The RPM Challenge - Karma Trolls

Karma Trolls

Sunday, 27 April 2008

So really...I'd like to understand why people feel the need to give negative karma points on the forums, if they don't like something someone says. I've gotten it. Others I know have gotten it. And it's just stupid.

If I have a problem with something someone says, I will take it to them, personally. Comment on their post. PM them. Email them. Call them out so they have a chance to not only defend themselves, but maybe to see what they couldn't see, when they wrote the post. Maybe they just didn't realize how their words sounded, and it's not fair to stab them in the back in a cowardly fashion, from the safety of clicking on an icon to give them anonymous negative karma points.

How lame is that!? Really, folks. Have some balls. If you have a problem with something someone says, TELL THEM. Do it in private, if you don't want to cause a scene or risk looking stupid in case you happen to be wrong. But don't just be a dirty little coward and throw your little stones from a safe hiding place. That's just...sad.

Btw, to those I owe disks to, I'm still working on getting them together. I keep stepping into financial potholes and other troubles that require my full concentration to handle. I'm really sorry for the delay. I'll eventually get them done. (-.-);;

Comments (17)

1 I was wondering what Karma was
Written by Babys First Ride, on 04-27-2008 01:02
I have 3, but I never knew what that it was. Actually, I don't even know how to add or subtract them. I guess I'll have to explore more...

2 Written by Kai Starr, on 04-27-2008 01:09
You can add to someone's karma by clicking on the little thumbs up icon under their user picture in the forum. The thumbs down icon takes a point away. But they're all such tiny icons and so close together, that sometimes, the negative points likely come from someone merely missing the icon they were aiming at...such as the positive karma one or the person's profile icon. They don't really have any bearing on anything, as far as I can tell, other than making you feel crummy if someone takes them away.

3 Written by Sister Savage, on 04-27-2008 03:32
I agree - I'd like the 'deduct' option to be removed. But then, I am the last of the sad hippies.

4 Written by Kai Starr, on 04-27-2008 04:14
Yeah, I don't see it really has any useful purpose. An anonymous karma click isn't equal to constructive criticism, and it gives you no clue as to what you've done wrong.

I haven't hung around the site as much this year as I did last year, but if I'm around and see somebody's karma points going down, I will click on the positive one for them every day to help counteract it! Since you can only make one of those clicks every six hours, it's hard to fix a mistake, if you happen to click the wrong icon.

*sigh* I guess I'll never understand the logic of those who go out of their way to do something mean. :/

5 It is a waste.
Written by Joshua Wentz, on 04-27-2008 12:11
They should get rid of it altogether.. it's so passive/agressive. Forums, by definition, are places where ideas can be exchanged and debated... so it makes no sense to give someone demerits for speaking their mind.

What those boards need are a good, active moderator... one that understands the difference between debating and fighting, between thoughtful exchange and needless insults.

Too often people have been shouted down on the forum for posting an unpopular viewpoint- that is not appropriate. In my opinion, someone should be admonished for being offensive or aggressive, but not for expressing a negative viewpoint.

I hope they remove Karma for next year.

6 +1 for what Joshua said
Written by Michelangelo, on 04-27-2008 12:27
Doesn't even need to be there.

7 The karma down serves a purpose, but..
Written by Alternate Modes of Underwater, on 04-27-2008 13:09
.. is it being abused here?

Probably.

Ironically, elsewhere on the internet, the bad karma thing is used to weed out trolls.

Whose karma has been shot down? I'll gladly push it back up.

8 Not to start anything, but
Written by Eric Burt, on 04-27-2008 14:50
who really cares anyway? Its a meaningless thing to begin with, so even if someone disagrees with what someone says and takes a point away, does it really matter? I dont add or subtract from them, and i dont even know what my "score" is. If your score goes down, dont take it so hard, its just the internet!

9 Written by Kai Starr, on 04-27-2008 15:18
Yeah, in the grand scheme of things, it's meaningless. But for someone who is active on the boards and tries to be helpful and nice to everyone, equally, it can be a little distressing to see your points go down, for no apparent reason. It's one thing, if you know you've said something ugly and you think maybe you deserved it, but what if you've said nothing ugly? That's what I mean by it being a poor way to voice your opinion on someone else's words.

It's much better to just speak up, in a comment or private message, and tell the person in question that you thought they were wrong or needlessly mean. It doesn't have to be confrontational or nasty, either, and the shouting down that Joshua points out is equally wrong. Bringing it to the person's attention is basically what a moderator would do, and it gives the person a chance to either defend what they said or make amends for it. How can you make amends for something you've done, if you don't know what it was that you did wrong? That's what makes it distressing, in my opinion, seeing points drop and not knowing why they're dropping.

And besides, some of us *points at himself* are sensitive little bunnies who want everyone to play nice and not be needlessly mean. ;P

10 Make that +2 (or +3).
Written by another cultural landslide, on 04-27-2008 16:29
It's just plain silly.

You're here. You post. You discuss. You participate.

And you share new music that others get to appreciate.

Isn't that good enough? ;)

11 feel freee to suck my karma
Written by angie fights crime, on 04-27-2008 17:42
i couldn't care less

12 ;P
Written by Kai Starr, on 04-27-2008 18:29
I wouldn't want to suck anybody's karma. That sounds way too kinky for me. ;P

13 well
Written by Night Driving, on 04-27-2008 20:30
i think when one has bad karma points because they troll boards acting like jerks, people can interpret their insults or negativity with a grain of salt.

14 Well...
Written by Joshua Wentz, on 04-27-2008 20:49
I'd agree in some circumstances, ND, that having a rating attached to an ID would warn people of inappropriate behavior... but that's what a moderator is for, really.

In the two years I've been reading the boards on RPM, I've not seen a single troll. Maybe I haven't been looking very hard or something, but even in the "debates" I've been a part of, it seems like everyone actually cares about what they're talking about to some degree. Heck, even if they don't care, they do so with civility. While I'm sure some of us around her are huge jerks, it's been surprisingly jerk-free on the forum!

15 Written by Sister Savage, on 04-29-2008 04:54
I kind of like the idea of having a score attached to your username that reflects the number of challenges you've completed. Then you could tell the locals and the newbies apart.

Tess

16 Veteran status!
Written by Kai Starr, on 04-29-2008 15:29
I like that idea. Much better than karma points, which can be abused. Maybe the RPM tech geniuses will trade those two out, next year!

17 Written by Dazzleships, on 04-30-2008 23:10
I've never noticed any snarkiness... so, the karma system is moot as far as I'm concerned. I seldom notice it.

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