I see the launch of the
reputation system has caused a bit of a stir.

There really isn't anything to worry about with this system. It simply allows the community to show their opinion in a measurable way.
There are two distinct differences...
Reputation Power and Reputation Points.
Reputation Power is the degree of influence you can have on someone elses
reputation LEVEL. You amass
reputation power from being a good, solid user. Power is related to the length of time you have been a member, how many posts you have made, what your
reputation level is and all manner of things... You can see your
reputation power beside your posts in the forums, accompanied by a green blob(s).
Reputation Level is basically your
reputation... according to the community members. EVERYONE started on this new forum with a
reputation level of 10 points.
If you think somebody made a good or a bad contribution to a particular thread you can assign them with positive or negative
reputation. When you assign
reputation, your
reputation POWER is added or subtracted from the users
reputation LEVEL. You assign
reputation points by clicking the 'balance' symbol at the side of forum posts.
You can VIEW your reputation level in your user control panel. You will also see the last ten
reputation rankings that you have been assigned (if any). You will be able to see if you were awarded positive or negative
reputation points.
You will not be able to see who left the points but if applied properly a message should hav ebeen left, so that you know why you were awarded positive or negative
reputation points. (If you dont leave a message, you're more than likely abusing the system!!)
THe
reputation system has many complex rules, which have been setup behind the scenes. It is not possible for people to continually receive
reputation (good or bad) from the same members. You can try, but it wont be aplpied to the score
NEW members are not able to assign
reputation until they have made a certain nuber of posts (I think its 50 currently), so that new members cannot sign up and try to cause havoc. (I should also mention that email verification is now incorporated to stop WASTERS registering to cause grief).
If you have LOW/negative
reputation you are not able to assign negative
reputation points, as usually this would be an abuse of the system whilst you try to 'get someone back'.
Members with low/negative
reputation levels should ask themselves why this could be. Is it really possible that you are doing something that the rest f the community don't approve of? After all, the majority rule... If you fall into this category, then consider your posting style and behaviour and maybe your
reputation will rise.
I think thats all I will say for now... if you have any further questions regarding the
REPUTATION SYSTEM please post them in this thread... as they are getting dotted here, there and everywhere currently