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Answerbag (AB) User-Guide - Points, Levels, and "Ratings Power"
by Bill Sanders - October 16, 2008

Page last updated May 27, 2009
Links last verified October 16, 2008

Points
- AB Q&A Associated with Points
Levels
- Points Required to "Level Up"
- AB Q&A Associated with Levels, Ranks, and Badges
Ratings Power and Ratings
- Uprating (URing)
  - AB Q&A Associated with Uprating
- Downrating (DRing)
  - AB Q&A Associated with Downrating

Points AB FAQ Permalink

When Answerbag started, there WERE no "points". From my understanding, there were letter grades for each answer. Soon, the point system was added, and modified a few times,

You may give and receive points for Questions and Answers, and receive points for Moderation. The number of points you may give rises (from 1-5 for questions and 1-6 for answers) depending upon your level. See the levels section for more on that. See how to give points (uprates and downrates) in the Ratings Power section.

Remember, though:

Points are gravy. [Tasty gravy, but gravy.]

The real meal is in helping others, and imparting knowledge, whether they give you points or not. Of course, you seldom know whether they really listened, or whether they listed to YOU, but you can assume that someone, somewhere, sometime will ask the same or a similar question on Google, and find YOUR answer, which will help THEM. AND, as others run across your answer, they MAY always give it more points.

Meanwhile, you have made a few people laugh with the stupid, sarcastic, and pointless answers, and MAY have helped someone who only knew how to ask a question here, and NOT how or why to give points.

If you are only here for the points, and not to help make AB THE best question/answer site on the internet, for both serious and fun answers, then you are right!... What's the point?

If, on the other hand, you are here to provide good and/or funny answers, only care a bit about the points, and like the interactions with others here, then you HAVE your point.

[Source (my answer to): For 105 informative, carefully considered, intelligent answers, I earned 7 points. For 23 stupid, sarcastic, or pointless answers, I earned 167 points. My question, AB, is this WHY BOTHER? WHAT IS THE POINT? New Window

AB Q&A Associated with Points AB FAQ Permalink

NOTE: It is against the rules (not necessarily in the TOU) to:

ask for points
offer points for asking or answering questions
promises points
etc.

(all positive or negative, and yes, some people ask for downrates):

Is there a rule against asking for points? New Window
How do I write a good question? (Joel's Answer) New Window

Which includes:

UPDATE: Please do not ask for points in your questions. These questions will be rejected, and if repeated, further disciplinary action will be taken.
If its against the rules to ask for points, wouldn't it then be against the rules to ask for "downratings"...? New Window

Levels AB FAQ Permalink

Soon after Answerbag came up with the points system, they added Levels, until not only did they come up with names for the different levels, but they added badges, and "Ratings Power" - the ability to "Uprate (UR)" (give positive points) or "Downrate (DR)" (give negative points) to all questions and answers.

Your levels are based on the number of points you receive from others for your questions and answers. (See the points section, above, for more information.)

The following table shows the names, badges, levels, and "Ratings Power" for each as of October 16, 2008. (Again, no one but staff knows the real number of points required for each level, though a couple of users have collected some numbers below, but your Points box in your profile will tell you how many you need to get to the next level.)

			Uprate Points		Downrate Points
Name	Badge	Level	Questions	Answers	Questions	Answers
Beginner		1-2	+1	+1	-1	-1
Novice		3-4	+1	+2	-1	-1
Contributor		5-8 9	+2 +2	+2 +2	-1 -2	-1 -1
Wiz		10 11-12 13-14	+2 +2 +2	+2 +2 +3	-2 -2 -2	-1 -2 -2
Authority		15 16-19	+2 +3	+3 +3	-2 -2	-2 -2
Expert		20 21-22 23 24-27 28-29	+3 +3 +3 +3 +4	+3 +3 +4 +4 +4	-2 -3 -3 -3 -3	-2 -2 -2 -3 -3
Professor		30-31 32 33-35 36-39	+4 +4 +4 +4	+4 +5 +5 +5	-3 -3 -4 -4	-3 -3 -3 -4
Brain		40-42 43-46 47-48 49	+5 +5 +5 +5	+5 +6 +6 +6	-4 -4 -5 -5	-4 -4 -4 -5
Sage		50-59	+5	+6	-5	-5
Maestro		60-69	+5	+6	-5	-5
Guru		70-79	+5	+6	-5	-5
Swami		80-89	+5	+6	-5	-5
Genius		90-99	+5	+6	-5	-5
Illuminati		100-???	+5	+6	-5	-5
Special Badges
Community Leaders		It doesn't matter what level or badge the CL has. All CLs have this "badge" until they are no longer CLs
Top 10 contributors of the week		It doesn't matter what level or badge the user has. This will be their "badge" for the following week. (Sunday AM is when calculations are made.)

