http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=174060


in reply to Does perlmonk.org users are analyzed?

I said it before, I'll say it again: XP doesn't matter. The only thing of yours that is under the control of other people (i.e., what you do not personally choose to share) is your experience level.

Here's a scenario to consider.

I wake up one morning in a crabby mood. I post a Meditation saying "merlyn is an ignoramus. vroom abuses children and small animals. All you people stink." The node is downvoted into oblivion. I do it again, this time insulting tye and Ovid. I take over all of Worst Nodes. My XP begins to rival antivroom's.

The next morning, I get up, get dressed, go to work, write programs, pay my bills. You know what? Things haven't changed much.

Eventually I come back and start answering questions and writing bad Perl Poetry. People upvote it. I write an Obfuscation to rival Erudil's. I find my way to Best Nodes over and over. Slowly my XP rises again. I displace vroom at the top of Other Users. There is much cheering and rejoicing in the Chatterbox.

The next morning, I get up, get dressed, go to work, write programs, pay my bills. I take my million XP to Starbucks and they still charge me $1.40 for a cup of coffee.

It's not the XP that counts, it's the interaction with your peers. Give up the attitude and write some Perl. Learn and teach. Be gracious. That's the ultimate goal of the site.