The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Was there a decision to remove Karma? I know on some automobile forums I subscribed to they use whats called "Reputation". That is helpful when you are looking at advice about taking apart your engine, or permanently changing the ECU, etc.

PS - All the TROUT are in Southern California!

The decision was made to temporarily disable Karma until it can be re-worked. It was being abused by at least one individual who was registering multiple names in order to hit other people's Karma. It is amazing what lengths some folks will go in order to put others down--especially over something like Karma on a fly fishing forum.

The cons of the current system of Karma were outweighing the pros. There are lots of new things on the NCFFB, and Karma is probably the least important of them, but I think that something similiar to Karma will be re-instituted in the future. Feel free to email or pm or post here any suggestions you have to G.M., or to anyone else on the Steering Committee. "Reputation" sounds pretty good--how does it work in those forums?

Dawn

That's hilarious. And pathetic.

Its truly funny, at times, how things evolve on this forum. We are talking about a simple electronic cyber bulletin board, and some people will go to great lengths to undermine what really are just entertainment features.

It is hilarious and pathetic.

Just like that old SNL skit: "Wait, you're both right. It's a great floor clean and a delicious dessert topping!!"

Did that happen already? For a while there, I thought maybe everyone was being good and avoiding politics to keep off the bad karma . . . it's why I removed my obnoxious signature! Kind of

PS you should go to Patagonia.

I for one was glad to see the system removed. I didn't realize it was only temporary. Since it is, I think I'll toss my .02 in on the subject and see if it sparks a discussion. I remember a thread a while back on the old board about this. Greg enabled a hit counter on threads a lot like the one this board has. If I'm not mistaken, there was also talk about a karma like points system. When Greg has time to archive the old board I'll try and dig it up. I remember that folks were dead set against it. Reasons sited were abuse of the system and a popularity contest atmosphere to name a few that I remember. It would be interesting to see what folks said about it back then and compare it to how they feel about it now. I really didn't like the vibe I was getting from the whole Karma points deal but at first I thought it was just that the site was just unfamiliar to me and it was effecting how I felt about it. After reading in the FAQ's about the point of the system It pretty much firmed up my view on it. It says the whole idea behind the system is to see who carries the most weight with other posters. Why? What would be gained by knowing that? For me, I already know who's opinions carry weight with me. Those opinions can vary depending on the subject. If we're talking stripers I'm looking for input from different folks then say entomology or steelhead. A karma system isn't going to effect that one bit for me. When I ask a question, even though I'm interested in everyone's opinion, there's always going to be folks who's opinions I'm looking for regardless of what number they have next to their name. With that points system I noticed that some folks changed a little and a kind of phony ass kissing contest began to develop. The vibe I got from the whole thing was odd and I really don't think I would've continued to post here if it continued to move in that strange direction. When it comes back I plan to see how it goes before making a decision like that but if it heads further into that direction I don't think I would enjoy it here. What I liked about the NCFFB when I first found it was that it was different from the other boards I posted on. The other boards were filled with folks arguing about who knew the most about fishing and people ganging up on each other over stupid crap. This place was laid back and fun. People got along because they wanted to and I thought that was cool. When disagreements arose both sides would back off before it got ugly without anyone asking them to. I wish the board could move back in that direction somehow. Is this popularity points system really what you want? I'd be interested in hearing what folks thought. What do the karma ratings represent to you and what do you feel the system would accomplish?

Thanks Shawn!

This is a great discussion to have. I know we all want the NCFFB to be a great place to hang out online, and it is the input from everyone who likes to hang out here that makes it so. Not having karma or anything similiar is also a possibility--there are things which are being tried on this new format which may not work out. That's okay, it's important to try new things. Thanks for posting your two cents and initiating this discussion

Dawn

no/msg

I kinda of liked the karma system but I can see where you could run into problems with it. It was kinda of nice to read a report that you could see someone put a lot of work into, or posted a picture that was particularly nice, or did some volunteer work that you felt strongly about, or volunteered some information which helped someone out, or someone just posted a particularly funny reply. I found it refreshing to be able to give them a heads up by just hitting the karma button.

And as far as removing Karma points the only time I'd consider that would be if someone made a childish or inappropriate remark about someone else on the board. But I wouldn't deduct karma points if someone just disagreed with my point of view.

Just my feelings,

Pete

Thanks for putting words to the feelings I had. The whole karma system reminded me of Student Body Elections here at the high school. popularity and self-aggrandizement [sp?] run amok. I did, however, enjoy the laughs from watching my own karma go up and down...and I don't even know any of y'all. How do you know how I live my life?

Wanna make karma even more fun??? Have a list on a person's profile of who they gave props, and who they dissed!

Mike
Woodland, CA