New ranks / badges system

[Paul]

A recent update to the forum software introduced a new system for ranks and badges based on forum activity (posts, reactions etc), and I've just switched them on to test. They're currently building, so you may find you're awarded badges and so on over the next few days.

Hopefully it'll be a fun addition to the forum - we can adjust it as we go  

[Paul]

The new system is live now - so everyone has a rank based on points earned for posting, visiting, reputation etc. There are also badges for various milestones. The ranks show as small icons on people's profile photos by posts, and you can view all the info about those + the badges inside your and others profiles. 

The current setup is pretty much the default for the software, so can be tweaked and updated. When this happens, it'll need to be reset so the ranks and badges are liable to disappear more than once during the coming weeks as we tailor it. 

Please let us know how you find it all - it's intended to be a fun addition to the community, and obviously this sort of thing isn't for everyone, but it's hopefully pretty easily ignored if it's not your bag!

[Paul]

We're running a rebuild on these at the moment, so they'll vanish for a couple of days. 

[Paul]

And they're back..

[Paul]

We'll be rebuilding again today and it will make a difference to some people's ranks once they're recalculated, so please don't be concerned if yours changes.

[Paul]

It also appears than since this morning's software update, the ranks continue to show during the rebuild so they're all still visible but will change frequently over the next 48 hours as the system counts everything up. 

[Paul]

The rebuild has finished now, hopefully that'll be the last one.

[Dancerwithwings]

Yes Paul it’s been a little weird, but I’d say more confusing, one day the rankings have been better for some and the next day the reversal....lower

As mine went down two, then back up one in a couple of days, Mmm

In my eyes, not to be taken seriously, as all members are valued, doesn’t matter what rank one is

[cheeky_monkey]

not sure what the point is? there is no explanation of how ranks are attained and what the criteria is to go from one rank to the next

[Paul]

That's by design to be honest (on the Invision side), to stop those who may try to game the system just for the sake of ranks. The idea is just to give a fun way to encourage engagement and positive contributions to the community. Obviously this sort of thing isn't necessarily for everyone, so if it's not your bag, feel free to ignore it entirely!