But you have two moderators rep you once for something clever you said, and look what you get?
I'm not sure that real-life experience should count so much--the board is for all--but my experience has been that "cute" comments are more likely to get me rep. than meaty posts.
I'm still enough of a karma whore that I'll spend an extra moment or two to soften a strongly-worded opinion to avoid the ding. There are some who have chosen to disable reps in order to speak more freely, and from what I've seen it would be an ugly thing indeed if the system was done away with altogether.
Hmmmm...to the extent that people are being civil in exchange for rep., that's good; but softening strongly-worded opinions can also lead to a dull board full of "Me too" posts. This is not a clear positive to my mind.
As has been said to you before, if you don't like the reputation system, turn your rep off and ignore it
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*For a modest fee.
Kacey's comments about not devaluing one's input are on-target. The board needs people at a range of experience in order to thrive, and those with less experience offer a fresh view and are more likely to start conversations. They can also be encouraging and positive to others (though whether that activity should gather rep. goes to whether rep. should reflect martial arts ability or how much one is "liked" by other posters).