Post your examples of "Reputation Point Abuse"

To convince me that there is actual widespread abuse of the system you'd have to show me examples of good people who consistently and positively contribute to the forums who have gone into the red. By "into the red" I mean their overall reputation is negative.

The mere fact that run-of-the-mill members like you and me get a handful of seemingly unfair, anonymous neg rep points does not add up to a system rife with abuse.

Every single one of the people I've seen go into the red since I've been here has richly deserved it. They've almost begged for it! To me that's evidence that the system works. It tells newcomers and veterans alike who the worst a$$holes are.
 
averageguy said:
K.V. I don't know how to or can't access all my ding points but I'm pretty sure it was you. If someone can look at my ding points the author and the comment can be confirmed. If I have identified you incorrectly as the source - I apologize.
I can tell you right now that I did not neg rep you. We may disagree on the topic at hand but nothing was said that warrants being negatively dinged for. You have stated your opinion on the matter and you are entitled to it. I stated mine. What I don't like is all of this bickering about the rep system. I said it earlier....

Red = Someone I won't trust or deal with on BFC.

Green = Someone I can trust and would deal with on BFC.

Whether you have 1 chiclet or 20 you will have my respect. If you have a red chiclet I know that that person is an ass and should not be dealt with.
 
Planterz said:
I suppose I'll have to S-P-E-L-L I-T O-U-T for you.

Because it eliminates abuse.
How does anonymity eliminate abuse? Don't you think that if all charged and convicted criminals had their crime tattoo'd onto their foreheads, front and center, like "rapist," "child molester," "murderer," etc. that crime would be appreciably reduced?

Anonymity is what gives LEOs ("Law Enforcement Officers" for newbies at BladeForums who may not know all of the short-hand...) such a hard time catching criminals. When a crime has first been committed and the LEOs start working to solve the crime and catch the criminal, virtually every person in a 300-mile radius could be suspected in that crime. Why? Because no criminal, at least the smarter ones, is going to try leaving any clues behind that diminish their anonymity. For criminals, anonymity is where it's at. If there was less anonymity, criminals' careers would be made much more difficult and fruitless.

Anonymity allows abuse. If cowardly abusers were required to leave their signature behind, don't you think that their cowardice would prevent them from posting these BS negative dings? But, that's right, this thread is about defending the cowards, denying that the reputation point system is abused, and allowing abuse of the reputation point system to continue.

Planterz said:
If someone garners a red point because he's being an ass, one could hypothisize that such a person, an ass, having the opportunity if he knows the reputer, might have a vendetta. Even without the anonymity though, this sometimes still happens.
Sorry to need to correct you, again, but I wasn't dinged for being an ass. I was dinged for not being someone who "supports this place." If you and others of your ilk, who supports this coward, whole-heartedly, and agree with him, that my not being a paid subscriber means that I do not support BladeForums, then why not get rid of the "Registered User" category, entirely? Why not only have paid memberships, so that the coward who dinged me hasn't any ridiculous reason to ding people, anonymously?

The coward who dinged me is the "ass" in this. You like cowards, don't you? You must like them, since you're doing whatever you can to get me to stop harping on the chickenshit who cannot sign his "work."

As far as some screwy "vendetta," is the coward who dinged me for not supporting BladeForums also going around and anonymously dinging everyone else that isn't a paid member? Apparently there's no limit on the number of single, individual member dings that one member can give out, correct? The coward who dinged me for not being a paid BladeForums member could choose to ding each and every "Registered User" once, right?

Sorry if I seem ill-informed on the giving of negative reputation points, but that would come from my not using the reputation point system, wouldn't it? I still haven't ever given out a red chiclet, however, if I would, it seems that I could learn more about how the reputation point system works, right?

Here, let me post that image for you. See how helpful I am, even to someone who's been insulting me ever since his first post in this thread?

Planterz said:
ketpot.gif
Ah, I see. You're saying that I'm a pot calling the kettle black, eh? Please, Planterz, quote for me the post in which I insulted you first. I didn't start throwing your insults back until after I'd already endured being called an "ass" twice. Maybe you should have your short-term memory tested, as you appear rather forgetful.

