OPINIONS on Q&A TechPoint System

I think the system is fine if used properly.

The problem is people who put up questions, (which means teh points are then deducted from thier count), but they reject every answer- presumably they think the points are deducted when they accept an answer!!!

Also annoying are the ones who never check the answers - at least they now time them out and share the points to all repliers.

The best answer can be found in past discussions and previous posted questions,all pertaining to this same topic.

This is indeed an ongoing discussion for a while now. Some people just take without giving (today's way of living I suppose), some people are just here to ask one question and never return once they have a suitable answer, some people just make a mistake and do mean to properly rate an answer.
Some questions are poorly put (I'm not a native English speaker, so I certainly won't blame anyone for that), but this system of answer/reject or accept doesn't allow for asking additional info or clarification without risking to have relatively much rejected answers.

Www.experts-exchange.com has a system that allows to add a "comment" and an "answer". Still, that doesn't stop people from writing answers like "I think JimBb is right" (a real answer I saw recently), hoping that they will get their share of points.

The system is here, and it depends on us to use it as it is meant. And my opinion on the people that abuse it? Pitiful... Get a life. And at the same time: who cares? There will be those everywhere, in everything.

Jim

Perhaps the best ideas are:

1. To overvalue questions so people look at them. I notice this one is worth 2500 points for example.

I rated my only question so far at 500 points and got a really helpful link back within a few days. I commented on the helpful link to encourage the poster, and awarded him full points before closing the query.

2. To automatically check the setting that, as soon as a question is answered, you receive an e-mail. That should ensure that people don't overlook questions.

3. To award the points automatically if answers have not been rated within say 14 days (to allow for people being on vacation).

4. To re-emphasise the difference between discussion and Q&A topics. I recently answered a query about what to do after being made redundant but doubt if I'll get any points for the reply. The question is really better described as a discussion topic.

Slightly off topic but as long as we are passing around blame let?s put some on TechRepublic themselves. I come to the site every day to review questions and answers and expect to get the 50 points I?m supposed to get to use at a future time when I have serious problems that I need expert advise on. That?s the only reason I even care about the points.

I have posted only 2 questions and awarded what I thought were a generous amount of points (300, 1000) to the first person that I thought answered the question accurately and completely. The point value was determined by how important the information was to me not on the suggested scheme.

On a couple of occasions I have noticed that my point count has not been increasing and have notified TechRepublic only to be told that they know there is a problem and they are working on it. They say that they have the ability to keep track of the owed points and they will credit them to the account when the problem is fixed.

I don?t know if other members are having this problem but when it happens to me it seem to last for a few months. The current problem has been going on for about 2 months now and at first I didn?t get any new points at all, now every week or two I get 50 points even though I login here every day.

The last time this happened instead of getting the 2000+ points I should have I only got a couple of hundred. My total point value to date should be over 13,000 and it?s still below 10,000.

I'm not really sure just how "just" the Q&A techpoint system really is. There is nothing worthwhile to use the points towards and some of my best answers have been shot down. I wouldn't be so bent about it if people would post comments as to why they have rejected my answer.

I don't think there is a best answer to this question, really. It is true that this issue keeps coming up over and over again, but the answers all seem to be them same. People use it to test their knowledge and usethe points as a reward system. The computer industry is a very competitive field and I think that some techies like to use Technet as another source of competitive edge.

I enjoy using Technet to find out if I really know what I think I know. Inaddition to that, in the event that I DID have a REALLY serious problem that I needed to have answered right away, I could adjust the points accordingly.

What has become more of an issue lately from my perspective is, what do YOU honestly think?These questions are coming up so often lately, I would like to know what YOU honestly think of the TechPoint System??

Regards!
640k

Aside to poster #5: If you log off the site, then back on, you'll get yout 50 daily points. You may have to do a screen refresh to see them.

This issue has been coming up for close to a year now. Here's a link to a recent Discussion on the subject, and in my post there I included links back to other Q&A's and Discussions. That'll give you a good historical perspective of people's views on the problem.

https://www.techrepublic.com/forumdiscuss/thread_detail.jhtml?thread_id=60383

(Sometimes when I copy and paste URL's it looks ok to me but once the answer is posted, an extraneous space will have crept in. Make sure you delete any extraneous spaces or the page won't load).

