Many new users may be wondering what the Rep Power and Thanks are in the user profile information to the left of each posting: What are they and how do they work? Here is a little bit of information to help explain the Rep and Thanks system, what they do and how they work.
Rep Power, Thanks and Thanked are the shown in your profile below your username, avatar and join date in the postings, as shown below:
http://democomputer.com/forum_images/rep_explain.jpg
There have also been more than a few members that have have asked how to quote from multiple posts when replying in a thread. The image above should help to clarify this as well.
Reputation - either positive or negative can be given for any post by clicking on the little heart at the bottom of the users profile information. Most of us will provide positive reputation for a posting that we believe positively contributes to the thread, although occasionally we may rep a user for a funny posting, or just because.
Negative Reps are generally reserved for users that have insulted another member, or are abusing the forum and most of us rarely neg rep another member.
Your Reputation will increase anytime another member decides to rep you, and your Reputation number will increase by the number of their Rep Power.
Thanks are often given for posts which you feel were helpful and will add 1 point to the members reputation number for each Thanks.
For a posting that the member put a great deal of effort into, and which provided information that was very helpful or informative it is probably more appropriate to rep them. For posts where you just wish to show your appreciation for the members contribution, a Thanks will suffice.
You can find your actual reputation number in the user control panel, by clicking on the User CP link at the top of the page.
http://democomputer.com/forum_images/rep_number.jpg
If you neg rep another user their reputation will decrease by 1/2 of the Rep Power you have.
Rep Power is determined by how long you have been a member of the forum, the number of postings you have made, and your Reputation number. After 100 postings you gain 1 rep power, after 200 posts an additional Rep Power is awarded, then it goes to 1 rep power for every additional 200 postings until a member has reached 1,200 postings, after which rep power is inceased by 1 point for every 300 posts. Rep Power also increase by 1 for every 100 points of Reputation, and I believe that another Rep Power is earned for each year you have been a member.
I hope this helps to clarify how the Thanks and Reputation system works, and how to use it.
