Right now, the GrabCAD score is a disappointment to our community and to us. We got it wrong and we are very sorry. We started with a clear goal: get new members up to speed and reward existing members for contributing content. It was simple and mostly based on activity, but we realized, with your help, that something was missing. Lately, a gap has opened between what we value at GrabCAD and what the score encourages members to do on our site. This is unacceptable and something that we will change.
First, what do we value?
Quality. It comes in many forms, but all quality work should be rewarded. Engineers add value with great models, helpful answers, effective tutorials, and beautiful renderings. Do you like models that are complex and highly-detailed? Models that are fun and offer a unique point of view? Models that teach and help build skills? So do we.
Community. We love our members, you are what makes us special. You are our not-so-secret sauce. GrabCAD is a community of engineers who want to share their work and have genuine interactions with their peers. It is an invaluable place to find work, gain reputation, learn, and make friends. We want to empower you to keep GrabCAD a high-quality environment. You know when a model doesn't belong on GrabCAD or when a user is inappropriately using our features.
Collaboration. Models are not fun or valuable in a vacuum. You need other people interacting with you in a productive way to get substantial work done. A comment from another engineer can point out a way to improve a project. A pin on the 3D viewer gets you closer to what a client wants. A download or like lets you know people find your model useful or interesting. A well executed rendering helps you see your work in a new way. If two brains are better than one, then 275K engineers are even better.
Quality, community, and collaboration are not sufficiently rewarded in the current GrabCAD Score. Members and our staff have noticed a drop in quality as our library grows and there is an increase in users that take advantage of the simplicity of our current GrabCAD Score. Too much noise and too many file uploads make it harder to enjoy GrabCAD. You told us that rewarding activity is not good enough. We listened, we agree, and we are going to do something about it.
What are we going to do?
In the next few days, our developers will implement changes in the GrabCAD Score that promote quality. More quality content will attract the best engineers to our community and keep all the great ones we are lucky to already have. More quality interactions will boost collaboration and make it worthwhile for our members to come back and build stronger ties. We will add some new rewards and move emphasis away from rewards that do not benefit our community in the long-term.
We will also make it easier for you to send complaints to the GrabCAD team by adding a flag button to member profiles. Use the flag button when something isn't right. It sends a note to our team, so be sure to include why you want to report it. Like always, we thoroughly look into each report. We will update our FAQ to reflect all changes in the next few days, as well.
How will this affect you?
When we transition to the improved GrabCAD Score system, your past and current actions will be automatically converted to the new system. Nothing is required on your part and no actions will be lost. Your score will not go down.
- Members will no longer receive points for uploads (models, formats, or renderings.)
- Members will receive one-time points for their first actions on the site.
- Members will receive points for model likes.
- Members will receive points when 'It worked' in Q&A and Tutorials.
- Members will soon receive points for model downloads.
- We are adding the functionality to like renderings, and members will soon receive points for this.
Most changes will happen in the next few days. Any added functions such as the ability to like renderings will happen over the next few weeks.
With our new focus, we believe your score will be a more valuable asset to your career. It will better reflect your reputation as you interact on GrabCAD and share your profile on and off the site. You can improve your GrabCAD score by producing fun, educational, or masterful content and by helping other engineers in the Q&A and Tutorial sections.
If you are reported with our new engineer flag button, we will notify you via private message. Each reported case undergoes close inspection and includes a dialog with concerned members. We take reports very seriously and will remove any content or users that do not comply with our Terms of Service.
The GrabCAD Team and I are excited about the improvements to come and think they will foster quality and creativity. We already see this kind of amazing work in the community and are excited to encourage it and see more. We want to make this a smooth transition for everyone. Leave comments here, on this post, or send me a personal message with any questions or concerns.
Best,
Sara
Community Manager, GrabCAD
grabcad.com/sara.sigel
