A reward based motivation system?

[Skullbuster 1,906]

So a long time ago i was an active user on Bungie.net, on that site, their fourms had a useful little system that helped with moderation and keeping every one behaving, it  was an automated rewards things, how it was set up was if you hadnt broken any rules for x amount of months, your title changes, and the color of your name bar would change, every one respected and looked up to the mythic exalted member because his name plate was blue and it indicated that he hadnt gotten into any mod trouble for like a year, it went like (im basing this off of pure memory) new title at 3 months, 6 month, a year ect, im sure you guys would come up with something, members wore these titles like a badge of honor and bragged about their status, and the higher your member title, the more likely you were to behave because one screw up and your title is reset, i think this would be a great system to include, its just a small addition that could go a long way

[SCS 7,485]

I don't agree with this suggestion. I feel that it would indirectly ostracize and embarrass those who broke the rules. That generates a negative atmosphere in the community overall, and will also only breed resentment in those who break the rules, potentially resulting in them continuing to break rules when they may otherwise have not done so.
 
Additionally, people should not follow the rules in order to gain a higher status to lord over others. They should follow the rules to help keep this community respectful, friendly, and clean for its intended audience, and those who choose not to do so should be dealt with privately, out of respect for each individual. I would not want anyone to have a public mark on them signifying them as someone who is prone to violate the rules, regardless of how egregious their offenses were.

[Sugar Pea 2,682]

I don't agree with this suggestion. I feel that it would indirectly ostracize and embarrass those who broke the rules. That generates a negative atmosphere in the community overall, and will also only breed resentment in those who break the rules, potentially resulting in them continuing to break rules when they may otherwise have not done so.

 

Additionally, people should not follow the rules in order to gain a higher status to lord over others. They should follow the rules to help keep this community respectful, friendly, and clean for its intended audience, and those who choose not to do so should be dealt with privately, out of respect for each individual. I would not want anyone to have a public mark on them signifying them as someone who is prone to violate the rules, regardless of how egregious their offenses were.

Aww man, at first I thought it sounded like a great idea...like ya know, that it can keep the forums in check with behavior and such. Now that you mention it...what if it depends on what they did? Like if it's minor, than it won't change, but if it were major, than the title can reset? .-.

Just a thought, not going against anything.

 

[Skullbuster 1,906]

well id thought id suggest it because i know there are other places that have implemented a system that rewards good behavior that it seems to do very well for them

[Squint 29]

"I've been good longer than you! I'm better than you!"

 

It'd just be a reason for people to brag and otherwise it would be pointless. People shouldn't need motivation to give respect to and abide by the rules and if they do, well, why should they be here in the first place? I get the whole rewards thing and I guess that could be cool, but keeping to rules is something that's compulsory anywhere. If people don't abide by the rules, that's something that ought to be called out but not so publicly. A three-day ban is a better idea than having a stamp on your profile.

[Sugar Pea 2,682]

 

"I've been good longer than you! I'm better than you!"

 

It'd just be a reason for people to brag and otherwise it would be pointless. People shouldn't need motivation to give respect to and abide by the rules and if they do, well, why should they be here in the first place? I get the whole rewards thing and I guess that could be cool, but keeping to rules is something that's compulsory anywhere. If people don't abide by the rules, that's something that ought to be called out but not so publicly. A three-day ban is a better idea than having a stamp on your profile.

 

Never hurts to try though, right? I mean if it worked well with other forums, why not this one? of course, I believe it's THOSE kind of people you must look out for, not the majority. I see where you are getting at though. Think about it, if you get rewards for being good, it'll teach you not to repeat mistakes or do anything stupid.

Edited April 3, 2014 by PeachBlink

[Skullbuster 1,906]

 

"I've been good longer than you! I'm better than you!"

 

It'd just be a reason for people to brag and otherwise it would be pointless. People shouldn't need motivation to give respect to and abide by the rules and if they do, well, why should they be here in the first place? I get the whole rewards thing and I guess that could be cool, but keeping to rules is something that's compulsory anywhere. If people don't abide by the rules, that's something that ought to be called out but not so publicly. A three-day ban is a better idea than having a stamp on your profile.

