[Masked Crusader]

Hey all.

In this thread, I am going to explain some new changes to Masked Crusader.

Point System

Over the past couple of days, I have been implementing a new point system called vBExperience. What vBExperience does is that it allows you to acculumate points for your forum activity. The more active you are, the more points you will receive.

For a full list of how to earn points, please see the list here: Trade WoW Accounts - WoW Account Trading - Masked Crusader - Earn Points

I will be adding a link into the navbar shortly that you can click on to take you on to the full vBExperience.

What Can I Spend Points On?

- Betting :: If you go into the Lounge forum (Lounge) and create a new thread, you will see an option towards the bottom of the new thread prompt that will ask you if you want to 'Yes, post a vBookie Event with this thread'. By enabling this checkbox, you will be taken to a new page where can set up a betting table for anything, but we will limit it to Sporting Events for now. If you have other suggestions for types of events that Betting would work for, please let us know.
- Account Shopping :: Over the next several days, I will be implementing an Account Upgrade shopping software which will allow you to purchase custom user titles, unique username markups, unique avatars, and so much more! I will update this post when the implementation has been completed.

We are always open to new ideas for what people can spend points on. I would like to stay away from real world goods (IE stuff that costs money) and focus on things that promote your continued usage of the community. Plus, real world goods will be given away with the contests/giveaways that we will be hosting and we do not want to double-dip into that.

Other Newly Installed Board Mods

Post Thanks / Like :: At the bottom of each post (each post, not thread), there are now Like/Thanks buttons. If you like the post or would like to thank someone for their post, you can click these buttons. Please note that using this Thanks/Like system will earn you points for the Point System that has been outlined above.

vBookie :: vBookie is a 'bookmakers' or betting extension to vBulletin. It enables authorized members to post Events and Outcomes that forum members can bet on. Each Outcome has its own set of odds, and odds can be modified through the life of an Event (bets that are placed are stored with the prevailing odds, so even if the odds change, your users are paid at the correct rate). Once the results are known, Events can be settled and forums members awarded their winnings.

More mods to promote user activity are coming soon!

[Dudedafool]

So... kick.. ass!

Awesome move, Shane. I've wondering what the points and stuff was for. Thanks for letting us know!

[rpgreseller]

It's arbitrary as far as real value, but leads to user engagement because activity suddenly results in status/recognition. It adds to the intrinsic value of being a forum badass.

I once had a point system with the plan that users would bid with their points (like a guild DKP auction after a boss kill). They'd be bidding on cash that the website had developed through paid advertisements.

d2jsp.org has a cash to currency system where people buy points, but that's for secure trade, not user engagement. Charge backs become impossible and everybody has peace of mind, but you also never get paid in cash and can't sell coins for cash. You only get paid in points, which you can use to buy other digital goods. For d2jsp, it was a really smart move. The site made a ton of money off of it, and got a lot of users that will stick around forever because they have so much value racked up in their points.

Another system which could potentially be good for safe trade would be the use of bitcoin, coupled with a middleman who holds the coin, and waits for delivery to be confirmed. Zero chargebacks.

[rpgreseller]

(I pretty much love points in any form.)