Given the often disputed and different view points given in forum discussions. How would it go down if each contributor was rated in terms of accuracy and reliability of advice given, over a period of time. This would be scored by other users of this forum giving feedback. I guess it could work something like the ebay seller star system, when rating the reliability of sellers etc. Controversial, but hey, might sort the good from the bad!!

ITER, this is a PUBLIC forum, it is not a place for people to take the advice given as either complete or competent. And who would deem themselves as the font of accuracy and reliability, especially as the majority use pseudonyms with no way of noting their actual levels of technical ability? If you need competent advice relating to a critical issue then you should always seek professional advice rather than looking for the answer on an open public forum.

teh_boy, the old saying – 'less is sometimes more' comes to mind…..

I’m always interested in new ideas and I think that it’s fantastic we have so many people who contribute to this public forum. But as I’ve said before, the information provided by contributors on a public forum should never be construed in terms of accuracy, reliability and therefore competency. The majority of users have pseudonyms with no way of noting their actual levels of technical ability. For this reason alone, it would not really be realistic to score/rate the commentary in terms of accuracy – nor should we.

Who would be the judge(s) on the accuracy of the postings and answers. What if a poster had specific experience and expertise in one particular aspect of health and safety, beyond what others might possess? I can see real problems with this. And what would be the consequences if someone was downrated by the assessors, when in reality their advice was competent? Might they not have a right to some form of action due to the effect on their reputation and, as a consultant, on their business and income. As has been stated, this is an open forum. Let's keep it that was and not inhibit discussion due to concern about the effect on one's 'rating' Chris

You do need a good sense of humour to work in this profession!

This is a public forum and there are many people who contribute who do not hold any formal competence at all. If you scored people on how good thier advise is then the forum would have very few people willing to contribute and it wil die. There are many who contribute who have a great deal of knowledge and there are those with very little or none at all who seek the advise of those who are competent. That does not mean they are always correct though so to score people would have two very dangerous affects. The advise given even when wrong could be sen as being correct and lead to someone choosing to take the wrong action because they think it is from someone who is competent enough to give that advise. Secondly if anyone gives advise they are leaving themselve open to severe critisim if that advise is not correct and someone is injured or even killed. I don't give advise on any specific topic but am willing to point someone to information they can rad and decide for themselves if the information is of use. Don't have insurance so would not offer any advise on how to deal with a topic but am willing to point ssomeone in the direction of such advise. For me it would put too much risk into this forum to take such a step.

Skewing the discussion a little, instead of points for the answer how about a percentage viewed/answered. For example, including this post there will be 14 replies and viewed 354 times which equals approx. 4%. I have noted (over the last couple of years) that good posts that attract higher responses score anywhere between 2.5 - 4%, indicating the forums responders field of knowledge is high / close to their heart. Response scores of below 2% (especially 1%) have either been worded badly or those with the knowledge are not in the forum. The percentages do tend to drop off as the subject matter tends to tire though and will retire at around 1% then the viewer should look to the number of response there has been. Consequently as a mathematical system the mods would not be involved. Badger

How does this tie in with some sort of rating grade for answers/contributors. I'm more than ok with 'uncomfortable' answers and telling people things they might not want to hear. The suggestion was to indicate how reliable/accurate an answer might be to a question etc. I have put the suggestion forward - it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with it either.

Some good comments regarding quality and quantity of threads and posts. As Ian has indicated, the response rate to threads can be influenced by many factors and not just whether it is a 'good question'. Indeed, I have often found that the more basic and simple a thread is, the more likely people are to respond and vice versa. Does this indicate responders prefer triviality over substance I wonder?

Dave C Most common sense answer I have read on this forum for weeks why would you want people scoring you on your contribution to a request for information and an attempt to help a fellow practitioner. Where one offers a whole risk management biased review you can end up with sections of the posting community from what I expect is the lower risk end of the spectrum and the types that advise and walk away rather than manage, commenting disparagingly on sections of the comment. It would end up like safety apartheid Good comments

Quote=Mr.Flibble]Getting people to answer the question that was actually asked would be a good start and miracle in its self!!

I mostly agree with Heather on this subject. I offer help/opinions based on MY experience, knowledge and qualifications. I pick up a lot of information from these forums which adds to my reference library hence my knowledge. I think scoring would be devicive and not add anything to the forum. Take Care

Totally agree about not going down the star rating route, but how about an alternative which may be in the spirit of the original posting? Most forums I frequent have 'Stickys' or 'FAQs' at the top of the forum with the best answers to commonly asked questions being saved to them. There are a lot of good answers given on here which fall off the front page and disappear into the ether - So without filling up the forum, we could perhaps have FAQs for RIDDOR, Asbestos, Fire to name some common topics and as responses are made to these queries if a certain number of forumites say 'Mods, this is a good answer, can it be added to the FAQ?' up it goes and in future people can be pointed in that direction. Wisdom of the masses? Maybe not, but it may be the quickest way of answering the common question which can be met by eye rolling (PA Testing anyone?) as well as preserving a good post by an experienced professional.