Great! Now that I finally understand exactly what Rep points are - what do I do with them? Do I cash them in like Pogo chips or swap them for something, maybe even hoard them until I have enough to afford a virtual ranch or virtual house? I have almost forty of these "widgets" and already I find myself checking in to see whether I have collected more. Somehow this bothers me because I write from the heart and not to garner points. I gather the Reps are a means of somehow "building up a collection of trust" - but why?
If I inadvertently get "minus points" then I am obviously offending too many in the forums - and this also bothers me a little. When I stumbled into Absolute Write I was surprised to find so many helpful people gathered here, but no one can be respected all the time regardless of how hard they try - it just isn't natural.
I am a hard man, this I state willingly - I grew up in a hard environment where and when a life didn't count for much against that of another. A time and place where you were either known as someone to leave alone or you were considered bait for another. Your word had to be good enough to stake your life upon and a handshake was all it took to buy thousands of dollars of merchandise, cattle, whatever - but when the delivery arrived the money had to be handed across immediately - or else. A time when people fought each other with fists or knives, and did so one-on-one - one walked away and one remained to be carried away - those were the only rules. Times have changed now - a person's word means nothing to most and a handshake is only a touching of soft hands. "Reputations" have totally new meanings in today's society, but is it a lasting thing. I have learned that a lifetime of building a "good reputation" can be destroyed by a single wrong or mistake and have observed it happen over and over.
Over the years, in various levels of law enforcement, as a bail bondsman, and in my private life, my "reputation" has been enough to cause those I had to go after reason not to give me any problems when I apprehended them. My reputation in my private life is as a man who adores his spouse and family above all else - and my wife also holds the same reputation as a businesswoman and mother. I realize I may come across as a complete idiot here with the way I am phrasing this, but I am puzzled by the Rep point thing. I am aware from reading the threads what the concept is, but not the far reaching goal. In the short time I have been allowed to participate in AW I have noticed ruffled feelings being taken to extremes because of a possible misunderstanding in meaning or context - and someone always suffers.
I admire the rule of "Respect other writers" as first and foremost, but I have noticed it can be used to restrict the exchange of free ideas/thoughts even though the individual posting may not have meant it as a personal disrespect.
I'll stop at this point and await enlightment. Thanks