In the table above, the bold and red numbers in the "Level" column show when changes to a user' s "Ratings Power" changes. The bold and red in the "Uprate Points" and "Downrate Points" columns are the "Ratings Power" changes. With this table, you can see when YOUR "Ratings Power" changes, and what your level name and badges will be at each new level.

I believe Maestro and up were added since I joined. No changes to the ratings-power were made. I believe +5 for Questions, +6 for Answers, and -5 for both are the max and will remain so.

The "orange"-looking badges () are supposed to be Bronze.
The "gray"-looking badges () are supposed to be Silver,
The "yellow"-looking badges () are supposed to be Gold.

Note that the badge starts plain, and ribbons are added, at each subsequent level within the badge color grouping.

Obviously, a new "color" will be needed when Geniuses hit 100th level, but no one knows what that will be at this time, unless someone on staff already has it ready to go. I have seen a suggestion for a "diamond" badge (connotes Amway, doesn't it? LOL), but again, no one knows for sure. The name for the new level is also an unknown. (My suggestion is "Centurion".)

Points Required to "Level Up" AB FAQ Permalink

NO one, but staff, knows the real number of points needed to "level up". Many feel it's based on a percentage calculation from level-to-level.

AB-Joel will not tell (from the Answerbag Blog New Window (See Joel's entry #70 - May 12, 2007 04:21PM)

I'd rather not post the exact points for every level because as many people have pointed out here, we don't want the focus of the site to be points and levels (although you guys could probably figure it out with enough persistence...hehe). We'd rather have people focus on helping others and sharing their knowledge.

For more thoughts on points and levels, see the whole thread - especially entry numbers 150-152. And, as far as I know, no one has worked it out.

Your Points box in your profile will tell you how many points you need to get to the next level. I DO know that at level 70, it required just over 5000 points to go to level 71, and at level 73, it required around 6000 points to go to level 74. I also know that it requires well over 10,000 points for some of those on Genius level to move up. This is one of the reasons many high-level members say they eschew the points, and just want to help people, the site, etc.

On August 25, 2008, Jodie44 replied to, "I found an answer, once, that showed the points required for each level. Did I dream it? Or can you please point me to the answer? It is not the list of badges that you get when you click a badge." New Window

Here's a list I started a few months ago.

Some are guesstimates, but most are correct, within a 5 pt range.

Odd numbers rule! No idea why.

The list is incomplete because sometimes I'd level up and forget to check out how many pts I needed to reach the next level. Other times, I didn't notice I'd leveled up. So, for better or worse, here you go!

Name	Levels	Points
Beginner	1-2	125
Beginner	2-3	84
Novice	(3-5)
Contributor	(6-9)
Wiz	(10-14)
Authority	18-19	200
Expert	(20-29)
Professor	30-31	311
	32-33	320
	37-38	357
	39-40	392
Brain	43-44	abt 400
	47-48	abt 800
	49-50	1,015
Sage	57-58	2,118
	58-59	2,283
	59-60	2,466
Maestro	62-63	3,065
	65-66	abt 3,550
	67-68	4,273
	68-69	4,547
	69-70	5,133
Guru	71-72	abt 5,500
	72-73	5,808
	73-74	6,169
	74-75	6,537
	75-76	6,923
	76-77	7,346
	77-78	7,774
	78-79	8,228
	79-80	8,708
Swami	80-81	9,212
	81-82	abt 9,729
	82-83	10,470+
	84-85	11,460+
	86-87	12,780
	87-88	abt 13,492
Genius	92-93	abt 17,549
Illuminati	100-101	Abt 27,000

Modified from Answer for ABUG. Table may be added to as more are determined.
(NOTE: Points column shows points required to move from the lower to the higher level.)

