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The Unavoidable Evil: XP
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The Unavoidable Evil: XP
#1XP has always been a godsend and the devil. The purpose it serves is useful but at the expense of what? I did a little research on everything2 which this site used as sort of a benchmark on how to do things and found a few threads the expand on the same aggravation. Thought I would share a few of these things.
What I learned from it all: Nothing I don't think we have already talked about. Seems like the issues are similiar and unavoidable....are they worth it?
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http://www.everything2.com/e2node/XP%2520stoicism
XP stoicism
created by ideath
(idea) by ideath (5 mon) (print) ? 3 C!s I like it! Tue Apr 11 2000 at 3:45:48
We (the common noders) have no control over who will be on E2, and what opinions they bring with them. We have no way (other than by carefully worded suggestions) to influence the way they will spend the votes and cools they earn, by hook or by crook.
Presumably, we are writing nodes we feel deserve to be voted up. If one of yours is voted down, and you carefully and exhaustively review the node and still feel the judgement is unfair, There's nothing you can do about it but feel superior. Why superior? Because you have better taste, better sense, better noder skills than whomever that schmuck was. Ok, well, the other option is to complain. And if you complain, you lose all right to feel superior. That's right, kids. You heard it here first.
We have almost no power over how people will vote, and the power that we do hold is in our eloquence and erudition as played out in our nodes, not our whinging prowess. I can say from experience that people who constantly whine in the Chatterbox make my downvote finger itch. Not that i would, understand, but i could... We're here to build a database, not gather XP. If we can't influence the voters, we shouldn't allow them to excite our passions. If you're not having fun, you're not noding right. Node what you want to node, not what you think people want you to node. So please: be unmoved by cools or votes. Be moved by the people who pour themselves into E2 daily. I mean, after all, it's not as if you're going to get a framed certificate and a million dollars when you reach the next level. Just a new title. And maybe a spaceship.
i would like to give co-writing credit to yossarian, who was there for me, man,
and to Marcus Aurelius, who did it first and better.
(idea) by xunker (20 hr) (print) ? 2 C!s I like it! Tue Dec 05 2000 at 17:40:23
XP Stoicism is a nice idea in theory, but in practice, I really don't think it works on every level. The General synopsis of this node would have to be 'we don't have to sanitize our ideas' -- it's a very good position. The problem is, due to people being human, it fails sometimes in its execution.
It's easy to say 'fuck reputation' when you're a level 9, because by then you have so many people already backing you that anyone disagreeing with you is in the minority. Chances are, people already respect you because of your level and the length of time you've been here. But it's a completely different story for the new user who joined last month. A new, inept user doesn't have the option of ignoring reputation because the whole user structure (not E2 itself, mind you) is based on level, which is in part based on XP.
I had the good fortune of becomming a part of the community long before E2 came around (we were still everything.blockstackers.com back then), and so there was no such thing as XP or C! as we know them today. So by the time I migrated to E2, I was already off the bottom rung and I didn't have to worry a whole lot. But for a new user, they will be judged mostly by their XP, and then by their number of writeups. We must never forget how hard it was for us in the begining.
So, practice XP Stoicism if you can get away with it, the database will be a better place for it, but don't judge those who don't. Reputation is like money: It's easy to say it's not important when you have more than you need.
(idea) by Spuunbenda (2 d) (print) ? 1 C! I like it! Mon Feb 19 2001 at 20:17:34
earlier WU deleted, expressing pain at the loss of XP
Why the hell should it hurt to see Ack! You lost experience!?
It should only hurt if you concede that every single person on E2 is smarter, wiser and cooler than you--then you could be sure that every vote for or against you comes from a position of authority. Mostly, though, votes come from people who are much like you; they know more about this, less about that, and may be in any sort of mood today from postcoital bliss to bitter, vengeful rage.
So if you take the care to node what you know and for the ages, you have absolutely nothing to fear.
Just watch your spelling.
(idea) by Monkeylover (15.7 hr) (print) ? 3 C!s I like it! Tue Sep 04 2001 at 2:10:39
Before I either a) continue noding and reach the enlightenment of XP Stoicism or b) stop frequenting everything2 I would like to add a little bit to this node from the new to everything perspective. You see, as of this writing I am only at level 2, and just barely that. The short journey from level 1 to here has left me with a few insights into the workings of everything2 and the accumulation of XP. I would like to share these not only for my fellow initiates and novices, but also for the many high-level users who may have forgotten exactly what it's like being on the bottom of the ladder.
