Guys (and gals),
this is actually a pretty complicated topic, and one that has been the subject of controversy, since before ReefSanctuary even existed. To the point where, when we were creating this site, we even had to have a rather vigorous discussion about whether to use it or not.
In the end, there are some who love it, some who hate it, and some who are indifferent.
And you're right, Dentoid, that what adds value is VERY subject to interpretation. My
job as this site's administrator is to act as one voice in the best interest of the group. Not an easy task, and quite honestly, it would be a hell of a lot easier on ME if everything was just put up to a vote. But things don't go very well when that happens either.
So, to an extent, yes I am the person who decides what ReefSanctuary considers valuable to the community. And I do my best to include fellow moderators and Administrators in the decision process to make sure all sides have been thought through.
Have you ever known me, though, to do something that I didn't believe was in the best long-term interests of RS? Having grown to nearly 10,000 members and made it much longer than most reef forums, has my best not been good enough? I'm asking, because in the end, you have to put your faith in me to do what I believe is the best thing for this community from a long-term perspective.
Now...
what have I been doing? I have been reading all of your comments, and taking them to heart. I know i can't please everyone, but I do believe that most here realize it's time to change how the karma system works.
I have been combing through the modifications available for this software (at vbulletin.org for those who are curious) and looking for potential solutions to our problem. I have narrowed it down to a list of a couple things we can do, but need to do some more searching.
Once I have that list, I will present it to the Administrators and Moderators for consideration, before installing it on the board. Once I have installed a solution, I will always be open to feedback. It may work out, it may not, but it's worth a try. I know that's a rather drawn-out process, but just as we don't begin pouring new supplements into our reef tanks, I don't just throw something on the site that could impact the community this much. I have to consider what will make the most people happy, what will be best long-term, what hopefully won't become unsupported and break in a later version of our software, what's compatible with the hacks we already have in place, and what effects it will have on the server.
All this so you guys can say "thank you" to a helpful post... and yup, it'll be worth it if everyone likes and uses what we end up with.
Final note for Dentoid or anyone else: How the karma system works (called "reputation") is detailed for all to see in the VBulletin manual. There's lots of other stuff about how our site works as well. If you're ever curious as to what can be done or seen behind the scenes, I encourage you to check it out here:
vBulletin Manual
Travis
