> new accounts can't downvote either; you have to build 100 comment points -- which keeps that group think going At least they're more generous than HN's downv

> new accounts can't downvote either; you have to build 100 comment points -- which keeps that group think going At least they're more generous than HN's downvote restrictions. But I suspect it's the upvote limitations on voat that turn newcomers off more than anything, since every other site encourages you to handout 'likes'/upvotes like candy, making it quite the culture shock when you run up against that wall. That being said, it's hard to tell whether any of these voting mechanisms are actually any better at producing fruitful discussion than a plain old-school forum. Seems to me like having any kind of voting inevitably leads to amplifying the effects of group think.