Wish ATS had a way to down vote a post.

Or something to show disapproval of a persons post. Anyone else have any suggestions on how to implement something to show how many post by a poster is not agreeable to other posters?

a reply to: catt3

I recommend the "reply" feature.

It's called personal opinions and last time I checked that was allowed on ATS..

originally posted by: Majic
a reply to: catt3

I recommend the "reply" feature.

LoL!

Yes, I wonder what this would accomplish, other than one more way for people to satisfy their judgmental egos.

Well I heartily disagree with this thread's tone and premise...

There...

originally posted by: Majic
a reply to: catt3

I recommend the "reply" feature.

Well, they do have a point -- we upvote via the star system. Why not have a downvote ability to balance that out? If the stars show support/approval of the posts, wouldn't the point of downvoting also be validated in showing that a post was less well-received than we'd have otherwise thought going by stars alone?

a reply to: catt3

I don't like your thread, so I won't give you a flag.
I don't agree with your post, so I won't give you a star.

How hard was that?

originally posted by: catt3
Or something to show disapproval of a persons post. Anyone else have any suggestions on how to implement something to show how many post by a poster is not agreeable to other posters?

If you disapprove of a post you simply reply to that post stating why you do.

Couldnt be simpler...

a reply to: catt3

In my experience, those who receive stars for posts, generally receive such plaudits because people found their posts either informative, well written, thought provoking, well researched, in line with other members own thoughts on a matter, or all of the above.

Those posts which receive few stars, generally tend to do so because they do not perform in any of those areas. No vote at all, is a down vote in my estimation.

a reply to: SecretKnowledge

Your Avatar....whoa!l

I agree with your post.

a reply to: Nyiah

Indeed, and who knows? Maybe on ATS, given our counter-cultural tendencies, downvotes might become the new stars.

1. Post something unpopular.
2. Receive lots of downvotes.
3. Bask in the glory of your "digital cred".
4. Profit!

There have been various suggestions for some sort of negative rating system for posts over the years, but the owners have always rejected them. That might change at some point, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

In the meantime, there's no formal system for determining how unpopular a post is, other than reading it, reading the replies, and deciding for oneself.

Then deciding whether unpopular opinions are necessarily a bad thing.

Your Mileage May Vary, of course, but I'm okay with that.

Green flags (good) red flags (bad)

Green stars (good) red stars (bad)

Overall the negative stars and flags do not need to be displayed, but when a member selects a red flag for a thread or red star for a post it removes from the green counts.

Bad posts or threads could have a negative number of stars or flags.

That is how it should be. ATS members should have an opportunity to show both approval and disapproval for content this way.

ATS did away with negative stars for a reason. You could tell a skeptic because they always had negative stars.

The problem I have with that is it would be too easy for people with very valid points to be ganged up on and down voted by a larger group of, say, one political persuasion verses another. It would allow people to be trolled and members to sign up who just want to throw stars and anti-stars around without contributing to the debate.

If a post is outside T&C then you can alert a Mod.

I would get demerits from folks who disagree with me. I would find that frustrating.

So, no thanks!

a reply to: TrueBrit

It does work . Can you imagine a way to downgrade a post? What if some miscreant did not like your reply to them ? They could downgrade every post on that thread or all threads. It would be a logistical nightmare for the mods to try and keep up with that and make a fair judgement call as to whether someone was downgrading your posts on purpose or just did not like your posts.

originally posted by: AboveBoard
The problem I have with that is it would be too easy for people with very valid points to be ganged up on and down voted by a larger group of, say, one political persuasion verses another. It would allow people to be trolled and members to sign up who just want to throw stars and anti-stars around without contributing to the debate.

If a post is outside T&C then you can alert a Mod.

I would get demerits from folks who disagree with me. I would find that frustrating.

So, no thanks!

That pretty much sums up what happened when ATS had negative votes.

a reply to: here4this

It would, as you suggest, be a logistical problem of biblical scale!

That is why I believe that generally speaking one can consider a post with no stars, or few stars, to be poorly received by the members. Negative stars would not serve as a measure of anything much at all. If a person feels strongly enough about a post to mark it down, then they should be writing a response to it. If however they see a good post out there which says all that needs saying on a subject, they might wish to star the post, rather than typing a reply which merely states not only their appreciation for the post, but that they agree entirely with the premise and conclusions therein.

Markdowns are not necessary. An empty star bar says all that it must, above a post. That said, one should remember that it is always worth reading all posts in a thread, no matter how many stars they might have, because doing so informs the reader of the direction that the discussion has taken so far, and indeed, trawling the posts might reveal an interesting thought, ignored by other members for some reason.

a reply to: catt3

An accurate rebuttal works every time.

But you have to do your own work.

a reply to: catt3

enuf said!

With an up and down vote, you can have manipulation. Stars are a positive reinforcement, for better or worse with less manipulation. I agree with everybody else. You should come here to speak your opinion, not click it.