Re:On Trolls.
by stcredzero on Monday June 08, 2009 @12:51AM
(#646829)
I think a "put your money where your mouth is" site is actually a good idea. Have it by invite only. Make registration a pain in the butt, require credit card, and require that people go by their real names.
I remember seeing several sites try one or more these strategies, the only notable success that I know of is smallworld.net which caters to a market that used to be known as the jet set, rich, well-connected and privacy conscious individuals who want the exclusivity.
But this (validated identity) is the sort of thing that Google, Yahoo and Microsoft keep trying to push out the door (now joined by twitter "verified identities"); and it keeps falling flat.
This is basically what Amazon's "Real Name" system is.
I really can't wait until I can cash in my Hacker News karma. I'm optimistic that the online reputational economy will emerge in the next 5 years.
I'd probably trade my account right now for 15 hours of python uber-hacking or $2000 to the EFF.
Actually, I think the most interesting method of eliminating trolling would be to have a sort of escrow service that takes your money away if people downvote you enough. To put it another way: establish a currency-to-Whuffie exchange. Sort of like buying gold in WoW, except that you don't spend it on weapons to fight monsters, but rather invest it in your own comments.