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The downvotes are horribly biased and uninformative. I think an interesting experiment to try is to force downvoters to also give a comment, so the parent knows
by orijing 15y ago
The downvotes are horribly biased and uninformative. I think an interesting experiment to try is to force downvoters to also give a comment, so the parent knows why he/she is being downvoted, so as to discourage that behavior in the future. This is a great way for newcomers to stop making rookie mistakes, and to reduce the number of "Why was my post downvoted?" updates/comments that add little value, but is a question that understandably vexes the parent.
I sometimes make a comment that I don't feel is controversial/wrong at all, only to see it downvoted. Not only is it discouraging (and a great way to ruin my day), but it's also low in signal--I don't know whether someone just had a bad day and wanted to spread their hate, or whether I misperceived the controversy of my comments. I always want to ask the downvoters to let me know what I said wrong--I just hate the anonymous drive-by shooting, if that analogy makes sense.
- weaselspice 15y agoI wholeheartedly second this. Another forum I follow has this feature, and it really adds to the conversation.
- DanBC 15y agoReasons for down voting would quickly end up in many arguments. [downvote] [comment about reason] [what? you missed the point] [no, you said this] [no, read it again] [you can't write] [you can't read] [your an idiot?] [you're a bigger idiot]
- Hyena 15y agoThis could work rather well if it is asymmetric: comment required to downvote, but downvote comments do not require additional comment before downvoting. It would rapidly punish people who are downvoting because they're just really passionate about their opinions, not so much understanding what others say.