Ernest just posted some comments clarifying recent changes to Votes, Boosts, Favorites, and Reputation Points:
- Upvotes & Downvotes function akin to Reddit
- Boosts count as two Upvotes (link)
- Favorites are added to https://kbin.social/fav if you Upvote (link)
- Reputation Points have been updated
In addition to that, Ernest stated that “there is no connection between reputation points and sorting algorithms. It’s just info in the profile” (link)
I actually prefer having a visible scoring system in place. Things like that can be red flags that indicate whether or not somebody is participating in a discussion in bad faith. If you take a cursory glance through somebody’s profile and see that they’re constantly stirring up trouble and being a bother to people, you know not to waste your energy dealing with them.
Obviously it’s not a perfect solution for that situation, and doesn’t apply in all scenarios (trolls can also be good karma farmers, too), but it’s an extra indicator that can help determine somebody’s true motives in a discussion.