hi guys, thanks for the feedback.
I have in mind a system that would work from
a few factors, with minimal intervention.
I specifically think that a
system of appointed moderators is **not**
an ideal solution for a bazillion reasons.
that is precisely what I have "not" in mind.
the whole moderator thing is a step backward,
imho. cyberspace needs some kind of self-sustaining
all-user-supported system.
yes, I did forget to mention slashdot, they
do have a decent/workable reputation system.
I agree, I dont want the system to run over
the web as a required feature (but as a
supported one, OK).
the basic ideas I am toying with are the following:
- posts to the list are like currency. lurkers
are not really useful to mailing lists as
far as advancing the dialogue. so the mailing list
simply records # of posts written by each poster. call
this "P"
- mailing list records # of times someone wrote
a post that was replied to. posts that get replies
are generally an indicator of interest, useful
posts, etc.. call this "R"
- pseudoreputation is a measure of the above two
parameters. one can experiment with different
metrics/weightings as a combination. e.g. x*P + y*R etc
- mailing list allows anyone to flip a bozo bit on
another poster ("plonk") or "unplonk".
but the plonk is weighted
based on the plonker's "reputation" by above. this
is so anonymous plonks dont have any value, but someone
who has built up some reputation can have an effect
on plonking other users. users can negotiate with
each other behind the scenes or on the list to ask
for "unplonking". the plonk note to a server can include
a "reason for plonking msg" & gets sent to the plonked user.
- mailing list outputs current reputation alongside
peoples posts. I.e. if my reputation value is currently
[x], there's a "reputation-value: x" field output
in outgoing msgs. this is available for filtering
by end users.
- mailing list might also support a filter
such that people can toss out msgs from sources with
too low a reputation by their specification.
- I propose that those with low reputations are not
bounced from the list, only given quotas. say the
lower the reputation goes, the fewer msgs per day
they are allowed to post.
- everyone is subject to the same rules. there are
no moderators or appointed keepers of the sacred
signal-to-noise. however those with greater reputation
have greater effect. as you can see reputation is
based on (a) posts, (b) replies, and (c) avoidance
of plonks. but note the system is workable even
without plonking.
the tweaking would have a lot to do with the
weighting of the reputation, etcetera.
none of this requires moderation or a lot of extra
activity, which I think is absolutely crucial in
any workable system. nobody wants it to be any work
at all.
