Why do we have merits sources? °.°

[Decoded]

The merit mechanic is great. It encourages users to post well to rank up. Maybe in the future signature campaigns can pay out using Merits instead of BTC   Thats something I think merit sources could be used well for.

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit? People with current ranks become the merit sources, and the merit can be passed around while the 8 merits recieved will stop merits being too common. Besides the example above, can someone help me try to justify the need for merit sources?

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[EcuaMobi]

The merit mechanic is great. It encourages users to post well to rank up. Maybe in the future signature campaigns can pay out using Merits instead of BTC   Thats something I think merit sources could be used well for.

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit? People with current ranks become the merit sources, and the merit can be passed around while the 8 merits recieved will stop merits being too common. Besides the example above, can someone help me try to justify the need for merit sources?

We need merit sources so that there are enough sMerits on the system for helpful posters to be able to rank up.

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit?

Being able to send all the merit we receive would make it much easier to abuse. An account farmer with a few accounts could send the sMerits back and forth. With the current system they can do that only a few times until it halves to < 1. Unfortunately, I do think we need some level of centralization in order to reduce abuse. It's much easier to monitor a handful of sources than everyone.

[Decoded]

The merit mechanic is great. It encourages users to post well to rank up. Maybe in the future signature campaigns can pay out using Merits instead of BTC   Thats something I think merit sources could be used well for.

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit? People with current ranks become the merit sources, and the merit can be passed around while the 8 merits recieved will stop merits being too common. Besides the example above, can someone help me try to justify the need for merit sources?

We need merit sources so that there are enough sMerits on the system for helpful posters to be able to rank up.

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit?

Being able to send all the merit we receive would make it much easier to abuse. An account farmer with a few accounts could send the sMerits back and forth. With the current system they can do that only a few times until it halves to < 1. Unfortunately, I do think we need some level of centralization in order to reduce abuse. It's much easier to monitor a handful of sources than everyone.

We need PoW for forum accounts 

[atrocityx]

The merit mechanic is great. It encourages users to post well to rank up. Maybe in the future signature campaigns can pay out using Merits instead of BTC   Thats something I think merit sources could be used well for.

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit? People with current ranks become the merit sources, and the merit can be passed around while the 8 merits recieved will stop merits being too common. Besides the example above, can someone help me try to justify the need for merit sources?

I think its a good suggestion.. or maybe instead of merit it shows up as a temporary "highlight" of the post to draw attention to it in a pile of posts.. but it may all just boil down to forum limitations and the system it can support, and any potential upgrade just may be outside of its abilities..  I do like the idea of incorporating thouse who earn merit into the smerit pool though.. since most who are actively low and earning merit are also surrounded by others trying to gain merit.   I think its really too early to tell though whether the amount of merit being doled out is appropriate or not..it could be that merit will function like bitcoin and overtime the difficulty of mining merit will become more difficult as time on the forum passes.. making the legendary status still possible.. but very very time consuming.. I like the system but it seems a bit slow.. but I guess time will tell when it comes to fine tuning it.

[HabBear]

Besides the example above, can someone help me try to justify the need for merit sources?

Merit Sources are given the job of giving away merit, while the rest of us can spend or "save" our merit as we see fit. Additionally, the Merit Sources have been chosen because they have the right eye for a quality post, one that provides a real contribution to this community. That contribution could be an educational post, meaningful reply, or thought provoking question.

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit?

You're not proposing much here. Currently every 10 merits you receive creates 5 merits for you to spend. You're just asking to  increase that rate by 60-100%. Why? What's the point of the small boost?

[shailkumari]

The merit mechanic is great. It encourages users to post well to rank up. Maybe in the future signature campaigns can pay out using Merits instead of BTC   Thats something I think merit sources could be used well for.

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit? People with current ranks become the merit sources, and the merit can be passed around while the 8 merits recieved will stop merits being too common. Besides the example above, can someone help me try to justify the need for merit sources?

It is good to have merit sources appointed by admin. Giving all those powers to members here can result in abuse. If we start getting 10 smerits for 10 merits we receive, just imagine how easy it will be to transfer merits between alt accounts. From account A to account B and then from account B to account C.

