On Wed, Dec 01, 2010 at 12:56:17PM -0500, Jason Hibbets wrote: > Hi opensource.com users. > > We just posted a discussion on our Facebook page about adding a points > system to opensource.com - > http://www.facebook.com/opensourceway?v=app_2373072738#!/topic.php?uid=162962298056&topic=18458 > > Feel free to help start the conversation there, or, if you'd like, we > can collect feedback via the mailing list as well. > > *Points system* > We're looking at installing a Drupal point system module on the site. > What do you think? > > What other sites do you use that have points systems that you like? Why > do you like them? Initial reactions here, and I'm not entirely sure what the Drupal point system does, but just hearing about it brings this to mind: http://opensource.com/business/10/7/why-incentives-dont-work-education%E2%80%94or-business-world So I get that badges and point systems seem to work on websites, or so I'm told by experts, but I'm unclear what exactly is gained. Personally, when I am on a site that is tracking and revealing my usage of the site with such information, I am made aware of how much or little I do there. The negative side of that is if I see others suddenly rocketing ahead, I may react by just not trying anymore. It's hard to compete in web fora on number of posts when your style is more focused on a few quality posts instead of quantity. (Conversely, I dropped my posting to Red Hat's famous internal memo-list when I appeared in the top-ten posters a few years ago.) Not really sure what the point system does in this regard, but I could see someone with a large quantity of relatively mediocre comments getting more points than someone who occasionally makes a really great comment. In that case, if I were the second person, I would feel disincentivized by the tracking system. - Karsten -- name: Karsten 'quaid' Wade, Sr. Community Gardener team: Red Hat Community Architecture uri: http://TheOpenSourceWay.org/wiki gpg: AD0E0C41
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