I dislike the current Like/Dislike feature of Forums Y/N

[Easley Lighthalzen]

edit:
im using phone internet, i.ll incorporate you thoughts when i get a pc

note:
I've been trying to be nice, but from now on, spam rudeness and stupidity will not be tolerated IN MY FEEDBACK THREAD.
You will be dealt with properly if you know what i mean
Stay on topic.

I'll make it brief.
Apparently you guys dislike brevity.
So I repost.

Original Post:

Here's why:

It's makes room for trolling.
Gaia, you should improve this feature.
It should not be anonymous.
If it still will be, you should at least require users to post first before earning the right to vote.

It's quite annoying when you make a thread and you already get negative votes before even seeing posts. It makes room for trolls to silently troll your thread.

Who agrees with me?

Site Feedback, Y/N?

EDIT: OMG guys
So many replies. (and they're long gonk )
I'm overwhelmed.
I'll get back to you ASAP. sweatdrop

EDIT: Done reading up to page 2, I'll try my best to reply.
Laters.

/busy.
Thanks for your thoughts

EDIT: Reading your posts now.
I am apologizing in advance if I cannot reply to every single post.
So many... :/

1. Be clear and concise.
I dislike the current feature because it is abused as a tool of trolling.
Here's how Gaia define's trolling:

Gaia Online

Trolling/Abuse: Posting inflammatory material intended to offend or provoke an individual or a group.

Downvoting a thread with multiple accounts just because you do not like the person (eg. ignored you because you're being annoying/stupid) is abuse not only on the feature but on the user.
Let put it this way to people who still can't grasp it.
Let's say you make a thread and a few seconds later, you get a -8 votes.
It's unnatural because you get no posts yet.
Now, argue with me, isn't that intended to offend or provoke an individual as Gaia defines it?

2. Provide constructive feedback.
2.1.1. Make it not anonymous - If a user solely intended to offend/ provoke/ troll a person (not the thread), he may be liable.
2.1.2. If you dislike a thread, let it know. Lurking isn't fun. Join the conversation. Have some balls.
If you do not want to let it know because you are guilty you are only voting to troll the user, then it is a whole different story.
Do you get what I mean?
2.2.1. Require users to post first.
If your issue is that it will create spam, then they must be reported for spam.
It is not a valid reason to say you don't wanna spam. If you don't wanna spam, then say something thread related.
2.2.2. If your saying you're disliking it because your thoughts was already mentioned, then say it again in the not-the-same text. It's a lame excuse, really.
2.3. Ignored users must not be able to vote. Like moderators will tell you when you file a report: "Put them on Ignore"
They should not be able to interact with the user who ignored them as intended by the Ignore feature.
Kinda like ignored users who can still summon you by quote, it needs a fix.

3. Being polite gets you heard.

I will be polite as much as I can. But please, don't expect sugar-coated goodie-doodie replies if you start off rude.

PS. Will edit when I get new ideas.
Forgive me for the very slow replies.
Thanks for your thoughts and excuse my bad English. ;pa

[Toxic LoIIipop]

There are quite a few threads already discussing this. No need for more but I'll bite anyway.

Give me solid evidence that there is trolling on a wide enough scale that the system needs an edit. No one, since the system was changed, has ever been able to give proof. Not once.

If you get down votes or even up votes and no comments, chances are your topic was viewed by lurkers. I am on a mobile device, it is difficult for me to speak in every thread I see and so I generally vote and move on. Doesn't make me a troll. Doesn't make every other person who does it a troll, either. It also depends on the time of day you've posted. For instance, I am in the EST time zone in the US. It is 5:30am. Not many people are talking at this hour, let alone awake or have the time to chat it up.

The system needs to stay anonymous. Showing anyone who all is voting would give OP and OP/idea defenders the information they need to attack. If you've been in SF for a while, you'll know we can get some very irrational users in here that try to rip your head off for disagreeing with them in any shape or form and it seems several people foam at the mouth at a single negative vote....

Preventing users from voting until they have posted is an okay idea but you have to keep in mind of the lurkers and how it is unfair to them. There are many people who don't feel comfortable posting in most if not all threads and the voting/tipping features allow them to "kinda" speak. Yes, there are people like that. I used to be one of them. Not to mention it would no longer be anonymous, which I addressed above.

Anyway. The only changes to this system I would agree to is making viewing the votes optional for everyone. Don't want to see them? Turn it off and let those that do still use and see it.

[phoebe-chan]

Just because someone dislikes your thread does not mean they're trolling you. I disliked this thread because I don't agree with you. So does that mean I'm a troll?

And no people shouldn't have to comment just to vote. Sometimes people don't want to comment. It could be that the OP is rude. And will harass others just because they don't agree with them. It happens a lot here in the Site Feedback forum. Plus what if what they wanted to say has already been said 3 or 4 times before they even found the thread and they don't want to say it yet again.

