Can we have a point system for activities like signup, posting, replying for users and some kind of reward system for them as a feature in discourse installation?
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Point or Reward System Feature Discussion
The discussion revolves around the idea of implementing a point or reward system in Discourse. bankerrahul proposes a feature that allows users to earn points for activities like signing up, posting, and replying, which can be redeemed for rewards. lightyear mentions that Discourse has Badges, which can be automatically rewarded for good behavior, but bankerrahul clarifies that he is looking for a system with actual points that can be earned and redeemed.
Some users, like Sander78 and ampburner, believe that this feature is better suited as a plugin, citing concerns about feature creep and the potential to detract from the core purpose of Discourse. Others, like Frank, suggest that using client-side variables and JavaScript could be a way to create a custom reward system.
downey questions whether badges can be automatically granted, and bankerrahul reiterates that the feature could be optional and implemented as a plugin. Jiaqi shares their experience with implementing a point system using a custom solution, and Azawak asks if anyone has found a solution to the original question.
The discussion highlights the different opinions on whether a point or reward system should be a core feature or a plugin, and the various ways that users can extend the functionality of Discourse to achieve their goals.
4 curtidas
We have Badges and they are automatically rewarded on good behaviour. You need to activate it in Admin though as it is still experimental.
1 curtida
No not the badges but actual points which they can earn and redeem in case we decide to give rewards for their activity. It can be a plugin request but again it can also be a feature in discourse itself!
2 curtidas
I think this is definitely plugin territory.
2 curtidas
@lightyear @bankerrahul …and doesn’t the trust level have thresholds that can be set? I don’t have a install set up so I can’t remember what I saw in the admin section, but with badges, trust levels and post count some client side variables could be interrogated or checked against SO…If you are handy with javascripting (which most of us are), then we could create something fairly simple based on stuff the user flips in discourse based on natural progression and day to day use…
@codinghorror on their points, but mainly for my own FYI/curiosity, could user post count be pinholed for clientside javascript access? maybe not visible but maybe, say, in the img tag…like this (see below)? Maybe there is something already? This would be for custom rewards and/or unlocking special content (extended by us)?
img
width=“45”
height=“45”
src=“9787.png”
class=“avatar”
title=“Sander78”
data-postcount=“42”
data-trustlevel=“2”
data-badges=“basic,contributor,something-else,anotherThing”
I’d like to make a point that the minimalist, purpose driven design is central to the reason I started usung Discourse.
Feature creep (features like this one) are partly what lead to the ‘frankenstein’ that is the classic forum (phpbb, vbulletin).
I’m all for extensibility (AKA plug-ins) but lets not forget that Discourse is about enabling discussions and not about other ‘stuff’
1 curtida
Is that actually true? (i..e can badges be automatically granted?) If so I haven’t figured out how to automate it.
That’s true but as I said, it can be a plugin or a feature which is optional. After all, it’s all about extensibility and I’d love to have that feature anyhow with which user can earn points and redeem them in return of rewards because gamifying a platform is also a great way to encourage discussions!
2 curtidas
Here is what I can access from SO and I don’t consider this ‘feature creep’. Extending our Discourse app seems to me to be allowed/encouraged.
1 curtida
I disagree with the idea of gamifying discussion in that way, but wouldn’t mind it as a plug-in - which I would not install 
And I agree… data annotations in the html never hurt anyone.
1 curtida
@bankerrahul So finally how was the process? Did you use plugin to have this point system? I’m also interested in gamification in terms of point system, but still not sure what is the best way to have it on my website 
So, have YOU found any answer to that question? 
Me? hmm I asked a developer to help me make this point system (we start from scratch)
1 curtida