Suggestion: reward system for expert users helping newbies

[doubleDizz]

I posted a thread in the FNV Mod Troubleshooting forums earlier today with an issue I have tried extensively to fix myself. Afterwards, I proceeded to help with a number of other users in that section with issues that were within my understanding. I did this because I believe if I need help, I should supply help to others.

 

It appears the Mods Troubleshooting forums are bereft of experienced user support, and unfortunately this is most likely due to a high number of new users asking for help before helping themselves.

 

However, I wonder if perhaps some experienced users might assist more in the troubleshooting forums if a reward system was made for the assistance they could provide.

 

I can't say specifically what the reward should be, as I do not know what Nexus Mods has to offer experience users. But for example; perhaps your could offer "mod of the week/day" rewards for users who have assisted a high amount of other user questions.

 

The Nexus Forums seem packed with expert users and is a healthy and knowledgeable modding community. However, I feel the gap between new user and experienced user is a deep chasm, in which a bridge between the two can only be built by those with the experience.

 

If moderators/admins think this is a good idea, I am more than willing to supply my time crafting a more tailored set of ideas for a reward system (providing it is a realistic possibility.)

 

Thanks.

[Lanceor]

There used to be a kudos system but it looks like it has disappeared. Like most accumulative points based systems, they were more of an indicator of how long someone's been around than how helpful they actually were.

 

A section at the bottom of each post showing "The following people said 'Thank You' for this post." would be good though.

[DrakeTheDragon]

I fail to see the relation between the helpful'ness of a member and the mod of the week/day, especially if there was no mod released in this week/day by said member at all.

 

I for one know I'm not helping to get any rewards, but I'm helping others because I got helped myself in the past as well, and I 'can' help in many cases.

 

As for a means to 'reward' a person that helped you a lot lately, you could give him/her a Kudos, after all. What else would they be good for? Though you can only give 1 to each member in a lifetime, so repeated reward is not possible that way.

 

You could introduce some sort of "X users thanked for help"-counter in analogy to the post count or something, but in my eyes it'd somehow defeat the purpose. We're not helping to gain some virtual points or fancy badges... although the latter seems to be pretty famous in community forums these days. Where's the "Successfully helped 1000 users"-badge? :woot:

 

edit: Kudos' still there. You just need to go to the File Site member profile to give or see them now.

Edited May 14, 2013 by DrakeTheDragon

[IsharaMeradin]

I for one would rather people not help than help just because they were being rewarded in some way. If someone is going to assist me through a problem then they need to know what they are talking about and not posting because they think they'll get something for doing so. It cheapens the assistance and makes the shared knowledge seem less important.

 

On the flipside, I want people to know that I'm helping them because I think that I might know something useful to them and their situation rather than thinking that I'm helping just to have a reward or recognition in some way.

[doubleDizz]

These are all good points. But personally, I think something still needs to be done.

 

The Mod Troubleshooting forums for each game are awash with new users asking for help. Now I will agree that yes, some of them should be helping themselves; but for each 2 or 3 of those users, there is another with a legitimately complex issue. And unfortunately the people who may have the knowledge how to help with the issue aren't coming to their aid.

 

And if you think "why should they?" you'd be right. It's not their job, they're not getting paid for it. But it would be to the benefit of the community if they were to help. That's why I put the idea forward.

 

You need experienced users helping in the troubleshooting forums and those users should be rewarded for putting in their time.

[JimboUK]

I've always found that people are very helpful here anyway, the questions that go unanswered tend to be the ones no one knows the answer to or where the poster has made little effort to describe the issue. My concern is people with little knowledge would start offering bad advice just to get a badge or other reward. The Kudos system is good enough, or would be if it was put back on the forum.

[bben46]

The experienced people do help - but often the new user is asking a question that has already been asked thousands of times and instead of trying to find an answer, they ask it again - then get upset when the answer is not what they wanted to hear. Often they expect a simple answer to a complex question - "Tell me what to do to make my game stop crashing?" - this one will require a lot more info to even start formulating an answer - and then it actually requires the asker to do much of the actual work of tracking the problem down.

 

Look at my sig - there is a link there to my troubleshooting blog, an entire site where I have put answers to many of the questions that get repeated. I post this link over and over in various topics - many people go there and actually find the answer they were looking for as well as helpful advice on other problems they may have in the future. While others complain that 'it's just too much work' for them to read all of that information.

[Jodi79]

well, often search button is not so useful (create a search alghoritm is one of the more hard thing to do, even the better ones atm are the less worse really).. and more often topic titles are not so close to what they really mean, man

 

P.s. generally i find solutions by my self on forum, googlizing etc... just making the devil's lawyer ^^

[doubleDizz]

The experienced people don't help, I'm sorry but you're utopian vision of this forum does not exist. Well not where I sit unfortunately.

 

I've requested help not only in the Mod Troubleshooting forum, but asked for assistance in each of the Mod threads I think may be causing my issue. I've supplied specific information and request from anyone with experience of the mod.

 

I have had 0 replies on every thread.

 

So, either no one is experienced in any of these mods or using NMM and FNVedit, or the problem I originally outlined does exist and no one cares.

[ZeroKing]

@ doubleDizz

 

Realize that no one is obliged to help and no one should be compelled to help. Just because your questions were not answered does not mean people do not care. People have lives, you know, and your statement that bben46's view is utopian seems a little shortsighted. Not all people's questions will be answered. And most oft than not, your questions were asked by other people already, and that you're either too busy, too lazy, or don't care to look for the answer.

 

Just saying that a person is a new user is no excuse, we all started new. I bothered to search for the answers, did the research, did the troubleshooting myself, etc. when I first signed up on Nexus. Wasn't I a new user with no experience? Yes. Still didn't beg for an answer or asked questions so many times when the answers could be found already.

 

I'd say people should not be compelled to help or be obliged in any manner. Introducing a reward system would not really help in any case, because it's just a number with no real value behind it. Work for yourself, find information, troubleshoot on your own. Ask for help only if absolutely necessary, as a last ditch effort.

Edited May 16, 2013 by ZeroKing