And voting should stay anonymous. I can see OP's harassing other users because they disliked their thread if it wasn't anonymous.

Also people tend to forget that the dislike button was asked for. Originally when Gaia first made it so that people could vote on a thread, we could only like (<3) a thread. People hated it. It reminded them to much of Facebook and it was biased. So they asked to be able to dislike (</3) a thread as well and Gaia gave it to us.

The only change I wouldn't mind seeing would be that if someone doesn't like the vote feature then they can opt out of it. And by opt out I mean that they can't see what people are voting in their threads but people can still vote. But if the person can't see what people are voting in their threads, then they also can't vote in other threads. It would only be fair.

[Ranawana]

Edit*
Admins did you know when a fellow Gaian posts a misplaced thread in "Gaia Community Discussion forum 139,
users Downvote it right away , its like a downvote per minute
They'reTrolling a Misplaced thread!

You guys need to enforce this rule for All Forums in general:


Lately, the forum moderators have noticed an increase in flaming and spam in misplaced threads. Please keep in mind that as of this announcement, this will no longer be tolerated the way it may have been in the past

DO NOT POST IN REPEAT/MISPLACED THREADS!
Report and let the moderator deal with the thread.

Realize that continually posting in a thread only serves to annoy the thread creator and keeps the thread at the top of the forum, instead of letting it die peacefully. These threads will be dealt with, so please report them!

Please keep in mind that flaming the OP for their topic choice, posting images directing users to the sticky and using other abusive languages in these and all threads can result in a warning for either spam or abuse.

Term of Service under section 4-11

11. intentionally interfere with the operation of Gaia Online or any Member's enjoyment of it, including intentionally posting inflammatory statements to get a reaction " Trolling "



i agree with you.

Users dont realize they Hurt people's feeling by Downvoting their Topics. or they just dont care.
after receiving 14 </3 user decided to close their topic crying


the idea i have in mind is changing the feature
instead of giving <3 or </3
we will give

you agree with the Suggestion? give a cookie

Disagree with it?
Ignore it and move on theres no need to create Negative Vibes



note* i do agree with this but the reason im not voting <3 is becuase once i do that
it looks like off and i dont like it.
see?

it looks way better all shiny

x
yeah thats why i do not vote. yet i do give "Tips" heart

[Catalyste]

As with other topics discussing this, I'll say this:

Make the feature an option.

/thread

[Easley Lighthalzen]

@phoebe-chan

That is totally valid and you earned your right to vote.
What I am saying is some users take advantage of this and abuse the feature as a mean of trolling.

[Easley Lighthalzen]

@Ranawana

I get numb by votes.

I have a lot of people on my ignore list (those who annoy me) and they ALWAYS downvote and use their mules to downvote.
I personally think it's abusing this feature

[Toxic LoIIipop]

How do you know the people on your ignore list are down voting your threads and also using mules to help unless they have stated so? In which case, you can then report them to a moderator.

As far as Ranawa's comment about getting your feelings hurt... the world is going to love you. Votes should in no way affect you badly enough that it hurts your feelings. All the votes say is "I agree/disagree" and that is it. Anything else is something you have personally attached to it to make it seem like a bigger deal than what it actually is.

Personally, my feelings would get hurt a hell of a lot more if someone walked in, say an art thread I have created and told me my anatomy sucked. Sure, I can ignore and report that person, but their actual comment would affect me much more than a dislike ever could, and even then it isn't going to do much but annoy me for a brief moment.

Try and not double post here. If you are replying to someone, quote them owo

[Unpopular Opinion]

Toxic LoIIipop

There are quite a few threads already discussing this. No need for more but I'll bite anyway.

FYI repeat threads are acceptable in SF. Just like how people make multiple threads complaining about the H2K12 event or alchemy.

phoebe-chan

Just because someone dislikes your thread does not mean they're trolling you. I disliked this thread because I don't agree with you. So does that mean I'm a troll?

Also people tend to forget that the dislike button was asked for. Originally when Gaia first made it so that people could vote on a thread, we could only like (<3) a thread. People hated it. It reminded them to much of Facebook and it was biased. So they asked to be able to dislike (</3) a thread as well and Gaia gave it to us.

If you read the OP he says it "makes room" for trolling not that it automatically means he thinks people are trolling. His point is legit because it does make room for trolling.

Also what you're forgetting is that the dislike button was asked for by SF'ers in ONE feedback thread in SF. Gaia never took the time to survey other forums outside of SF about this button. SF is the only place where a dislike makes sense. Gaia should've gone with their original plan then test the waters with a dislike button in specific forums.

For all Gaia's talk about bullying and harassment they do nothing to change the problem of users knowingly being hurt by </3's, especially in Life Issues when someone <3's a "I'm depressed and lonely" thread.

Users have said that it has hurt them, but Gaia tells them to suck it up by doing nothing to protect users from this feature. That's no good attitude to have if you are advocating anti-bulling practices.

