Erm, what this repping all about?

ReallyRong · Jul 4, 2008

I've noticed a few people in various places on this board, discussing the phrase "repping", but haven't really taken much notice of it up till now. For fun I just clicked on the "User CP" button and discovered that I am, apparently, the proud owner of 13 rep points. Could somebody please explain to me in simple terms how this works? Because I have a suspicion that I owe a few people a few points.....

This probably doesn't belong here, but this is the forum where I've been hanging out. Please feel free to delete/move/whatever.

oneidii · Jul 4, 2008

Actually, I'd like to know that oo. I'll be interested to see what it is..if it's good, I owe some people too.

alleycat · Jul 4, 2008

This would have been better in the FAQ's forum.

If you want to send someone a rep point and comment, click the little scale symbol under their name and join date (it's between the "online" button and the "report post" triangle). A box will pop up and you can type in whatever comment you'd like to make.

Sometimes reps are use just as a simple way to communicate when the person doesn't have enough to say to warrant a private message ("Hey, that was funny!"), or it can be a way of saying "thank you" for something, or it can be just a way of saying you appreciate someone's post. You can also give someone a negative rep for a post that you think is particularly bad; but most people don't do this very often. I think I've given a total of two or there negative reps in the time I've been here.

You can read the FAQ page (click FAQ on the toolbar at the top of the page) for more information on rep points.

jclarkdawe · Jul 4, 2008

Yeah, this is probably going to get moved. But from FAQs:

Members can give and take away other members' reputation points. There is a scale on the bottom left of posts-- click on it, and a box will appear that allows you to approve or disapprove of a poster's comments, and add a comment if you choose. Members have the power to add or subtract one rep point from other members. Administrators can add/subtract 10 points from members. The purpose: You can add to someone's rep points if you feel the person is helpful, trustworthy, supportive, etc. This helps new members figure out who to trust, and helps us figure out who should be "promoted" to moderator status. You can subtract rep points if you feel someone is rude, giving poor advice, abusive, etc. This helps the mods figure out if someone should be warned or banned. Rep points can help you attain extra priviledges for custom graphics, more mailbox space, etc. Everyone starts out with a reputation score of 10. To become a Super Member, you just need to keep that score of 10 and accumulate 50 posts.

If you put your cursor under "posts" you'll see what the reputation of the poster is. Somewhere there is a description as to what each saying means.

And talk about being moved, as I wrote this response, it got moved.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

ReallyRong · Jul 4, 2008

Your reputation just improved! Another question - can you select the number of points that you're giving?

alleycat · Jul 4, 2008

ReallyRong said:
Your reputation just improved! Another question - can you select the number of points that you're giving?

With the vBulletin software (which is what this forum runs on) the administrator can change the number of points send by certain people, but you cannot. Most members here can just send one rep point at a time. There are a few exceptions.

aka eraser · Jul 4, 2008

ReallyRong said:
Your reputation just improved! Another question - can you select the number of points that you're giving?

Nope. Most folks can give only 1 point per rep. Some, based on #of posts and other arcane data, give 2 points per. A rep from an admin (like our fearless leader) is worth 10.

So, sucking up to Mac*can pay off big time.

*She collects those little parasols you get in those fancy drinks. Sending her a new one is rep gold!

Minister · Jul 4, 2008

Two follow-up questions I've been meaning to ask and finally will now that this thread has reminded me:

I can tell how many rep points I've got -- but I don't see any way to tell how many anyone else has. When I put the cursor over the middle icon below the person's post count, all I get is "add to ___'s reputation," not an actual point tally. Clicking on it allows me to give rep points and leave the message, but again, not a way to see how many they have. How can I see how many rep points someone else has?

Is there any way to get the system to automatically notify me when someone has given me a rep point? They often come with little messages, but since I don't get any notice that I've gotten one, I've gone months without seeing one because I didn't think to go to my user CP and check.

Sean D. Schaffer · Jul 4, 2008

ReallyRong said:
I've noticed a few people in various places on this board, discussing the phrase "repping", but haven't really taken much notice of it up till now. For fun I just clicked on the "User CP" button and discovered that I am, apparently, the proud owner of 13 rep points. Could somebody please explain to me in simple terms how this works? Because I have a suspicion that I owe a few people a few points.....

This probably doesn't belong here, but this is the forum where I've been hanging out. Please feel free to delete/move/whatever.

Repping refers to Reputation Points. Basically, people who like what they read in your posts will click on that little scale at the bottom left-hand corner of your post, and will have an option to either give you a positive or a negative reputation point, as well as an opportunity to comment.

In other words, a positive rep point is like a pat on the back, whereas a negative is like a rebuke. I've noticed that not very many people use negative rep points anymore, that if they have something negative to say they'll generally give a negative private message so that they can expand upon what they're saying.

If a person gets below a certain amount of positive reputation points, the moderators will see that they have some problems and could take appropriate actions to either reprimand or ban that person.

