The better your reputation is the more flexible the reputation system is and the stronger your opinion can affect others. You have to earn the ability to disagree or be a neutral party or leave a special indicator on a rating.
Rating groups:
Each group has levels. And each has access to certain types of ratings. The values are what are shown on the bar. Meaning that the higher your level the greater your influence on someone's over all rating. The ability to have more influence within a class exists but does not make it easier to up vote buddies into the Trusted or Community rank. It only allows your opinion to carry greater weight with someone else's reputation. If only slightly.
Novice rater: Can only like or agree. Increases level every 1 to 10 unique positive ratings received regardless of value. Never de-levels.
- 1 rating x 1st level = 1 point positive.
- 1 rating x 2nd level = 2 point positive.
- and so on... up to 10 max.
Trusted rater: Can leave indicators on rating making some neutral. Increases level every 11 to 20 unique positive ratings. Can lose a level for receiving 20 unique negative ratings.
- 1 rating x 1st level = 11 point positive or 1 neutral.
- 1 rating x 2nd level = 12 point positive or 2 neutral.
- and so on... up to 20 max positive leaving a max of 10 neutral.
Community rater: The only group that can leave negative ratings. Increases level every 22 to 40 unique positive ratings. Can lose a level for receiving 40 unique negative ratings. Which should be nearly impossible. And if someone this hard working has crossed the line a mod or admin can remove a level manually plus possible bans and other repercussions.
- 1 rating x 1st level = 22 point positive or 11 neutral or 1 negative.
- 1 rating x 2nd level = 24 point positive or 12 neutral or 2 negative.
- and so on... up to 40 positive, 20 neutral and 10 negative. Maximum. Ever.
Break it down:
This means that if ten newbies agree it would take one level 10 Community rater to make that person's rating 50/50 if they had no other ratings. Someone that well liked by the community is not likely to vote in such a way lightly. And if they get enough negative feedback they might lose their Lvl 10 status and be forced to work their way back up. If not worse. Trusted raters would have to vote in organized groups to give a similar rating effect on a user's ratings. This would be pretty easy to spot and abusers demoted. Those demoted might be locked at Novice rater Lvl 10 for life for repeat offenses.
Each level, like each group, has an increased value when rating. Making their opinion more valuable to the recipient. The more trusted you are, the more your input is valued. To become a Trusted rater you need a total of 55 unique positive ratings. To become a Community rater you would need 210 unique positive ratings.
Unique rating:
Any rating received from one other user in one thread during a 24 hour period. Not to exceed 5 threads in the same 24 hour time frame. This means anyone trying to cheat they system by starting or making useless posts that get positive feedback would stick out like a sore thumb and get whacked just like one. In addition that scheme would require 11 other unique accounts that didn't share an IP, email address or other unique details we use for comparison.
TL : DR; Um, meow.
