That's a good question Amy........ ........ I wish i had the answer..... I think it might be like points that you cn achieve and can be given by the administrator... I accidentally clicked on something beneath the karma thingy in Attie's box and it turned from zero to one...
And after a little research on line here's a proper answer:
Karma is a built-in function within the Forum that allows a person to award and be awarded points for good forum postings.
The karma points (or cookies as some people call them) are listed on the left side of every member post, under their Member ID, Title and Stars. The format looks like this:
Karma: ###
Any member can receive karma at any point while they are a member here once they've made their first post. However, to grant karma to others, you must have a Posts: count of at least 50 in these forums. Once you have made those 50 posts, you will see a new button in the same section of each members posts (right below their Karma: count line) that looks like this:
exalt-smite
If you press that button on a person's post, their Karma count will increase by one. Some people call this giving a person a karma cookie.
There is a limit on granting karma. You may only award a person a single applaud within a one hour period.
Finally, the spirit of karma is to show appreciation for a post that a person has made. If you feel that a certain post is above average or especially helpful, then hit that link under the member's id for that post and award them a cookie.