The thing is, they stopped making repping quite as obvious back in, I think, 2005. Each poster used to have a series of little green boxes underneath their avatars and/or usernames, which gave everyone knowledge of what a person's reputation was here. Now they're basically used for what I mentioned above: either a pat on the back, or a rebuke.

Minister · Jul 4, 2008

Well, after poking around a bit, I've got an answer to my own first question -- to see someone's rep level, you move the mouse slowly around just beneath the word "posts" until you get the little popup window with their level (but unless you've memorized the levels, it's hard to tell what exactly that means). The spot to get the message isn't identified by an icon.

Still haven't figured out the second one, though.

Rolling Thunder · Jul 4, 2008

Sean D. Schaffer said:
Now they're basically used for what I mentioned above: either a pat on the back, or a rebuke.

They also make for passing notes back and forth to other members. But don't put a lot of faith in them to tell you if a member is the best thing since sliced bread. They really mean very little, board wise, now.

They're simply a fun little bonus for members to have short side conversations or brain-fart moments.

And there is no automatic alert for reps. You just have to go to the bottom of your usercp to read the notes and see the point count.

ETA: Also note; each thread has a 'subscription' option under thread tools. If you subscribe to a thread you'll see a new section in usercp telling you what threads are getting responses. It makes it easier to keep track of your posts and reps, since they both appear on the same screen.

willfulone · Jul 4, 2008

Minister said:
Well, after poking around a bit, I've got an answer to my own first question -- to see someone's rep level, you move the mouse slowly around just beneath the word "posts" until you get the little popup window with their level (but unless you've memorized the levels, it's hard to tell what exactly that means). The spot to get the message isn't identified by an icon.

Still haven't figured out the second one, though.

I haven't see an automatic notification and I did get some rep points. But, if you forget the user CP, you can click on your own scales in any of your posts and it will tell you how many rep points you have. It does not give the detail the CP does (it does not say who from or what they said, just that you have so many and if the post you clicked on got a rep point or not). Hope this helps, you may remember the scales to click on as you see those in all the posts, if you forget the cp part.

Have a great and safe holiday!

Christine

rhymegirl · Jul 4, 2008

Minister said:
Is there any way to get the system to automatically notify me when someone has given me a rep point? They often come with little messages, but since I don't get any notice that I've gotten one, I've gone months without seeing one because I didn't think to go to my user CP and check.

No. You just have to keep checking your User CP.

mirrorkisses · Jul 4, 2008

Yeah I never notice any reps I get until weeks after the fact.

Matera the Mad · Jul 4, 2008

FYI - The best spot to hover over is about 6 pixels below the P in Posts. There is an invisible 8x10-pixel image there (it is repeated to make a longer and longer invisible bar as the rep points increase LOL).

I started checking my reps regularly because of the interesting messages.

Grrarrgh · Jul 30, 2008

Ok - so I clicked on the scale in one of my own messages and it said that I have 10 rep points. But when I go to my user CP, I don't see anything that tells me I have them or where they came from. What am I doing wrong?

Never mind. I did some more digging and it turns out that everyone starts with 10 rep points, so there's probably nothing to see on on my CP. Carry on...

smoothseas · Jul 30, 2008

Minister said:
Well, after poking around a bit, I've got an answer to my own first question -- to see someone's rep level, you move the mouse slowly around just beneath the word "posts" until you get the little popup window with their level (but unless you've memorized the levels, it's hard to tell what exactly that means). The spot to get the message isn't identified by an icon.

Still haven't figured out the second one, though.

'splain that to us, again, por favor. the word 'posts' that appears in the popup window, when you click on a user's avatar?

I really would be interested in figuring that out.

Thanks....

Forbidden Snowflake · Jul 30, 2008

That repping thing, they told me I'd get Mr. Darcy in exchange, then I found out I'm not, where can I complain?

ReallyRong · Jul 30, 2008

You start off with ten points.

D' Oh. Sorry, I didn't read all your post before clicking on the reply button.

Matera the Mad · Jul 30, 2008

Minister said:
...you move the mouse slowly around just beneath the word "posts" until you get the little popup window with their level...

smoothseas said:
'splain that to us, again, por favor. the word 'posts' that appears in the popup window, when you click on a user's avatar?

I really would be interested in figuring that out.

Thanks....

Re-read the first quote, por favor, o thou of tranquil waters.

It's not a window, actually, but an ephemeral tool-tip sort of box.

Erm, what this repping all about?

ReallyRong

oneidii

Copyediting Queen

alleycat

Still around

jclarkdawe

Feeling lucky, Query?

ReallyRong

alleycat

Still around

aka eraser

Fish Whisperer

Minister

Unpredictable preacher

Sean D. Schaffer

Minister

Unpredictable preacher

Rolling Thunder

willfulone

I am a zebra...

rhymegirl

It's a New Year!

mirrorkisses

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Grrarrgh

Not so new, not so much a kid

smoothseas

Life sucks... Then ya die...

Forbidden Snowflake

I'm quite put out.

ReallyRong

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint