Is downvoting on again?

[VulchR]

I know there are threads about downvoting posts, but so far as I can tell they are locked. Recently I have seen a few posts with negative votes, so I wonder whether this feature will return (let me guess - Arn is experimenting....). If it's not back, then something might be wrong with the way the votes are tabulated (or perhaps a hack).

[GGJstudios]

No, it's not back on. What posts did you see with downvotes? They're most likely ones that were downvoted before that feature was removed.

[simsaladimbamba]

Look at the dates of those posts, as it is most likely, that those posts were made in those dark times of passive aggressiveness.

[VulchR]

I thought they were recent - but perhaps not because I cannot find any instances now. I just finished a long, 11-hour day at work so maybe my brain is fried (and no, I have not been drinking). Apologies...

[blueroom]

Rather than downvoting I wish the site allowed personal notes under the username vs having the 6502 flotsam.
Then I could root out the trolls.

[txr0ckabilly]

Originally Posted by simsaladimbamba

Look at the dates of those posts, as it is most likely, that those posts were made in those dark times of passive aggressiveness.

your "Let" is 404

[Mr. Retrofire]

Originally Posted by VulchR

Is downvoting on again?

No. Thank god!

----------

Originally Posted by simsaladimbamba

...in those dark times of passive aggressiveness.

;-)

[jessica.]

Originally Posted by VulchR

I thought they were recent - but perhaps not because I cannot find any instances now. I just finished a long, 11-hour day at work so maybe my brain is fried (and no, I have not been drinking). Apologies...

The thread could have recent replies but the down voting isn't back. I noticed the threads as well; recent posts and not so recent down voting.

[Scepticalscribe]

I have noticed this, too, but (on subsequently checking the dates for the relevant posts) realised that the posts in question had been submitted while that unpleasant feature existed - as simsaladimbamba has so well expressed it, 'in the dark days of passive aggressiveness', - and that whatever thread they have appeared in has since been resurrected by others, in more recent times.

[Spectrum Abuser]

Downvoting was a handy feature. It showed which posts were generally out of sync with the rest of the thread without having to actually read them. Several of my posts were downvoted quite a bit, but I still enjoyed the option.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by Spectrum Abuser

Downvoting was a handy feature. It showed which posts were generally out of sync with the rest of the thread without having to actually read them. Several of my posts were downvoted quite a bit, but I still enjoyed the option.

Agreed. It is an option that I miss a great deal.

[marc11]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

Agreed. It is an option that I miss a great deal.

Its also one that people abused to be spiteful if they did not agree with your comment and or for almost any comment anti Apple. It often served to escalate in thread arguments too as most people are not mature enough to give nor accept the negative dings.

[Arran]

Originally Posted by Spectrum Abuser

Downvoting was a handy feature. It showed which posts were generally out of sync with the rest of the thread without having to actually read them. Several of my posts were downvoted quite a bit, but I still enjoyed the option.

I felt the same way. A down vote on an suspect troll post was a swift way of indicating disapproval with a disruptive poster. I tend not to respond in writing to folks who seem to be looking just to quarrel: Waste of their time and mine.

Reflecting on it now, they probably liked the down-votes since it confirmed they'd 'got' to someone: Mission accomplished! So now, with down-voting removed and (I'm thinking) reasonable posters disinclined to fire back with words, the trolls (few that they are) are being starved of attention and will hopefully move on.

[Mr. Retrofire]

Originally Posted by Arran

I felt the same way. A down vote on an suspect troll post was a swift way of indicating disapproval with a disruptive poster. I tend not to respond in writing to folks who seem to be looking just to quarrel: Waste of their time and mine.

You have the report button for such cases. That is enough. No need for a useless downvoting button, which just creates an additional negative atmosphere. If you want the latter, you are certainly on the wrong board.

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Originally Posted by marc11

Its also one that people abused to be spiteful if they did not agree with your comment and or for almost any comment anti Apple. It often served to escalate in thread arguments too as most people are not mature enough to give nor accept the negative dings.

iAgree 100 %.

[tech4all]

Originally Posted by Mr. Retrofire

You have the report button for such cases. That is enough. No need for a useless downvoting button, which just creates an additional negative atmosphere. If you want the latter, you are certainly on the wrong board.

Upvoting is that just as useful or useless as downvoting. Just in the other direction. Personally I think if you're going to have a voting system, have both or don't do it at all.

[Digital Skunk]

Originally Posted by tech4all

Upvoting is that just as useful or useless as downvoting. Just in the other direction. Personally I think if you're going to have a voting system, have both or don't do it at all.

It may be but at the very least it keeps things positive. If you don't like someone's comment, you can either rebut or move on. In the dark ages of MacRumors it was met with downvoting, and once someone received about 10 negatives you could rest assured that most would just continue downvoting.

[aliensporebomb]

Originally Posted by blueroom

Rather than downvoting I wish the site allowed personal notes under the username vs having the 6502 flotsam.
Then I could root out the trolls.

A forum I'm on has a "karma vote" so you can "applaud" or "smite" someone. Luckily there's not a lot of smiting going on, just applauding.

[Jimbo47]

I used to Admin a board that had a reputation system. In your post bit, it showed either green squares (up to 10ish, the more you had, the better "reputation" you had) or red squares (obviously means a bad reputation). Users could leave feedback for your posts, where only you could view what each one said through the User CP. The more reputation you had, the more of an effect you would have when leaving feedback. There were limits set on this though. You could only leave 5 feedbacks in a 24 hour period to avoid abuse.

[mrsir2009]

Originally Posted by blueroom

Rather than downvoting I wish the site allowed personal notes under the username vs having the 6502 flotsam.
Then I could root out the trolls.

But defeats the purpose of the internet - A place where anyone can say anything and not have to deal with the consequences

[blueroom]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

But defeats the purpose of the internet - A place where anyone can say anything and not have to deal with the consequences

It's a personal reminder, only I could see it. It doesn't limit what a person can post.

A hover over popup note would be fantastic, I wonder if there's a third party app?

PS if there were no consequences then we wouldn't have banned members.

[Oui]

a garbage post is a garbage post weather its down voted or not.

[annk]

I never paid much attention to the votes either way, and even though I think it's great that members are so invested in the site that they felt the issue was worth extensive discussion, I was also very surprised that what I personally considered a pretty trivial thing elicited such strong opinons (not in this thread, but in others discussing the voting system).

But in the end, I think this comment hits the nail on the head:

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

...If you don't like someone's comment, you can either rebut or move on...

The up-voting gives members the possibility to say they agree, in cases they don't really have anything else to say, but without cluttering up threads with "+1" posts. If you disagree with what someone writes, you can either take the time to say so (constructively) in a post, or move on.

[Tilpots]

The lack of down voting is silly if there's an up vote. One voting option is asinine. Why don't you just put rainbows in every post? Unicorns would be nice, too.

[annk]

Originally Posted by Tilpots

The lack of down voting is silly if there's an up vote. One voting option is asinine. Why don't you just put rainbows in every post? Unicorns would be nice, too.

That's what I was addressing in my previous post:

Originally Posted by annk

...The up-voting gives members the possibility to say they agree, in cases they don't really have anything else to say, but without cluttering up threads with "+1" posts. If you disagree with what someone writes, you can either take the time to say so (constructively) in a post, or move on.

If you want to disagree with a post, it's much more constructive to do it with a sentence or two where you say something about why you disagree.

[Tilpots]

Originally Posted by annk

That's what I was addressing in my previous post:



If you want to disagree with a post, it's much more constructive to do it with a sentence or two where you say something about why you disagree.

You could and should say the same for the up vote. It's no different.