how to progress to a new badge when points get reduced over 12 month period

[anupam_ghosh2]

Hi Experts,

                  SCN has a new scheme which says that "Remember that badges are assigned based upon the 12-month rolling point mechanism – not on lifetime points."  Details you can see from this link http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-18427. This means we need to get, say for a gold badge at least 1500 points within last 12 months. Thus is this ever possible to reach this mark when constantly the points are being reduced over 12 month period? Here are certain factors for which I feel this scheme is not a good one

1. Before launching of Jive/new platform of SCN  badges were assigned on lifetime points.

   Thus it has become difficult for new comers to achieve higher level badges.

   Thus new comers might lose the zeal to contribute.

2. The contribution of blogs , documents and wiki are only awarded 10 points and rest depends on users of SCN.

    As we know a little percentage of SCN users actually rate a blog.

3. The number of threads raised is not same for all types of forum. For example the number of threads raised in forum for SAP-PI is different

from number of threads for SAP-ISU. Thus within same time frame equally active contributors in different segments of SAP might end up having different points.

4. Rolling stone mechanism is ok but I fail to understand what has that to do with the allocation of badges. Say person X has gained 3000 points over period of two years. Person Y has gained 3000 points within 12 months time frame. Thus Person Y has really contributed SCN fast, I have all respect for him/her.

Does this mean person X has not contributed at all? We all are engaged in project work where we actually get paid. If contributors are too busy in project work and unable to contribute in SCN to gain 3000 points within 12 month rolling stone period do you think its a fault? While people work in various projects they actually learn and eventually SCN gets enriched by the knowledge they share. 

Could anyone please explain the logic behind warding of badges?

Finally I am in love with SCN and I do not indent to hurt anyones feelings by posting this question.

Regards

Anupam  

[Jelena_Perfiljeva · Accepted solution]

Just stumbled upon this thread. Anupam, I think the "12 months" thing is supposed to be like that carrot dangling in front of a donkey to keep it going. For those who are "very new" this would work best actually (otherwise there'd be lots of Platinum members).

The same approach is used in business too. E.g. in the preferred guest program at Hilton hotels one has to spend X money per year to keep their Silver, Gold, etc. level. However, if you have a Hilton brand credit card, you get Silver membership for free. SAP, here is a business opportunity looking at you!

The issue of not rating content is another thing, I think there is a separate discussion on this somewhere.

[anupam_ghosh2 · Accepted solution]

Hi Jelena,

               Thank you for your kind response to this thread. 

Here are my views on your points

" For those who are "very new" this would work best actually (otherwise there'd be lots of Platinum members"-

1. This might degrade quality of content in SCN in an race to achieve next badge in small amount of time. I have seen same answers being repeated to the questions in the same thread. Lots of blogs occupying space without solving genuine problems etc. I would  support lot of platinum members rather than compromise quality content in SCN. Just as a music director cannot produce very good classical music if you tell him you have only one day to produce a new kind of music which will be published as an album. Every answers to a technical question or every blog written in SCN has certain amount of creativity associated with it and creativity should not be bounded by a time frame.

2.  I will take example of famous cricket player Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin has played highest number of   one day matches than any other cricketer of his time. So even if there are no rolling point mechanism its very difficult to have the tenacity to reach say 3000 lifetime points, Since Sachin stayed for so long time in oneday cricket, records he made were obvious to come. What if he left cricket because he could not score say "1000" run within one year? It would have been a great loss to world of cricket.

3. "To  keep it going" :-  the benchmark for each of the badges may be increased, secondly a different level of marks might be set to retain the badges over 12 month time frame. presently this is 250 for any of the badges.  We all would agree "its much more difficult to stay on the peak of the mountain rather than climb up to it".

4. Finally even if time frame is removed it would not affect the rate of answering questions or blogs being published in SCN. Members who contributed earlier will continue to do the same.

Anyway's , I love SCN and I feel terrible, if its down for even 15 minutes. So my love for SCN continues to remain the same whether  rolling point mechanism stays or goes away.

Regards

Anupam 

[Jelena_Perfiljeva · Accepted solution]

Anupam Ghosh wrote:
1. This might degrade quality of content in SCN in an race to achieve next badge <...>

Anupam, thanks for an eloquent response. I wanted to stop your sentence right there - if someone's contribution is powered solely by the race to a specific badge then I believe quality has already suffered. It does not matter in this case whether badges are assigned for the 12 month or lifetime achievements.

The "new SCN" features like ratings and "likes" might actually improve the point system and provide tools for better recognition of "lifetime" achievements, I think. For example, when looking at the gold/platinum member activity on the "old SCN" I always thought - wow, these people must have no life! This level just seemed unattainable for anyone with a full time job and family.

But now someone's entry can still be "liked" and rated for years to come, so, just like a composer, one would keep getting recognition even for their past work. So New SCN actually provides much better ROI on quality content.

