Sounds like an excellent idea to me. With the current system I could just repeatedly smite anyone I happened to dislike if I were a rude sort of person, and say someone with nothing better to do decided to make an account, make some posts, and smite everyone repeatedly until banned.
I'm biased though as for no reason that I can immediately discern I have been 'smitten'. twice.
(I actually find it amusing)
It doesn't really worry me, I don't believe in a system like this that makes peoples opinions overly public, and subsequently I will allow my actions to speak for me and ignore my own Karma and everyone elses.....
But the fact that I acumulate 2 negative points before I get to know anyone or even become involved in something controversial (which I usually inevitably do at some point
) should be cause for a double-take as its possible it is a symptom of deeper issues with the system, or a single unkown entity abusing the system.
Not necessarily, for all I know and for all my experience and for all the times I have re-checked my posts its possible I made an error I havent noticed. But if not....
Think about it, think about what Estelore said, and think about the fact that if someone can smite anonymously with no reprecussions whatsoever, all it takes is one person to be a wolf in sheep's morph, or one person to be having a bad day to throw the systems purpose out of alignment.
Now to play devil's advocate, in a perfect universe the system allows people to know when they are generaly overstepping their bounds, and it allows people to anonymously give people a nudge. The system has pros and cons, and like any system the biggest cons have to have checks and balances somewhere.
Another con is that I could look at someone who is on the top of the bad Karma list and assume they are a jerk, but they might have been a good friend if I hadnt leapt to a conclusion.
Another pro is that I could carefully evaluate a persons Karma against examples of their posts and conversations with them to give me an extra variable in forming opinions.
Pros and cons.
Its particularly curious as I have been a part of many social groups, many of them web forums, and have some experience with this sort of thing (this is the only place I have seen it work), and having checked and rechecked my posts the worst negativity I've recieved in the few days I've been here was being told I accidently repeated something someone else said in a thread.
hardly cause for being *gasp* smitten.
Like I said, it doesnt phase me, but this is a sterling example of my innate instinct to become involved in a debate and make a 'thesis' post out of it even if I care very little for the topic or have no stake in it.
Its also an excellent insight into the ridiculously complex matrix of relationships and emotions that is a community.
EDIT; having looked at the top bad and good karma list and leafed through some posts of those members, (which by no means constitues a full steady of this system or those people) I find it most intriguing that several people are on *both* lists.
This either means that;
A; they're controversial people, the sort of people you either like or dislike no gray areas (possible),
B; that they suffer from severe bi-polar (unlikely)
C; that there are three kinds of people here, people who get judged, people who judge smitingly and people who applaud alot, (also possible)
D; that there are other variables I havent seen yet that create other possiblities. (most likely)