Everything is overwhelming, but holds a perverse attraction - When I first encountered everything2, I was amazed. I thought, "What a great idea!", but as I crawled through its links, I realized many of the topics I would like to write on were already sufficiently covered to prevent me from adding anything of value to them. Thus began my restless drive to find nodes not yet created, and to node them. I thought this would be contributing to the database in a useful way, but secretly it also held that satisfaction of "I was here first!". On the path to XP Stoicism, (if this is your chosen path), this must be resisted. The search for nodes not yet created prevented me from spending my time creating better written and better researched posts on nodes that need a little help. Instead of one good, thought out addition to an already existing node, I was creating many short, sloppy new nodes.
Experience = Votes = Feeling of power - Initiates are not given voting privileges. It is not the scope of this post to debate the plus or minus of that, just to note it. It is important because as a new user, I could not vote on nodes I thought were very good, or even nodes I thought were very bad. This seemed unfair (again, not passing judgment, just relating events here) to see that, though I could not vote on other's posts, they could vote on mine. This also fuels XP Whoreing because of the desire to gain the ability to vote. Thus, I found myself posting below average posts solely for the writeup credit I would receive.
Daylogs are the devil - Ok, perhaps not "the devil" in the sense of temptation of Christ, but definitely "the devil" in the sense of temptation to post random, varied accounts of one's life in order to receive a relatively high number of votes with a minimal amount of effort. Of my two daylog entries, both have accumulated many more votes than any of my regular posts. This is not to say my post were very good, just that the voting seemed to be skewed in favor of daylogs. This practice leads to initiates and novices like myself posting many irreverent daylog entries (although daylogs are certainly of value) just to obtain the (almost) certain rapid vote accumulation.
I hope that these few points will help in your path to XP Stoicism. If not direct guidelines, they at least show what not to do.
Edited: Feb. 16, 2002 Well, I am still level 2, although very close to reaching level 3 now. In the extended time it has taken me to get here (I know many, probably most, noders reach level 3 in much less time than it has taken me) I have learned a few additional things.
Fact Noding is My Friend -- Almost the entire bulk of my writeups during level 2 have been factual nodes. Not single paragraph nodes either, but thought-out, referenced, and researched nodes at that. New noders beware! The amount of time and effort expended on factual noding is not reflected in the initial vote count. Yet over time, almost all of these nodes have performed well. So please, fill the database with useful, insightful, and well-researched content, even if it seems like no one cares. Eventually someone will (even if by that time you have ascended to XP Stoicism, at which point it won't matter anyway!)
Downvotes are useful too -- So you finally reached level 2, and now you get your 10 votes a day! Since you are on a path to XP Stoicism, and you aren't voting solely for the XP gained from it, then why don't you put those votes to good use? Instead of dumping them on a daylog, click on the "Random Node" option, and see what comes up. Chances are, it will be crap. When I say this, I mean that there is a ton of poor, one-liner nodes hidden out there in the database, and they need to be edited or eliminated. Use the power of your votes to help make this happen. Many of the high-level noders even keep a list of nodes which need to be fixed, amended, or deleted posted on their homenodes. Let's all pull together and help the Content Rescue Team!
Finally, remember what Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu, Kong fuzi) says;
The Master said, (The good man) does not grieve
that other people do not recognise his merits. His
only anxiety is lest he should fail to recognise theirs.
Taken from Book One, Verse 16 of The Analects, Arthur Waley translation. -
Re: The Unavoidable Evil: XP
#2===================
http://www.everything2.com/e2node/A%2520view%2520from%2520the%2520bottom%2520of%2520E2
A view from the bottom of E2
created by Vice_hkpnx
(idea) by Vice_hkpnx (2.5 mon) (print) ? 2 C!s I like it! Sun Jun 10 2001 at 7:53:14
I came to E2 by way of Slashdot. I know this isn't new nor rare, but it shaped the way I saw E2 at the beginning.
I clicked through softlinks for awhile and decided I want to contribute. I want what I know to be spread. I saw E2 as merely a storage for information, a way for information to be cross-linked, easily found and connected.
I read the Everything FAQ and skimmed Everything University. I got an account. I started noding.
