How to appeal negative forum rep?

[CmdrMagic]

Just a quick question to know how exactly you appeal negative forum rep? Would like to try and find out the reason given as to why one of my posts were given negative rep.

I looked at the FAQ but the methods in there do not seem to be up to date.

[Reniannen]

I don't assume that by appeal you mean "express desire". The answer is you don't, you can only learn from your "mistake".

[Crell_1]

I don't assume that by appeal you mean "express desire". The answer is you don't, you can only learn from your "mistake".

Correct. Reputation is given or removed based on the commuinty, and there's no way to get it reversed, but it's nothing to be very concerned about. What you should worry about are Infractions.

[Unique]

Just a quick question to know how exactly you appeal negative forum rep? Would like to try and find out the reason given as to why one of my posts were given negative rep.

I looked at the FAQ but the methods in there do not seem to be up to date.

Are you sure you were given negative rep? A lot of people mistake the gray box (which comes from someone giving positive rep but doesn't have enough status to give points, so it's neutral) with the red box - which is negative rep. The few times I have given negative rep it has required you to give a reason for it to go through.

If it was indeed a red box and you feel it was unjustified then just ignore it and chalk it up to someone having a bad day and you said something that hit them wrong.

[CmdrMagic]

Are you sure you were given negative rep? A lot of people mistake the gray box (which comes from someone giving positive rep but doesn't have enough status to give points, so it's neutral) with the red box - which is negative rep. The few times I have given negative rep it has required you to give a reason for it to go through.

If it was indeed a red box and you feel it was unjustified then just ignore it and chalk it up to someone having a bad day and you said something that hit them wrong.

Yes it was a red box, not a grey one.

So what is the point of making us put a reason in when giving negative rep if that information does not go anywhere?

[Khafar]

Yes it was a red box, not a grey one.

So what is the point of making us put a reason in when giving negative rep if that information does not go anywhere?

If you go to the post that got rep and click on the "Reputation" link for it, it will show you the number of bumps and/or dings you got for it, along with any comments provided. In the case of negative rep, I recently discovered that comments are required... I don't think it used to be, although I've only given it out 4 times in nearly 2 years.

Khafar

[geoboy]

You've always had to leave a comment for negative rep. I may have handed out half a dozen since the system was introduced. I've never gotten a negative rep before, so I can't say what it look like.

But yeah, there's nothing you can do about it. Such is life.

[Trilwych]

If you go to the post that got rep and click on the "Reputation" link for it, it will show you the number of bumps and/or dings you got for it, along with any comments provided. In the case of negative rep, I recently discovered that comments are required... I don't think it used to be, although I've only given it out 4 times in nearly 2 years.

Khafar

A number of people will give neg rep only because they disagree with your opinion or even the thread itself, not necessarily because you actually said anything offensive or 'wrong'. Also, the comment requirement is easily circumvented--for example, I was dinged on my post that gave a reason and opinion for the emote grief issue and a whole bunch of forum links to other threads on the same topic, but the ding reason was just a period ".".

Application of neg rep is a bit grey area; I think most people like those I mention understand that infractions are serious and actual post reporting is limited to truly offensive and CoC-breaking things. But the problem with the "Disapprove" examples given in the popup is that the last couple of points overlap with the reporting function, IMO. So the only practical difference between the two I can figure is that neg rep will leave the post alone while reporting removes the post from public view and adds to the probability of a forum ban. Obviously, only the latter situation is of any relative import on the forums.

[timmyloo22546]

More times than not it's just someone with a high positive rep that doesn't agree with you as others said in the thread. Imo, negative rep should be given to posts that present red flags that border/present a reason to give infractions that are often times not found by forum moderators.

I've received multiple negative reps from threads that have been deleted. If threads are deleted, forum mods actually read the majority of posts and give infractions or warnings before deleting/locking threads. I never receive any infractions or warnings which should say something about the people who do use the negative rep button. Negative rep isn't something to worry about. It doesn't mean anything special.

[kimwoj]

Just got some negative feedback by some anon coward in a legit thread. Of couse I cant leave any Im not a 20,000 post fan boi (girl). I think that system is pretty cowardly too.

[CmdrMagic]

A number of people will give neg rep only because they disagree with your opinion or even the thread itself, not necessarily because you actually said anything offensive or 'wrong'. Also, the comment requirement is easily circumvented--for example, I was dinged on my post that gave a reason and opinion for the emote grief issue and a whole bunch of forum links to other threads on the same topic, but the ding reason was just a period ".".

