% of your members have received the second/third lowest number of rep bars.

Go further than that. Only 7 have trainee engineer status; 19 ground crew. That's a total of 36 members for the top 9 of 12 rep levels.

[KasperVld]

The reputation system has been an underused function for some time now. Spread some reputation around and see those numbers rise

[DMagic]

The reputation system has been an underused function for some time now. Spread some reputation around and see those numbers rise

Oh I've been spreading it, too much apparently (all well deserved), since I've bumped up against the limit a few times. I think that with it being easier to increase our RepPower we should see people move up quite a bit faster.

[check]

Oh I've been spreading it, too much apparently (all well deserved), since I've bumped up against the limit a few times. I think that with it being easier to increase our RepPower we should see people move up quite a bit faster.

See, that's the thing. You need to find the right balance as to how rep power is calculated. I've been part of forums that underwent hyper-"repflation" because the rep power was too high. I've also seen the rep system remain stagnant because the rep power was so low, or people weren't using reps..which is the case here. It's not a big deal, but if it's a feature you want on the forums, then it should be done in a way that works.

Part of the problem is that a lot of people aren't aware of the feature. Maybe a good idea is to rep the newcomers who bother to post in "Welcome Aboard" sub forum?

[Audiopulse]

I dont think much of such systems, to be honest. They dont really add anything useful to the forums but bolstering the ego of those who have been around for a longer time or posted more. Sometimes people develop a certain boss-attitude with a high post-count which is why some boards even hid the Postcounter.

Fortunately this forum is well tended so far.

[plainawesome]

in the future will there be any special benefits of having a good rep?

I think a good special benefit would be that there would be more applicants for hire for your Kerbal Space Program

[TADBTD]

Whaaaaaaaaat?

[allmappedout]

I like the system. I think that it's a good way to easily tell someone you like their post, and sometimes, why you like it, without having to spam the forum with a 'agreed' or '+1', which is against rules.

Although there are some fantastic users out there who constantly make me chuckle or smile who I can't rep enough