Please Sisky, if you are reading this post, the above is how I view Gaia's inaction towards changing the <3/</3 feature. You guys are good with advocating against verbal abuse and harassment but when it comes to anonymous abuse, Gaia is less than perfect on this, especially when this problem has no way of being reportable if someone uses mules to </3 someone's threads. That's why I agree with Catalyste that it's best to make it optional, so people can at least protect themselves from being judged by a rating system when they don't feel it is necessary. Many people have said that this feature has hurt them in a negative way the past so why is Gaia turning a blind eye?

You can't report people who use the </3 as a bully button and that is the biggest failure on Gaia's part. I'm not saying everyone uses it as a bully button, there are legitimate reasons why people </3, but the vast majority of people have used it out of hate at least once in their Gaia life to anonymously vent their negative feelings on someone else.

Also, it doesn't make sense why people can mule vote on a thread. Votes should be limited to 1-3 votes per IP.

[Unpopular Opinion]

Catalyste

As with other topics discussing this, I'll say this:

Make the feature an option.

/thread

I agree with this. biggrin

[Unpopular Opinion]

Easley Lighthalzen

@Ranawana

I get numb by votes.

I have a lot of people on my ignore list (those who annoy me) and they ALWAYS downvote and use their mules to downvote.
I personally think it's abusing this feature

I think Gaia should make it so that people on your ignore list can't vote in your threads. They will always, always vote </3 if they are on your ignore list, so it's not like their opinion is going to have any value or be unbiased for every thread you make that they see. It makes no sense why people on your ignore list should be able to interact with you in any way at all.

[dreamsk]

Catalyste

As with other topics discussing this, I'll say this:

Make the feature an option.

/thread

As with all the other topics, I'll say the same thing:

Under the conditions that the person cannot vote on any other topics, the entire feature is disabled for them and that we can continue to see and vote on their topics.

However, to ease the "phantom troll" users mind. I would also allow ONLY Mods to view who is voting what on the topics, so that if in the extremely unlikely case of harassment, the user can report their thread for assessment. It might put more work on mods, but it could also potentially stop phantom trolls from following a user to every thread they make and downvoting it.

It would be really funny if on April Fools day, all topics of the user appeared to have a bunch of negative votes (-1337 or some arbitrary number that is consistent between all users).

[hibi-tea]

Easley Lighthalzen

@phoebe-chan

That is totally valid and you earned your right to vote.
What I am saying is some users take advantage of this and abuse the feature as a mean of trolling.

That happens with every feature though. No feature is full-proof and troll free when it is accessible and used by the whole on this website.

For example: The Ignore System.

Just because you ignore someone does not mean they still can't be a bother to you indirectly. They can still troll you via the ability to quote, and while this is a problem that does need rectified for that feature, your example in regards to the Like/Dislike system does not.

Why? Because you have no real way to tell whether or not you're being trolled.

Also, just because you may feel you're "being trolled" does not make it a case. There've been many a thread in this forum where people cry troll simply because they got dislikes in their thread and not for any legitimate reason other than "They down voted my thread! They shouldn't have done that!"

What you have suggested would be a feasible option only for certain forums, but does not work for the whole of the site. It additionally opens people up on the voting end to attacks by certain individuals depending on the forum.

Another example:

In the Art Shops I was browsing one day, and OP of the thread requested that if you were to down vote her thread she'd like to know why. Being that I on occasion like to help other artists if they truly want feedback for whatever reason, I gave my reasoning for down voting her thread.

Her prices did not match the level of work she was producing, and I advised her that no one was going to buy because it was priced far too high and her work was not on the same caliber as the price.

Now I did what the OP asked. You'd think it would be said and done, right? Wrong. Instead, OP and friends proceeded to gang up on me to tell me how I don't know what I'm talking about, and that I'm just talking s**t and harassing her when they were in turn the ones harassing me.

I did what was asked by the OP out of regard for OP's wishes and I got shot in the face for it.

Anonymous is to be anonymous for a reason. It's so that the individuals voting are not open to the attacks of the OP and their friends. Just because it is abused on occasion by legitimate trolls does not in any way warrant that anonymity stripped from individuals voting to leave them exposed to the OP and their friends/followers.

The only good solution ever presented is it being optional, although Dreamsk came up with an interesting solution too.

Although, for me at least, at that point I find it a useless feature as many will opt for it to be turned off because "trolls".

[Ryxios]

hibi-tea

There've been many a thread in this forum where people cry troll simply because they got dislikes in their thread and not for any legitimate reason other than "They down voted my thread! They shouldn't have done that!"

While it's certainly not always the case, one trend I've noticed among many of the people that cry "troll" when downvoted is that often they are downvoted for their shitty attitude toward everyone else.

One such person put me on their ignore when I pointed this out in their thread rofl. ops.

[Anne Packrat]

We've had an upvote / downvote system now for years. I don't understand why it's become such a problem in the last few months.