Did you mean "that's bad" or "that's bull***t"?

If it's the second, consider this:
do you know every valid gogger in this forums? Probably just a small group.
Even if you absurdly did, what about new members? They cannot know who to trust at all.

Rep helps a bit for that.
Obviously, this latest mass derep with alts must be stopped first..

Most of the rep vanished whilst I haven't been active on the forums. I noticed this when downloading my entire GOG collection(419GB!) and browsing or making the occasional post. I've been mostly absent for 6 months now. Making a fuss over it (as I did back in...March?) seemed to cement that downward spiral. Popping back to peruse and post on the forums the past few days has shown that this "problem" is far more widespread than when I left. I say "problem" because as much as some get upset(as I did previously), it is only a problem in one's mind. Getting to know a person's character takes time, and a number that is easily manipulated (money works similarly in the "real" world) is no indicator of that. Scammers are already indistinguishable from other members.

After a little thought, I agree with you on rep transparency :)

Only because they rep themselves and derep others with alts.
Otherwise, you would be at (1)666 and each scammer at -200.

How do you suggest preventing that? Limiting accounts? Not possible without some form of identity verification, which is something that wouldn't happen. Impossible to do otherwise. I'd say whatever changes are on the horizon, that it will be too little, too late, as this rep manipulation has gone unchecked for years. At least one scammer has boasted about having high rep accounts.

Even if somehow GOG managed to limit people to one account (which causes issues for multiple users in the one household), what is to prevent cliques of goggers manipulating it in the same manner? I cannot see any means for a numerical system of character to actually work, unless it is an individual or collective keeping their own score. Ah that reminds me of my days playing Ultima Online! The one thing that kept so many (myself included) hooked was the "good" vs "evil" drama. Some people would spend months being nice and befriending someone just to rip them off in game when the opportunity arose.

Add +- system and you get this http://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/right_to_post_messagessend_pms_only_for_people_who_already_bought_a_game_on_gog

If the ability to rep people requires a purchase it would drastically cut down on the number of alts being used.

I think that if down-voting was limited to those over a certain amount, like the 100 figure mentioned before, AND those down-reps were identified, you'd lose the vast majority of de-rep campaigns.

Someone would have to be pretty dedicated to stupidity to create a sock puppet army of over 100 rep each.

If you additionally have a button that allows people to hide posts they don't want to see - that isn't also a down-rep - that should help even more.

didn't intent to call it bullshit and should have posted more than 2 words. wanted to point out, that your suggestion about removing rep doesn't make sense. at least for me. removing rep would be a solution.
have already pm'd this idea to ciris, it would be a very good, solid and easy solution.

Ciris already addressed that issue:

"RE: Paygating -- as far as I know, this was something we wanted to stay away from so as not to discourage people that'd sign up to post asking if a game is still any good, or to look for recommendations. As someone said in the thread earlier, a paygate makes things complicated, kind of like signing up for sites that require a ton of data or a certain action - and it might still not stop scammers, since maybe $5 is how much the chance to troll people online is worth to some. However, I've passed the topic on to be discussed by those that have a better understanding of how such a system would impact you guys and future GOGers. "

Why not simply remove rep? If one's argument is that it is an indicator of someone's character, then how does that work when it has been left unchecked for years? A complete rep wipe? There are people on these forums who haven't bought a single game who have very high rep(at least when I was regularly active here).

Perhaps a system like [don't mention that monopolistic competitor that starts arguments] that shows the amount of games owned, with a switch to turn it off or on for privacy issues people might have? Again the issue with such a system is that wealth determines status. For every possible solution mentioned, I can think of issues with all of them. I cannot think of a reason that not having a rep number showing makes a difference to social interaction? As I stated before, character takes time for people to get to know.

It has already been done. I won't name the person as I know they get off everytime their name is mentioned on these forums.

And my solution would solve things with the least possible problem. Games here aren't exactly expensive, if you buy one on sale they can be had for as little as $2, and sometimes even less. Rep itself is something that most people don't use, which is one of the main reasons why it's so easy to manipulate it. Most people are just not repping people.

When they see that the same person is buying cheap games and then using multiple accounts to change people's rep, that's something they could do something about. Few people are going to waste $20 or more every time they want to abuse the rep system. As it stands there's effectively no cost involved, adding a sort of rep-troll tax would cut down on the abuse without really affecting anybody else.

And as I've already stated, you're clearly rationalizing why Mr. Gog isn't doing anything rather than properly considering what the options are, because this is something that other fora have without so much abuse.

I wish I knew exactly :'(

OMG.. that's the true evil :O

Your suggestion would be a verified purchase through the store and not owning a game, I assume? I'm asking as owning a product on GOG unfortunately has been too easy for some without ever spending a cent of their own money. I'd have no issue with that being a determining factor of whether one can +/- rep.

I'm not "clearly rationalising why Mr. Gog hasn't/isn't doing anything". I'm pointing out potential issues with some of the suggestions that have been made, such as our discussion in the other thread.

I used to post tons on "how to improve your forum experience" and other such staff threads in the years that I have been here, as well as messaged staff about harassment, rep and implementing a block feature. I gave up as it was wasted energy. Others (HyperSomniac springs to mind) have expended far more energy than I have to no avail. Multiple people I know got frustrated with the lack of changes occurring on the forum functionality and the abuse that was occurring here and left. I've taken a few breaks myself.

So let's say a purchase barrier was implemented to being able to affect reputation, how does that redress the damage that has already been done? as I stated above:

"If one's argument is that it is an indicator of someone's character, then how does that work when it has been left unchecked for years? A complete rep wipe? There are people on these forums who haven't bought a single game who have very high rep(at least when I was regularly active here)."

Wow. I am sorry to hear that. I've only met one person online I would expect to do something like that, but since I have had the misfortune to meet that individual, and got cyber-stalked for years afterward, I can believe it.

I guess replacing the down-rep button with a 'hide post' function would be the best option then?

I was young and naive when I first started playing Ultima Online. I remember seeing the box for the game in a store, and when I read the words "requires an internet connection" and "play with thousands of others!" I thought I was in for some grand adventures, teaming up with others to destroy "evil" together. What a rude awakening it was to find that "evil" was from other players! As I said, it certainly made for some enjoyable drama, but also upset a lot of people who left the game.

I remember taking one guy under my wing to teach him the ropes of the game, who eventually boasted to me about scamming others. I was upset that he had "joined the dark side" and taught him a lesson by inviting him back to my tower, killing and looting him and banning him from my home. He was actually upset about it but still didn't understand the lesson I was trying to teach him, which was "see it doesn't feel nice being tricked by someone whose trust you've gained."

Here's my advice: ditch the rep system. It's that simple. It doesn't do anything other than create drama. It's never been used in any positive capacity in all the time I've been here (apart from a couple of members being rewarded for 5 stars).

If something can only ever be a negative, why keep it?

If you want to stop spammers posting links just stop people from being able to post links in their first week / fortnight / month. I doubt they'll consider spamming here worth the effort with those measures in place.