Simplification

I think I'm starting to come to the conclusion that simpler is better. For example, I had mentioned before that there might just be a radio button on each post that allows the poster to give their level of expertise. I've been thinking about how this might work. Let's say there are four levels:

• I am an expert with direct knowledge of the subject of this story
• I am an expert in the area of this story which I am addressing
• I am an expert in an area related to this story
• I have no special expertise in the area of this story

(I'm not sure about the last one, just because I don't know if I want to encourage people to post when they don't know much, but I think there's a place for general common sense posts.)

When somebody comes along to review the post (not post a reply) they are given the same expertise options as the poster, and also just a few review options:

• I concur
• I mostly agree
• I mostly disagree
• This person is out of their mind.

(Ok, I'd probably rename that last one. Well, probably should change all of them, since I'm not looking to rate on agreement so much as validity...a post that you disagree with can still be valid.)

So the basic review process is boiled down to two four-option radio buttons: expertise and validity. If somebody wants to give more detail, they can give an actual reply, which is the same as a basic review with a text entry box.

Mathematically, the expertise options range from 0 (none) to 3(personal knowledge.) The validity options range from -2 (bad) to 2 (good) not including 0. Each poster also has a personal credibility rating, which is -1 to 1, but I haven't figured out exactly how that credibility rating is determined yet.

I'll have more on this later, when I've worked the math a bit more. I can see where it's going now, though.