This can be the most famous with a good reputation Sylon<..>
Lol..
Sylon- Famous and good reputation. Don't think you have ever heard hilariousandco speak about sylon..
Don't even get me started.
This is one of the things that I think is harmful to the merit system. You admit it yourself, you refuse to merit those on the SMAS list, which is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy; if you refuse to even look at the posts of someone on your SMAS list with any thoughtful or serious care then you will never give incentive to the type of posts they should be making.
It absolutely is not. You have a fundamental misunderstanding of the system. There is
no obligation to do anything, especially not when you are not a merit source. Were I one (and no, I do not think I am ever going to apply for this), I would probably reconsider my position. The SMAS list is only effective if it is used as intended; a filter. People who are on the list also do not realize that they should improve themselves for
their own and the forum's sake, not improve themselves in order to get off of the list/back into a campaign.
It would seem the system is meant to reward good posts, not avoid rewarding good posts because you don't like something about what they said in a completely irrelevant thread/post(s).
I'm extremely conservative with the trust system (i.e. positive trust ratings) and this is likely (already is) going to manifest itself also with my usage of the merit system.
That being said, I messaged you about your SMAS list weeks ago, never got a reply. I've done a lot to work towards being removed from your SMAS list, but it doesn't seem like that's something you're interested in accomplishing. It may be the case that you did not intend SMAS to rehabilitate and only intended for it to mark, if this is the case then I understand much better, but if you want any chance at improving these users into what they could be then you shouldn't avoid meriting a thread you otherwise would've because of your list.
Yeah, and? As long as you do not annoy me about it, you will get processed eventually. My PM queue is often long, and SMAS reviews are not priority given the high denial rate.
Take a page out of this newbie's book :
I focus on the content written in the post irrespective of whether it is made by a popular or "unpopular person".
While aspiring to be very rational/logical, that does not work in practice at all (an exception would be where the other side is actually equally rational/logical which is almost never the case with humans; 99% of the people you encounter/interact with will be irrational). It is very naive and will easily lead to believing lies from smart manipulators/psychopaths and scammers (see Quickseller et. al.).
There is and must be one, and only one proper way to earn merit: By making high-quality, on-topic posts in the forum appropriate for their subject matter.
I concur. While it may take some time until this filter works as it should (i.e.
some people may be posting good posts in sections that are filled with garbage, ergo they are hard to find right now), I don't prefer the giveaways. They create the wrong incentives. I was also thinking about *merit bounties* that are not just about posts (e.g. do X to get Y). We must definitely prevent the system from going into that direction and tag all the participating parties if it comes to that.
I don't know if this is directed at my suggestion or if you are talking about something else, but in any case I am talking about incentivizing the same thing you are concurring with. If I am incentivizing anything other than high-quality, on-topic posts then let me know, because I do not see what you're seeing.
It's a general statement building up on your suggestion. That is, if we allow this kind of bounty, then we really need to make sure we do not move the goalpost eventually to other types (as mentioned in my previous post).