Red Rectangle ? Does Anyone Know What It Means?


jessde
 Share

Recommended Posts

Not sure where to post this question so I'll just throw it out here.

I've been out of action for several weeks and just starting work again yesterday . I posted a question on the forum and then just browsed around getting to know the forum better. I checked in on my profile and saw a big red rectangle with a -2 printed on it. Never noticed that before and as it looked a bit ominous I thought I'd better see what this represented. Is beiing red rectangled this forums version of being blackballed? Did I offend someone or maybe it represents a  grade or more likely a dunce cap since many of my questions could lead someone to believe I earned a nice pointy cap. 

 

I expected to find some explanation somewhere but even in the forum quidelines there is nothing mentioned. 

So I hope someone will let me know so I can make amends or improve my profile or whatever the heck I need to understand. :)

Thanks

Jess

  • Upvote 3
  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suspect that someone gave you negative reputation points for checking your own answer as the "Best Answer".  That's generally bad form and some people might object.  If you get too many negative reputation points you could get blocked.

 

Most people think the reputation points are silly - but others like to reward good contributions by giving a positive point.  It's kind of like paying for help - but it doesn't really cost anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok HMMMM. Don't ever remember doing that . If I did it was accidental  just clicking on the wrong thing.  I've always wondered about who was actually in charge of making the decision what answer was best.I assumed it was a moderator .

  I'm still stumbling around this program and even half the good answers I get still is confusing.

Well thanks for letting me know. Nothing like starting out here looking like an arrogant jerk.

If I knew who I offended I would apologize for my ignorance directly. So I hope that he/she reads this and  understands that it was unintentional.

This forum is a blessing to me and most everyone has been so helpful and patient. I would feel terrible if I thought I wasn't welcome. 

  • Upvote 4
  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to everyone for helping me get out of this very uncomfortable position. I feel great relief but still unsettled as I am not clear how all this came about or exactly what I may have done to cause this. There seems to be no information as to how this system works or what the intent is.

Maybe someone would clarify this for me . Is this a way for someone to express their displeasure toward another, a punitive measure or a means to generate communication and understanding? If it be the latter it seems that along with the negative rating would be a comment explaining what a supposed offense was so the supposed offender would have an opportunity to defend or apologize for a mistake whether intentional or not. My experience in the past with this forum has been outstanding. The willingness of so many to contribute their time and effort to helping others has been astounding at times. So I would have expected this same kind of supportive responce. Something like " hey Jess were you aware of  such and such " or you know Jess this is probably not a proper way to do things in this forum." A means of opening a dialog that is informational and helpful to all the participants. Not a negative but a positive.

I would assume that I'm not the only one who is struggling with the steep learning curve of the software but also learning the ways of the forum.

Thanks again to all who have helped.

Jess

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Early on ,I asked for "thumbs down marks" and got plenty, Chief blocked me from using the forum but quickly got me back. I say, don't worry about it, there are every type of people here and you can't please everyone. The only thing that really matters is ,your work, and getting it done. Everything else is just fluff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe these vote up/downs should be eliminated, they seem to have the potential to be counter productive. And the "Best Answer" should be renamed "Most Helpful Advice". The assignment of this to a post/thread should be restricted to the original poster. It's really up to the original poster to determine the usefulness of respondents advice and guidance.

 

Graham

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're probably right Perry, I may be a little too sensitive about these things. But all in all it's worked out fine. I learned more about the forum and will be more attentive . I,m sure everyone had the best intentions in mind. 

Thanks for helping out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to everyone for helping me get out of this very uncomfortable position. I feel great relief but still unsettled as I am not clear how all this came about or exactly what I may have done to cause this. There seems to be no information as to how this system works or what the intent is.

Maybe someone would clarify this for me .....

 

Jess,

If you want to learn more about reputation points,

which is what those little red and green boxes are,

check out this thread.

 

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/topic/134-reputation-points/page-1?hl= reputation  points

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is not "American Idol". My hope is that the forums purpose is to encourage the dissemination of ideas & experiences regardless of their degree of validity. Peer review and critiquing will ultimately flush everything out. At the end not only does the original poster learn something but also many of the participants. Otherwise you might as well just e-mail directly the member you consider most capable of answering your question.

 

Graham

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is not "American Idol". My hope is that the forums purpose is to encourage the dissemination of ideas & experiences regardless of their degree of validity. Peer review and critiquing will ultimately flush everything out. At the end not only does the original poster learn something but also many of the participants. Otherwise you might as well just e-mail directly the member you consider most capable of answering your question.

 

Graham

I suppose you don't care about anyone's reputation in "the real world" either?  And that you don't ask for referrals or recommendations before hiring people?  And I'm guessing that means you don't believe in reading product reviews or ratings before purchasing things? 

 

I'm assuming you also think that taking architectural advice from some first time designer is just as good as getting it from  Frank Lloyd Wright too eh?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose you don't care about anyone's reputation in "the real world" either?  And that you don't ask for referrals or recommendations before hiring people?  And I'm guessing that means you don't believe in reading product reviews or ratings before purchasing things? 

