What do you mean you give random XP? Bad man. Bad man!

[surfarcher]

First of the subject is joking at myself and the situation

For quite some time now I've been randomly giving XP out to posts. Pariticularly to low level posters.

This is not some scheme to net myself a stack of extra XP!

As a long-time forum admin (20+ years) one of the things that bugs me on these forums is the rareness with which folks give each others XP. And, as a result, how long it takes for noobs to go up a level.

So I decided that the act of posting on topic for someone low level was worth rewarding. For higher level posters I consider how useful, celevr, meaningful, etc their post is.

Hence I started giving out "random XP".

Giving "random XP" is also quite a social thing to do and comes naturally when you are cruising profiles, blogs, etc, etc.

Now this morning I saw a "Random XP" thread in on of the 4e forums. It got closed, partly because it was off topic and partly because of a negative attitude from the mods/admins about random XP. Naturally I went and gave everyone who posted on that thread XP - I was tickled pink someone else came up with the same idea

So.

Would someone care to exlpain exactly what the problem is with giving random XP? If I can see it as an issue I'll certainly stop doing it.

TIA!

 

[PaulofCthulhu]

As a long-time forum admin (20+ years) !

I remember that time. Painfully slow connections outside of academia. What kind of forums were you running in the 80s?

 

[IronWolf]

This post sort of alludes as to why the thread was likely closed:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/5204973-post5.html

I believe forum mods want to avoid the situation of people giving XP just to boost XP scores. They want XP to be given for helpful for friendly posts and threads created simply for increasing XP are not in the spirit that XP was intended.

 

[Umbran]

I believe forum mods want to avoid the situation of people giving XP just to boost XP scores. They want XP to be given for helpful for friendly posts and threads created simply for increasing XP are not in the spirit that XP was intended.

Yes, that's pretty much it.

We don't mind if you're fairly free with your XP. But we don't want folks begging for it, and giving them out really randomly kind of defeats the purpose of the system.

If the point of XP becomes to gain XP for the sake of having XP, then you can expect XP to go away.

 

[surfarcher]

I remember that time. Painfully slow connections outside of academia. What kind of forums were you running in the 80s?

BBSs mostly, with some IRC channels. Hacking and certain coding... I was always out on the fringes Those were the days when things like that weren't illegal and we were really just exploring what was out there. A lot of time on early IRC and "IRC wars" (DOS attacks). Ah memorys... Good times.

Yes, that's pretty much it.

We don't mind if you're fairly free with your XP. But we don't want folks begging for it, and giving them out really randomly kind of defeats the purpose of the system.

If the point of XP becomes to gain XP for the sake of having XP, then you can expect XP to go away.

Well as "true XP" it doesn't work, you know. The systems being used ultimately become a popularity contest. Recognising and identifying with someone and thinking their post is clever or funny are usually the biggest drivers to give rewards. As long as the admins know that and are happy it falls within their vision of XP there isn't a problem.

My focus is to reward low level folks simply for posting, thereby encouraging their participation. Everything I'm hearing on here says that's fine

Oh yeah and I hate it when peoplg pimp/whore for XP

Thanks and cheers!

PS. To Bullgrit - just when I was taking a perverse pleasure in still being level 1 after 150+ posts you pushed me to goblin... I now feel mixed gratitude and disaapointment so yay+boo and thanks+damn!

 

[Pbartender]

The systems being used ultimately become a popularity contest. Recognising and identifying with someone and thinking their post is clever or funny are usually the biggest drivers to give rewards.

Of course, what you expect is what you get... Get enough posters (especially high profile ones) setting a good example by mostly giving out XP for helpful, insightful, quality posts, and others will follow suit.

 

[Umbran]

Well as "true XP" it doesn't work, you know. The systems being used ultimately become a popularity contest.

Yes. And that works so long as folks try to keep the popularity connected to the content.

Recognising and identifying with someone and thinking their post is clever or funny are usually the biggest drivers to give rewards. As long as the admins know that and are happy it falls within their vision of XP there isn't a problem.

Know, and in fact depend on it for the system to function. The problems are when there's a disconnect between providing content and granting XP, or when the system becomes self-referential - XP whoring/pimping being the primary example.

My focus is to reward low level folks simply for posting, thereby encouraging their participation. Everything I'm hearing on here says that's fine

Yes, it is. Encouraging folks to participate is cool. Have at it!

 

[surfarcher]

Of course, what you expect is what you get... Get enough posters (especially high profile ones) setting a good example by mostly giving out XP for helpful, insightful, quality posts, and others will follow suit.

Well I don't think I've ever gotten XP from folks over level 2... Well not before this thread anyway. So where is my example? Yes examples help but ultimately the helpfulness of a post maybe isn't driving XP as much as how much the reader likes the post and the poster. Still that's content related so it's not a problem, as I understand things (see first line of next quote).

Yes. And that works so long as folks try to keep the popularity connected to the content.

Know, and in fact depend on it for the system to function. The problems are when there's a disconnect between providing content and granting XP, or when the system becomes self-referential - XP whoring/pimping being the primary example.

Yes, it is. Encouraging folks to participate is cool. Have at it!

Thanks, I'll continue to.

I've had some really nasty flame wars on a few of my boards - the last one was only about 9 months ago. In that one the guys who were in the right (being as respectful as possible, staying on topic, etc and also technically correct) took a battering in "Stoke" (XP on here). On closer examination the main instigator and flamer got his camp to focus negatives on the opposition and also had a number of family members registered who maxed their negative votes on the same folks each day. Had to track down and lock accounts, put them in negative and fix up the poor victims. Some people should get a life

Cheers folks!

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

If the point of XP becomes to gain XP for the sake of having XP, then you can expect XP to go away.

So for those of us who would be happy to see the XP system go away... Mission accepted!

 

[Piratecat]

My focus is to reward low level folks simply for posting, thereby encouraging their participation. Everything I'm hearing on here says that's fine

Bravo! I think that's a great idea. Go for it.