Points-based Features
There's an old thread, created by Josh, that introduced a points-based feature involving friends and deliveries. I’m not going to whip out the necromancy on that thread; rather, I want to create a new discussion that is related to it.
I would very much like to see more points-based features.
Let’s face it: Points are currently 90% useless on this site. Getting to see a specialized list of people when you hit 250 points is a good start, but somewhat … pointless. People here will send to anyone regardless of any list that is displayed on any given set’s page. The best point-based feature, to date, is the 2 tokens per 10k points earned. Not saying I want to see more token-earning, point-based features, but that is a damn good example of what points could be used for. So what can we do about it? As members – nothing more than pose our desires here. But we can pose those desires and that, I believe, is enough to get things done around here. The chefs listen. We have voices. When the two meet, it's a Reese's-style kismet.
My first offering of a points-based feature?
Rating System
Tons of sites, forums, online communities have some form of post/thread/user rating system. You can vote up, or down, a post depending on your attitude towards it. Is there a particular user that is really doing it for you on the site? Give them the 'ol +1. Is there a thread that you think deserves praise or scorn? Rate it. But you gotta have the points to get this privilege. I’ll leave the specifics on how many points are needed to open such a feature up to the community and, ultimately, the chefs. It would have to be a fair amount, though – no less than the mid-4-digit range (possibly right at 10,000 even). We want truly active members having this ability – otherwise, we risk so many sock puppets (aka: dupe accounts), the feature becomes useless and performs absolutely opposite of its intention.
This rating system would be the same whether it be post, thread or user. We could keep it simple, something like a +1 or -1. Put the + or - icon next to the thread title, far right side of post banner (next to the trash can, for reference) or in the sidebar of a user's profile page (maybe between Badges and Friends, like a My Rating section or something). Each +/- would go into a "pool" of ratings for the user responsible for the post or thread (and their profile) and a total would be generated to display how many "Rate Points" they have.
Example: dyar posts awesome summary threads. 6 people give the thread a +1 (+6). In a post he makes on someone else's thread, 3 people found it good and gave it a +1, while 5 found it out of place and gave it a -1 (overall -2). Some people have gone to his profile page (to look up a thread of his or to send him a delivery) and decide to rate him there (for sake of example, his profile has a +5 total). dyar’s current, overall “Rate Points” would be +9.
Now, some additional rules might be necessary to make this a bit more balanced. Let's see how these fit your fancy:
• The number of Rate Points you can give is equal to the number of tokens you receive each month. That number replenishes just as your tokens do. They fundamentally work exactly like tokens, except you are giving a rating and not spending them on icon sets.
• You can only rate any given post/thread/user one time per month. This should combat some sock puppetry ratings that could occur.
Bonuses:
At a certain number of total Rate Points (say, 50), you get a badge. The badge does not give you any points, stamps, or tokens. You're already being highly rated, don’t be greedy. This badge however, could follow you on the board just like the VIP badge does (it could be a small badge in your Badges collection or the My Rating section, however, unlike the VIP big badge on your profile page). At a rating of perhaps 150, you would sport a new badge (and thus have 2 now in your My Rating section).
What happens if your rating drops below 50?
That’s a good question. This might have to be a badge that is displayed only in your My Rating section. Obviously, there is code in place to turn the VIP badge on and off, so the same would have to be applied to the rate badge. Drop below your current badge’s rating and you lose that badge. After all, you shouldn’t be able to display a good rating when you don’t have one.
Whew! That was long and, no doubt, still full of holes. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, but I want to hear your ideas on what features could become available to members based on points earned. But my message in the end is simple:
Let’s make points mean something again.
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soprano on Mar 20, 2008
Interesting concept.
wallerdm
on Mar 20, 2008
Sounds like an interesting idea but don't forget the newer members among us who are still just as active as those with 10k+ points.
My points total is gradually getting there (almost hit 1k after 3 months) but I'm finding increasingly that there's a shortage of new members joining the IB that I can send my basic collection to.
I think it's a great idea though, to have the collective awarding prizes and badges to users they feel benefit the community.
tamashii on Mar 20, 2008
Sounds like an interesting idea but don't forget the newer members among us who are still just as active as those with 10k+ points.