Planterz said:
I still don't see how giving someone a negative reputation is abuse. Or is only abuse when it happens to you? You're the only one complaining about it...
You should get your eyes tested, too. This thread is about anonymous negative dings being abusive. Go back and read the thread over, so that you're more familiar about the cowardly abuse that you are defending.

I can only see my anonymously dinged reputation points, so, yes, I only get hacked-off when I get anonymously dinged. As far as my being the only one complaining about anonymous reputation point abuses, well, maybe you should prevail yourself of the use of the BladeForums Search function?

Planterz said:
Of course these are ways to support the forums. There's also quite a bit more regular memebers than there are subscribed ones.
I'm afraid that I'll have to take your word on that, that there are more "Registered Users" as compared to paying subscribers. However, if your statement is fact, then the coward who anonymously dinged me for "not supporting" BladeForums might be doing an amazing amount of damage to BladeForums, if he is on some 'vendetta' against all non-paying BladeForums' members.

Has anyone else reading this thread gotten an anonymous reputation point ding for not being a paid BladeForums subscriber?

Planterz said:
I'll admit my comment "Because he's right" was a bit off. I was just being a smartass there.
That sounds like a retraction, Planterz. Thanks for not being as heartless as you like the people that you're insulting to think.

Planterz said:
Threads like this however, aren't exactly supportive.
I disagree.

I'm trying to get rid of the ability that cowards have to anonymously ding people. I think that BladeForums would be a better place if there were fewer cowardly chickenshits running around. I'm sorry that you, and all of the coward's defenders, seem to disagree. I'm amazed at how many folks are supporting this coward by defending him, and his ability to anonymously ding people.

Planterz said:
One question though, which of the two posts received bad reputation?
Sorry, as a "Registered User" I can only see my last five reputation point marks, both positive and negative. Perhaps if I were a paying member, I could see a longer list of my most recent reputation point marks...but, for now, I can no longer see the original anonymous ding that led to my creation of this thread.

However, I gave more than two answers in that thread. :)

The first was:
geothorn said:
Hi averageguy. To be able to automatically place a signature into each of your posts, you'll need to become a BladeForums "Basic Member," for a $10 annual subscription price. If you want to see what each of the levels of membership allow, you can click on the "Upgrade your forums experience" link at the top of each BladeForums web page.

GeoThorn
And my second was:
geothorn said:
averageguy, another "nearly automatic" way to post a signature is to create a text file with your sig, and, each time you post a thread or a reply, simply copy~paste your signature into your post, from the text file. I'm cheap, so I'm using the text file copy~paste method. :cool:

GeoThorn
Planterz said:
The one where you admitted to being cheap (by bypassing the regular rules and making a sig of your own without a paying membership), or the one where you called Nordic Viking a "prick"?
I gave both the paying subscription answer as well as a free method to post a signature. Seems like I'm supporting BladeForums by showing a "Registered User" the way to get a paying subscription, right? And, by giving the free answer, I'm also supporting a "Registered User" that may not be able to afford a paid membership right now, or, like me, has difficulty sending credit card information over several/many interconnected computers.

In what way have I been remiss in being supportive at BladeForums?

Sorry to correct you, once again (how many is that now? I've stopped counting....), but I'm not "bypassing regular rules" as copy~pasting text is an ability that even the "Registered Users" have. Please don't accuse me of somehow abridging the BladeForums rules, if you haven't a clue.

As far as my calling Nordic Viking a "prick," I didn't, he did. ;) I had a lot of fun in that thread and I think that Nordic Viking liked the play on words exchange, too. I can only speak for myself, however.

Planterz said:
So who gave you the signed rep point then? The Fairy Godmother? BTW, the limits on giving reputation work both ways, both positive and negative. Or have you never tried to give the same person good reputation twice and never gotten the "you must spread some reputation around..." message?
Sorry, what signed reputation point are you talking about, that I received from this thread? The only reputation point that I've publicly spoken about, from that thread, is the cowardly and anonymously dinged one. You seem to have some interesting "insider information" about that thread. Care to disclose how you received it?

