ConanTheBald: Well, the only flaw I see with that logic is that the rep doesn't matter. It's not like in Reddit where it impacts your visibility or reach. You can't even see the number here. All it does is to show how badass you are.
quirkyhug: Over a single post, no it doesn't affect anything. However over time having a higher rep will generally indicate that people appreciate the posts you are making, as they will be more likely to vote positively, while a user who makes posts that people do not appreciate will see their rep gradually decline, again indicating that the hivemind doesn't appreciate their posts.
It's a visual summary of a user's reputation on the forum, how well received their presence and contributions are.
Well, it has been proven countless times that it's not true. You can be as *poopy as you want and then pay some East Asian clickfarm or write a script to vote up your posts and boost your rep. So - no, not really.
*edit by watvin - please be civil and avoid directing swear words at other users. putting asterisk instead of a letter doesn't excuse it!
