Reputation and Points
Testimonials, Reliability, and Points
The system is designed to provide the ability to let people take action based on limited, but filtered information. A system of points and testimonials will be used to allow users to make informed decisions (to take action or to delete the email) based on limited time investment (in gathering information). These systems will provide network based evaluations of a given social cause, and social clout and capital can be directly used to influence downstream contacts with upstream testimonials. To achieve this goal of easy evaluation, a system of points has been created to easily identify which users are to be ‘trusted’. While the system can be abused on a small scale, in aggregate, growth of a cause will be determined across the network.
Points
Points are given in two categories (the names of which are not finalized). Respect points and information points. Respect points are earned by feedback from other users (both direct and indirect) and by taking action on social causes. Information points are earned by reading about causes (and becoming more informed), submitting (successful) information to causes, and having others vouch/vote for your submitted sources. The diagram below outlines the various scenarios that points are given and taken away.
The point system is carefully engineered to have a number of direct effects. To address the Strategic Objective (SO) of encouraging self education, points will be awarded to those who click onto information sources. To increase the reliability of the system, and discourage spamming of large numbers of uninterested users, and to encourage nonsystem pressure on recipients to participate (by senders) points are awarded for higher than average response rates . SOs are also served by using points to encourage the submission of additional actions or information that can increase the effectiveness and local relevance of a cause.
[...] Lets zoom in. Think of the email pleas you have undoubtedly received requesting help in saving the life of child cancer patient, or to organize a boycott of some product or company – they don’t work, or they are hoaxes! Take away the hoaxes and spam, add a web community, add outcome and reputation tracking, multiply the reach by a factor of 10, and you have Shuru. By using a reputation system to eliminate spam, and a central page for each cause that tracks outcome and success, (think: ‘Little Johnny is CURED! Thanks, you can stop forwarding!), as well as providing the ability to take action immediately, easily, and directly – Shuru is can coordinate the actions of millions. But it doesn’t stop there; the Shuru design encourages civic and issue education, and careful consideration of emotional feedback will ensure that people – especially young people – keep coming back. Imagine the excitement of a 17 year old member who sees that, simply as a result of forwarding a cause to a few friends, the measurable impact was 10,000 emails, and $2500 being raised as a direct result of her actions. [...]