To prevent individuals from getting into a situation were they have a high negative score, I would recommend that after a certain negative score is obtained, (? around -200 ?) the individual is unable to make any new replies in sections that have 'ranked threads' .
Once individual raises their score through voting, journal entries, 'the game', e.t.c ... they are able to resume replying in 'ranked threads' until their score drops back below the threshold.
I am against this idea.
If we disable site features below a certain rating threshold, it weaponizes the rating system in such a fashion as to incentivize down voting to "shut somebody up," especially when they are near the threshold. Further, regaining that reputation is basically impossible once you can't post, since posting is the best way to gain reputation. Not only is the reputation gain from upvoting other posts and whatnot slow and throttled, it provides no way to facilitate teaching the user in question how to improve their behavior and similarly incentivizes gaming the rating system by upvoting one's entire quota per day until one crosses the threshold again. Not to mention the difficulty involved with users who fluctuate on the cusp of the threshold.
Another thing to do is disable neg reps completely. They don't have any real value, they just cause flame wars.
Failing that, make it so everyone can see what tough guy is giving a minus to people they don't like over some grudge. On sites where it works like that people don't seem to have the bravery for it any more.
