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Would a points-based system improve content quality, or just kill engagement?
Hey everyone, I’m building a business community platform for SME owners & entrepreneurs We’re exploring a points-based system to improve content/discussion quality and really like to get some feedback since this is a forum and I believe it is an issue you may have faced either here or elsewhere. So hope you can give me some feedback.
The goal is to encourage high-value contributions.
Here’s the idea:
1) Everyone starts with 50-100 points. Users earn points when their posts/comments get likes.
2) Posting articles, commenting in “serious discussions” or posting anonymously costs points (e.g., 10 points per comment).
3) Users can still post normally, but "serious discussions" would require either points or LinkedIn Profile displayed (SSO sign in) to encourage more genuine conversations - striking a balance while still allowing for anonymity to a certain extent until they earn more points via quality conversations.
Essentially, we are trying to see how best to achieve the best of both worlds - anonymity vs serious discussions and 2 different preferences.
Do you think this would:
- Points - Improve discussion quality and therefore encourage participation for all or discourage participation and stifle this new platform?
- LinkedIn profile - would knowing the credentials of the person, help you digest, among all the replies/advice you may get, which to lean towards?
Would love to hear your thoughts!
- Terr_ 2y agoIs there any possible economic incentive to cheat the point system? Could the existence of such a system supplant or harm a kind of social feedback system which has already formed?
- duxtontoh 2y agoNope, points are mainly for engagement. Love to hear more of your thoughts on it harming the system?
- phillipseamore 2y agoThis might need to be a bit more nuanced, a user might like to award 1 point to a post but 10 points to another more detailed or insightful post. Perhaps 1-5 stars (costing 10 to 50) points would be better? Then you are also getting rating data. The price for awarding points might also be dynamic. Make it more expensive for first time, unverified and low engagement users (fake accounts or throwaways created to boost content), in the example above it might cost a new user without any engagement 20-100 points instead of 10-50. This might go all the way down to 1-5 for a verified, high engagement and long time user. The point system could also be used to endorse a user instead of posts and comments, a sort of trust system. I know the user "JimPlain" and so I verify/endorse him for 10/25/50 points (this might also be based on how many points a user owns, the more points you own the more it costs to endorse another user).
- duxtontoh 2y agoThanks for the suggestions!
- JohnFen 2y agoWhy does having a LinkedIn account get you a pass? I don't understand how having a LinkedIn account indicates that you're more likely to have a "genuine conversation".
- duxtontoh 2y agoYou are right, having a LinkedIn account does not necessarily mean a "genuine conversation". It is only a mechanism to verify users are "genuine" and in turn hopefully they will have a "genuine conversation". I am fully aware this is not foolproof, hence I am hoping to get some suggestions here :)