Hello Zapreaders!
A major update to reputation was just released. Now, reputation affects how your votes change post and comment scores.
Why do this?
The reputation system is a way to prevent spam accounts. Accounts with good reputation take effort. You have to create quality content to gain reputation. Spam accounts can't do that.
Reputation gives an incentive for good behavior!
How it works
Higher reputation means more impact and higher reputation means your posts are harder to vote down.
Low reputation users can't influence scores as much. Especially scores of those with high reputation (for example, downvoting).
High reputation users can influence scores more.
What does this mean?
Basically, your reputation gives you more voice. You earn reputation by others voting up your posts and comments. If you don't have as much reputation, you can't affect the scores on Zapread as much.
Bottom line: you should want to add posts and comments which others will vote up in order to gain reputation!
I think it is a brilliant concept. If zapread gets a little more traction, this will be the social media platform to beat in a few years time!
I'm interested to see if it will only show who has the oldest account/paid the most from a second account to boost the first one... But all these worries aside it sounds good on paper! Cool to see and be part of this experiment.
It does encourages you to have an "older" account. It also reaches 95% effect after about 200K (about $10 worth) reputation right now. The rate it tapers off will be updated as needed depending on the value of Bitcoin and the number of users.
The objective here is not to make a ranking of users, but to have a threshold of good behaviour. Right now - once you have a rep of 200K, then additional reputation will not change your voting voice very much.
I still have plans for other incentives (such as badges/rewards/unlocks) for good behaviour. Things like # of posts/comments, amount deposited, reputation milestones, moderator actions, etc.
Lots more to come!
API? :-)
I agree it is a great concept