New Feature: Message Rating System

So, what's the gain in this feature?My experience on other webforums is that post rating rapidly becomes little more than a way of saying "ya! boo! you suck!". Given the predominance of resident evolutionists here I imagine it will simply emphasise that weakness.

Yes, it's has all the same flaws but is more public and annoying giving it an added side order of tit-for-tat.The trouble with ratings and EvC is that this is a site with sides, the majority of posters here are either Creationists or Evolutionists. That means that any membership based rating system is not going to function well here.I really like Post of the Month, I think it's been remarkable successful at bringing light on the best posts, rewarding good posts and promoting the best of the site. I think any new system you bring in should try and be closer to that model than any other.

I think this is a bad idea. What purpose does a hall of shame serve? The only reason is to let people gather round guffaw. The post of the month threads draw attention to what is best on the board - it adds to a positive culture of thoughtful comment - it's inverse would do the opposite, adding to a negative culture of mockery and derision. Frankly, it'd be like having a trophy cabinet beneath your toilet.