Application of neg rep is a bit grey area; I think most people like those I mention understand that infractions are serious and actual post reporting is limited to truly offensive and CoC-breaking things. But the problem with the "Disapprove" examples given in the popup is that the last couple of points overlap with the reporting function, IMO. So the only practical difference between the two I can figure is that neg rep will leave the post alone while reporting removes the post from public view and adds to the probability of a forum ban. Obviously, only the latter situation is of any relative import on the forums.

Yeah I looked at the comment from the negative rep. Was just a "." (Thanks Khafar for telling me how to see that. I did not know that)

What is most surprising to me is it was not a comment in any kind of argument or even real discussion. It was a congratulations comment. Apparently it offended someone that I congratulated someone else... I don't get it

[Khafar]

Apparently it offended someone that I congratulated someone else... I don't get it

It's always possible someone just clicked on the wrong radio button. Don't sweat it. People can only give out half as much -rep as +rep. I ran an experiment a month or so ago to see how much I could give, and it turned out to be -49 or +99 (with ~8500 total rep). Those numbers will typically be quite a bit smaller.

Khafar

[Sapience]

Just a quick question to know how exactly you appeal negative forum rep? Would like to try and find out the reason given as to why one of my posts were given negative rep.

I looked at the FAQ but the methods in there do not seem to be up to date.

If you feel someone has given you negative rep and that it was not justified in the context of the post they gave the negative rep to, but rather to grief or otherwise 'punish' you for unrelated reasons, you can always appeal to the Community Team. Feel free to send a PM and we'll take a look.

Keep in mind, just because we agree to take a look it does not mean we will reverse the rep, or discuss the matter after the fact. If we feel it was given unjustly, we'll reverse it and move on. In extreme cases we may review the entire history of any person found to be abusing the system and reset their rep to 0 or possibly infract or ban those found to be abusing the system in any way.

[Crell_1]

If you feel someone has given you negative rep and that it was not justified in the context of the post they gave the negative rep to, but rather to grief or otherwise 'punish' you for unrelated reasons, you can always appeal to the Community Team. Feel free to send a PM and we'll take a look.
.

Obviously the Community team can look at the entire rep history, is there a way for the player to view more than their recent rep history? The Negative rep posts that I'm thinking of in my case have scrolled off of my recent rep list. I'm not going to bother the team for the one ding I can currently see.

[Lohi]

Are you sure you were given negative rep? A lot of people mistake the gray box (which comes from someone giving positive rep but doesn't have enough status to give points, so it's neutral) with the red box - which is negative rep.

Oh... I've gotten some of those boxes (sort of bluish). I always assumed they were negative rep, some I wondered why I got and others I felt I was probably being too harsh and worked to lighten up and be more polite...

Do the comments from negative rep actually appear so the person can read them?

[Sapience]

Obviously the Community team can look at the entire rep history, is there a way for the player to view more than their recent rep history? The Negative rep posts that I'm thinking of in my case have scrolled off of my recent rep list. I'm not going to bother the team for the one ding I can currently see.

No. The display to players is limited. The only way we see full histories is to do a search on all rep assigned to a player and then dig down to see what is positive and what is negative, then look up the post the suspect rep is tied to. It's all contained in a tool, so it isn't as time consuming as it sounds, but isn't so simple that we can add a player view.

[Lohi]

So what is the point of making us put a reason in when giving negative rep if that information does not go anywhere?

Probably it's to slow you down. It's fast to give positive rep but requires an extra step for negative rep.

[Crell_1]

No. The display to players is limited. The only way we see full histories is to do a search on all rep assigned to a player and then dig down to see what is positive and what is negative, then look up the post the suspect rep is tied to. It's all contained in a tool, so it isn't as time consuming as it sounds, but isn't so simple that we can add a player view.

Thanks for responding that adding/increasing a way to view all the rep assigned to us isn't a viable option. Clearly the contents of usercp.php is generated such that we've got no way of doing the calls ourselves. We'd have to look up all of our forum posts (assuming they weren't pruned), click the 'rep' button to see if its the one in question, and then point it out to the moderation team.

Unless I wind up on those threads looking for something in the future, I'll probably just proactively monitor it going forward.

[opurt]

I think the bigger question is why do you care? I mean, it's just forum rep, which is based on other peoples opionions of your posts, has no bearing whatsoever on your forum usage, and adds nothing to any of your posts. Yeah, people argue that if you have a lot of rep then people can have more trust in the things that you post, but that's not true. All it means is that at some point people agreed/liked in something else you posted. Could have just been a bunch of LOL Cat pics for all we know. I've gotten rep for all sorts of stuff, some useful post, some funny, and some just plain old stupid, it doesn't actually mean that anything I've ever posted, or will post, will actually be intelligent or useful. If the negative rep really bothers you that much, just disable your rep and move on.