I noded like crazy. I know foosball, so I started noding about foosball. But, I noded poorly. I made separate nodes about everything in foosball. I figured, "If someone was searching for a specific thing about foosball, they want to find my node about bar players and 3 man rod right?." The logic worked for me. Luckily, someone caught me before I got out of hand. (I wish I could remember who did it, but I can't.) They told me to make one large node, containing all the information I had made into many seperate nodes. Taking his/her advice, I did. He/she then C! that writeup. However thankful I am for that C! I think it was a bad idea.
It was my first wiff of success. I started going crazy. I wrote a node on black metal, then on false metal, and then onto play on 10. Then I stopped. Thankfully.
I watched my nodes get downvoted, I watched what I had written get soflinked to some horrible stuff. At first, I was angry. I was pissed. How dare someone trash this out of hand. They didn't even think before they voted. Those BASTARDS! I stopped looking at E2.
I calmed down and I came back. I read more on E2. I slowly understood that's not just about information, but creativity, writing, and community. I read about XP pack rape, E2 is Unfriendly to New Noders, I actually wandered around for awhile. I read some amazing personal accounts and stories, some damn good jokes, and stuff I didn't know.
I went to user's homenodes. I read what a person had actually written. A REAL PERSON. I wasn't looking at just some page, but a piece of someone. A piece they had taken the time to give to a community, and had the guts to put out something that might be smackdown or praised.
Seeing what other people had written actually made me feel guilty about the nodes I had written before. I never wanted to be a troll, but what I had written was bad. I only have 7 writeups, but I can truthfully say I only like 2 of them.
Before I had seen E2 as cruel and conceited. I think I understand now what exactly it's about. At least, I understand what I truly like about it.
I know this type of node has been written before. But maybe a personal account is better. I don't know. Maybe i'd be better suited as an observer than a contributer.
Update: cordelia pointed out that fruan was the one that C!'d my foosball writeup. Thanks to both of 'em. -
Re: The Unavoidable Evil: XP
#3http://www.everything2.com/title/E2%2520is%2520Unfriendly%2520to%2520New%2520Noders
E2 is unfriendly to new noders
created by PUssyKat
(idea) by Crux (5.4 d) (print) ? 1 C! I like it! Wed Mar 28 2001 at 18:26:14
Let us say, for just one moment, that E2 is in fact Unfriendly to New Noders. So what? What if I completely grant that dannye, tem42, gamaliel, and mat catastrophe (to choose the first four noders currently on Other Users) do, in fact, resent, nay, despise you simply for being new. So what?
You are presented with two paths after this revelation (barring whining about it... oh. wait.) The first is fairly simple - leave. Start your own collective database. While that may not seem a very fair thing for me to say, that's the point - it doesn't have to be. This isn't the US of A. There is no Constitution or Bill of Rights. And there is certainly no Noding with the consent of the Noders. We, every single one of us, are here because we have consented to put up with a certain amount of bullshit (or what some of us perceive as such). But righteously claiming to be confronting Dem Bones with the truth about his totalitarian regime is tantamount to complaining that nuking your node on why Bill Clinton is a dunderhead is censorship - even if it were, it doesn't matter. Censorship isn't illegal here, Bones makes the rules.
Or you could keep going. You could keep going and maybe some day become a higher-up. You could, as knifegirl has already so graciously suggested, make E2 a better place. This isn't, to me, about earning one's bullshit. It's about realizing that the bullshit doesn't give two shits about you, one way or another.
Because I've got news for you - E2 wouldn't blink an eye if you, or I, or the vast majority of noders here, left and never came back. Take that as you will.
(idea) by Tem42 (9.7 hr) (print) ? 1 C! I like it! Wed Mar 28 2001 at 18:29:24
Yes, you have my permission to nuke this. But I think it needs to be pointed out.
E2 is a bunch of people, and people are weird. This really and truly is how people work. Trying to describe E2 as more than a just a lot of people (For Example, "Unfriendly People", "Smart People", or "People Who Like Lesbians and Soy") is doomed to failure.
People is just people, and you gotta deal with them.
(idea) by Cow Of Doom (2.9 y) (print) ? 3 C!s I like it! Wed Mar 28 2001 at 18:49:31
"WAAH WAAH WAAH! SOMEONE DIDN'T LIKE MY NODE! THIS PLACE IS FULL OF MEANIES AND POOPHEADS! WAAAAH!"