Perhaps, then, my initial statement of mid-4-digits (aka 5k) would be more reasonable. Again, this is the part of the discussion that needs feedback in addition to entirely new/different ideas on what points could be actually used for.
debbye on Mar 20, 2008
i think this is something that would add some incentive for those of us who are in the "All Sets/No Stamps Clan" territory! i check in several times a day, but there is little activity for me.
Great idea, oh disappearing Ninja!
emanaton on Mar 20, 2008
My name is Sean P. O. MacCath-Moran, and I approve of this concept.
louiemctool on Mar 20, 2008
Hmm. Love the idea. My only caveat would be that it punishes people like me who like to post random stuff wherever, whenever. But, I'd be willing to accept that.
You have my vote. Do it, Chefies!
:)
FunkyMunky on Mar 20, 2008
I've been wanting something more out of this site for way too long now and this could be the answer. Count my vote in as well.
By the way... do the Chefs still exist to implement this? I'm starting to think they were just figments of our imaginations.
tamashii on Mar 20, 2008
@louie :: i wouldn't say it punishes someone like you.
First, not everyone thinks your stuff is so horrible that it would deserve a -1. You post funny stuff and I haven't seen anything from you that I would vote negatively.
Second, they would have to use one of their few rating votes (remember, they only get as many as they have tokens per month) to judge you either way. I don't think they would use a vote to rate you negative.
While we (and I mean "the internet") are quick to negatively judge someone, I think the atmosphere is more positive and people would have to really turn someone off to garner a negative rating.
debbye on Mar 20, 2008
even tho i have had some negative things to say, lately, i think this is one of the most positive places that i've found on the web. if it was like so many sites, i would have left long ago, or at a minimum, gathered my pixels and not participate.
I think we are loosing our VIPs and there has been little to no response from the Chefs about it. Something needs to be done to keep us here because the trading thing has pretty much come to an end. my stamps disappear faster than new sets are sent!
i truely hope that "Plan B" comes to pass. "Plan A" for us has run out of steam …
anti on Mar 20, 2008
I would waste all my points on grammar-nazi foolishness. :(
MaskedJedi on Mar 20, 2008
I personally think the reason why the chefs haven't been here that much is because of Packrat.
tamashii on Mar 21, 2008
C’mon… surely there are some of you out there that have other ideas for points-based features. What else do you want your points to do for you?
FunkyMunky on Mar 21, 2008
Earn me frequent flier miles and gift-cards to my favorite restaurants and stores.
FunkyMunky on Mar 21, 2008
Sorry to double post but I have a suggestion for tokens/stamps that might keep people from wasting tokens each month. How about being able to buy a "book" of stamps (10-20 stamps) with tokens? Say you have 2 tokens left over before your token renewal and there are no bronze sets available so instead of just losing those tokens you can buy 2 books of stamps instead. With so few deliveries nowadays it would be nice to have another way of earning stamps. Granted this suggestion won't add much to what makes this site/game so addictive and fun but I think it would be a nice improvement.
debbye on Mar 21, 2008
Anyone interested in "The Point" by Harry Nilsson?
tamashii on Mar 21, 2008
@FunkyMunky :: that's not really a points-based feature…
@debbye :: Haven't heard of it. Will look into it.
Marosa on Mar 21, 2008
Nice try, but don't you think is better to ask for new sets instead of new features? If they don't have time for releasing new sets, do you think they will have time to develop new features?
I thought this site was closed/dead. I haven't receive a new free set from the chefs in almost a month. I don't feel like coming as I used to, at least to check for new sets and read some new blogs. I knew PackRat was going to kill this site. Well, it was good while it lasted.
debbye on Mar 21, 2008
@tamashii - FunkyMunky's idea could be a points-based feature, if a token/stamp "solution" would kick in after 10K or 15K.
tamashii on Mar 21, 2008
@Marosa :: I do not think it better to ask for new sets over features as the implementation of a feature is a "set it and forget it" enhancement.
New sets are going to come when the chefs get around to making them. We have absolutely no control over that schedule whatsoever.
The features I am asking for are 100% independent of the sets that are released. Meaning we can interact with the site in a way that does not rely on a set being available to deliver/accept.
undetected
on Mar 21, 2008
Ahh, more points-based features to make me jealous. :( I'm a VIP who visits several times a week and still I'm only at ~600 points. The competition to send other people icons is so high I wonder how poeple ever reach 10000 points. Then I check the leaderboard and see several people reaching 10 times that. Whew.