On November 15, 2008, Doggie S replied to, "What are the Level Titles and required point values?" New Window, in part:

Name	Level	Points
Beginner	2	125
Novice	3	209
Contributor	6	?
Wiz	10	?
Authority	15	?
Expert	20	?
Professor	30	5,204
Brain	40	8,719
Sage	50	14,918
Maestro	60	32,501
Guru	70	69,317
Swami	80	137,462
Genius	90	256,639
Illuminati	100	abt 458,000

Modified from Answer for ABUG. Table may be added to as more are determined.
(NOTE: Points column shows total points required to reach that level.)

AB Q&A Associated with Levels, Ranks, & Badges AB FAQ Permalink

What are ranks for, and how are they determined? New Window

Ratings Power and Ratings AB FAQ Permalink

"Ratings Power" is what I call your ability to Uprate or Downrate a question or answer. You may Uprate or Downrate any question or answer to the maximum number of points (positive or negative) allowed for your level.

Ratings were originally letter grades. When they went numeric, they began to mean something: Uprates (URs - positive points) were for (and are still labeled as) "Helpful". And Downrates (DRs - negative points) were for (and still labeled as) "Unhelpful". In both cases, they have come to mean far more.

The main reason many are here are to help people and/or to make them laugh. A large number of people become friends, or at least friendly acquaintances, and like to see each other. (This is why some comment threads go WAY off on a tangent, since there is no messaging or chat capabilities.)

When ratings were added to Answerbag, a person's Feedback Page showed WHO performed the rating. Things went fine for a short while. Meanwhile, Answerbag had become much more "social" than it was originally, and people began downrating others who they thought had slighted them in some way. See Jodie44's answer to:

Do you think that every time you/somebody down-rates something, they should also comment on it explaining why they think it is a bad answer? New Window

This will explain why ratings are done anonymously, now.

There are a large number of people here who profess to not care about points. Most will say that the points are (as I say) "the gravy on the mashed potatoes", or "the garlic bread served with the spaghetti". But a number scream loudly when points are not given, or fewer than the full capabilities of a person's points are not given, and many get upset when their answers (good or bad) are downrated. (Those points are very, very tasty gravy!)

There's no way to know when someone will rate you, whether that person uprated or downrated you, or if they rated you at all. Only staff can find out for sure who has rated any given question or answer. Users will only know for sure who has rated their work if the person doing the rating makes a comment to that effect. Even then, those persons could take credit for rating you either way. So railing against someone who gave you a negative comment for their rating of you is ineffective and probably wrong.

Uprating (URing) AB FAQ Permalink

To give positive points (uprate) questions or answers:

Click the "+" in the Rate Question or Rate Answer box (to the right of each question or answer) to give the questioner or answerer the maximum positive points you are capable of giving.
Hold the cursor over the "+" to get a scale of points from 1 to your maximum positive possible. You can select any one of them. The examples, below, show the maximum allowed (from Level 43 up).

Uprates (URs) originally were for questions and answers the user wished to rate as "Helpful". If you answer a good question, or an answer is good, funny, makes sense, someone's honest opinion and argued well, OR if they are helpful, then they are (or should be) uprated (given a positive rating). Uprates may be given when a question evokes a positive response of ANY kind, if an answer evokes a laugh, or is a well-thought-out opinion or argument, etc.

AB Etiquette says you should give your full capability of points, though there are times, I'm sure, that some people don't (You are allowed to give from zero (0) through your maximum capabilities for your level.)

Some people feel they deserve Uprating if they answer anyone's questions. However, there is no real "entitlement", here. There are new people constantly on AB, that know little about the how the Rating System works. Those who are demanding points should simply be patient. There are many of us here who have hundreds of questions and/or answers that have NEVER been rated, either up or down. Someone, somewhere, sometime, will find those questions and answers and rate them.

NOTE: There is a limit of 24 (on the 25th you get a message) positive ratings you can give a single person in a given time period. I believe this is a per week limitation and "rolling". If you try to give too many uprates to one person, you will get the message:

You have given this member too many positive ratings in the last week. We know you're trying to help, but some of the other members would love to have your input as well!

This limit is to help cut down on "posi-trolling" your friends.

Source: Is there a limit on how many positive ratings I can give? New Window Comment thread

AB Q&A Associated with Uprating AB FAQ Permalink

None, at this time.