If I hear one more person whining about how E2 is Unfriendly to New Noders and E2 is elitist and E2 killed my dog, and I don't think it's fair, I myself will personally find a way to create an army of flesh-eating zombies and train them to bitchslap every man, woman, and child on God's GREEN BUTTHUMPING CROTCHSNIFFING EARTH and shriek the following phrase over and over at the top of their foul, rotting lungs:
DON'T LET THE BASTARDS GRIND YOU DOWN
urrgghghh, brains...
There are enough people out there that no matter what you do, someone will hate it. That's right. Someone, somewhere, hates your guts. And you know what? There isn't a goddamn thing you can do about it. By whining, YOU LOSE. Game over. The bastards win. You are at their mercy.
Your only recourse is to ignore the few voices that speak nothing but malice, poison and fear. Toughen up and node. Listen to the whispers of the other hundreds of people who say "I kinda like this."
"But, but, what about my nodes? They get all these downvotes, nobody likes my story about a poop I named Jimmy. It's because the editors are hypocrites and they're out to get me. Maybe I should start checking that "Do not display in New Writeups" box so they won't see them."
NO! NO! YOU FUCKING IMBECILE! NO! NO!
What you are doing is wrong and cowardly and stupid. Just because nobody sees your node, that does not mean it is not a big, steaming hunk of SHIT. Burying your shit does not make you a better noder - it makes you a pussy (like a kitty. they bury their poop. get it?) I have a special zombie for you - he screams:
IF YOUR NODES ARE GETTING NUKED, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE WRITING SHITTY NODES
urrghh, brainnnss...
Maybe you should channel all this energy that you are putting into your incessant whining into improving your writing. Maybe you should learn how to link. Maybe you should learn some HTML. Maybe you should learn how to express a coherent fucking thought without drooling on yourself before blaming the evil baby-eating editors who are out to get YOU and just YOU.
Now go node or fuck off.
(thing) by Wuukiee (2.2 y) (print) ? 1 C! I like it! Wed Mar 28 2001 at 19:25:33
As long as you come in not expecting a welcome, e2 is not entirely "unfriendly". As long as you approach it in the same manner you'd go to, oh, a slightly classy club you'd heard of. A place that wasn't just any old joint but a certain type of people with a certain type of interest gathered there, and some had been gathering there for forever. And you're just sticking your head in out of curiosity.
in a setting such as this, the intelligent thing is *not* to scream to be heard and demand instantly that you become the center of attention because you are god's gift to mankind. it's fine and good to wander in, have a drink, see what it's all about and just kind of watch the people mill about a while. you have the basic right to be there and *watch* at least, and perhaps later on mill about yourself, beginning to mingle with those who'll let you. (yes, there *will* be hardheads who give the "i remember when..."'s and will refuse to take you seriously till you've proven yourself. such is humanity. but more than likely, unless you're a little prick about being ignored and treated poorly, there will be some who'll be happy to talk to you as you wander by.
on the same line of logic, you walk into a club like this, you don't go up to the person nearest you and start telling them the intimate details of how you're in this bizarre situation where you're about to lose your lease and your job and your dog has measles and everything else. they won't really want to hear it. and again, in a "classier" place like that, you probably shouldn't go up to people and start telling them intimate stories about your sex life, or how distraught you are your lover of three decades is leaving you. sure, if the conversation *goes* there it's quite alright. but you very rarely *start* it there, or you shouldn't. it's safer to start talking "fact", about the weather or the local sports team, or some current event, or even what you're drinking if it's unusual and someone asks about it.
and again, in such a place. if you wander in and stay, fine. if you wander out and never come back... *shrugs* there's enough people through there, and enough people who are established and staying, the 'loss' of one more new face is more the norm than the exception. it's barely noticed at all.
as long as you don't dare presume E2 owes you anything, as long as you sit and try to grok it, as long as you treat it and its people properly, it's not hostile. may take a while to warm up to you and your writings. but if you behave decently and contribute usefully, it's not out to get you.
(place) by xunker (20.2 hr) (print) ? 1 C! I like it! Wed Jun 06 2001 at 17:30:48
I purposely held off putting anything in hopes that I would 'simmer down' and get over it. But I haven't. Eh, life sucks.
I've read everything in this node over and over again, and there seems to be two forces at work: New noders who feel they are not being given a chance, and ancient noders resent the implication. Both factions make good points, but..
The new noder posts are operating on a very dangerous assumption: E2 is fair.
E2 is Unfriendly to Everyone. Deal.
Whomever thought of that concept that Everything2 is somehow impartial and fair should be slapped.
Everthing2, as a system of code, is completely unbiased. Perl does not care who you are. It gives less than a shit about your feelings. It just does it job.
