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Downvotes and Disagreement

Voldymort··17 votes·9,801 views

The universal rules of the boards state that:

"Upvotes and downvotes are intrinsically tied to how threads and comments are perceived. It’s easy to simply downvote something you disagree with, and upvote things that support your views. We can do better. Consider upvoting thoughtful discussions and comments, even if they disagree with your perception of things. The more valuable conversation we have on the boards and the more that conversation is recognized as a good contribution to the community, the better everyone’s board experience will be."

that's fine and dandy but i don't think it's realistic to expect most people to change how they define a downvote based on the boards personal prefference of it's definition.

for example, i'll always see "upvote/downvote" as "i agree/disagree with this" based on how people use them on twitter, reddit, youtube, etc. You guys are literally the only ones i've encountered who made up your own definition of what a downvote is or should be used for!

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/038/936/710.jpg

edit: Personally, if a i deem a post not worth my time because it's uninteresting/unoriginal as far as topics go, i neither upvote, nor downvote it.** i ignore it!**

33 Comments

ModThe Djinn10 votes

That's fine and dandy but i don't think it's realistic to expect most people to change how they define a downvote based on the boards personal preference of it's definition.

We don't either. Notice how that's in a section about positive behaviors, not a section discussing what is actually against the rules, and also how it suggests to "consider" using votes this way, not that you "must" use votes this way. I see no problem with encouraging people to consider using upvotes as more than an "I agree / I disagree" button, especially when we've seen general disagreement bury a number of posts that actually have a lot of interesting conversation that could come out of them.

We in no way "police" upvoting, unless we see extreme signs of vote manipulation (a hate-filled rant suddenly getting 20+ votes in a few minutes, for example).

iamthegoatofwar3 votes

Depending on the content in a hate-filled thread djinn 20 upvotes is more than expected in a few minutes. Look at akali or yasuo hate threads.

ModThe Djinn1 votes

{quoted}

Depending on the content in a hate-filled thread djinn 20 upvotes is more than expected in a few minutes. Look at akali or yasuo hate threads.

By "hate-filled", in this case, I mean something spewing insults or hate speech at Riot or at other players -- things that typically do not see that sort of upvote spike. I should have been more specific.

iamthegoatofwar1 votes

Depending on the situation that riot has recently caused I wouldn't be shocked either. They've basically triggered the until 2:30 meme at this point.

Warlord Rhinark7 votes

Mods think Upvotes/Downvotes are just a tool for filtering posts.

This is why Gameplay+ doesn't have downvotes because the mods already filter the things that get to be posted there.

I can't say I agree with this usage of Upvotes/Downvotes. I want to Upvote something because I agree with it, not just because the guy who made it had more than 3 paragraphs of text and some bullet points.

ModUlanopo4 votes

Mods think Upvotes/Downvotes are just a tool for filtering posts.

It would be more appropriate to say that some mods see upvotes and downvotes as clumsy tools of suspect value and vulnerable to manipulation, while others view them as simply how we've always done things. It's dangerous to view the moderation team as a monolithic group, as we're anything but.

Warlord Rhinark1 votes

{quoted}

It would be more appropriate to say that some mods see upvotes and downvotes as clumsy tools of suspect value and vulnerable to manipulation, while others view them as simply how we've always done things. It's dangerous to view the moderation team as a monolithic group, as we're anything but.

Sorry, I did not mean to generalize.

I just remember reading that this was one of the reasons why Gameplay+ doesn't have Downvotes.

ModUlanopo4 votes

Just because something isn't "realistic" doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Voldymort2 votes

should you try? sure

should you police how people express themselves for the sake of "trying"? probably not

ModUlanopo4 votes

I'm not exactly sure how saying, "hey, we think it would be better if you used voting this way" counts as policing. It's not as though anyone has ever got in trouble for how they vote.

Voldymort3 votes

I'm not exactly sure how saying, "hey, we think it would be better if you used voting this way" counts as policing.

i didn't say you were doing it.

i merely said you shouldn't

[slayer-jinx-wink]

Eleshakai3 votes

I mean upvote and downvote is a tool for us to decide which posts we like. I've downvoted posts I agree with because they were phrased in an insulting or awkward manner, and I've upvoted posts that I disagreed with because I felt the person making them does a good job of making a valuable point.

It sucks that so many people, on so many services, are incapable of valuing things they disagree with.

Voldymort2 votes

I've downvoted posts I agree with because they were phrased in an insulting or awkward manner

i don't know about anyone else, but, personally, if the post starts getting insulting, it stops earning my sympathy, wether i agree with the overall sentiment or not.

and I've upvoted posts that I disagreed with because I felt the person making them does a good job of making a valuable point.

if they made a point you agreed with or found "valuable" then you can't make the argument that you disagreed with the entire post anymore

Eleshakai3 votes

I absolutely can value opinions or points I disagree with. I actually feel a little sad that you think it's impossible to do so, to be honest.