I think the only way I'll reach 10k is if I keep a browser open pointing to the forum all the time throughout my work day, but I don't have a good excuse cause I shouldn't be browsing IB at work (it's not work related for me). I once did this when I worked from home and realized it cost me a good amount of time trying to be the first to respond to icon requests.
Anyway, you guys have fun with the add'l perks you can get approved! More power, and I hope to join you someday.
louiemctool on Mar 21, 2008
As far as I can tell, there are/were some fairly defined roles at Firewheel:
John M. & Brain B. : Icon artists
Keegen: Web designer
Josh: Um, Big Cheese?
Scott R.: Um...I knew once, now I have forgotten...
So asking for new features is perfectly acceptable, because it shouldn't take anything away from iconmaster and etherbrian...
just saying.
:)
misterhaan on Mar 21, 2008
i was thinking pretty much what louie said, but i’ll add this:
personally i have the requires skills to implement a rating feature (in fact, i’ve done exactly that on my site), but i don't have the skills to create a nice-looking set of icons. for an example, here are some icons i made for my site:
info, error, unread message, read message, replied message
tamashii on Mar 21, 2008
so… surely someone else has a points-based feature idea they would like to see implemented here. dyar? aaroncampbell? anyone?
louiemctool on Mar 21, 2008
the only other feature i really *want* is the ability for some IBers to become forum moderators, which could perhaps tie into your ranking system. it would be nice to know someone is watching over IB, when the chefs are away...
:)
gswd on Mar 21, 2008
As people may well remember, I have always advocated for the ability to "gift" a set. Meaning that the recipient spends no tokens on the set, as if a Chef sent it as a Fresh Free Delivery.
I think that at a certain point level, you could be awarded the ability to send 1 (one) set to someone, and it would be a tokenless gift to that person. You only get the 1, and it does not refresh until you pass the next point mark, be it every 5k, 7k, 10k, or what have you.
Maybe even a graduated scale so you get your first at 4k (then every 2k), but up to 12k points you can only send a bronze set. Starting at 14k up to 28k you can send a silver, or bronze, set. 30k - 48k gold (or lower), and 50k and up diamond (or lower).
louiemctool on Mar 21, 2008
that would certainly be cool...
:)
debbye on Mar 24, 2008
*bump*
elnitido52 on Mar 24, 2008
@Tamashii - Want ideas...why getting 10 Shanghai sets (10 tokens) gives you 100 points and getting Amsterdam sets (39 tokens) gives you also 100 points? shouldn't be a little more? Or getting Marseilles (44 tokens) also 100 points...getting the 3 Diamond sets gives you 1,000 points (30 tokens only)...sending 50 Gold sets only gives you 250 points...why? I can get 250 points easily by sending one Diamond set!...don't you think they should revise the whole point system...and release more set too!...
rc
on Mar 25, 2008
@Tamashii - I start giving you a +1
annikalee on Mar 25, 2008
I like the concept. It's interesting though I do think that it might be hard to know whether or not the rating is based on the post/thread/user for a reason or if it was just to make the rating go down. (Does that make any sense?)
Jen on Mar 25, 2008
anni, you've got a point there - it could be used maliciously without the proper limitations in place. something to think about though - would be a neat feature.
tamashii on Mar 25, 2008
Just to reiterate my previous “balancers” that might dissuade potential negative-Nancys in it for the rate-downs:
• The number of Rate Points you can give is equal to the number of tokens you receive each month. That number replenishes just as your tokens do. They fundamentally work exactly like tokens, except you are giving a rating and not spending them on icon sets.
• You can only rate any given post/thread/user one time per month. This should combat some sock puppetry ratings that could occur.
If your rate “tokens” are finite and your ability to rate someone a select number of times per month (depending on how active they are), you are gonna be more specific and purposeful with your ratings.
gullicat
on Apr 18, 2008
There are a lot of sites that use points in exchange for freebies. I belong to about 4 myself. Don't think gift cards or discounts will work very well here. But what if we could exchange some points for the all too few tokens? As FunkyMunky said, you have only 2 tokens and no bronze sets available. Could one token be bought with points allowing you to get a silver set? A simple exchange rate could be established for getting either tokens or stamps. I also liked gswd's gifting a set idea.
tylermenezes on Apr 18, 2008
I like the ideas presented. I never was too concerned with earning points (which is probably why I still have about 500 stamps) because I see little point.