4 ms·

I've been down-voted enough recently that I've considered not coming back. One time I feel I added a comment that wasn't helpful or necessary, but the rest was

I've been down-voted enough recently that I've considered not coming back. One time I feel I added a comment that wasn't helpful or necessary, but the rest was all my honest / best opinion on whatever was being discussed. I don't know, unhappy people with too much time on their hands? Laid off coders maybe? If it's a trend it's a shame.

mbenjaminsmith 17y ago
...and I get down-voted for that?
- DanielBMarkham 17y ago
  I didn't downvote you, but word to the wise: complaining about getting downvoted without anything of larger value to add to the conversation almost always gets you downvoted more (and any parent comments as well that you made in that thread) When I first started I spent one thread basically telling the rest of the room to go jump in a lake for downvoting me. I lost about 7 karma points that day, so I don't do that anymore. :) A more reasonable question is: I do not understand what I said that was so bad. Would somebody please take the time to explain to me why you think I was downvoted?
  - jacquesm 17y ago
    He's right though, look at his comment history.
    - DanielBMarkham 17y ago
      Not any more. Got to do my good deed for today. Now back to work.
    - plinkplonk 17y ago
      I think (in this case) whining provokes downvotes. As simple as that. This is just a discussion forum for $Diety's sake. Getting downvoted to -4 isn't the end of the world. It is just a number on a webpage which has no impact on your success in the real world. Just try to improve your points/writing. That's what I do when I am downvoted to oblivion and I care about upvotes.
      - jacquesm 17y ago
        If it happens structurally it can definitely have a negative effect though.
        plinkplonk 17y ago
        "If it happens structurally it can definitely have a negative effect though" I agree. But I am not sure any organized downvoting brigade would slip by the admin folks for very long. And I am not sure that (downvoting brigade) is what is happening in this case. ( I was reacting to the "And I get downvoted for that" bit. A comment like that gets downvoted because it (a) is content free (b) sounds like angsty whining. Imo comments about the injustice of downvoting aren't very effective on HN. By and large, if you make a good point, the community's opinion overcomes arbitrary downvotes.)
        jacquesm 17y ago
        Since he's posted this a couple of people have already changed the numbers enough for the discussion to be pretty muddled. But I've definitely seen this kind of behaviour with others as well, specifically with: vaksel, unalone, cperciva and a bunch of others. The interesting thing is that in the long run it always balances out.
jacquesm 17y ago
Interesting, I looked at your comments and it seems you're right. Even this one was voted down, even though it is about as on-topic as it gets.
camccann 17y ago
Your comment history seems to be mostly 1s, so I'm guessing a passing philanthropist has taken matters into their own hands. But for what it's worth, the most likely explanation for a small number of downvotes on each of many comments by a single person, including apparently innocuous or unremarkable comments, is one or two individuals holding a grudge and expressing such by mass downvoting. I've had that happen to me on another site, before an (extremely unamused) admin intervened. I seem to recall, but can't find a reference, that abuse of the voting system in that manner is actually monitored by the site admins here.

mbenjaminsmith 17y ago

...and I get down-voted for that?

DanielBMarkham 17y ago
I didn't downvote you, but word to the wise: complaining about getting downvoted without anything of larger value to add to the conversation almost always gets you downvoted more (and any parent comments as well that you made in that thread) When I first started I spent one thread basically telling the rest of the room to go jump in a lake for downvoting me. I lost about 7 karma points that day, so I don't do that anymore. :) A more reasonable question is: I do not understand what I said that was so bad. Would somebody please take the time to explain to me why you think I was downvoted?
- jacquesm 17y ago
  He's right though, look at his comment history.
  - DanielBMarkham 17y ago
    Not any more. Got to do my good deed for today. Now back to work.
  - plinkplonk 17y ago
    I think (in this case) whining provokes downvotes. As simple as that. This is just a discussion forum for $Diety's sake. Getting downvoted to -4 isn't the end of the world. It is just a number on a webpage which has no impact on your success in the real world. Just try to improve your points/writing. That's what I do when I am downvoted to oblivion and I care about upvotes.
    - jacquesm 17y ago
      If it happens structurally it can definitely have a negative effect though.
      - plinkplonk 17y ago
        "If it happens structurally it can definitely have a negative effect though" I agree. But I am not sure any organized downvoting brigade would slip by the admin folks for very long. And I am not sure that (downvoting brigade) is what is happening in this case. ( I was reacting to the "And I get downvoted for that" bit. A comment like that gets downvoted because it (a) is content free (b) sounds like angsty whining. Imo comments about the injustice of downvoting aren't very effective on HN. By and large, if you make a good point, the community's opinion overcomes arbitrary downvotes.)
        jacquesm 17y ago
        Since he's posted this a couple of people have already changed the numbers enough for the discussion to be pretty muddled. But I've definitely seen this kind of behaviour with others as well, specifically with: vaksel, unalone, cperciva and a bunch of others. The interesting thing is that in the long run it always balances out.

jacquesm 17y ago

Interesting, I looked at your comments and it seems you're right. Even this one was voted down, even though it is about as on-topic as it gets.

camccann 17y ago

Your comment history seems to be mostly 1s, so I'm guessing a passing philanthropist has taken matters into their own hands. But for what it's worth, the most likely explanation for a small number of downvotes on each of many comments by a single person, including apparently innocuous or unremarkable comments, is one or two individuals holding a grudge and expressing such by mass downvoting. I've had that happen to me on another site, before an (extremely unamused) admin intervened. I seem to recall, but can't find a reference, that abuse of the voting system in that manner is actually monitored by the site admins here.