On removing scores,
Maybe we could, but the scoring system is one of the things that sets Newgrounds apart as a media site and one of the things that draws me specifically to Newgrounds, both the fact that the scoring system is unique to Newgrounds and I would hate to see (or rather not see) the Tankman art next to the scores be hidden. Some might find it a little archaic (after all Youtube originally had a very similar rating system which it eventually removed) but I think it incentivizes critiquing which is lost when it comes to other social media sites. I'm fine with having the scores hidden as long as it doesn't trivialize the effect that the scoring system has. I'm just a little afraid that "feature creep" could end up killing score's relevance.
To mitigate the fall of the score system I think that we should have systems in place that remind users that the scoring system still exists.
such as:
-have it be a global setting that can be turned on and off, not something that has to be turned on for each video separately. because the latter would be very annoying.
-having a checkbox on the home page or in the taskbar, not buried somewhere in settings.
-have scores turned on by default for members but turned off for nonmembers since you need to login in anyways to do so.
-have newsletters/posts like this one that encourage people to vote, score, and review videos
Perhaps we can have the best of both worlds where users still score videos even though the scores are hidden and where people aren't afraid to post what they truly want to, but I find that unlikely outcome. Something will have to give and ultimately I think the scoring system will end up suffering. Personally I think it would be better to tell people to suck it up and take the reviews and scores with a grain of salt, after all they are there to help for the most part.
