Yea FBJ, that was Bandit Lover lol
I agree with Mandy, make it optional, but I also think it should be dumped altogether.
It makes folk competitive, and I suspect some folk only send PMs to others, and do other qualifying activities, to boost their karma rating.
sorry only got internet for a few mins so can't read over all this topic.
But... Karma wont be removed NOR made optional. For a plenty of reasons I wont go into, but the system IS good and it DOES work. It makes the site a lot more dynamic and it makes SOME people return to the site when otherwise they might not.
It also adds a bit of "trust" and "security" in a way for some people. Some folks simply just aren't smart enough to spot spammers and they fall for the traps before mods get chance to remove the spammer. Anyone with half a brain can spot a spammer a mile off, especially when they just joined today and they're sending you PMs saying how much they want God to bless a relationship with you etc. You wont believe how many people are dumb enough to fall for it! Well, the Karma system helps people see someone else's credibility in the community... and it's always visible under a person's picture when they send you a PM (without you having to dig into their profile to try and work out of they're a spammer or not).
The system wont be removed or made optional, absolutely not. Sorry.
@matt - i would've had more respect for you had your response simply been "karma wont be removed or made optional because i say so" - your attempted "spammer" justification is feeble at best!
I hate the whole karma thing too, but it was in place when we all signed up along with a lot of other rules so c'est la vie.
I think it does more harm than good but if the spammer thing is a genuine concern then why not keep it and just remove the top 20? That way no real competition issues or need for extraneous posts or PMs to get to the top of the table.
Not aimed at anyone at all before people get the ump, I just personally don't like the top 20 thing.
I can see your point Matt, and think you're right.
People . . . . . ignore it if you want to (I mostly do) but be aware of Matts above statement. If you are PM'd by a Lady/Man, promising you all you've ever wanted and more, and it seems to good to be true . . . it probably is!!! by checking out the Karma rating you will see at a glance whether they are chancers, or 'real' people who have interacted on the site with no - or little - complaints from others.
If you don't agree with the Karma, then don't look at it.
Personally, I dont really know or care how karma is added or subtracted, it's just an indication that somebody has been active on the site without hassling people(who surely would've reported it).