Dear Mr. Bakin,
First off, I love your new username and avatar. Very clean and crisp(y) – definitely how I like my pork. As to your comments, I appreciate your effort in putting forth this thoughtful treatise on how we can separate the wheat from the chaff here at ABN. With more than 60,000 registered members from around the globe, this site is sure to have its share of scalawags. The big question is whether it’s worth the time and effort to challenge and identify those suspected of cheating or even “inflating their scores a bit to impress those neighbors across the street they’ve never met in person but wow that BMW in their driveway is super cool.” I don’t know the answer. But here are some suggestions to get the ball rolling:
1. Ask admins to “auto-flag” all Top Scores that are 10% above the number two score.
2. Propose a new badge: The Scarlet Letter for any member suspected of cheating, as nominated and voted by peers, in the Badges and Ranks group. Of course, this badge’s icon would be a large, red “C” on a white background. Simple, yet effective, don’t you think?
3. Ban all Cheaters from the Bloated Pig. They should be given the opportunity to create their own hangout at the site. May I suggest “Bird Brains” or maybe just “Liars, Cheats and Scalawags Only.” I’m sure they will pick a great name; cheaters might not ever prosper but they sure can get creative!
4. Assume everyone is a cheater until they can prove their innocence. Sure, it may put off a few thousand potential members but once a new member has passed the ABN Official Gauntlet of Integrity Daily Challenge, imagine how relaxed and excited they’ll be to share their strategies with the rest of us honest folk?
I admit that this is a short list of ideas, but I’m hoping others will chime in with their two cents worth (and actually fork over a couple of pennies) because I know there are others eager to contribute and therefore cross off the “rarely replies to forum posts on topics other than contests and bug reports” item that would otherwise flag their aberrant behavior.
Thank you again, Makin. You’ve always been a solid contributor on the Nest and a true friend to me. And I’m not just saying that to avoid a Scarlet Letter Badge nomination from you in the near future. I really mean it.
Sincerely, your friend and former neighbor in sunny Southern California, Surfcow***
*** For the record, I’ve never changed my screen/username in more than three years on this site. Just saying. In case anyone was wondering. Aloha.