 

they wouldnt get any stamp on their profile,

 

and think about it this way, its easy to get these special member titles, you honest could make the same arguement with the member badges "I have more posts than you, that makes me better" the way i remember it, no one really was aggresivly bragging to other members about a name bar that symbolized that you hadnt broken the rules in 6 months

[Squint 29]

Never hurts to try though, right? I mean if it worked well with other forums, why not this one? of course, I believe it's THOSE kind of people you must look out for, not the majority. I see where you are getting at though. Think about it, if you get rewards for being good, it'll teach you not to repeat mistakes or do anything stupid.

I haven't seen that other forum and I'm critical of it. Getting rewards for being good is like being trained. A) I don't want to feel like a pet, everyone learns from their mistakes and C) I think we all have enough commonsense not to do anything so stupid that it results in a rule being broken.

 

*snip*

 

think about it this way, its easy to get these special member titles, you honest could make the same arguement with the member badges "I have more posts than you, that makes me better" the way i remember it, no one really was aggresivly bragging to other members about a name bar that symbolized that you hadnt broken the rules in 6 months

I'm not saying that it's certain someone will abuse this system but more so that it opens up the opportunity, sorry for being unspecific. I do know that nobody really seems to give a damn about titles and the like around here (I'm glad for it) but then what's the point of having a whole new range of titles then?

Edited April 3, 2014 by Squint

[Skullbuster 1,906]

I haven't seen that other forum and I'm critical of it. Getting rewards for being good is like being trained. A) I don't want to feel like a pet, everyone learns from their mistakes and C) I think we all have enough commonsense not to do anything so stupid that it results in a rule being broken.

 

I'm not saying that it's certain someone will abuse this system but more so that it opens up the opportunity, sorry for being unspecific. I do know that nobody really seems to give a damn about titles and the like around here (I'm glad for it) but then what's the point of having a whole new range of titles then?

it was just a suggestion to help motivate members into following the rules more (i know some seem to disregard them) and it would also make the moderators jobs easier if more people respected the rules

[Squint 29]

it was just a suggestion to help motivate members into following the rules more (i know some seem to disregard them) and it would also make the moderators jobs easier if more people respected the rules

Again, people should respect the rules anyway. The rules are not optional. By joining this website and posting in any of the subforums here you are agreeing that you will abide by the rules, whatever they may be. The easiest thing for the mods to do instead of dishing out trophies to do-what-the-should-ers is banning or punishing in some other way those who come here and make the choice not to do what they've agreed to do.

 

How would it feel for you if you invited someone to your house and told them a specific set of rules but they still wouldn't comply to them? Would you tell them you'd give them a sweet if they did what they should? No, you'd tell them to get the hell out of your house. Who do they think they are, being welcomed in and then just doing whatever they please? They have no right to do that and it's plain rude.

 

I win, checkm8

Edited April 3, 2014 by Squint

[Skullbuster 1,906]

Again, people should respect the rules anyway. The rules are not optional. By joining this website and posting in any of the subforums here you are agreeing that you will abide by the rules, whatever they may be. The easiest thing for the mods to do instead of dishing out trophies to do-what-the-should-ers is banning or punishing in some other way those who come here and make the choice not to do what they've agreed to do.

 

How would it feel for you if you invited someone to your house and told them a specific set of rules but they still wouldn't comply to them? Would you tell them you'd give them a sweet if they did what they should? No, you'd tell them to get the hell out of your house. Who do they think they are, being welcomed in and then just doing whatever they please? They have no right to do that and it's plain rude.

 

I win, checkm8

well, you dont have to be over bearing about, i just feel that people should be rewarded for doing the right thing, i offered one way of doing it, how would you do it?

[Jokuc 8,173]

I do understand what you're thinking and I do think that it would indeed make some users try follow the rules more, however I agree with SCS. Most people get either angry at themselves, the moderators, or whoever gets in their path when they get warning points. If it is shown for everyone who has gotten warnings and who has not, it would, as SCS said, make those people embarrassed. Not only that, it would create an anger towards the staff that they are not hiding this information. Even if we would not be literally displaying who has warnings, one could easily figure it out by looking at who does not have any awards. If someone then mentions this to the user who does not have any awards, rage, sadness or embarrassment will occur.