Again, I don't use the Reputation Point system, myself. In my nine months here, I've given a single positive chicklet, and no negative chicklets. Again, you seem to be exhorting me to use the Reputation Point system more. Sorry, but I shan't use a system that is so easily abused, and in which cowardly abuse is defended and allowed to continue.

Planterz said:
The funniest part is that I think I know who gave you the negative rep point, because about that same time somebody gave me a positive one and signed it. :cool: I'm only telling you this because I know you'll work yourself into another hissy fit over your unsigned, cowardly point. :D
You like being wrong, don't you, Planterz? You must like being wrong because you duplicate it, often. :) I don't like getting angry, myself, and, as far as my "pitching a hissy fit," that may be another of your proclivities that I have no desire to duplicate.

Planterz said:
BTW, you're welcome to give me a negative rep point, and even sign it if you want. I don't mind. Because a negative rep point from you won't mean a dingo's kidney to me. Just like a red one you receive shouldn't mean much to you either, right? I mean, if they're coming from "cowards", what do you care about what a coward thinks of you?
Cowards shouldn't have anonymity to hide their chickshit selves behind. I really don't care what a coward thinks of me, I'm just ticked-off that cowards are allowed to anonymously ding people without taking any responsibility for it. Then, on top of allowing cowards to spew their imbecility, the moderators and paying member are defending the coward, his means and methods of chickenshit, and allowing it to continue.

Sure, paying here sounds like a great idea. I can surround myself with cowards who can ding people for BS without having to sign their names to them. I don't like cowards enough to pay to join a Cowardly Club.

GeoThorn
 
I take umbrage with the anonymity of the rep point being compared to anonymity of rapists etc. I think it's fun to see how high my rep points can go, but it isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be. I used to bitch and moan about rep points. Looking back on old threads, I feel like an arse for doing so.

Also, as a Platinum member, I can only see the last 5 rep points given to me by members.

Buy a membership and have a good time.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I take umbrage with the anonymity of the rep point being compared to anonymity of rapists etc.
I'm only saying that anonymity isn't such a very good thing. Either for rapists or cowards, any anonymity that they have only protects them. I wish that criminals would be required to have, as a requirement for their release from prison, a tattoo or tattoos placed on their foreheads, a list of the crimes that they have been convicted of committing.

GeoThorn
 
geothorn said:
I'm only saying that anonymity isn't such a very good thing. Either for rapists or cowards, any anonymity that they have only protects them. I wish that criminals would be required to have, as a requirement for their release from prison, a tattoo or tattoos placed on their foreheads, a list of the crimes that they have been convicted of committing.

GeoThorn

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: That is a great plan! Lets see how many people can re-integrate into society after paying their debt- with big facial tattoos that brands them as an undesirables? Might as well make every crime a life sentence without parole.

I think you should put a tatoo on your forehead that says "WHINER".
Or Better yet- a ButtCrack right in the middle. :p

Whining doesnt make you Brave and Courageous- It just establishes that you have very thin skin and take things too personally. Ever stop to think. . ."Hmmm, out of thousands of members, nobody(except another whiner) supports my opinion". Maybe you will get the hint before you end up with all red chiclets? Good luck. :D
 
Glad to see that BladeForums is working again!

I would like to say that I'm surprised that so many people think that allowing cowards to anonymously ding people is somehow "good" for BladeForums. I'm only suggesting that if one wants to give a negative reputation mark, and a negative comment, that they should be held responsible for whatever they put down. What's wrong in that? Why is allowing cowards a place to hide, while hurling insults, a "good thing?"

I regret that I only have so many Reputation Points to lose in trying to make BladeForums a better community, with less unnecessary and cowardly anonymity.

GeoThorn
 
I don't think these comparisons are really in line with the thread and probably a bit extreme, but since we're making them...

geothorn said:
Anonymity is what gives LEOs ("Law Enforcement Officers" for newbies at BladeForums who may not know all of the short-hand...) such a hard time catching criminals.

It also protects informants and allows police and government officials to comment to the press without fear of retaliation, losing their job, etc.

geothorn said:
Anonymity allows abuse.

It also has great benefits. See the Federalist Papers for instance.

