randomizer :
It's hardly a big deal. It's just a number...
One of the brilliant things that distinguish Tom’s Hardware Forums from other internet sites is your point system and badges. When I first joined a few months ago, I thought it was a hokey system. I noticed noobs posting short replies to every thread they could find -- obviously to get more points to advance to the next level. I was not interested.
Then, I had someone select my post as the best answer and I got 40 extra points. Wow, that was pretty cool! I know this sounds stupid, but I actually started plotting my average points as function of the number of posts. My objective was to try to get selected as the best answer as much as possible so that I could maximize my average points per post.
Interestingly, I also use other posters average points per post number (total points/number of posts) as one measure to gauge the trustworthiness of their advice. For instance, if a poster has 100 posts and 500 points, that is an average of 5 points per post, the absolute minimum for that number of posts. I know that this person has never been selected as the best answer and has never received any bonus points. Their advice still may be good, but if I question what they are saying, looking at their average points gives me an additional piece of information to determine how much weight I should give to their advice. In contrast, if someone has 1,000 posts and 5,000 points their average points per post is also 5, but I know that this person must have received many bonus points to keep their average up and I will not discount any advice they are giving.
Please do not discount the value of your point system. I truly believe that it is one of the reasons that you have one of the most unique and highest quality forums on the internet. Getting this fixed should be one of your top priorities.
P.S. The moderators on Tom’s Hardware forum do an excellent job of maintaining order and civility on this site. Keep up the great work!