Remove the Karma Option? - You decide.

[Stan Steliga]

It has been suggested a few times that the Karma feature of this message board is disliked. Instead of deciding myself, I'm leaving it up to all of you. Sunday night (Jan 15) I will check this poll and decide whether to remove or keep the Karma feature.

[reyn]

Thanks, Stan. Fair enough.

[ZorMaster]

admin said:

It has been suggested a few times that the Karma feature of this message board is disliked. Instead of deciding myself, I'm leaving it up to all of you. Sunday night (Jan 15) I will check this poll and decide whether to remove or keep the Karma feature.

i have no idea at all what that karma means.

[Wookiee]

Scenario: You make someone really angry at something you said on the message board. Maybe intentional maybe misinterpreted. Doesn't matter. This angry person decides to seek revenge. He/She logs on with a computer at the library, creates a false account with Stan’s, and proceeds to loose a game to a low-rated player. After losing, with a rating of say 1000, he/she challenges you to a game. He beats you and knocks your rating down 100 points. Elaborate, but possible.

What karma does is give everyone an alternate form of communication. It's harmless. And could be of use in venting anger or just disagreement, reducing the temptation to incorporate the tactics in the illustration above, or something more sinister. Plus you can "pat someone on the back" anonymously whenever you like. Just because you don't use it, doesn't mean it isn't useful.

I'll step down from my soapbox now...

[Stan Steliga]

Well, we have a tie 12-12 as of 11:30 Sunday night. I'll give it another 24 hours before making a decision.

[sisyfos]

The Karma system is an utterly irrelevant and childish way of communicating for these reasons:

• the simplistic nature of the inherent expressions (basically: love/hate)
  
• the lack of a method of reply
  
• The anonymity results in no (social) consequence for the sender; this will foster misuse.
  

Therefore the Karma system will undoubtly do more harm than good.

[reyn]

I'll have to agree with what sisyfos said. Nothing positive will come out of this feature.

If nothing else, this poll on the 'karma' feature has shown what a devisive issue it is. The internet is already such an anonymous place. No sense in making it more so.

Look at it this way: Will having it increase or decrease the use of the message board? Since traditionally, only a small percentage of folks who use this site use the board anyways, seeing that a number of those who already use this board see it as negative, isn't going to help the future use of it.

So, I don't think a simple vote on this karma feature is the way to go. Let both sides put into words why they think it is a good or bad thing.

Two have said they don't like it, one has said it's okay, and one doesn't even have a clue as to what it's all about.

Another question: What will happen if there is another tie? Probably nothing, unless Stan, you will cast the tie-breaker.

Please consider the above points.

[The Ancient Brit]

Well of course, the Karma feature is a daft feature, but it is also a bit of fun. I find it difficult to believe that anyone else can see it otherwise. Are we all such a set of po-faced chess players that we worry about such a flippant bit of nonsense. Let’s keep I say. I am now about to work my way down this thread and I will ‘exalt’ the karma of all those who hold an opinion opposite to my own.

[reyn]

Actually, for someone where English is their 2nd language, I think it'll do more harm than good.

Stan wants to encourage participation from all countries, I'm sure, not just North America and England, etc.

Let others that are in favour of keeping this feature tell us why they are.

[Stan Steliga]

OK - it's done... Final vote: 14-12 to remove the Karma feature.

[Stan Steliga]

If you believe in Karma, it's still there. If not, it never was.

[beck15]

admin said:

If you believe in Karma, it's still there. If not, it never was.

;D

[savin]

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green


Sorry .. couldn't resist

[reyn]

Savin, you jokester, you! ;D

[torphichen]

Do Christians believe in chameleons?