It allows victims of sexual abuse to speak out and seek support.

It allows people to more freely speak their mind. It's actually pretty routine to for an employer to plug a prospective employee's name into a search engine nowadays.

geothorn said:
If cowardly abusers were required to leave their signature behind, don't you think that their cowardice would prevent them from posting these BS negative dings? But, that's right, this thread is about defending the cowards, denying that the reputation point system is abused, and allowing abuse of the reputation point system to continue.

It would probably reduce the amount of BS negatives, yes. At the same time, with anonymity people will more honestly rate each other without fear of retaliation which apparently you want to do.

geothorn said:
The coward who dinged me is the "ass" in this.

I think people agree, but you're totally overreacting.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: That is a great plan! Lets see how many people can re-integrate into society after paying their debt- with big facial tattoos that brands them as an undesirables? Might as well make every crime a life sentence without parole.
Let's see how many criminals are brave enough to be criminals, if they have the threat of having their crime tattoo'd on their forehead. Rat, what's your big plan to stop crime? You don't have one, do you? I didn't think so. To read you, Rat, it seems that America doesn't have any crime problems, and our police are all mind-readers, who can catch criminals before a crime is committed.

I think that the threat of having their crime as a tattoo on their forehead might be a great deterrent to criminals committing crimes. Criminals are pretty much cowards, too. All that's needed to prevent crime, at least I think it would be a good step, is to have the criminals marked, so that their potential victims know the danger and background of the person approaching them. Hiding behind anonymity is a great cover for criminals...as well as cowards.

Hmm, maybe another way to prevent crime would be to punish the criminal by duplicating the crime that he committed upon his victim?

Rat Finkenstein said:
:I think you should put a tatoo on your forehead that says "WHINER".
I think that you should have a "MORON" tattoo on your forehead, but, thus far, stupidity isn't a crime, and, besides, everyone can tell just by reading your writing. :)

Rat Finkenstein said:
:Or Better yet- a ButtCrack right in the middle. :p
When you get through with the scattological stage in your developement, come back, and maybe we can treat you as an adult.

Rat Finkenstein said:
:Whining doesnt make you Brave and Courageous- It just establishes that you have very thin skin and take things too personally.
As I've said before, and I'll repeat, to improve your ignorance, one has to agree to your assumption before one will accept it.

I'm not whining. I'm thinking that BladeForums could be a better community without the ability to anonmously post negative comments or negatively ding people's Reputation Points. Wouldn't it be better if people would be required to take the responsibility for their negative contents or Reputation Points dings? Posters take responsibility for what they write on the boards, because they have to sign in, and post under their name, but, cowards can and do misuse and abuse the Reputation Point system, because they can play a childish game of hide and seek.

As far as my being Brave and Courageous, RatBoy, show me the thread where you've stood up to an overwhelming majority of opinion against you, and you've continued fighting. You don't have one, do you? I guess that the majority of moderators and paying members like allowing cowards to hide behind anonymity, because they are all continuing to ding me, and defend the chickenshit coward. I strongly disagree with their, and apparently, your position. That's why I'm still fighting in this thread.

Thank goodness that we have Rat Finkenstein to stand up for cowards. Oh, and you seem to think that I'm too tough on criminals, Rat? I think that it's better a tattoo on a criminal's forehead than their being capable of committing more crimes, anonymously. But, Rat, you think that criminals should have more lenience, rather than less?

Thanks, Rat, but, I will send all criminals to your place, since all you wanna do is hug them and squeeze them and...whatever other weird things you want to give criminals.

Rat Finkenstein said:
:Ever stop to think. . ."Hmmm, out of thousands of members, nobody(except another whiner) supports my opinion". Maybe you will get the hint before you end up with all red chiclets? Good luck. :D
LOL...finally, you've made me laugh, Rat.

If all of the moderators and paying members want to continue to allow cowards to hide behind anonymity, I really am sorry that I am apparently alone, or virtually alone, in my thinking on this.

If I get banned from here, on this stance, so be it. I don't want to be a member of a community that shelters cowards and allows cowards to continue to anonymously negatively ding and make negative comments to members.

