Disabling Beer Karma

Well said.

I didn't pay too much attention to karma points at first, but as they began to mount up I found that I participated more in the discussion groups. I also embarked upon quests to try beers of as many different styles as I could and from as many different states / countries as I could. I learned a lot about beer during this time, and I've tried to share a little of this with my fellow BAs. I was within shouting distance of Poobah when the karma system was disabled, so I was understandably disappointed. I hope you will consider bringing it back. (But PLEASE grandfather in the points we racked up under the old system. My Poobah bonus check was as good as spent. )

 

Wow, now I am confused. The guy that has about 500 posts on his profile gets 15000 "likes", claims he gets them because of unrecorded posts from single threads that he posts up to 500 times, and is disappointed because he's a short way from poobah.I don't understand. Am I stupid?
I think maybe you made the right call.

 

Well, it appears the BA members have spoken.. We want it back.

 

It's fascinating to discover the different ways people enjoy the site, all of which are very valid. Beer reviews and trading rank very high on some BAs list of priorities, both of which I don't use at all. For me, I read for the conversations in the general forums as well as the regional sub-forums as I love to beercation. I'm a beer rater, not a reviewer and have no issues with BK points being heavily weighted toward the latter. It sounds like maintaining the BK system more of a tech issue rather than a qualitative one, but I've enjoyed the thoughtful conversation regardless.

 

I never could figure out how to add pictures , it should be much easier. I can do pics on Facebook, messenger etc, I followed directions and working thru photobucket nada. You get points for that? Seems silly, another reason to keep it DC, posting pictures of piles of beer never interisted me. Some great pics on this site though, especially those with great glassware.

 

Posts within the Trading Forum (of which the BIF is a subset) are not counted as regular posts.

 

I've added a lot, and it's a pain in the ass. You have to resize it to a certain dimension, and then ensure the file size isn't too big. Surely not something everyone can do. You only get points for adding the first picture, though.
Apparently, they plan on making photos a lot easier to add.

 

Beer Karma has been a fun feature to this site. Definitely cool milestones and targets.

 

Dude, seriously, read some of the poor attempts I've made at NBS. You really shouldn't' sell yourself short! It's a great thread and even greater folks, please drop in!

Personally, I was pressing pretty hard for the Order of the Fez (think that was it, right?)

 

Haha I didn't realize the karma was gone. I thought it was a cool feature tho.

 

Well now that we are all the same "rank," I would like to happily announce my new BA title as "Supreme Kentucky Admiral" with all of the rights and privileges therein.

For those of you who were wondering, it's quite a few spots above Poobah.

Who says Karma's a bitch? She just gave me a promotion!

 

Something like that... but that was ridiculously high, wasn't it? Like 2500 karma points?

 

I never had a problem with adding beer or site pics when I used the first resizing site they recommended in the FAQ post. It allows you to choose your pixel size, zoom in and out to fit your pic into the box generated, and save at different levels of resolution to adjust file size. Pretty cool. I just used Facebook for the WBAYDN and haul pics, and even got a few of my friends posting pictures of what they were drinking.

 

But it sure looks like the "likes" were.

 

Very disappointed... Drank my 5000th BA beer today and was looking forward to the karma bump.... I'll get over it. While the system was imperfect, giving way to many points for likes, and none for adding photos or differentiating between reviews and ratings, it was an acknowledgement of ones participation that users understood and could weight comments with. As someone who has added over 1000 beers, over 100 places, and over 200 photo to your site, I feel slighted. Why not discuss these changes before implementing them... do we not deserve that modicum of respect.
Is it really all about posts and like now???
This is your site... and you can make me disappear... but I want you to know that you gave me something, and then you took it away... and I do not appreciate it. And indeed, this is probably an over reaction, but I am tired of contributing to something only to be treated as inconsequential. Cheers!

