Re: [UG-ADMINS] Karma System

I'll go back to my hole; just wanted to post a quick follow up. I hope you
know my words are only my opinion, meant to show that not all people are
motivated by the same things. If you truly value a diverse community, it's
something to keep in mind.

If you go through with this experiment, I would be super interested to see
the results, and I really do hope it works for you! :)


Cal, this makes me curious:

>That doesn't discourage me from going out to SO when I ahve time and
answering an easy question to pick up a few points. Gamification does work.

Is it the actual awarding of the badges that brings you back to SO or is it
that you just like helping people, answering questions, and being a part of
that community? Would you answer if there were no badges or recognition? If
it *is* the point system that keeps you coming back, how would you feel if
you had to take a hiatus for a few months because of life things, and when
you came back all your points were gone, as if you'd never contributed in
the first place? Would you care? I don't know, It might make some feel as
if they don't want to start all over again.

When I first got started with PHP in 2002, I went to PHPBuilder.com. Those
guys were *incredibly* helpful, and being there was fun. I enjoyed
interacting, and I felt like I belonged there, so I was really involved
with that community. I wrote articles, I helped in the forums. It's really
why I went on to be so active in the PHPCommunity too. No one's ever heard
of those guys; they aren't on Twitter and they don't speak at conferences.
13 years later, they are *still* on PHPBuilder helping out newcomers
though, and that to me is about the most awesome thing ever. They do it
because they want to, and because they've made it fun.

My point is, if we make "being active" a fun, enjoyable, and rewarding
thing by its nature, we won't have to try so hard to convince people that
being active is worthwhile. :)

Also, to the point about Rafael not being able to vote if he comes back,
I'd think he would have some interesting insight to share from his time in
Amsterdam. Maybe they've learned lessons and maybe he has some experience
to share.
I think that's something that would be helpful to the group, not
detrimental. It would be a shame to not give him a voice. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, going back under my rock now. I honestly do hope the experiment
works, and sorry to be such a stick in the mud! I think you're all pretty
wonderful. <3


On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 6:04 PM, Paulo Eduardo <[email protected]> wrote:

> Yes Stuart
>
> Thank you for bring that to my memory, is exactly something like Whuffie
> from "Down & Out In the Magic Kingdom"
>
> Atenciosamente
> Paulo Eduardo
> www.pauloeduardo.com
> www.psyco.com.br
>
> On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 6:04 PM, Stuart Grimshaw <
> [email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> > I've always liked the idea of Whuffie from Cory Doctorow's "Down & Out In
> > the Magic Kingdom", I always thought that would work well in tech
> > circles...
> >
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whuffie
> >
> >
> > -S
> >
> > Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stubbs
> > Blog: http://blog.stuartgrimshaw.co.uk/
> > GPG Key ID: 684CF089
> > GPG Key Fingerprint: 5E48 F78E 2904 478C F209 4A37 C446 73C2 684C F089
> >
> > On 27 April 2015 at 21:47, Ben Ramsey <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > A while back, the idea of community "badges" sounded appealing to me,
> but
> > > after giving it a lot of thought, I'm not so sure it will work well at
> > the
> > > local level.
> > >
> > > We have a duty as user group leaders to ensure that people feel welcome
> > at
> > > our groups and to understand that each person participates at the level
> > > they feel comfortable. Just because someone participates at a "lower"
> > level
> > > than us doesn't make their participation insignificant.
> > >
> > > Over the years, I have seen people who have only attended one or fewer
> > > meetings a year, who have lurked on the mailing list and IRC, posting
> > very
> > > little (if at all). Yet, that passive participation still makes them
> feel
> > > like they are a part of the group; it is still THEIR group. They often
> > read
> > > the messages and follow along, even if they don't appear active to us.
> > >
> > > I like having these people as members of the group. I want to encourage
> > > them to be more active, but even if they choose not to become more
> active
> > > (according to my definition of "active"), they should not be punished
> for
> > > their passive involvement. I think gamifying the user group would hurt
> > > their involvement and they may see it as a punishment for participating
> > in
> > > their own way.
> > >
> > > This has led to a loose definition of "membership" for me. In fact, I
> try
> > > to keep it as loose as possible. In short, if you're signed up for the
> > > mailing list (or Meetup.com, or the forums, or whatever), then you're a
> > > member. It's that simple. (It also means I don't have to worry about
> > > defining what an "active member" is.)
> > >
> > > Just my $0.02. :-)
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > > Ben
> > >
> >
>