Suggestion for a "rating" system

[jglass38]

Ya know Smulkin, I'd gladly volunteer to go through and give each and every user a rating free of charge! .... muhahahahahahaha!!

Anything that I can do to help!

-adam

Butt kisser!

I for one will NOT volunteer! I am selfish!

[Adam_Wysocki]

Butt kisser!

I for one will NOT volunteer! I am selfish!

Oh, I've got a special rating already picked out for you!!

[jglass38]

Oh, I've got a special rating already picked out for you!!

Extra special? Little buddy?

[alexrls]

hey! lets keep it above the belt i want this to be a nice clean fight!!!

[Shelby]

That's a scary idea, Adam.

[Adam_Wysocki]

That's a scary idea, Adam.

Glad someone saw my twisted sense of humor screaming for attention!

-adam

[TekWarren]

personally I think ratings *could* turn a good thing bad. As said there is no real way to determine someone's knowledge, especially based on the number of animals they keep or have kept and how long. A person could have 15 snakes but not keep them in good conditions...or another person could have 1 snake for 15yrs (theoretically speaking) and still only have enough knowledge to realize that it needs to be kept "warm" and given something to eat periodically. I personally don't care for a reputation system myself either. Using myself as an example: I recently allowed myself to sucked into a debate that can be very touchy for reptile keepers. I explained some views and oppinions which where taken completely the wrong way, arguments broke out, and because I was "newer" member on that forum I was kinda ganged up on and berrated with negative rep points. Not that it is something I care about but there are those who would have the mindset that these "points" are actually worth something and would literally fight for them. In the same situation...I gave a bad rep to someone for personally attacking me...the individual came back to the thread stated what i had done publicly and instantly had his/her "friends" from the forum "refilling" his rep points to cancel mine out. It's all just a game in my eyes and *could* take away from the general friendlyness of a forum when people start trying to compete so they can look better than the next person. In the forums I have run over the years I have gone so far as to hide post count to prevent anyone from feeling they are better or have more pull over someone who has less posts, I have also found this will sometimes bring out lurkers to participate more as they don't feel like they are any less important than a person who has say 10,000 posts.

Sorry for the long blab, and this may just be a worst case scenario but something to think about.