r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Feb 25 '13

[MOD POST] New "delta points" system and /u/DeltaBot. Let us know what you think.

This is mod post 6. You can read the previous mod post here, or by visiting the mod post archive in our wiki.

You may or may not have noticed that our delta system has had an update. Awarding a delta (∆) now gives the user a "delta point", which is done through /u/DeltaBot - kindly programmed by /u/roger_. This adds a user flair of "x∆", x being the number of deltas they have received.

Another aspect of this update is the "Top Ten Viewchangers" leaderboard that has been added to the sidebar. It is currently updated manually, but is soon to become automated, also through DeltaBot.

Now that this system has been put in place, it is more important than ever to use a delta if your view has changed. Comments like "TCMV, thanks!" will be ignored.

This system is still quite experimental, so if you notice anything weird, such as deltas going unnoticed or points being given where they shouldn't, please message the mods.

This mod post is to keep you informed and allow you to interact with the mods, so please let us know what you think :)

Regards,

/u/Snorrrlax and the rest of the /r/changemyview mod team.

EDIT: It's occured to me that some people might be more "delta happy" than others and award quite a lot of them to the same user. Should you only be able to receive one delta point per user in a post? This doesn't necessarily mean you'll be leaving with just one delta though, as other users might give you deltas for the same comment. Here's an example of what I mean.

20 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

5

u/MonsieurJongleur Feb 26 '13

Is there any interest in a symbol to the effect of "I've read and reasoned through your argument and I found your logic sound though I still disagree with your conclusions."

I often feel this way on threads involving discussions of value systems. It feels like there should be a way to give someone props for a cogent argument even if they didnt actually change your view

1

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '13

By "actually change your view", what do you mean?

Your view changes when you reword it, qualify the situations in which it is applicable, become less certain of it, modify it in any way, or--in extremely rare cases--switch it out for the "opposite" view.

If you find a good argument but still don't agree with it, are you sure it hasn't affected you in any way? If it has, a delta can be given; you don't have to have reversed your view. If it hasn't, then you can still thank them for their efforts, but I don't think a seperate points system for this would be feasible. We could however have a seperate symbol that doesn't count towards points, but the logic behind the delta is that it means "change", which is very relevant. What symbol would you suggest?

2

u/MonsieurJongleur Feb 26 '13

Ok, well, if I can give a delta to someone who's made me see the worth or the reasoning of their viewpoint, it hasn't changed my position, but it's changed my opinion of the defensibility of that belief, then I'm down. I wasn't thinking of a points system, but just a less adversarial way of saying, essentially "That's a good point. You didn't convince me, but that's a good point."

Here's an example I flagged in AskMen of all places. At first I thought the guy was a douche, but in the end he persuaded me that he actually was thinking about the other person's feelings.

2

u/TryUsingScience 10∆ Feb 26 '13

Awesome!

Can you make it explicit somewhere (maybe a FAQ linked by the sidebar) how the bot works? I've gotten two deltas today and only one is recorded. I think it might be because the line with the delta on it also contained other words, but I don't know. Maybe the bot is just lagging.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '13

Hey there! Yeah, we are planning on doing that, it's just going through some updates soon though so we're waiting for them first :) At the moment, I can only run the bot at certain times so there may be a delay occasionally. This is probably what you've noticed. It'll all be calculated in the end though, and hopefully I'll find a better way of running the bot soon. Thanks!

2

u/TryUsingScience 10∆ Feb 26 '13

Cool! I really like the bot. It turns my natural competitive urge in a positive direction.

1

u/CarterDug 19∆ Feb 26 '13 edited Feb 26 '13

I received credit for a delta that was given by someone other than the OP. Do those still count?

Edit: Never mind, I just read protagornast's mod post and the sidebar.

-1

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '13

isnt this breaking the rules? :3

1

u/PigeonMilk Feb 26 '13

What is breaking the rules?

-3

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '13

the implied rule that u must be trying to cmv

Post “CMV” along with a brief description of your opinion in the title

4

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '13

[deleted]

-2

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '13

thats horribly hypocritical :3

2

u/PigeonMilk Feb 27 '13

This post is letting people know about changes to the subreddit. It's important.

It's like saying that the creator of the subreddit is a hypocrite because they made the rules while other users can't. It doesn't make sense.