Relatively new here. I don't really recognize a lot of names and tend to pay less attention to names here than in other environments. This is in part for reasons others have mentioned: There are no avatars and there are no signature blocks. The design here is more minimalist than anything else I have participated in. I am still getting used to it and not really in a position to make a judgment call about whether the orange dot (lack of visible scores) is a "good" change or a "bad" one. My general impression is that pecking order matters less here than on most discussion sites. My general feeling is that is a good thing. I hate the Lord of the Flies stuff that is so common in online groups.