Downrating (DRing) AB FAQ Permalink

To give negative points (downrate) questions or answers:

Click the "-" in the Rate Question or Rate Answer box (to the right of each question or answer) to give the questioner or answerer the maximum negative points you are capable of giving.
Hold the cursor over the "-" to get a scale of points from -1 to your maximum negative possible. You can select any one of them. The examples, below, show the maximum allowed (from Level 49 up).

Downrates (DRs) originally were for questions and answers the user wished to rate as "Unhelpful". If an answer is not funny, doesn't make sense in answer to the question, a simple statement of opinion (no arguments), if they are literally unhelpful, is when they maybe should be downrated (given a negative rating).

However, downrates have come to be a petty way for people to anonymously cause consternation (at least) to those who are downrated. They tend to cause ill-feelings which is why they are anonymous. (Some feel there may be an increase in petty downrates, especially since they are anonymous (see Ratings Power and Ratings, above).

AB Etiquette now says you should avoid downrating questions and answers wherever possible. It is preferred that you solicit more information from the person who posted the question or answer in order to give them a chance to clarify a point or explain their position; or simply to 'agree to disagree', not give them a rating at all, and move on. If you do downrate then the courteous thing to do is to leave a comment explaining why. (Know that many people do downrate without commenting, and much of the time, it seems it has nothing to do with the question or answer. Many people choose NOT to downrate at all because much of what is posted is opinion, and everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Within these guidelines, if an question or answer truly qualifies for a downrate, then odds are it will probably qualify for moderation as nonsense, duplicate, offensive, etc.

Please note: Downrates do NOT count against your positive points for levels. They will change the ranking of a question within the category, and the ranking of an answer within a question not sorted by date. They will count against your question and answer percentage. (I believe this is a simple percentage of the count of Positive ratings divided by the count of all ratings you've been given, which can keep you lower on the "Best Questions" and "Best Answers" Leaderboard, but that's all. (NOTE: The percentage shown in your "Points" table is the "All Time" percentage. The first Leaderbaord in each show only the last weeks' rankings. Click the "All Time" tab to see who's above and below you.) NOTE: A "quick link" to your spot, if your rank is <1000, which is the LOWEST this leaderboard shows, is in your My Points box in your profile. Your "rank" is a link. Click it to be taken to the page on which you appear.

Downrates that YOU perform will count against your "+Ratings given" percentage. Again, I believe this is the total count of Positive Ratings you've given divided by the total count of Ratings you've given.

Based upon observation and experience, most newbies start out downrating questions and answers a LOT because they take the original intent of judging them as "helpful" and "not helpful" on a serious, technical basis. If an answer is technically incorrect, they DR it simply because a wrong answer is "not helpful". Though they are usually just trying to follow the rules as they learn, what happens is their "+ Ratings given" can bottom out, which tells others who look at their profiles that they are in the habit of downrating a lot. This generates a lot of animosity as it leads others to believe this person is a "troll" who downrates out of spite. Getting the "+Ratings given" percentage back up to a decent value - which requires giving a lot of uprates and no downrates - may take a long time, and with others thinking ill of them, can discourage a newbie. Thus it is recommended that newbies avoid downrating until they have been around long enough to 'get the feel' for the rules and etiquette and establish a decent history for others to see. No harm is done this way.

Yes, many newbies downrate for a while, before they themselves get downrated for what they consider decent answers, and come to the realization that most of the questions they will downrate can be flagged, or can simply be ignored (zero points), and that answers can also be flagged. HOWEVER, it MUST be understood that if the staff feels you are flagging inappropriately too much, you may be penalized 10 points, so be sure.

NOTE: There is a limit of 16 (on the 17th you get a message) negative ratings you can give a person in a given time period. I believe this is a per week limitation and "rolling". If you try to give too many downrates, you will get the message:

You have given this member too many negative ratings in the last week. We know you're trying to help, but some of the other members would love to have your input as well!

This limit is to help cut down on "trolling" behavior.

Source: What is the limit on down rating points? New Window Comment thread

Answerbag (AB) User-Guide - Points, Levels, and "Ratings Power" by Bill Sanders - October 16, 2008

Answerbag (AB) User-Guide - Points, Levels, and "Ratings Power"
by Bill Sanders - October 16, 2008