Thanks Mark for the information, and thanks to you and your team for getting this issue in hand. I know that you personally must have been a real driver in getting this sorted out; it is much appreciated. I'm glad that Jive is still looking into the case because I still would like to know more about what happened, so thank you again in advance for those updates that are coming.
And thanks, Pops, wherever you may be, for raising this question. It needed to be asked, because something that wasn't working right needed fixing.
As far as I am concerned, points are now a detriment to being active on this site, not an encouragement. I'd like to see a show of hands, so to speak, of the people who were negatively affected by whatever technical problem took place. What say you Mark, is that possible?
I'll go first: I lost going on 600 to 800 points just for content I created during the "points outage," not counting points that were gifted to me, which I also lost. As far as I can tell, I also lost xxx points when someone else deleted content that I had responded to in the past. Everything I feel about this issue is colored by the fact that, I can't help it. So as one of the people affected, I see this as two issues: 1) equity and 2) author's rights. I don't see it as "a little glitch" or as just another leg in the "badges or no badges" argument.
Relating to issue 1) If there is a point system, it should work the same for everyone across the board. If the point system isn't working properly, it should be suspended until it is fixed. Think about the implications if this isn't true. If it isn't possible to reasonably guarantee an equitable system, I'd like to know.
Relating to issue 2) If content has been created and responded to, it should be written in stone and no one should have the right to delete it or alter it except that site administrators may delete it for improper content (not edit it). Period. That's a common cyberethics standard. It has to do with the integrity of the author's work. This is one small item being considered in the Study on the Moral Rights of Attribution and Integrity currently being conducted by the United States Copyright Office. Public announcement of the study may be found here.
I believe that conversation around this issue is a chance to bring us together and make us stronger as a community. I hope all EXs can freely express their opinion about this issue here. As someone who lost a lot of points, I know that my voice is being heard by EX administrators, and I appreciate it. I hope everyone affected pipes in.
