Jesus christ. There's a whole lot of whining in this thread. I read the first page, got the TL;DR version and then jumped to the final page and found people still complaining. I think I can sum things up well:

Forty-nine times out of forty a person with an obscenely bad rating has that rating for a legitimate reason. The people with the highest ratings are those who are, and this is going to seem odd, helpful. They aren't lounge lizards and they aren't the people who bitch about getting bad ratings -- they're the people who are technically proficient in some walk of life and contribute to the community by advising others. My rating is mediocre because, over the last couple years, I haven't really contributed much technically to threads. At this point, if it goes down, I can pinpoint the post which made it go down and I almost always deserve it. If it increases, it's generally due to one of the rare technical posts or dev journal entries (or witty moderational tactics).

These threads always spawn from people feeling bad about getting rated down. It's inane. Not only is this an Internet Forum, but it's an Internet Forum of Nerds. The rating means very little other than saying "I have a higher rating than Jim Bob Jo over there." People don't think a person with a rating of 1400 is far more credible than a person with a rating of 1100 (but when you get to extremes of about 1900 compared to 1000, things start to matter) so, really, if you're within an acceptable range of non-retardation ratings, there's no reason to give a crap. Just keep being helpful and it'll show in those pretty little four-digit numbers (and, really, if you're under four-digits, you most likely had it coming).

The system of anonymously giving bad ratings works well for us and giving people the ability to add ratings along with anonymous comments opens up a whole bunch of shit that we're all better off not reading. People tend to give praise and thanks in relevant threads and... Well, we're better off without the "u r teh homogay" messages attached to negative ratings.

And at the end of the day, the rating system has been extraordinarily efficient at separating the wheat from the chaff, so that's all that matters.

Complain all you want, it'll just serve to piss off more people (and probably sink your rating in the process). The moderators and staff are content with the status quo, so things will stay exactly how they are.

Before this thread degenerates any further (or is locked), let us sum up a few things, in no particular order:

1. The rating system isn't going to disappear any time soon. Live with it.
2. Your rating isn't necessarily for you. It's for other people to see how helpful and/or friendly you are. It gives others an opportunity to see what sort of community member you are.
3. You shouldn't be concerned over your rating. It's just a number.
4. If you are concerned over your rating, to quote a very good friend of mine, "Don't do dumb stuff!". Don't participate in threads that you know you will take a hit in. Don't start something controversial. Don't act like an idiot. Be nice.
5. Use proper grammer and spelling.
6. Do your research. Don't hop onto the forums for every single question you have - do a little searching before you do post a question. Don't keep bumping your threads if you don't get an answer. Don't unload a barrage of questions at once. It looks a little awkward on the Active Topics when you see half a dozen topics from the same thread starter.
7. Don't feel qualified to post a response? Don't. Nothing is worse than posting false information. I've been guilty of this, and it was pointed out. This leads on to the next one...
8. When you do make a mistake, admit it, then move on. The past is in the past, and there isn't a whole lot you can do about it.
9. Try to be helpful whenever you can. Know something about "techical thread X"? Can you be of assistance there? Lend someone a hand and pass on your knowledge or point them in the right direction. That's what the community is all about - sharing knowledge and experiences as game developers, programmers, artists, and so forth.
10. Someone rated you down? Who carse. See number 3. Move on.
11. Don't hold grudges or carry out personal vendettas on forum members, moderators, or staff. "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, and we'll all end up blind and toothless".
12. If you do post something controversial, be prepared to back yourself up, and not just with your opinion. We're talking cold, hard, solid facts that come from reliable sources.
13. When you do post your opinion, be prepared to back it up with solid facts.
14. Don't be a troll. Don't get people all riled up - that's just asking for it.
15. Don't complain about your rating. It's a reflection of how other people have seen you on the forums. Don't like it? Either A) See Number 2, or B) Do something about it - See numbers 1-21.
16. Have something cool to share? Go ahead, share it! Just do a quick search or scan of the Active Topics to see if it has already been posted.
17. Provide constructive feedback. Note I didn't use the word "criticism", which generally has a negative connotation. Congratulate people on their accomplishments, and admire their work. Eventually others will do the same with you.
18. Try and be a good sport and a good community member. Someone make a stab at you? Take it lightly. They may have meant something entirely different than how you are reading it.
19. Treat others with the same kind of respect you ask to be treated with. Don't rate someone up/down, just because everyone else does.
20. Use the rating system to reflect how helpful/friendly someone is. See someone post an awesome reply to help someone else out? Give 'em a nudge in the upwards direction. The same can be done for someone who is unhelpful and/or unfriendly, but remember, the gate swings both ways...
21. Take it easy on new community members (and old ones!). By the likes of this thread, you can see that even some members who have been here a while still haven't grasped the whole thing yet. Heck, I've been here nearly since the beginning, and I still don't understand a lot. Just be nice.

This is pretty much what I try to do, and it has helped me out.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. If anyone else has something constructive to add, or other thoughts, have at it.

Quote:Original post by Moe
* snip *

Very nice, rate++.

EDIT: Doh! Already rated.

My God, what have i done?!

I think we're done here.