I'm not dismissing your point (as you see, I only have a "silver medal" myself and gold is such a long way to go ), but I'm willing to give it some more time post-migration to see how the new system works out.

[anupam_ghosh2 · Accepted solution]

Hi Jelena,

                Thank you for your comments.

Closing the thread.

Regards

Anupam 

[former_member184701]

dear,

there is a lot of sense in what you say

regards,

[anupam_ghosh2]

Hi Mr PPIO,

               Thank you so much for your comments. 

Regards

Anupam 

[Former Member]

Hi Anupam ,

As mentioned already ,

"there is a lot of sense in what you say"

And the Idea which you were suggesting , I can see has been Implemented now .

Great .

* * * * *

[anupam_ghosh2]

Hi Prasanna,

                       Yeah I can see this. This is a dream coming true for me.

I want to make SCN as popular as Facebook and Linkdin.

I will come up with ideas on this soon.

Thank you SCN for all help and support.

Regards

Anupam

[ThomasZloch]

Motivation for contributions should be independent of badges.

In order to advance, you must be earning new points faster than a year ago, that's pretty much it.

A long time member like myself is typically hovering around the same level all the time, so I will maybe never make it to platinum...

If I remember correctly the 12 months rolling logic was already introduced before the migration, rationale was to reflect recent contributions more than historic ones.

No feelings hurt.

Thomas

[anupam_ghosh2]

Hi Thomas,

             Thank you for your kind response. I understand that perhaps I can never make to next level of badges. I can be wrong on exact timing of the introduction of the scheme of awarding badges based on points earned in last 12 months, but I can assure you that the rule is not a very old one. Here are my views on your comments

1. "Motivation for contributions should be independent of badges"-

Can we do away with badges altogether ? only points is enough.

I think the whole idea of badges was to motivate people to contribute.

2. "rationale was to reflect recent contributions more than historic ones"

when we reject old posts, blogs  , we must think that these were once helpful in resolving SAP related problems.

3. " you must be earning new points faster than a year ago".

The link i posted earlier says

"Once you’ve become a member of SCN, you start accumulating lifetime points. These never expire.

Active Contributors are SCN members who have reached at least 250 points within the last 12 months"

We can increase this benchmark to say 500 points so that members keep contributing at a pace.

________________________________

We can't contribute unless we are having some free time to do so. We need quality articles in SCN which is perhaps more important than quantity. Thus contributors should not be bound by limitaion of time in any ways.  Now when we need quality answers/articles then we have to give time to it. Then members who are producing good articles will never earn badges (as good articles do not come within small time frame). Its altogether a different issue that members may not be after badges and they contribute because they want to, for the love of it.SCN needs to ensure that good efforts are recognised and there is no time frame. (Recognition in form of badges).

We are not delivering projects here which has obvious deadlines. We are sharing our work experience/ knowledge with the forum then I fail to understand how rolling point mechanism comes into picture?

I apologize if I sound rude but these points are hovering in my mind for some time now.

Regards

Anupam

[JasonLax]

Please be aware that content authors receive additional points on there content when other SCN members like it or rate it highly. So while there are less points than before for creating content, they are getting feedback points for quality contributions.

With this new system I feel confident that good efforts are being recognized, certainly more than before.

[anupam_ghosh2]

Hi Jason,

Thank you for your kind response.

I am aware of the fact that SCN members are free to rate an article. Lets take an document for example.

http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-19312

This document has 18935 Views but not a single rating (although it has 22 bookmarks). This is a very useful document as it gives links to related articles on the topic. Thus it is not always the case that even when an article is helpful it has been rated appropiately by forum members.

Still I am unable justify the rolling point mechanism as I explained reasons in my earlier post.

Again if SCN has a rolling point mechanism while gaining badges then it should also have different levels while retaining those badges. For example 

Active Contributor Bronze: 250-499 points

Active Contributor Silver: 500-1,499 points

Active Contributor Gold: 1,500-2,499 points

Active Contributor Platinum: 2,500 points and above

If any member wants to retain their badges its sufficient to have 250 points within 12 months span.

If the logic behind introduction of rolling point mechanism is the fact that SCN is trying to reflect recent contributions more than historic ones then it should follow the same while retention of the badges, Thus to retain badges for current 12 months a

Active Contributor Bronze should have atleast 250 points

Active Contributor Silver should have atleast 500 points

Active Contributor Gold  should have atleast 1,500 points

Active Contributor Platinum  should have atleast 2500 points

The values I mentioned here might be different or may be devised after lot of discussions.  

Thus when it comes to retention of badges SCN is taking into consideration previous contribution made by the member. Why the same cannot be applied while earning badges?

My comments might be controversial. I again apolozise for the same.

My intention is to support recoginition of the contributors who are

1. very new to SCN and trying to make a mark.

2. contribute less but contribute quality articles.   

Regards

Anupam