 

Here's my two cents, and it seems my sentiments reflect those of many others who have already responded: Beer Karma is the single most engaging feature of the BA website, one that has kept me coming back for years. Certainly, I enjoy writing about beer for it's and the writing's own sake, and that's evidenced in part by the fact that I'll rarely use less that 1500 characters to describe the new beers I try. But would I have bothered to write the 250 reviews that I did if there was no Beer Karma? Almost certainly not. While BK is trivial and somewhat narcissistic, it's also fun; and it provides an incentive--however banal--to branch out and try beers, styles, and places you haven't before, as fast as you can do it. That little bit of carrot was enough to get me to spend the time to thoroughly describe my impressions of beers, to try to gather beers from around the country, and it was a reason to keep coming back to this site several times a week. If the Karma goes away, I probably won't be visiting BA much. That sounds petty and shallow, but it's the reality of it. Many of us want to achieve that status of Poobah, and it's one of the big motivators behind what we do on here. It's a rank that signifies the time and effort put in; it reflects how much one has helped to make the BA website as great as it is.

I can enjoy beer just fine by my lonesome or with friends, without the tedium of documenting all that I feel about it. If we're not being rewarded in any respect for that extra effort, a lot of us will just enjoy the moment--like people free to fully enjoy the beauty of a national park once they decide to put the camera away. I've actually just poured a can of Sixpoint Puff that I went out of my way to find so that I could add a review to this site, and I'm staring at it now thinking: Do I really want to review this beer? The present circumstances make it much easier for me to just enjoy the beauty, as it were.

As a post script, I'd like to add that I think a lot of the point-garnering on this site is abused and out of balance with what's being contributed: I was one who used to do a lot of posting to the "What Beer Are You Drinking Now?" threads, in the hopes of getting my "likes" up. I haven't done that for some time. It's not that I don't think those threads are great, entertaining, and engaging: they're wonderful places to meet and interact with other BAs. I just don't think that getting a like from someone is anywhere in the same realm--in terms of making this site a better, more informative and enjoyable place--as adding a full beer or place review.

As a post-post script, I'd like to thank the Brothers for the work that they've done to develop, maintain, and try to improve what I've always found to be a fantastic website. I appreciate the provision of a forum to voice our concerns over this latest change, and I hope that you'll continue to do what you feel is in the best interest of the site and its dedicated members.

 

Based on posts in this thread, seems like several feel they're done here if there is no karma. Most have expressed disappointment and may just lose interest, start frequenting other sites, float away. Some indicate they can take it or leave it, and a few are glad for it. If I thought it would go anywhere or carry any weight I would suggest a survey, though some may already be gone and wouldn't see it. Myself, I have been finding more to do around the house, so maybe karma was leading me to spend too much time here.

 

If I recall correctly. there was some talk of the Beer Karma expanding as someone at the time pointed out that the highest few levels were impossible to attain, even with 10k beers, places, likes, posts, and years spent on BA. It was hinted at that there would be an addition to Beer Karma for likes in the form of 50,000 likes. This was all from a thread around here. The Beer Karma explanation page did say Beer Karma was a work in progress. Unfortunately, that page has been taken down and I don't have a screen shot of it.

 

I joined years ago to learn about beer, period. Some memorable threads on German beers are really as informative as reading any book, the posters were qualified experts on this topic, a good many having lived there or done extensive traveling. This is what makes this site so great, not really karma points etc. Why would anyone just leave because of something so trivial? You want to know an answer to a question on anything related to beer you'll have a dozen answers in fairly short order. Could be anything , history, glassware, home brewing, etc, you want to know something all you have to do is ask. This is a great site is powered by the BAs who joined, it's a partnership with the Bros.

 

This is a great point. I cannot speak for everyone upset, but I know I wouldn't delete my account. I'd probably still review beers (because to be honest, I love that), but I wouldn't be a daily member or factor in the forums at all. That seems to be the larger, looming issue. Yes, Beer Karma is trivial, but it drives daily use of BA for a lot of users. Not to be confused with using BA as a resource on pairing beers + food, ingredients, origins, or other more in-depth beer questions - which it is phenomenal at doing. Those uses don't drive daily use of for the forums for most BA members who may only have an in-depth question once a month or less. The removal of Beer Karma looks to have a larger impact on daily traffic through the site, which may be for the best, but we may lose a few knowledgeable BA members in the process.