Explain How Rep is Rewarded

Hello All,

Kind of new here, but I have been enjoying helping people with some of their questions, as well as learning quite a bit from some more experienced folk. I have been earning reputation from some of my posts, but I am completely bewildered as to how rep is rewarded. On some posts, when I see rep gained, I will get maybe 1 or 2 points. But other times, I see my total jump up by 8 or more. To be honest, I am not really here for rep, I am like House M.D. - I like puzzles but the way rep points are handed out is a puzzle I have not been able to figure out.

If this should be posted in a different forum, please let me know.

Thanks!

As I understand it, every user has a "Rep Power", which is initially set to 1 and increments each year on the anniversary of the joining date, so if someone gives you rep and they have been a member for 2 years, say, your rep count will jump by 3. If someone joined in 2010, their rep power would be 13.

In addition to that, Rep Power is also increased if you move up the categories of User, so if you contribute more posts (and gain more rep) you will become a Forum Contributor, then a Valued Forum Contributor, then a Forum Expert, and maybe even a Forum Guru or Forum Moderator. Each of these "levels" give you more rep power, though no one has explained exactly what these are while I've been on the forum.

Hope this helps.

Pete

Yep, definitely helps some! So i just need to find someone who joined in the Stone Age and get them to hit me for like a billion points. Got it! Thank you!

That helps a lot. I did not know that we each had a Rep Power that impacts the score. Makes sense why sometimes my total points jump a lot and sometimes, like the last rep I just got, by only 1 point

I think the earliest Join date is August 2003 (and there are some members who joined then and have never made a post), so for those the Rep Power would be coming up to 20 if they were to suddenly become active now. Of course, people who have moved up the ranks may have a rep power higher than that.

Pete

Hmmmm 2011 and Guru.... How YOU doin', Pete? :D LOL

Helps a lot! I do not need to know the exact calculation, I just wanted someone to help me make sense of it Thanks!

Yes, same for me, Trev. Over the years I've had quite a few grey reps, from people who have never posted but who have repped me for some answer on another OP's thread. I've also had a few negative reps, but that's mainly been because the interface can be a bit confusing (i.e. I've had positive comments in the thread, but they clicked on the wrong button for giving rep).

Pete