Why no dislike button on ATS?

This is more of a suggestion than a rant.
I've been thinking about this the past few weeks. It would be a very good idea to have a 'thumbs-down' or 'dislike' option for posts/replies, and I think it will fix a lot of problems regarding the constant derailment/trolling of threads. This will be the opposite of a 'star' and will detract one star per dislike - simple.

I know there is an option to ALERT a post, but this is only for "Serious Terms & Conditions Violations", and if I were to use this every time I strongly disagreed with a certain post, then I think the mods would get a bit annoyed.

The problem I'm talking about is a bit more subtle than a "Serious Terms & Conditions Violation".
Some members seem to get away with posting disinformation, half-truths and attempted-confusion, or try to derail a thread by dragging it off-topic with petty bickering, and often do this on purpose in hope that the thread will get closed down. You must be aware of this tactic.

I think you all know the problem I'm talking about, and the 'dislike' option would act as a deterrent for this sort of behaviour and make members think twice BEFORE posting.

I personally don't care about how many stars I have because I very rarely post here, but I know the type of members I'm talking about DO care because they think it gives them more credibility. At the moment, there is no sufficient punishment for the absolute nonsense that comes out of their minds. They don't care if one of their posts is removed because it's already been seen by many and the bickering is already well under way.

ATS owners - Please consider this idea. It can do no harm, only good.

Thanks for reading.

reply to post by HexagonSun


I often star a post that I agree with, and with that said, there is no need for me to post, as the starred poster already said it for me. If I strongly disagree with a post I have the option of posting a rebuttal or ignoring the poster. I think a thumbs down button is kinda a cop out on a discussion board.

As I understand previous explanations by the ancient ones ...You know, those mythical creatures with join dates in the 03/04 range? There used to be an ignore button, but even that was removed to foster an environment of positive feedback rather than negative. The lack of positive being a form of feedback all it's own.

I think that among the very diverse crowd here, a negative system could get wildly out of hand and before serious harm was done to people's feelings and desire to keep contributing. Just my thoughts.

I'd rather be rid of stars all together. Stars just lead to group think. And really stupid posts can get a ton of stars just like a really good post does. People usually just star those they agree with rather than those that make sense.

A bury button?
That might be a good idea.

Tie it into your ATS points.
Might help people to think before they post.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
As I understand previous explanations by the ancient ones ...You know, those mythical creatures with join dates in the 03/04 range?

Well .. I"m an old lady .... but now I guess I've crossed over into being 'an ancient one'.
Some days .. (most days) .. I feel ancient. I guess I now have confirmation of that.

Yes, we used to have an ignore button here. You could ignore certain posters.
I only used it once and I had the person on ignore for about 3 months.
That person eventually got banned anyways.

Having an ignore button kind of takes the person doing the ignoring out of the entire conversation.
It's like swiss cheese ... full of holes.

Unfortunately to have open debate and free transfer and consideration of ideas from all aspects, you have to take the stupid with the good.

I was once 'shouted down' by a couple of people on a thread who hated the topic and refused to just leave it alone so that those who were interested in that particular topic could discuss it in peace. It really taught me the importance of free speech to a society willing to learn, advance and mature.

If I dislike a topic or a particular poster's views, I have the option of ignoring them or engaging them in a discussion. That should be enough, and I've learned over the years those people who rarely have anything to add to the conversation; just skip over those posts.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
As I understand previous explanations by the ancient ones ...You know, those mythical creatures with join dates in the 03/04 range? There used to be an ignore button, but even that was removed to foster an environment of positive feedback rather than negative. The lack of positive being a form of feedback all it's own.

That's exactly it. 2 reasons. 1- Focus on the positive. 2- Not allow gangs of members from burying a topic they don't like. Don't think that would happen? Check the board.

reply to post by HexagonSun


Why do you need a dislike button? This isn't Facebook. It isn't a popularity contest. If you don't like it, don't star it. Dislike options tend to encourage motivations that aren't exactly aligned with this website's purposes, and the absence of said feature tends to keep attention away from being negative for negative's sake. All considered, there is no reason to have a dislike button unless you're intent upon being negative, something generally discouraged as a principle in the forums.

Does that answer your question?

the potential is here for software to sort the many various comments into various categories, profile users, etc

expanding on the "like" button system is just making all that easier

i'd love to have seen this button concept expanded into more response categories, such as "refute", "debunk","expand on", etc etc ...it would be invaluable to various research, i could even see average joe using a data-presentation in this way to get a point across to his/her audience.. you know what i mean?

but sadly, nothing good will come from any of this... it's all going to be used for profiling by the worst kinds of people

reply to post by intrepid


You're so good at keeping things short and sweet. Stop it. You're making me look bad. Where's a dislike when you need one?

I miss the ignore feature so freaking bad. Imagine how peaceful my days would be if I could ignore people! I could completely avoid Islamophobes, religious people of all stripes really, partisan hacks, and trolls. Peace doesn't drive traffic and increase ad-revenue, however. Fight club does.

reply to post by HexagonSun

Some members seem to get away with posting disinformation, half-truths and attempted-confusion, or try to derail a thread by dragging it off-topic with petty bickering, and often do this on purpose in hope that the thread will get closed down.

In other words:
You'd like to silence those that you disagree with. ... ... ...

See ya,
Milt

reply to post by Malynn


How can you tell the difference between an alternative opinion and a troll post? Such temptations only serve to bolster ignorance. Even troll posts make good points sometimes.

I like giving out stars. I usually give a star to anyone who's point I agree with, if the post is funny/witty. It's my pat on the back and keeps me from saying, "Me, too!"

Although sometimes I give a pity star. In the general topics section, when folks are sharing personal stories, if someone shared a story and there's no star, but everyone else got a star, I'll star it. Can't help it, I feel bad for the one poster.

That's only for the BTS section, not opinions and meaningful debate.

Originally posted by HexagonSun


I know there is an option to ALERT a post, but this is only for "Serious Terms & Conditions Violations", and if I were to use this every time I strongly disagreed with a certain post, then I think the mods would get a bit annoyed.

Wouldn't it be better to state in a thread why you disagree rather than a simple dislike? If you feel that strongly about it, explain yourself...at least that is my thought. All a dislike would do is hurt peoples feelings, just cause they have a different point of view.
Dislike seems rather harsh, but thats just my opinion.

reply to post by AfterInfinity


Easy. Troll posts don't add anything to the discussion, and are made for the sole purpose of annoying people.

Originally posted by Malynn
reply to post by AfterInfinity

 

Easy. Troll posts don't add anything to the discussion, and are made for the sole purpose of annoying people.

Or to entertain themselves. Sad I know.

reply to post by HexagonSun
If we had a "dislike" feature it could go very bad. Some days I have major dips on the hormone super roller coaster and I could get mad at someone and go "dislike" every single thread they ever authored and every post they ever made just because I'm felling miserable and having hot flashes and they happened to get me riled up. That wouldn't be fair or very nice at all, but sometimes the "dark side" takes over. It's best to keep things as they are.

Yeah you guys made some good points. I retract my suggestion. Carry on.