How can I react to the coward, since he can be anonymous? I can only accept what the chickenshit says, and know, definitely, that he's been castrated. I guess that I could pay for a BladeForums Platinum membership, to see the future cowards that anonymously ding me, or leaves me negative comments, but, as that's what Mr. Anonymous Chickenshit wants me to do, I'd have to seriously think about joining.

geoThorn
 
geothorn, I gave you rep & signed it since it makes you feel better about receiving it.
 
geoThorn,

Does the rep system really matter? If you and I meet each other tomorrow and find out we're both members here, are we going to go to our PCs, log on and check what each other's reps are? Who cares?
 
I pointed this out a few pages ago but I think it got lost in the shouting. I see rep points as a vaualble tool in determining who's petty and who's not. The more they bitch the more petty they are. Maybe we need petty chicklets!
 
geothorn said:
As far as my being Brave and Courageous, RatBoy, show me the thread where you've stood up to an overwhelming majority of opinion against you, and you've continued fighting. You don't have one, do you?

LOL! You never know who you're talking to on the net.... :rolleyes:
 
@ Geothorn

I had thought you a whiner, but judging from the way you missed the obvious point I had about your incredibly idiotic "tattoo criminals heads" idea- I am now officially considering you to be mildly retarded(at best).

*<Marks "geothorn" on the official list of unknown, uninteresting internet goons in RED ink>* :eek: :D

Simply put: How can someone be expected to re-integrate into society if they are branded as an outcast? If they have paid their debt to society, they are squared with the law. Thus branding peoples heads would totally prevent these people from surviving without again resorting to crime. :rolleyes:
 
Ryan8 said:
I don't think these comparisons are really in line with the thread and probably a bit extreme, but since we're making them...

geothorn said:
Anonymity is what gives LEOs ("Law Enforcement Officers" for newbies at BladeForums who may not know all of the short-hand...) such a hard time catching criminals.
It also protects informants and allows police and government officials to comment to the press without fear of retaliation, losing their job, etc.
Thanks, Ryan8, for interjecting your opinion into this discussion.

Yes, there are cases where anonymity is a "good thing," however, anonymity can also bring abuses. Like Mark Felts, the recently self-admitted "Deep Throat" informant for Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein. His anonymous confessions to Woodward and Bernstein brought down the undoubtedly corrupt Nixon Administration, however, his position in history is strung up between the title or either "Hero" or "Traitor."

I think that it'd be best if criminals had no anonymity. As far as BladeForums is concerned, and that is, after all, what this thread is about, I believe (I'm sure that *everyone knows this part by now...) that allowing cowards to negatively ding people and make negative comments anonymously, with impugnity, is wrong. It should be disallowed.

Ryan8 said:
geothorn said:
Anonymity allows abuse.
It also has great benefits. See the Federalist Papers for instance.

It allows victims of sexual abuse to speak out and seek support.

It allows people to more freely speak their mind. It's actually pretty routine to for an employer to plug a prospective employee's name into a search engine nowadays.
Thanks, again, I'll look into the Federalist Papers. Again, this is only a thread about anonymity at BladeForums, not a debate on the definition of anonymity, or places where it might be beneficial.

It could also allow someone to anonymously put a death threat into my negative comment box. Should that be allowed? No. Maybe if I'd received an anonymous death threat then perhaps the moderators and paying members at BladeForums, at least those defending this chickenshit coward, would take it more seriously? They're defending someone who takes jabs at people while hiding behind a veil of secrecy and cowardice. Wonderful.

Ryan8 said:
geothorn said:
If cowardly abusers were required to leave their signature behind, don't you think that their cowardice would prevent them from posting these BS negative dings? But, that's right, this thread is about defending the cowards, denying that the reputation point system is abused, and allowing abuse of the reputation point system to continue.
It would probably reduce the amount of BS negatives, yes. At the same time, with anonymity people will more honestly rate each other without fear of retaliation which apparently you want to do.
Why is it somehow "apparent" that I want to retaliate against this coward? Just because Planterz said that I want to retaliate? If the coward could post his supposed disagreement with me, basically, that I somehow don't "support" BladeForums, in an open forum, would that be 'retaliation?' I'm thinking that the coward can't discuss/argue his "issue" with me in an open forum, otherwise, why is he hiding behind anonymity?

