Quick Tips on getting the most from PinStack's Trust Level System
- Some forums are worth more Trust points than others. The
BES Admins & Hosted BES forum,
PIN Stacker Reviews forum,
Software & Theme dev forum and
BB Guides, how to's & FAQs forum (including
sub-forums) are all double-Trust forums. Of course the Reviews and
Guides forums are not for posting questions, but rather for new
helpful threads. Take a look
at some of the existing threads & Sticky/Useful threads in each of the above forums
before posting.
- Spread your Trust where & when it's deserved - There's a
saying, "What goes around, comes around." So don't be shy. If a Stacker
has personally helped you or even if you are impressed with the way
he/she has replied to another users post or their helpfulness in
general, then click the
and approve of his post.
- Avoid Trust Level point deductions - one of the best ways to
not improve your trust is to be penalized for breaking forum rules.
Especially self promotion for Trust points or breaking any of the forum
rules. Not all rules will be penalized with point deductions. As a rule we usually give a warning for minor offenses. However, repeat offensives will result in severe deductions as our Team sees fit. See the "How can I avoid Trust point deductions?" section below.
- A high Trust Level will return the most points:
For every 365 days registered, you gain 1 point of Trust Level-altering power.
For every 1000 posts, you gain 1 point of Trust-altering power.
For every 100 points of Trust, you gain 1 point of Trust-altering power.
Of the three above, higher trusted members logically should have the most altering power. # of posts and days registered does not always give an accurate indication of a Stacker Trustworthiness. As such the point return for those two are low.
What is the main use/purpose of the Trust Level System?
The Stacker's Trust Level in its simplest form is the ranking of a
Stacker's trustworthiness with respects to providing accurate and reliable
contributions and answers to BlackBerry support questions posted. It also
indicates the level of which each user adds towards the PinStack mission
(above). Obviously trust is something that has to be earned over time and at the core of our Trust Level system are PinStack's members.
How does the Trust Level System Work?
With well over a million PinStack website visits per month there's a lot of
activity that takes place. Everyday there are 1000's of replies and threads that users scan through for relevant info and knowledge. As these users posts and browse our forums, they find useful posts from helpful members who go out of his/her way to help a fellow BlackBerry user to find a solutions to
their BB problems. These useful and accurate support posts are acknowledged
by clicking the Add Trust button -
- this button allows all Stackers the option to agree with a users posts and
submit points toward their trust level.
Example of adding Trust to a user:
What are the Levels of Trust?
The levels of Trust are as follows:
| Trust Level |
Points |
Icon |
| Trouble user |
-101 or less |
 |
| Poor |
-100 |
 |
| Low |
0 |
 |
| Average |
10 |
 |
| Above Average |
25 |
|
| Good |
50 |
|
| Very Good |
75 |
|
| Great |
100 |
|
| Exemplary |
300 |
 |
| Sage |
500 |
|
| Stack Guardian |
700 |
|
| Stack Elite |
900 |
|
| Stack Legend |
1100 |
|
Can this system be abused?
About the only way to abuse the Trust Level system is not using it. If a
user provides you with fast accurate support don't let it go unrewarded. As
for abuse there are 14 measures in place to prevent abuse of this system. Of
course, we won't name them or the specifics of each one. However, you will
see some of the limitations that help ensure it's accuracy as you use this
service.
How accurate are Trust Levels?
The range of Trust Level points are from -100 to 1100 points. Stackers can award from around 1 to 10 points per user in a single vote (can't vote for the same user twice) based on conditionals. Thus, for a member to have a high trust level it will take a lot of Stackers
all agreeing that he/she is trustworthy. In addition, only the PinStack
Moderation Team can lower a Stacker's Trust Level. This ensures that
personal differences or malicious users won't be able to affect the accuracy
of this system. As always, users who violate forums rules or post
inaccurate information should be reported via Private Message to the Moderation Team. However, most time you'll notice the moderation team will already be
on top of most forum issues. In additions there are set variables in place
to prevent friends or multiple votes for the same person. Also, users who PM
other members or self promote themselves via posts for Trust Points will be
penalized. Report users who practice this and you'll be awarded 5 Trust
points.
How can I avoid Trust point deductions?
First and foremost, it is considered improper to promote oneself for
Trust points, either in ones profile signature, directly in a post or via
any 3rd party means. This will result in severe deductions from your Trust
points as it will be viewed as dishonesty.
The following acts or behavior will result in minor to
strong deductions from Trust Points:
- Repetitive minor violations of
forum rules.
- SPAMMING the PinStack Forums.
- Posting incorrect information. (esp. Info that can may cause device issues)
- Insulting or harassing other Stackers
- Inappropriate and/or foul language.
- Repeatedly telling members to "Search" first before
posting.
- Moderating or telling users how to use the forums. (Escalate
issues to our Moderation Team, that's our domain)
- Starting the same thread in more than 1 forum and/or cut and
pasting identical replies to increase post count.
Note: If your Trust Level log shows the following icon (
), it means the Stacker who gave you Trust points has less than 10 trust points. In which case, only the comment will apply and no points added. In short a Stacker must have 10 Trust Points or more before his Trust-hits count as positive.
