this is no thought exercise, this has happened to be more than once.
Q: What happens to expert users in a field , that just join an Ask* site? A: They have very little chance of progressing in the point system of such sites. And indeed they are being banned from sharing their (expert) opinion.
A little background: I am a long time slackware user , so alot of the frequent difficulties I had with linux, I have solved in the past, before Ask* sites even existed.
So currently, that I am trying Ubuntu, I will come in and ask question that are more complex than "how do I place a shortcut on my desktop" ? In fact most of the questions I ask , the average ubuntu user can't answer. So no points earned for this . If possible I'll go back and answer my own question (something that has happened frequently in several ask* sites).
Additionally, I can not answer simple ubuntu questions because I haven't used ubuntu for long! no points earned from there either.
Not having points, is also "bad" for other users. If I see an error in someone's reply, I can not comment to correct them! Arggh! It is most frustating seeing an error in someone's reply and not being able to notify them so that they can change it or at least up vote their replies, which could potentially reward me as well and "unlock" some usability.
I can't recall another example at the moment but this has happened to be in more than one situations, and it is really bothersome.
All this reduced usability is not helping to drive the community forward. At least not if you have new comers that do HAVE some experience to share. Does anyone else have this problem?