The members who are most actively involved within the PB community are typically the ones with the highest rep, and subsequently their knowledge base is the greatest (there are always exceptions to the rules of this, and also some are more knowledgable about certain topics). Like Marmaduke, is a very, very good source to talk to about poppet based designs, and about the more electro based technologies. I'm more of a mech. guy (autocockers, mags, etc.) and I do know quite a bit about spool based markers (which marmaduke, aerophyte, JP, etc. can attest to- we've had some amazing dialogues that provide a ton of knowledge to the community about certain things), tomq for air systems, sideshow and his squad for tactics, etc. etc. etc.. Basically, the knowledge you can learn from people on here is incredible, and so are the people that provide it. This board has literally made me 2x the player I was before, because not only do you learn things from what's available to you as a resource, but you learn how to be an outstanding sportsman and a sort of "brother" to all who are involved with this site, and the game in general. I know that what I've stated previously seems a bit irrelevant to the topic, so here's the tie in.... it's a great system, because not only does it allow you to see how respected/popular another member is with others, it gives you a starting point to start searching through posts to find what you're looking for, to reward others for the services/info they provide, and to punish those who do not provide good info/or act as a bad influence, and subsequently those are the ones that are banned fairly quickly. I give reps (1-2 a week probably, depending on the week and the posts/threads that occur) to those that engage in dialogue that is thought inspiring, creative, and even controversial (in a good way- one that provokes an engaged dialogue that others can learn upon). I've only given 3 neg's to my memory, and all were based upon specifically degrading a player, and one for the misuse of "limited opportunities that are meant for a single individual".... I have no tolerance for the first one mentioned, because paintball is about learning, it's about growing, and "passing the torch" to others... and anything detrimental to this has no merit, and no place in anything that I'm a part of. So, yes, I use the system, and I try to make a note to do so... the only thing that raises questions, is how high people's standards are for a rep, as each member has their own set of values. I hope this will provide you as much insight to the topic as possible, as that's basically everything that I think/believe about this topic! Cheers!
