Suggestions

Get rid of the point system, it corrupt the forum.
This is ill used, do not show the reality of the value of the posters.
I have no idea why it was implemented, I don't see any value of this system.
Some members even do not know they exist.
The PM should be absolutely private and safe and not accessed by the moderator. If some members abuse it, the abused member will report to the moderator, and he will act accordingly by sending a warning.
If a thread start to be just a marketing platform it will be nice if the moderator close it.
My two cents
Daniel

 

How would I validate if the PM system were abused if I could not investigate the reported abuse? It has not come up often, but I believe in cases where a complaint is received or if it appears it is being used to send abusive, spammy or otherwise inappropriate messages, I need to reserve the right to investigate. The meaning of "private" in PM system is that messages sent via PM are not available like forum messages for everyone else to read, but I feel that the PM system must abide by the same rules as the forum in general, i.e. not used to attack another member, or to send spam, etc. and in cases where abuse is reported, the right is reserved to investigate. If it is vital that information you are sending is not scanned by a moderator or ISP or law enforcement don't send it via any public website and encrypt it. Thankfully this issue has only come up a few times in the past 8 years.

 

This has been much discussed and is certainly imperfect. You are not alone in your dislike for that system, but it does give a quick numerical overview which is helpful for moderation. For example, before it was put in place the response to a rude or dangerous post might be a PM between members that I would not be aware of or a series of public forum posts strung over a period of time. At least with the "post feedback" system it gives a quick summary of how the community as a whole feels about what a member is posting (overall) and in cases where someone becomes problematic I can at least search to see how many positive vs. negative responses their posts have generated. It's only a number and so it's problematic that it is difficult for anyone, even with a very positive reputation, to not take the number personally. (e.g. it's easy to become upset by one negative comment and focus on that rather than the dozens or even hundreds of positive points received in thanks from others.) But I find it useful to at least have some quick numerical summary that takes into account how others have felt about their posting history on the site for the years someone has been a member. I believe an improvement would be to move more towards a system that focuses more visibly on thanking a member for especially valuable posts.

 

I think your last point as a lot of merit, I agree with you.

Thank you for answering my suggestions

Daniel