I see little advantage in this proposal over just showing everyone the node reputations all the time (perhaps unless they elect not to see them via a user setting). Can someone elaborate on the thinking behind making reputations hidden?

Update: Ok, I've read through a lot of the stuff about hiding reputations. The point I see made most is that showing the reputation will influence voters and skew the vote. Fair enough, but the next step is to ask: what are the reputations for?

If only the poster or the few who have voted can see them, what purpose do they serve? Yes, I know, you can sort by reputation, but is that really the only benefit to be gained? Is it all, perhaps, just a big game? I'm extremely interested to hear from any monk who can enunciate a vision of the role of reputation.

On the status quo side, the Monestary works as is, and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is all too true.