If you have read this thread, up to the point where you posted, I state that I have only given one green chicklet and no red chicklets, in the nine months I've been here. That may indicate that I don't "retaliate"...at least, I don't retaliate in a Reputation Point way, I guess. I've been in several/many heated discussions. :)

Ryan8 said:
geothorn said:
The coward who dinged me is the "ass" in this.
I think people agree, but you're totally overreacting.
I'm sorry that you, too, are defending cowardly anonymous behavior at BladeForums, Ryan8. I was enjoying your posts in the Political Forums, very much.

If everyone at BladeForums agrees that defending cowards and letting them hide and attack from secrecy is the best way that the Reputation Point system should work, so be it. I don't need to stay here and be insulted when I'm only trying to reduce the acrimony.

I didn't start this thread with any insults, and I've only attempted to reply in-kind. Rude begets rude. If anyone reading this thread and disagreeing with me, even insultingly, hasn't received any red chicklets, well, I guess that you know that I can have a discussion, or even an argument, without resorting to hitting below the belt.

GeoThorn
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
@ Geothorn

I had thought you a whiner, but judging from the way you missed the obvious point I had about your incredibly idiotic "tattoo criminals heads" idea- I am now officially considering you to be mildly retarded(at best).

*<Marks "geothorn" on the official list of unknown, uninteresting internet goons in RED ink>* :eek: :D

Simply put: How can someone be expected to re-integrate into society if they are branded as an outcast? If they have paid their debt to society, they are squared with the law. Thus branding peoples heads would totally prevent these people from surviving without again resorting to crime. :rolleyes:
How about if it's a NEW LAW?

New penalty for all criminals charged, tried, convicted, sentenced, for all felonies 2nd degree felony up to and including 4th degree felony, upon your admission to the prison, your crime will be tattoo'd upon your forehead. Any additional felonies, moving from worst to least will continue over your shaven head and down your back, should the list be so long.

If they survive their prison time with those tatoos, they'll still prefer being out, and their potential victims could see them coming.

GeoThorn

MJ doing prison time with "Child Molester" stamped on his forehead seems appropriate. :)
 
Criminals? Criminals? Criminals? Comparing people who send someone a red chiclet to criminals, not even comparing, calling people who send red chiclets criminals appalls me. In my short time on BF, I've never had the feeling that anyone who sent me a red chiclet was a criminal, anonymous or signed. Man.

I agree that rapists, murderers and child abusers should be branded in some type of way for their crimes, but to compare them to the people on these forums who send out a red chiclet???!!!! Doesn't make any sense what so ever to me.

Once again I am appalled. To denounce the Rep Point system is one thing, to put those who send neg rep on par with rapists/murderers/abusers just shows total disregard for the victims of such crimes.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
The Ignore list is a wonderful thing.
I thought that I was on your Ignore list, silenthunterstudios. :)

I know that everyone against my position in this thread is just trying to shut me up, by insults, by staged "umbrage," blah, blah, blah. The bottom line is that you are defending cowardice by allowing people to negatively ding people and to post negative comments without their being required to sign it.

No, silenthunterstudios, I'm not comparing a coward who leaves a ding or a negative comment to a criminal. I'm only saying that criminals shouldn't be allowed to prey on their victims because they can blend into the crowd, behind anonymity. The other side of the anonymity argument that I'm making is that if someone only has the balls to anonymously ding someone, instead of coming out and facing them, without hiding, why are those cheap shots allowed?

I've made and will continue making my argument, silenthunterstudios, no matter how you try muddying/obfuscating it. Nice try. Nice lie about adding me to your Ignore list. (Good for your post count, though. ;))

GeoThorn
 
Hey, you were right! The Ignore list works wonders! I put that guy on my ignore list, and now when he types mind-numbingly inane things, I only see: "This message is hidden because geothorn is on your ignore list. "
:D

EDIT: so now, if everyone puts him on the list, no more Rep point Abuse whining! Its great! :D
 
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