I don?t know why you put up your question. Just by accident a few months ago I came across the Q&A. It looks interesting. Sometimes I subscribe to a question just to see what others have to say about the question at hand. I have given an answer to several questions and I have spent some time in finding possible solutions. As such this helps me to overcome similar problems in the future. At least I hope so.
What I really dislike are people just bluntly rejecting without any comment or telling I have found a solution myself [so I don?t tell you what my solution is and you don?t get points.]
The least I would expect is a comment telling what their solution is and even if they use some of my suggestions to tell what was really helpful and where additional help or effort was needed. It should be a two-way system. I want to learn something from what other people do with my suggestions and those of others.
In short the system could be fine if people try to react properly. Is there reallya time limit on questions? I have given answers in June and July without any action. Someone added this comment to a positive rating for my suggestion: ?It worked. Sorry it took so long to rate you.? That at least is for me better than some people which just reject all answers, close the question and post no comment. It will be the end of the system if everybody would behave like that. The points are nice, but the comment telling if people could benefit from suggestions or found something themselves that may be of help to others should be the backbone of the system.
This is about what will fit in the box.
Good luck with this question. I am looking forward to your comment!

Hey you,

I love the challenge of attempting to quickly find the solution to someone's problem, and being able to present it in clear and concise manner. At times it's no more than a quick cut and paste from one of my sources. At times it's a little more involved. Regardless of how much or how little effort I put into an answer, I consider it a learning experience for me as well as the one who asked the question. That presents a win-win situation, doesn't it?

The points are a nice way forthe questioner to just say, "thanks" to a stranger who stopped along the road to help someone out. We've all (I hope) helped people out of a jam in some sort of way, not expecting to be "paid", but to just be helpful. And hopefully, they'll "pass iton" by helping someone else. And, it's a great way to make sure you, yourself, do indeed have a great day. Some people say thanks, some don't. It's that way in life as well, and there's nothing that can be done about it. There's really no reason to get bent out of shape over it. I've given my time to a 1500 point question (or now a 2500 point one), as well as a "0" point question. Not for the points, but for the experience.

I've answered a few questions with something like, "the first answer is correct...", but there's always a "but". So I might elaborate a bit, or be a little more specific. If anyone is ever offended by that, post a comment to me (or an e-mail), and I'll give him or her double the points.

TechRepublic certainly has some flaws in the system, but, just like good 'ol American capitalism, it isn't perfect, but it's the best system around.

Regards,

Maxwell

#9-

Ya think? Try www.experts-exchange.com

To ASyscoKid Re: Answer #10

I went to that site you mentioned, and it does indeed have an impressive Q&A setup.

However, my comment about TechRepublic being the "best around" was meant to encompass the entire site (even though this question did only ask about Q&A). The articles are well written and well organized - CIO, NetAdmin, etc. - and, for the most part, very well done. A lot of the downloads are helpful as well.

So, even though the Q&A "may" not be the best, but it is pretty good, the site as a whole "might be"????? (This doesn't mean that American Capitalism isn't the best either, does it?) And I suppose I might have been taking just a little bit of "literary liberty" to attempt to sound "profound" while make a point. We are, after all, competing for 2500 points! Nonetheless, thanks for providing that great link. I've included it in my Favorites.

Also, I would also be interested in hearing (reading) the questioner's motivation for posting such a question. And I'm rather surprised that it hasn't received more responses.

Regards,

Maxwell

Point value changed by question poster.

I'll divide the points to the ones who answered the question. They think that their opinion is the best, and they are all right. I'll forward those comments to TechRepublic. Thank you for taking the time to address this question.

This question was closed by the author

I hope no one minds that I divided the points between all who answered. One of these answers thought that awarding points was a nice way to thank someone for giving a bit of their time to someone else. Because of that I thought it would be a nice gesture to just divide them. Thank you all.