OK...I must admit I'm not so sure about this Karma system as well. I suggest we get rid of it. Are there any strong arguments against this step?
I've disabled this plugin.

Let it   Let it go! No karma system!

Well, I will confess that clicking something that says "Thank you" or "great idea" takes only a second, but, one could always just drop a quick note to say those things, right? or, reply to the post and say so.  that's just my take on it.  I like to communicate, but, I realize there are those who really don't. *smile*

What I liked about the karma system was the idea of a new person joining this community and seeing posts from some of the more enlightened members such as Dark, Cx2, Aprone, you name it... Their high karma rating would prove that this person is probably respected among the gamers, trustworthy and knows what they are talking about. Without the thumbs down capability, I believe it could still be very useful with no disadvantages. Someone will always be more popular and better regarded than others, even if there is no actual number such as the karma rating to compare this and it's only a fact we all know in our own minds, and there's nothing anyone could do about this. :-)
Lukas

Well, Aprone racked up a lot of karma in a short time, so I have to imagine he's one case where the system would have a use over join date and post count.

Negative karma doesn't really seem like it'd tell anything that a new user couldn't pick up quickly anyway. A lot of posts have gotten thumbs down for poor English and super-shortness, both of which are more obvious at a glance than the popular things for which people tend to get higher karma. I also wouldn't be surprised if some people have been giving thumbs up to some posts that they noticed got a thumbs down they felt it didn't deserve--I imagine that wouldn't be a problem if the thumbs down option were removed.

But really, I think the problem is as Lukas says--people just take it too seriously. It gives an idea of the sorts of posts people like and dislike, which would theoretically contribute to the improvement in overall post quality. If members with extremely low karma are driven off, one could argue that would improve overall post quality, but it would diminish the community (and as much as I appreciate a community that isn't flooded with strangers, this community could benefit from decent numbers).

Even though I had 60 pluss Karma, I wasn't overly certain which posts it was for, though this was more due to me being inattentive and skipping to the replies to my posts by other people, sinse than anything else.

i personally was happy enough with the system sinse as has been said, it was a way for a good reliable new member to get recognition, and I personally didn't tend to give thumbs down often anyway, ---- another reason why i suggested it be removed if possible, sinse frankly the best way to improve people's English and post quality is to set a good example yourself, and maybe give them a polite pointer once in a while, with emphasis on the polite, and the while, forums where every post gets hundreds of replies nit picking about grammar and spelling can be most irritating!

Either way, I presume if Sander reads this thread, he'll see if there is a way to have Karma without the negative, and if not we'll just get by.

ANother suggestion is to just have an option in your profile not to view your karma, if people are unhappy with it.