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It's a number in a database, who cares... I used to get pissed about it and want an explanation, but the consequence of posting on controversial threads is get

by fleitz 15y ago

It's a number in a database, who cares... I used to get pissed about it and want an explanation, but the consequence of posting on controversial threads is getting downvoted. If you don't want to be downvoted just preface your comment with something like "I'm not dissing X, but <something that points out some major flaw in X>" it seems to mostly do the trick. What's the bar for downvoting anyway these days still 200 points?

peter_l_downs 15y ago
> "I'm not dissing X, but <something that points out some major flaw in X>" The only way I've ever seen this used is "I'm not dissing X, but fuck X, I hate it because of A, B, and C" On more popular threads, being down voted will push a comment down to the point where it may not be seen. If the comment is constructive and adds value to the discussion, downvoting it is a disservice to the community and hurts the discussion as a whole.
KC8ZKF 15y ago
It's almost just a number in a database. Negative scores cause the comment to be grayed out. Perhaps comments with negative scores should not be grayed out. This would remove the incentive to downvote a comment to silence an unpopular opinion. I don't think this happens a lot, but some people disagree. Then, there is the problem of "good" comments in response to the "bad" comments. When I see a grayed out comment with responses, I end up reading the grayed comment anyway. I doesn't make sense to make it more difficult to read the original comment than the responses. [edit typo]
corysama 15y ago
I care about a number in the database because that database is the mechanism behind a community I care about. It has been observed that as online communities like HN grow, the signal-to-noise ratio falls on a progression that can be summarized as HN -> Reddit -> Digg. No one knows how to permanently stave off the Diggization of HN. But, in the mean time, it is worth trying to delay as much as possible. As we become more complacent regarding downvotes on well-written comments because we disagree or not downvoting empty, witty fluff, HN slides farther and farther into the noise pit.

by fleitz 15y ago

peter_l_downs 15y ago

> "I'm not dissing X, but <something that points out some major flaw in X>" The only way I've ever seen this used is "I'm not dissing X, but fuck X, I hate it because of A, B, and C" On more popular threads, being down voted will push a comment down to the point where it may not be seen. If the comment is constructive and adds value to the discussion, downvoting it is a disservice to the community and hurts the discussion as a whole.

KC8ZKF 15y ago

It's almost just a number in a database. Negative scores cause the comment to be grayed out. Perhaps comments with negative scores should not be grayed out. This would remove the incentive to downvote a comment to silence an unpopular opinion. I don't think this happens a lot, but some people disagree. Then, there is the problem of "good" comments in response to the "bad" comments. When I see a grayed out comment with responses, I end up reading the grayed comment anyway. I doesn't make sense to make it more difficult to read the original comment than the responses. [edit typo]

corysama 15y ago

I care about a number in the database because that database is the mechanism behind a community I care about. It has been observed that as online communities like HN grow, the signal-to-noise ratio falls on a progression that can be summarized as HN -> Reddit -> Digg. No one knows how to permanently stave off the Diggization of HN. But, in the mean time, it is worth trying to delay as much as possible. As we become more complacent regarding downvotes on well-written comments because we disagree or not downvoting empty, witty fluff, HN slides farther and farther into the noise pit.