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Just to prove my point, I'm getting downvoted for the comment above :) Some people simply cannot handle the downvote.

brudgers 15y ago
What the downvotes probably indicate is that your argument is not well supported with detailed rationales and relevant examples. In other words, downvotes are a sign that your post could benefit from additional editing in the near term. Taking downvotes as either a failure to communicate your ideas, or as the price for saying what you feel you must is the healthiest approach. BTW, I didn't vote on it.
- hugh3 15y ago
  This isn't really the sort of thing that can be supported with relevant examples. It's just an idea. And I think it's an idea worth discussing -- what might happen to the discussion if moderation were removed completely? But I happen to disagree (for reasons stated elsewhere) and suspect that the folks who did downvote this also disagreed. And that's the other problem with invisible comment scores -- I think it's legit to downvote something merely for disagreeing if it has +30 karma, but not if it has just +1. But you can never tell.
  - brudgers 15y ago
    If it can't be supported with relevant examples or detailed rationales, then what is it contributing? And if it is not contributing, then isn't downvoting appropriate? And a comment score debate is pulsu equus mortuus.
St-Clock 15y ago
Yes. Even if I partly disagree with you, I upvoted you. Actually, I find myself upvoting comments that are in a negative territory and that present a valid point more often than good comments that are in a positive territory! I believe we need upvotes for the reasons hugh3 mentioned. Regarding downvotes, there should be a cost, like with StackOverflow where each downvote costs you one reputation point. Another orthogonal dimension to voting could be agree/disagree. I saw this on a national news forum and it's quite useful (e.g., 5 people agreed, 100 people disagreed).
- hugh3 15y ago
  I like this idea. Four buttons: "good comment", "bad comment", "I agree" and "I disagree". Agreement vs disagreement would be displayed but would not determine comment position or commenter karma. Comment quality would determine comment position and give the commenter karma, but it would not be displayed. I don't know if it's right for HN, but I'd like to see a site which did implement this kind of two-dimensional voting. PS. Good comment, I agree!

What the downvotes probably indicate is that your argument is not well supported with detailed rationales and relevant examples. In other words, downvotes are a sign that your post could benefit from additional editing in the near term. Taking downvotes as either a failure to communicate your ideas, or as the price for saying what you feel you must is the healthiest approach. BTW, I didn't vote on it.

hugh3 15y ago
This isn't really the sort of thing that can be supported with relevant examples. It's just an idea. And I think it's an idea worth discussing -- what might happen to the discussion if moderation were removed completely? But I happen to disagree (for reasons stated elsewhere) and suspect that the folks who did downvote this also disagreed. And that's the other problem with invisible comment scores -- I think it's legit to downvote something merely for disagreeing if it has +30 karma, but not if it has just +1. But you can never tell.
- brudgers 15y ago
  If it can't be supported with relevant examples or detailed rationales, then what is it contributing? And if it is not contributing, then isn't downvoting appropriate? And a comment score debate is pulsu equus mortuus.

St-Clock 15y ago

Yes. Even if I partly disagree with you, I upvoted you. Actually, I find myself upvoting comments that are in a negative territory and that present a valid point more often than good comments that are in a positive territory! I believe we need upvotes for the reasons hugh3 mentioned. Regarding downvotes, there should be a cost, like with StackOverflow where each downvote costs you one reputation point. Another orthogonal dimension to voting could be agree/disagree. I saw this on a national news forum and it's quite useful (e.g., 5 people agreed, 100 people disagreed).

hugh3 15y ago
I like this idea. Four buttons: "good comment", "bad comment", "I agree" and "I disagree". Agreement vs disagreement would be displayed but would not determine comment position or commenter karma. Comment quality would determine comment position and give the commenter karma, but it would not be displayed. I don't know if it's right for HN, but I'd like to see a site which did implement this kind of two-dimensional voting. PS. Good comment, I agree!