 

So the problem here is not really the award itself, it's the fact that it would be public. A way to solve this would be to maybe give a user who has been without warnings for X period of time, a free subscription to MLP Forums or some other special perks for a limited time. This way, no one but the user who got it (and the staff) would know about it. Personally I don't feel a need for such a feature, but it's an alternative.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Jokuc

[Adorkable 2,737]

I have to respectfully disagree, obeying the rules and staying out of trouble shouldn't be rewarded, but just a natural thing you would want to do. Basically what SCS said, in a nutshell.

[Nohbdy 4,108]

A rewards-based system for encouraging positive behavior is a nice, thought-provoking idea. The proposal in question may have its flaws, as many have pointed out, but the concept is worth considering.

 

Before we go on, let's make one thing clear: positive reinforcement is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it is a perfectly viable option, and successful applications of such reinforcement are found in such environments as the workplace (e.g., raises and bonuses), the classroom (extra credit), and on the road (lower insurance rates for a good driving record). It could come in handy here, as well.

 

The greatest issue with the suggested system is that it's punishment disguised as positive reinforcement. Rather than following rules to earn ranks, people instead do so for fear of losing their existing ranks. Do you see where the problem lies? The system serves to discourage poor behavior, rather than encourage good behavior. It's not at all a rewards-based system. 

 

So, now what? We've established that a rewards system is fine, so let's consider alternatives that fit within the definition of positive reinforcement. The idea is not to take, but to give. Ideally, the system should be private and personal, taking into account concerns of status and superiority (i.e., no obvious indication that users received rewards). Some examples of how we can approach the problem in this way include:

• X extra name changes for every Y months without a warning
• X days of free donor status for every Y months without a warning

Also, it might be of interest to know that the staff have considered an achievements system at least once in the past. While I'm not sure if rewards for good behavior would be included, I think they could fit. 

 

In any case, a rewards-based system has a lot of potential, and I'd be keen to see what effects it would have on the behavior of members and the workload of moderators! 

[NavelColt 22,878]

well id thought id suggest it because i know there are other places that have implemented a system that rewards good behavior that it seems to do very well for them

 

Every community is worlds different than every other community, however :3 'It works elsewhere' seldom works out as a sound argument for implementing something. Not trying to step on your toes or anything of course, but I know first-hand, having been on several other pony forums at this point, that there are things they get away with that would cause instant Armageddon and backlash from our members since you guys are so whiny and hate the staff, and likewise things we do here that people elsewhere would gawk at like we were a four-headed pony.

 

While 'everything is worth a try' is well and good wisdom in life to follow, I too don't like the idea of rewarding something people need to be doing by default, and don't personally think simply looking at it from a different angle will change the universal viewpoint from users on what it's doing, as the above post has gone into. As we all know, intent doesn't matter to users, perceptions, what it looks like and what it acts like, do.

 

Feel free to keep brainstorming though, good discussion thus far :3

[Shanks 10,816]

One of the things I have appreciated about this site is that it has kept warnings a private matter between the staff and the rule breaker such a system while it wouldn't tell people exactly what the rule breakers did it would unintentionally stigmatize them. The other users would have no way of knowing if the rule breaking users were charged with minor or major offenses which really dosen't sit well with me because it can make people who made only minor offenses feel a bit more guilty than they should. I am not saying people shouldn't realize they did something wrong and learn from it, but although getting a warning for say being off topic or being a backseat moderator isn't something anyone should agonize over like say for someone who had a warning for something more serious like abusive behavior or posting NSFW content. Most of the mods and admins have probably gotten warnings at some point in their time here and one user who was one of the last people I would have ever suspected of doing anything seriously wrong got suspended months back, I don't know what he did as I only found out in a blog post he made apologizing for it after he came back from it and that apology did not go into detail as to what he did. It goes to show you that sometimes even the best of us can screw up, it dosen't justify it as we all need to be held accountable for our actions but it is something to consider.