Code, however, is where E2's freedom-from-bias ends.
The human side of E2, the noders, are full of the same cliques and in-crowds that everywhere else is -- only in this case, it's all about electrons. It's a common misconception that, somehow, the internet will cure all bias.
Even though it's popularity has soared, the main voting strata of E2 are still 16-25 year old computer geeks who love hearing about sex. Why is that wrong? Are people wrong for being amused by things you don't like? When did we get morality police?
The voting system of E2, at it's very core, states that votes should be cast on the merit of the writing, not the view. Substance over superficiality. However, it rarely works that way -- people have a habit of voting on content. It's the way people are. It takes noders a long time to get over this idea -- the idea that it's okay to vote up a well-written node even if you don't agree with it's content. And, often, noders will not get over this bias until they have spend a long time here, and have a vested interest in the database.
And so, I ask you, why do all the new noders assume it's the M-Noders and old users voting them down? It's been my experience that it is, in fact, new noders themselves who ignore well written treatises and Ching! stuff about Vibrators.
Perhaps it is the new noders who are being unfair to themselves?
It's one thing to say that this place if hard to get situated into. We all say that. Jesse Owens felt the same way about the Olympics. However, it's simply a cop out to say that "it's too difficult, so I won't try."
Don't you think that most users have gone through the same thing you have? With the exception noders who are pre-1999, Every noder has gone through the same thing. You're selling yourselves and us short if you think otherwise. E2 was never a bed of roses.
As a closing, I'd like as a question to whose critical of E2:
What do you want us to do about it?
...that is the only problem I have with the writeups here (besides the M-Noders spazzing out, that is). A lot of them complain and bitch and moan, but none of them give any solutions. It's all muck-raking with no ideas. Including this.
In closing, I'd like to tell the general nodership to not take anything in this node to seriously -- most noders have the good sense to realize what's going on the not have to resort to flame wars. It's only a users who lack a sense of restraint and soul (like myself) who get embroiled in things like this. -
Re: The Unavoidable Evil: XP
#4http://www.perlmonks.com/?node_id=174304
I just have one simple question: if (as continually iterated) "xp doesn't matter", then why have it? And more to the point, why base who controls this site on it?
Re: Yet Another XP Debate.
by chromatic on Jun 13, 2002 at 19:59 UTC
Site control isn't based on XP at all, it's based on how often you complain about XP. For example, I haven't complained about it since I started using the site in 1999, so I'm entrusted with certain powers. A user who registers today, posted a node, and then posts a screed about receiving one or two downvotes probably won't come under review for several years.
Re: Yet Another XP Debate.
by FoxtrotUniform on Jun 13, 2002 at 20:08 UTC
if xp doesn't matter, then why have it?
In general, the more XP someone has, the more they've contributed to the site (by adding features, answering questions, posting interesting meditations, considering nodes, etc). So, XP looks like recognition for frequent and valued contributors.
And more to the point, why base who controls this site on it?
Sorta the other way around, IMHO. The people who make frequent, valued contributions (and get noticed) end up as gods or pmdevelopers or editors, and -- oh my! -- they also have high XP. (Or did you mean consideration in general?)
--
The hell with paco, vote for Erudil!
/msg me if you downvote this node, please.
:wq
Re: (FoxUni) Re: Yet Another XP Debate.
by BUU on Jun 14, 2002 at 01:30 UTC
Eh, kind of a chicken and egg statement isnt it? But the fact remains that you could xp whore and become atleast atleast a friar..
Re: Yet Another XP Debate.
by Abigail-II on Jun 14, 2002 at 12:41 UTC
In general, the more XP someone has, the more they've contributed to the site (by adding features, answering questions, posting interesting meditations, considering nodes, etc). So, XP looks like recognition for frequent and valued contributors.
Well, that's not the impression I get. If I look at how much XP a post gets, the fastest way of getting XP is by asking popular questions. Especially questions which aren't really Perl related, but more web related. And of course posts with short wrong answers are often valued more than longer, correct answers - because they appear to be more 'unfriendly'.
If you would put any worth to XP measurement, it's only a popularity measurement. It doesn't appear to have to do anything with "useful contributions" (if you would consider "correct answers" to be useful).
And that's all I do with XP. See how popular certain posts are.