 

I'm assuming you also think that taking architectural advice from some first time designer is just as good as getting it from  Frank Lloyd Wright too eh?

 

WOW!!! It must have been a "bitterly" cold winter in Alaska this year "eh". Any relationship to Sara Palin? :(

 

Not sure what I expressed has anything to do with the comments in your response. I just stated that it is up to the poster to determine the validity of the advice and experiences provided by others. Nothing more, nothing less. I for one do extensive research in order to gain as great a perspective on issues and problems in order to determine what best suits my needs. Yes there are others who may have greater experience than I. This however does not necessarily make them an expert in respect to my particular circumstance. If we were to take your thinking on this then every structure would just look like a Frank Lloyd Wright knockoff.

 

A true designer goes beyond traditional thinking to create something unique. They learn from the experiences of others but are not bound by them.

 

Graham

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Rich for sending me that thread. It does answer some of my questions. I see there is  considerable controversy over the value of this system.

I also can see that there could actually be value to it if there was  more responsibilty placed on the one making the judgements. If this person was also required to offer an explanation why they made a positive or negative judgement  one could also judge the value of his critique. If the purpose here is to better our answers and improve communication then hiding in the shadows with no attempt to communicate further is ,well......a bit limiting and irresponsible wouldn't you say? .What can be learned from that?

So what have I learned from this? I received two negative points. Why? I have absolutly no clue. Has anyone responsible for making those judements come forward with some advice that improves or at least clarifies their view. Absolutley not.

Now here is the interesting part. I assume from reading the thread that Rich sent that the points are meant to place value on advice that was offered

Is that correct.? If so, if anyone would look at my posts they will see that I consider my self a raw beginner here and am not arrogant enough to offer advice to anyone. In my posts you will only find  questions and thankfulness to those who helped me learn.

So .......what ?.....Did I get judged for asking a dumb question?

I think with some improvements this system could offer some real value but the way it works now has, for me, been a total waste of time and not worth the angst it created.

I look forward to being a valuable member of this forum.I would like to think that at some time I will be skilled enough to offer good advice to someone hoping to learn as well. In the meantime I will only try not to ask dumb questions . :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW!!! It must have been a "bitterly" cold winter in Alaska this year "eh". Any relationship to Sara Palin? :(

 

Not sure what I expressed has anything to do with the comments in your response. I just stated that it is up to the poster to determine the validity of the advice and experiences provided by others. Nothing more, nothing less. I for one do extensive research in order to gain as great a perspective on issues and problems in order to determine what best suits my needs. Yes there are others who may have greater experience than I. This however does not necessarily make them an expert in respect to my particular circumstance. If we were to take your thinking on this then every structure would just look like a Frank Lloyd Wright knockoff.

 

A true designer goes beyond traditional thinking to create something unique. They learn from the experiences of others but are not bound by them.

 

Graham

 

Boys,  Boys,  let's play nice.  You both have very valid points.  Graham,  please do not get too upset with Michael,  I have met him,  he ain't a bad guy,  just maybe a bit grumpier than I.

 

Case closed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jess,

 

I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure the reason you got a negative point in the thread you mentioned is because  you didn't seem to appreciate the help you were getting .  Someone asked you to to post the plan...no plan and no response, someone asked you another question...no response to that, and then you marked it as solved by just starting over without having actually learned how or why, and without having utilized the help you were seeking.

 

When a person does something like that it seems a little like..."Why did they even ask if they weren't going to listen?" and it can be very frustrating when there's no response when people are donating their own time and expertise to try and help you.

 

 

well I just decided to start over. Changed some wall hts etc and it all worked out. Not sure what solved the problem but........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Michael,

I read that post and can see how someone may read it in that way. Thank you for the chance to see how I could have communicated better. That's what I need here.

This was a very confusing problem at the time. I was totally frustrated with not solving the problem, under the gun to get it done and not having the time to spend learning the program as I wanted. Sometimes you just have to get it done and worry about learning more productive ways when time is available.

None of the suggestions seemed to solved the whole problem or mainly just were beyond my experience level and would take time to learn. Starting over using the information from those suggestions seemed my best chance at getting it done .That decision driven by the amount of smoke pouring out my ears !  I did get it done, and although not understanding why I had the problem to begin with, I let everyone know it was no longer an issue, there was no reason for anyone to further waste their time on my problem and thanked everyone who made the effort. I made it clear that I learned from their help.Not sure how I could have said it differently but I will try in the future to make the time to try the suggestions as best I can and communicate the results. That, of course, would be best for everyone

Oh and I didn't attach a view because I haven't been able to. Another issue for me to work on. :)

I marked my responce as best answer not because I had the answer but because  it was no longer an issue.Should have thought more about what I was checking before I clicked. Now I know.

Thanks again for helping me clear this up....in my head anyway.

My main question in all this was what I did to start this so I guess I should give you a positive point for best answer :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share