[MadZ]

Are you suggesting that all users be given sMerit proportional to the their current merit total? The whole point of the merit system is to reward quality posters. Giving sMerit to everyone would include many of these shit-posters, allowing them to give Merit to this shit-posting friends. Designating only a certain number of merit sources who have proven they have good judgement avoids this problem. The only reason users started with so much merit to begin with at high ranks is because it would be rather unfair to retroactively de-rank people.

[sncc]

Suppose one receives x% of sMerit for each Merit which one receives.

If x < 100: The total number of sMerit in the forum is monotonically decreasing and we would eventually run out of sMerit in the forum, which is the reason why the forum needs merit sources. 

If x >= 100: Account farmers could increase their merit infinitely. 

The current value x = 50 and the number of merit sources must be the initial trial and reconsidered if necessary.

[digaran]

We don't need merit sources, only beggars with high quality posts do. having known merit sources is also easy to find if for example, a lowlife merit source like me is abusing them or not, so even if theymos had made me a merit source with *500-700 sMerits, he could have figured it out if I had abused my power.

He doesn't have that kind of time to actually check my sMerits, but he doesn't really need to spend any time on my sent merits, I came out as a source myself, if I had more sMerits and if I had abused them, people could have reported me and he could have reversed my sent merits.

*I don't have the time to handle more than 500-700 sMerits.

[OgNasty]

Maybe in the future signature campaigns can pay out using Merits instead of BTC   Thats something I think merit sources could be used well for.

I am opposed to this idea as I think it gives Merit sources an unfair profit making advantage.

[Decoded]

Suppose one receives x% of sMerit for each Merit which one receives.

If x < 100: The total number of sMerit in the forum is monotonically decreasing and we would eventually run out of sMerit in the forum, which is the reason why the forum needs merit sources. 

If x >= 100: Account farmers could increase their merit infinitely. 

The current value x = 50 and the number of merit sources must be the initial trial and reconsidered if necessary.

This means it relies on certain people to counter the "decay" of sMerit in circulation. I'm not going to say it's "too centralised" or whatever, because I don't have a problem with from what I can see, with the merit sources ATM.

Just wondering if there is a more self-sufficient method of this rather than appointing mini-mods.

[digaran]

I'm not going to say it's "too centralised" or whatever,  Just wondering if there is a more self-sufficient method of this rather than appointing mini-mods.

Volunteers to be public servants, there is no secret society. beggars could still dress up as gentlemen and join our ranks. a mini-mod should come out as a merit source, why would you hide that you are a merit source? do you see people bugging DT members and ask for green trust? imagine if I had more than 5-8 (honestly I'm not sure if it was 5 or 8 ) sMerits and would've made a mistake, the same OGnasty in this thread would have never let it slide, giving digaran 500-700 sMerits and then spend time to check his work to probably see that I have to reverse his sMerits is too much work for me, why bother? let me just make it the same as trust, let me keep trusting the same old people, because I don't have the time to let more people in, yet I want to have a forum without shitposters.

This means it relies on certain people

Let me make it clear, certain people is theymos.

because I don't have a problem with from what I can see, with the merit sources ATM.

Only the former beggars on the streets and the current shitposters have problems, they need money to feed their family right? a man has got to eat if he is one of the 80 Million terrorists right? a real terrorist would also need to eat, because he is a terrorist for money and some prostitutes in heaven (I doubt that they could achieve the second goal though). only one lol.

[DaftAjax]

The merit mechanic is great. It encourages users to post well to rank up. Maybe in the future signature campaigns can pay out using Merits instead of BTC  Thats something I think merit sources could be used well for.

What difference does it make? Isn't it just the same as begging? If we say 'Merit', its something you did that deserves commendation. A Merit is like respect, you have to earn it - not being asked to have. Why is it starting to sound like its turning into a currency?

But right now, why don't we make every 10 merits we recieve, translate to 8 or 10 sMerit? People with current ranks become the merit sources, and the merit can be passed around while the 8 merits recieved will stop merits being too common. Besides the example above, can someone help me try to justify the need for merit sources?

Everyone receives sMerits (excepts for the newbies) and Merit Sources to those people that have special obligations. For them to grant merit to those people that earn their respect or find your post very helpful of some sort, besides the higher ups don't have all the time they need for them to monitor every people here.