Forum Suggestion (Kaizen spirit)

I think the board is good as it is. Sounds like when I was approached by a manager who wanted to give awards after each sprint or release.

I found that could be damaging to the team. It would cause un-needed conflict to the team.

If you click on a person’s bio you can see what they have passed as you stated.

To me you have already shown bias by creating a list.  I am not every one’s cup of tea because I am a little terse and usually tell you what you don't want to hear. But I also don’t really care I’d rather give you a real answer than a pontification answer.

While I regularly disagree with some of Ian’s post and Simon I acknowledge they have a good skill set already. 

You are also talking about a forum re-write or enhancements maybe the forum mods don’t have the time or want to do.

Eugene,

I personally appreciate the acknowledgment that some of my contributions to the forum have benefited you and others.   However, I also feel that this is a community, and as Dan pointed out, there is a slippery slope when you begin identifying individuals differently.

This forum used to track the # of posts from each individual, and while the volume of one's submissions to the forum could be an indicator of expertise, the forum moved away from that metric, so I would not expect the forum moderators to embrace a feature suggestion that they recently eliminated.

Thank you for your kind words though.

This forum used to track the # of posts from each individual, and while the volume of one's submissions to the forum could be an indicator of expertise, the forum moved away from that metric, so I would not expect the forum moderators to embrace a feature suggestion that they recently eliminated.

It also used to have a graded "membership" system, which if I recall was new member, basic member, advanced member, veteran member. I'm not sure what the criteria for "promotion" were, but I suspect it was again just the number of posts made.

I admit that I liked being a so-called "advanced member". However becoming a veteran member just made me feel old, and so I was not disappointed when the system vanished with the new forum.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Eugene. I agree with several of the things you said.

However, if there were to be any forum changes, I think I would get more value in a StackExchange-style system (upvote/downvote answers, add comments to answers, propose edits to answers, etc.) than the more traditional post count / title on many forum sites. Even a simple "+1" / "Like" functionality.

Granted, those are probably more difficult to implement than what you're suggesting :)

(In the interest of transparency, I want to mention I work for a company that makes and sells a community software platform, but these views are my own.)

Wow, Eugene! It's very humbling to be mentioned in such a way, and I appreciate you taking the time to make this post!

From my own point of view, I think any kind of recognition is nice. That has come in many forms: direct responses from the person I'm answering, comments from other contributors, PSTs writing to me on LinkedIn, or Scrum.org's support team writing a personalised response whenever I've gotten in touch. 

I imagine I'd be proud to have such a badge or mark on my profile, but none of this recognition is the primary reason I'm involved here. I enjoy helping people, and the main reward comes in believing that I've made a positive difference to the way many people approach Scrum and some of the complex situations they find themselves in. Furthermore, every time I set my brain in gear to solve someone's problem, or challenge their situation, I feel I am growing as an individual. I know that being involved here has made me a better Scrum Master.

I do certainly agree that better visibility of certificates would be nice. I find it a little annoying (especially on a mobile) to have to go into someone's profile to see someone's certificates. Knowing someone has passed PSM II or III for instance does usually mean I can make more assumptions about their background knowledge, when I provide my response.

I think I would get more value in a StackExchange-style system (upvote/downvote answers, add comments to answers, propose edits to answers, etc.)

There may be some merit in it, but I think it could be damaging to the community. Some of the best responses I see are well placed questions, or slightly provocative challenges to a poster who shows (for example) little appreciation of the Scrum Values. I don't expect those responses to be instantly upvoted to the same extent as non-empirical, but decisive and convincing instructions. Having seen how such responses are treated on StackExchange's Project Management community, I'm wary of the effect that might have.

every time I set my brain in gear to solve someone's problem, or challenge their situation, I feel I am growing as an individual.

+1

Answering the questions raised by members not only allowed me to grow my Scrum knowledge, but also improved my English ability. :) 

Thanks for your thoughts, folks.

@ Dan

While I find some of your contributions valuable, and you certainly have wide experience in some areas, in my view you have yet to fully align yourself with the Scrum values. Note I can't say I'm fully aligned myself either but I do (or I think I do :) ) recognize my limits (knowledge, experience, etc).

I haven't show any bias, as the list is a mere suggestion. If, and only if, admins decide to implement something like this, people should be able to vote for those who they believe must be acknowledged. Those on the list would get my votes. That's all.

@ Timothy

Thanks for highlighting. I wasn't suggesting a metric based on (like you mentioned) number of posts or something similar. That has limited input - one can have, say, 3,280 comments and yet hardly any value. Rather, I was suggesting we, as readers, come up with the names of those we believe are bringing most value here. It should be a group effort. Shouldn't the community regularly inspect & adapt itself? :)

@ Ian

Indeed. I'm definitely with you, veteran shouldn't stick. But, for example, Top Scrummer for you & few others would be more than adequate. There are people would've been Scrumming for more years than others have been in college - to my mind, it is only fair, when seeing their written, voluntary, contributions to the forum to acknowledge their position. No hierarchy, no food chain - we must simply admit and value that some are more experienced and knowledgeable than others.

@ Andrew

Very good idea, but like you said, it wouldn't be the same effort. The "+1" / "Like" would seem to be easier to implement.

@ Simon

People can easily see you enjoy helping others - your team is lucky to have you.

@ Ching-Pei

I must admit sometimes I didn't (fully) understand what you were saying :). Efforts towards improving a foreign language is always a plus - keep it up and you'll get better. Curiously though, you hold both PSM II and III - apparently those require advanced English understanding/writing skills, do they not?