SLASHDOT VS IDIOTS [Author: wirehead]

There’s an interesting thread on Slashdot today.

Basically Slashdot is a self-moderating message system. Users can vote on how apt/insightful/enlightening a given message is, on a scale from 0 to 5. Other users can filter the system to, say, only display messages that rate above a 2. The system works pretty well, especially given that it’s a completely uncensored medium used and viewed by millions.

Unfortunately there’s a few exploits that have crept into the system. Users get points that they can spend to moderate up posts, based on some criteria, such as being the first to post in a thread, that have been abused (some race to be the first to post on every topic, with a “FIRST POST!” message.) Some trolls have made it past the filtering system, and some rather useful messages have been moderated down because others saw them as flamebait.

Of course, this has nothing to do with ORPGs, until you realize that UO’s Reputation system was modeled in large part on what Slashdot is trying to do.