lustig: if there's a rule that says not to downvote just because you disagree, then why isn't there a rule that says not to upvote just because you agree?
folkrav: It's been explained more times than it should have been.
I think here's the core issue with the current voting mechanism: it conflates subjective and objective votes, and incorrectly presents up and down voting as equal but opposite actions. It has to be continually explained to newcomers because the UI isn't aligned with the etiquette, and thus newcomers don't intuitively know how to use it.
There are actually 4 kinds of voting reactions one might have:
1. Subjective positive: I agree with this, yay interesting.
2. Subjective negative: I disagree, what a load of crap.
3. Objective positive: This content is of high quality: well-written, many source links, covers the topic in all relevant areas, etc.
4. Objective negative: Spam, harassment, other TOS violation.
However, since we aren't robots, it's usually difficult to separate the subjective and objective reactions, so an up vote actually means 1+3, and a Snapzu down vote is intended only for 4. Currently there is no way to express 2 except by commenting.
If you ask me, it would be sufficient to address the issue simply by changing the UI. The voting & reputation system itself seems fine. I wonder, though, if it would make sense to have an additional, separate button for the "disagree" vote that wouldn't actually affect the sorting of the snap or the submitter's reputation, just to give people a way to easily express their opinion?
I think here's the core issue with the current voting mechanism: it conflates subjective and objective votes, and incorrectly presents up and down voting as equal but opposite actions. It has to be continually explained to newcomers because the UI isn't aligned with the etiquette, and thus newcomers don't intuitively know how to use it.
There are actually 4 kinds of voting reactions one might have:
1. Subjective positive: I agree with this, yay interesting.
2. Subjective negative: I disagree, what a load of crap.
3. Objective positive: This content is of high quality: well-written, many source links, covers the topic in all relevant areas, etc.
4. Objective negative: Spam, harassment, other TOS violation.
However, since we aren't robots, it's usually difficult to separate the subjective and objective reactions, so an up vote actually means 1+3, and a Snapzu down vote is intended only for 4. Currently there is no way to express 2 except by commenting.
If you ask me, it would be sufficient to address the issue simply by changing the UI. The voting & reputation system itself seems fine. I wonder, though, if it would make sense to have an additional, separate button for the "disagree" vote that wouldn't actually affect the sorting of the snap or the submitter's reputation, just to give people a way to easily express their opinion?