[GV-Tanith]

If you feel someone has given you negative rep and that it was not justified in the context of the post they gave the negative rep to, but rather to grief or otherwise 'punish' you for unrelated reasons, you can always appeal to the Community Team. Feel free to send a PM and we'll take a look.

Sapience, this is a little off-topic, but could the same also be done with the ratings system on MyLOTRO? My blogging has slowed a bit in recent months, but I can provide a screenshot of the same individual engaging in very similar abuse with the rating system there, posting low ratings on his own account, a FTP account, and a second forum account in his household. The opinions of the other bloggers are what matters to me there and not such a pitiful attempt at trolling but on the other hand...abuse is abuse.

Regarding forum rep...I'm glad to be able to say I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt compelled to assign negative rep. We're still, overall, a pretty awesome community.

[Evendale]

Do the comments from negative rep actually appear so the person can read them?

Yes, you have to go to the post you got the +ve or -ve rep from, and click the reputation button for that post (as if to give yourself reputation) to see the comments.




I feel sad for moderators who have to waste their time looking up complaints because someone cares too much about their rep.

[CmdrMagic]

I feel sad for moderators who have to waste their time looking up complaints because someone cares too much about their rep.

I think the bigger question is why do you care?

Why do I care? That is tied to a bigger question: Why do I bother posting on forums at all?

I don't post a lot, hence my post count vs. how long I have been here. I am typically fairly selective in my responses. Whenever I post it is usually to answer questions, entertain (hence all my demotivational posters), or to try and bring a little "perspective" to ongoing discussions. I post on these forums to add "value" to them, to hopefully make another person's experience better, to offer insight that may not have been thought of otherwise, etc. I don't post on here to "let my voice get heard" and speak out. That is a waste of time to me. I don't need the forums as an outlet for all my opinions. Like I said, I respond where I think there is value to someone else.

The reputation system to me is a way to see what other people see as valuable to them. It allows me to see when people find value in my comments. It shows me the kind of conversations that are worth my while to respond that I can offer value to someone else, and what kind of conversations to avoid as it is a waste of time and effort.

Do I measure my self-worth by the rep system? Of course not. Do I need high rep to feel successful and complete? Of course not. Do I lose sleep over someone not liking me? Of course not. Does it bother me on some small degree when I receive negative rep and the only explanation is "."? Yes, it actually does. So what? I am sure you have things that would bother you that would not bother me. That is fine. We don't have to be the same.

I promise, I will not belittle you for anything that bothers you that does not bother me. Please do the same in return.

[BellusDuFenna]

I don't think it is worth appealing, but I also got a bit of undeserved negative rep recently. The reason they gave? They thought my post was "wrong", but it was simply an opinion post on what is coming in Update 5. There was nothing negative in my post, just an idea tossed out for consideration, and yet someone decided to ding it.

That's fine, because it didn't adversely affect me that much, but it does seem pretty petty overall. Even though I've had the ability to give out negative rep for some time, I don't do it unless the post in question is highly offensive. Certainly not because I disagree with someone.

Oh well, chalk it up to some people being petty and move on, CmdrMagic.

[Lohi]

Oh well, chalk it up to some people being petty and move on, CmdrMagic.

Definitely avoid other internet forums in the future. Ie, Slashdot often gives people negative rep just for disagreeing. It's just something that happens.

If I have the right to give +rep to someone I agree with then why should someone be prevented from giving -rep to me if they disagree? If they're being petty giving me -rep then it's probably fair to say that I've given +rep for petty reasons as well.

I don't want a reputation monitor out there who approves all rep points, even if only negative points. There are enough players out there already convinced that Turbine is heavy handed with censorship without asking them to stick their fingers into the rep system.

[CmdrMagic]

I don't think it is worth appealing, but I also got a bit of undeserved negative rep recently. The reason they gave? They thought my post was "wrong", but it was simply an opinion post on what is coming in Update 5. There was nothing negative in my post, just an idea tossed out for consideration, and yet someone decided to ding it.

That's fine, because it didn't adversely affect me that much, but it does seem pretty petty overall. Even though I've had the ability to give out negative rep for some time, I don't do it unless the post in question is highly offensive. Certainly not because I disagree with someone.

Oh well, chalk it up to some people being petty and move on, CmdrMagic.

Oh yeah. It is not like I am losing sleep and getting anxious about it. I thought I would just ask. No harm in asking