Abigail
Re: Yet Another XP Debate.
by atcroft on Jun 13, 2002 at 21:24 UTC
Why have XP/karma/whathaveyou? Because every community I am aware of has a way of showing worth and praise/disagreement, and PM is no exception. Here, that praise or disagreement is shown by awarding XP of positive or negative values, respectively, by individuals, and worth to the community by awarding XP for participation and working in the community.
The only reasonable way to look at XP for a posting is do more people seem to think it was useful/interesting/whatever than that it was drivvle/trash/waste of bits/whatever. As to an individual, it is not an inditement of their person but an indication of the regard the community seems to hold for them with respect to the community only!
Most of the computer people I have met don't do this stuff so much for the money, but because they enjoy it, and they love being a part of something bigger than themselves.
As to "control" on the site, I would venture that the people who have some additional responsibility to the site are those who have contributed, and worked for the good of the site, and shown themselves to be worthy of the responsibilities they have been entrusted with.
Point is, if someone wants to become someone "in control" for control's sake, then they want it for the wrong reasons. If they want to undertake the responsibility for helping improve the site, then they should work to show thyself approved, for "whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."
Re: Yet Another XP Debate.
by Anonymous Monk on Jun 17, 2002 at 22:18 UTC
I really confirm BUU's position here (and following discussion) and will add something to his sayings.
while many people tend to say that XP does not matter, they actually do not think so. They're lying to themselves! I know this feeling!
Yes, when you have as much XP as 400+ you do not really bother about a few XP--.
People tend to say that they do not bother about money if they have them enough. Also they tend to say that they do not bother about money when they do not have money at all.
This is not a overall analogy, but when you'll add some other functionality, as allocating several resource for XP, and exchange XP for some help from other person, you'll see something dfifferent.
After thinking about this, I can say that currently XP system is like a communism:
1. Everyone gives what it wants, no pay (he gets answers to his questions)
2. XP number does not matter, as money do not matter in communism society
3. Despite of said before, while XP does not matter, persons with many XP points, among equal ones inside society, are "more" ones than anothers: they have power to analyse and "repress" them.
I lived in USSR and can confirm many similarities to it.
Do I need to explain why I'm here as "Anonymous monk"?
mass "--" thus leading of decreasing of XP is of no concern here, I'm not bothering about XP :) -
Re: The Unavoidable Evil: XP
#5http://www.perlmonks.com/?node_id=487505
The Role of XP in PerlMonks
The Experience (XP) system is a powerful thing. You do something nice, you get positive feedback. The more nice things you do, the more positive feedback you get. That positive feedback gives you a little buzz, makes you feel good. So you do it more...
Some might call this operant conditioning, but we prefer to think of it as falling in love with PerlMonks.
There are all the signs of a fine romance. At first, you don't know much about PerlMonks, so you are a little cautious. Then you start to learn what PerlMonks wants, you get a little positive response, and you are intrigued.
Some more time passes, and you really begin to know PerlMonks's likes and dislikes; you're putting serious effort into making PerlMonks happy, and she becomes affectionate, giving all sorts of XP which gets you high on the wonderfulness of it all. Yep, you are in the throes of infatuation. There is little others can do to dissuade you at this point.
Then, tragically, that bubble of euphoria is burst. A perfectly fine node is downvoted. Code you slave over for hours gains 3 points, while some throwaway remark by a saint garners 30. PerlMonks is no longer the perfect lover. It's fickle and at times seems capricious. You are angry and frustrated at the XP system and want to change it now, to recover the love you knew.
This frustration passes, however, and you make it through to a more honest, deeper form of love. You recognize that PerlMonks is not perfect, but is still darn wonderful. Wisdom begins. You see XP not as an end, but only as a tool that helps you communicate with and encourage the PerlMonks community.
Finally, enlightenment happens. Experience points are only a detail, an epiphenomenon. Your true love is the PerlMonks community itself. The community is the universal element that forms the foundation for PerlMonks, that allows XP to even exist. From that point on, XP is no longer important; it just is. Living a good life means helping people, not accumulating XP. Some saints, knowing enlightenment, have been known to eschew XP altogether. Others are sanguine about the XP system, knowing that it got them this far, so it must be OK. Don't mistake quiet satisfaction for inertia or narrow-minded conservatism.
The path to enlightenment is long. You will read my words, but not really believe it in your heart until much later. You are on your way. -
Re: The Unavoidable Evil: XP
#6From the Slashdot faq
What is karma?
