When someone says something amazingly insightful you can find yourself really wanting to give them a public pat on the back. However, if you have nothing to add to the particular topic then that pat on the back would be off-topic or at least a one-liner. Either way it would be against the rules of AD.

I would like to suggest that we consider creating a place where people can praise other users without disrupting a particular topic.

It would be a nice way to say thanks to those who contribute here, it would be a good motivator for users to spend extra time on crafting their posts, and it would be a good "example" for new users to see what it is we like the best around here.

I frequently send off PMs to people when they say something that I think deserves a bravo, but I would like to have a way to publicly praise them.

The yearly votes are certainly one way to go, but so many good comments, solid examples of research and just overall pleasant things get missed because of the time between votes. It would be nice to have a place where someone could post a simple "Well Done!! " once in awhile.

I think this is an excellent idea.

I'll be a wet blanket here.

Although I like the idea in principle, I see it as a potential way to make back-handed insults at the opposition disguised as compliments. That's one of the reasons we don't allow such comments during the course of a thread. Just my opinion.

One very rough example: "Hey! Way to go (inert name here). You are the only liberal whose ideas sometimes make sense!" or it could get competitive...."Way to talk sense to those narrow-minded pro-lifers!" would instigate a "compliment" for a poster with the opposing opinion "Way to talk sense into those pro-choicers who haven't a clue!"

How could we mod a thread like that?

Excellent Point MrsP. My only suggestion would be that the topic be started something similar to a question (as with other topics) that was worded to avoid such statements. Writing this concept in the form of a question is difficult, so I will just post my idea and leave the proper formatting to Jeopardy fans.

Example:
This topic is for the posting of complementary posts only. Posts will be focused on individual users only, with no sweeping generalizations of groups, organizations, political leanings, etc. This topic is not for the discussion of the subjects of other threads. It's only purpose is to publicly complement a user, or a particular post of a user, when you feel it is warranted. Anyone wishing to discuss the referenced topic can do so within that topic.

Would that help?

It would probably (maybe) help eliminate the sweeping generalities, but I see other potential problems.

These threads can become highly competitive, and often when people are trying to draw a point that is unpopular, a string of one-liner kudos to the opponent can be discouraging and/or simply cause the debater to abandon the discussion. It's a rare poster who receives kudos from a person who disagrees fundamentally with his/her opinion. I believe such public kudos would simply end up as a popularity contest of ideas.....and these debates can get pretty heated anyway. The 'say something nice' thread, I think, was a better way to do this. (Of course, I might be the only one who feels this way..it's just my opinion). The bottom line is, to me, the drawbacks to this idea outweigh the benefits of offering kudos, when you can always drop the individual PM.

I agree with certain aspects to both OS's and Mrs. P's points.

One thing we have to keep in mind, though, is that it is OK to offer praise within a topic, given that the post is not exclusively praise.

For example, if there was a topic about the Constitution, and I made an outstanding post that was simply indisputable ( ), you could come in and say, "Mike, your view of the Constitution is always sooooo right!" Now, if that was all that you posted, we would have a problem. But, if you then went on to address the topics to debate in a constructive fashion, your post would certainly fall within the rules.

Let me give you another example of what I have seen other forums do in the past, and why it didn't work out.

A lot of forum scripts have "reputation points" or "karma" features. Members can award or subtract reputation points from other members based on their posts. The reputation points are listed in the members profile and within their posts.

It always starts out enthusiastic. The staff of the site implements it in hopes of creating a stronger, tighter community. That usually lasts about a week.

Then, after a short period of time, this all breaks down. Members only add reputation points to their friends, and only subtract points from those with opposing viewpoints. People with high reputation points start flaunting it and skirting the rules, assuming that someone with high reputation points will not be disciplined if they break the rules. People with low reputation points feel slighted and cheated, and feel like they do not belong, which would certainly not be the case.

An area specifically for "kudos" would be perfectly fine at some sites-- for example, coding help forums, pc troubleshooting forums, photography forums, etc. But, we are a political debate forum. By our very nature, our members hold opposing viewpoints and debate in a very competitive fashion.

Let's put it this way: this would be an indirect form of member ratings, and we know you are a big fan of the rating system in the resources directory!

Mike

While I think there's nothing wrong with showing some love to a poster who has really nailed it, I'm a big believer that the Personal Messages are the best way to go about it.

The temptation to start another place not for "kudos" but for "swift kicks in the behind" would be enormous.

Why fix what isn't broken?

Way to go NT, Mrs. P, and Mike for squashing OLS's dreams in a concise, well presented manner! Kudos!

It is a good thought OLS. Just providing an example. I think it shows some of the potential problems with this one.