3 ms·

These questions are oddly specific. If I might ask, do you have any sort of affiliation, paid or otherwise, with Wikipedia or WMF? Not saying this to denigrate

by eganist 10y ago

These questions are oddly specific. If I might ask, do you have any sort of affiliation, paid or otherwise, with Wikipedia or WMF? Not saying this to denigrate your line of questioning or to imply nefarious activity, but it's fair to get an answer to this on the record (contrary to the downvotes) given what you've asked.

unityByFreedom 10y ago
uhhh nope =). Not sure why it's questionable to ask those questions. Just asking the parent to back up his rhetoric with actual examples.
jwilk 10y ago
From the HN guidelines: Please resist commenting about being downvoted. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading.
- eganist 10y ago
  I actually agree with this as a guideline, but not as a rule. Since it's listed as a guideline, I'm not complaining. I've (anecdotally) seen a number of cases where complaints have encouraged critical thinking on the part of voters as to whether a comment deserves a downvote or is being downvoted simply as a byproduct of groupthink. I know it's changed my mind on at least one occasion as it's gotten me to take into consideration that the person making the comment is surprised at the volume of downvotes, suggesting that the person writing the comment thought the comment would be less controversial, potentially warranting a deeper read. I understand the desire to minimize complaints about downvotes, but like any good guideline, sometimes an alternative is more effective.
  - sandworm101 10y ago
    Is a contrivercial comment meant to be downvoted? If controvercial comments are discouraged HN is just another echo chamber. I only downvote things that do not contribute. Something that is controvercial by definition contributes at least something. Talking about downvoted does at least expose some of the improper downvote storm. There is a population here that actively seeks to rescue comments that are downvoted simply for being unpopular. They should be allowed to express thier concerns somewhere.

by eganist 10y ago

unityByFreedom 10y ago

uhhh nope =). Not sure why it's questionable to ask those questions. Just asking the parent to back up his rhetoric with actual examples.

jwilk 10y ago

From the HN guidelines: Please resist commenting about being downvoted. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading.

eganist 10y ago
I actually agree with this as a guideline, but not as a rule. Since it's listed as a guideline, I'm not complaining. I've (anecdotally) seen a number of cases where complaints have encouraged critical thinking on the part of voters as to whether a comment deserves a downvote or is being downvoted simply as a byproduct of groupthink. I know it's changed my mind on at least one occasion as it's gotten me to take into consideration that the person making the comment is surprised at the volume of downvotes, suggesting that the person writing the comment thought the comment would be less controversial, potentially warranting a deeper read. I understand the desire to minimize complaints about downvotes, but like any good guideline, sometimes an alternative is more effective.
- sandworm101 10y ago
  Is a contrivercial comment meant to be downvoted? If controvercial comments are discouraged HN is just another echo chamber. I only downvote things that do not contribute. Something that is controvercial by definition contributes at least something. Talking about downvoted does at least expose some of the improper downvote storm. There is a population here that actively seeks to rescue comments that are downvoted simply for being unpopular. They should be allowed to express thier concerns somewhere.