Your karma is a reference that primarily represents how your comments have been moderated in the past. Karma is structured on the following scale "Terrible, Bad, Neutral, Positive, Good, and Excellent." If a comment you post is moderated up, your karma will rise. Consequently, if you post a comment that has been moderated down, your karma will fall.
In addition to moderation, other things factor into karma as well. You can get some karma by submitting a story that we decide to post. Also, metamoderation can cause your karma to change. This encourages good moderators, and ideally removes moderator access from bad ones.
Note that being moderated Funny doesn't help your karma. You have to be smart, not just a smart-ass.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 6/03/03
What does "Good", "Bad" etc. Karma Mean?
Karma is the sum of your activity on Slashdot. This means posting, moderation, story submissions. It's just an integer in a database. The tiers are Terrible, Bad, Neutral, Positive, Good, and Excellent.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 7/12/02
Karma used to be a number, now it is a word, this sucks!
People like to treat their Slashdot Karma like some sort of video game, with a numeric integer representing their score in the game. People who do this simply are missing the point. The text label is one way we've decided to emphasize the point that karma doesn't matter.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 7/12/02
Is there a limit to how much karma you can accumulate?
Yes. Karma is now capped at "Excellent" This was done to keep people from running up insane karma scores, and then being immune from moderation. Despite some theories to the contrary, the karma cap applies to every account.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 1/24/02
It seems unfair that I can't get any more karma than that even if I earn it.
Karma is used to remove risky users from the moderator pool, and to assign a bonus point to users who have contributed positively to Slashdot in the past. It is not your IQ, dick length/cup size, value as a human being, or a score in a video game. It does not determine your worth as a Slashdot reader. It does not cure cancer or grant you a seat on the secret spaceship that will be traveling to Mars when the Krulls return to destroy the planet in 2012. Karma fluctuates dramatically as users post, moderate, and meta-moderate. Don't let it bother you. It's just a number in the database.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 10/19/00
Why didn't I get karma for a Quickie or a Slashback story?
This is a shortcoming in the code that we haven't solved yet. Essentially, the system can easily track a submitter of a story and grant them karma, but Quickies and Slashback each operate differently. A dozen or more people might contribute directly to any one of those stories. The system doesn't really have any internal record to handle sorting out the karma distribution. Besides that, we currently grant karma points for an accepted homepage story.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 7/15/02
What is karma good for?
Karma is used to determine who moderates and who doesn't. Extremely bad karma usually indicates a user account that is being used to spam the discussion board.
Secondly, users with better karma are given a bonus point which can sometimes increase your karma level. Logged-in users normally post comments with a score of 1, but the theory is that if a user earns higher karma, they may post with a score of 2. Essentially it's a reward for being a good participant on Slashdot, or a punishment for being a bad one. Users with very low karma might lose the +1 associated with being a logged-in user. Extremely bad users might even be penalized to a -1.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 7/15/02
Why is my karma not what I expect?
If you've been moderating or posting, your karma will likely fluctuate a little as you are moderated or metamoderate. Don't worry about it; this is normal. Please remember that this is just a number in a database that helps us determine who gets selected as a moderator. It doesn't determine your IQ or your value as a human being. It's simply not a big deal.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 6/12/00
My Karma: How low can it go?
The lowest your karma can go is "Terrible." Check out "What does "Good", "Bad" etc. Karma Mean?" if you want to learn more about how the karma reference are tiered.
Once you get really low, you start posting at -1, and the moderators are less likely to see your posts, so it's hard to lose any more karma.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 7/15/02
Whenever I use my +1 Bonus, I get moderated down and lose Karma!
As a good poster, you earned a bonus: you are allowed to speak slightly "louder" than other people. In most cases, this is because you've earned it. But with that right comes a responsibility - you have to justify that bonus score. The louder you speak, the more likely you are to be moderated down, unless you're sufficiently interesting to prompt the moderators to let you keep your bonus score. This is how the system is designed to work: you can't just rack up karma, and then post nonsense.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 6/12/00
I'm not getting the Karma I deserve (or Unfairly Losing it!) for posts once I get near the Karma Ceiling!
You're right. But please keep in mind that once you are "Excellent", that's as high as you can go. You have your bonus point already. What more do you want? Karma by its very nature fluctuates fairly dramatically, and the karma ceiling does tend to cause some ripples in that fluctuation at the top end of the scale... but they are only small ripples, and they are normal. They really don't matter at all. Its not punishment, its just the normal flow of things.
Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 9/19/02