I just read about something that really made me squirm. China is setting up a video game like points system to track social compliance.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34592186
I was thinking "1984" when I read this... Imagine if with this system you could upvote or downvote people much like you can on video games and on social media. Don't like someone, downvote. That guy has no friends? Downvote. The future is pretty scary sometimes.
depends on the scoring system. Downvotes for criminal activity, upvotes for charity donations, voting, jury duty, military service etc. Even if the system wasn´t perfect, this type of thing could lead to people doing the right thing.
That's a dangerous game Pete. I don't trust the Chinese government to set this up in the best interest for it's people. Imagine things you could be downvoted for include talking about the Party in a negative light, being religious, being soft on Taiwan, ect ect. In the article it even talks about getting negative points for even being associated with people who don't have a high score. I see this as more bad then good.
Yeah, i was just playing Devil´s advocate. The reason for this is obvious. Political leaders in China looked at the youth and saw they play a lot of video games, and things they enjoy in video games are achievements, high scores and being at the top of leader boards. No doubt the Chinesse gov´t is going to have almost everything that gives points be something that protects the party. Before anyone goes off on China for such manipulation... Look at the Credit Score Rating in the USA. Your credit score is not about wealth, money in the bank, or even your past success at eliminating debt. The absolute best way to improve your credit score is to make minimum monthly payments every month. You get a good credit score by paying interest, not by paying stuff off completely. Being debt free? bad for your credit rating. Having tons of debt, but paying interest every month... good for your credit rating. The people who benefit from the system are the ones who set up the rules for how you get points.
As someone who worked in lending for many years, I can say that excessive debt and only making minimum interest payments are absolutely NOT the best way to increase your FICO score.
Exactly this is a classic case about cart before horse. Some people obsesse over credit score, coming up with all kinds of "tricks and tips" to raising credit score. Just focus on having sound finances first and only check credit for fraud. If you live a balanced life below your means you will have good credit.
It's a classic case of petesede talking out of his ass yet again and spreading more misinformation. My credit score 10-20 years ago was lucky to break low 700's with a near-perfect credit record, at least one car note, a mortgage, and usually several credit cards that often had at least some balance carried on them. In the last decade I've gotten debt free, pay cash for everything, and only have one credit card that I use 1-2 times a month for small purchases and keep for emergencies that I pay off at the end of the month. My credit score hovers around the upper 700's now, give or take. 760-800 or so. But I hope to never have to borrow again if I can help it.