Re: [Osdc-list] Points system

[Wes Leonard <wleonard redhat com>]

On 12/2/10 2:45 AM, Werner Gold wrote:
> Am Mittwoch, den 01.12.2010, 12:56 -0500 schrieb Jason Hibbets:
>    
> > 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?
> >      
> Highlighting top contributors seems to work on some sites (e.g.
> SDN.sap.com). We did just set up a CMS here in to handle the article
> input for our EMEA partner newsletter. I am using userpoints there as
> well, but we're just about to use it for the first newsletter now.
> I know, it is a quite flexible system, allowing a variety of criteria to
> give points or not. the quality of an article can be measured indirectly
> (Rating and viewing). So you may give a combination of points for
> article contribution and article acceptance.
>
> @Quaid: Here is another interesting one:
> http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/tom_chatfield_7_ways_games_reward_the_brain.html
>
> Werner
>
> If anyone of our opensource.com contributors here would be willing to
> tell some interesting things to our EMEA partners, let me know.
>
>    
> > What other sites do you use that have points systems that you like? Why
> > do you like them?
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Jason
> >      
>    
I think the biggest questions to ask are "What do we want this point 
system to denote" and "How may people try to game the system?"

It depends on what the intent of the points are and how they are 
granted. Do they denote subject matter authority? Are the points granted 
in a social networking system? (a la Digg.com) That can be helpful - a 
quick way to show a user whether the information they're reading is 
coming from someone who has been vetted by his/her peers. On the other 
hand, this can also create a self-sustaining in-crowd of forum aristocrats.

If the score is based solely on number of posts, then "Bob the 
basement-dwelling social outcast" is able to bump up his score by sheer 
amount of time spent in the forums, then you have authority based not on 
merit but only on tenure.

Thanks,
-wes