Voldymort4 votes

that you think it's impossible to do so

please don't put words in my mouth

[slayer-jinx-unamused]

just because you can, it doesn't mean that it's a thing that usually happens to other people

Eleshakai1 votes

I didn't. Your exact words were "if they made a pount I found valuable, I can't make the argument that I disagreed with the entire post" - which to me says that YOU find doing so not possible. I wasn't putting words in your mouth, simply READING your words as they were written. My apologies if you did not mean what you wrote as you wrote it.

I'm not saying it's common. I'm saying it's UNFORTUNATE that it is so rare that people are able to do so and that it is a skill we should encourage.

Voldymort2 votes

I didn't. Your exact words were "if they made a pount I found valuable, I can't make the argument that I disagreed with the entire post"

i don't think you understand what the term "exact words" means because this is what i actually said:

{quoted}

if they made a point you agreed with or found "valuable" then you can't make the argument that you disagreed with the entire post anymore

rephrasing things people say is not an "exact words" situation. it's a strawman situation

but i digress...

which to me says that YOU find doing so not possible.

i never said anything about possiblities. i merely said that going "i disagree with this entire essay except for that one paragraph" means you actually don't disagree with the **entirety **of the essay.

call it nit picking if you want...

[slayer-jinx-wink]

I'm saying it's UNFORTUNATE that it is so rare that people are able to do so and that it is a skill we should encourage.

perhaps we should but i don't see it happening

particularly since this is a public forum where the regulars are fairly few compared to the numbers of random daily visitors with predefined ways of expressing themselves

Eleshakai1 votes

however I never said I AGREED with any of it. Simply that I found some of it valuable. So you should perhaps practice what you preach and stop putting words in peoples' mouth before you complain about others doing it ;)

I said points I found value in, not that I agree with. These are two different things entirely.

If I say "This was an interesting essay and I appreciate the points you make, but I still disagree with it", I'm finding VALUE in it, but disagreeing.

GreenKnight2 votes

Well, that's what happens when you rip off reddit.

saltran1 votes

I downvote the vast majority of the coments and specially threads because I find these comments/threads not being more than salty circlejerk about how bad the game is, how weak mages are or whatever stupid thing they find funny to cry about.

La Belle Sauvage1 votes

Up and down votes should be removed in my opinion.

The Highest Noon1 votes

So, I was just about to make a post about this but I still may anyway:

Remove downvoting entirely. What's the purpose of it aside from the basic "I don't like this" button? Voting shouldn't be a matter of preference, it should be a sign of whether or not a conversation should be had. I perused the boards throughout the day some time ago to see what people were talking about lately, and every time I saw a severely downvoted post or comment it wasn't because of the conversation made but it was either trolling the poster or because someone had a different opinion.

Ex: "Ahri shouldn't get another Popstar-related skin" downvoted to oblivion by people who want Ahri to have millions of skins because she's their favorite champion.

What removing the downvoting option solves? If you don't like something, it's reflected in you not voting on it. If you think a topic or comment is worthy of looking at or considering, good news! You can upvote it!

Voldymort4 votes

So... in other words... the only thing you want removed is criticism.

Good luck with that!

[slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

The Highest Noon2 votes

{quoted}

So... in other words... the only thing you want removed is criticism.

Good luck with that!

[slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

"I don't want to talk about this" isn't criticism. I'm not even sure how you saw "remove trolling" as in any way related to criticism. I even gave you an example, and in no way does it display criticism.

Voldymort2 votes

Trolling is subjective. Particularly on the boards. I have a reputation of being a troll purely because I have a habit of disagreeing with the flamers posting on PB.

The fact that you look at the downvotes for popstar ahri and all you can see is "trolling" means that you simply can't conceive of so many people disagreeing with the ideea. It says a lot about you!

The Highest Noon1 votes

{quoted}

If you say so

It doesn't matter what I say, because you can literally read and witness your misunderstanding.

Voldymort2 votes

I've elaborated^

The Highest Noon1 votes

{quoted}

I've elaborated^

Yeah, and again you pretty openly express your misunderstanding. Disagreement isn't criticism. Again, make my point for me.

FCJAAAAGOOOO1 votes

Clearly you've never been on Reddit. They pull this too LOL

R107 Games1 votes

Just going to leave this here:

Downvoted are for:

  • unconstrictive comments.
  • comments that are toxic
  • Incoherent blather
  • factually wrong statements
  • Uselessly off-topic comments

Downvotes are not used for disagreement.why? Becuase:

  • it ruins discussion
  • it can unjustly make someone feel unwelcome
  • it can bring good posts down
  • it promotes "hive mind" mentality (you can see this firsthand on this board actually)

I mean, why do you think gameplay+ removed downvotes!?

Downvoting just for disagreement does more harm than good. Its like people forget downvotes effectively bring a comment down or make it "thresh hold". How the fuck does a person deserve that just because you simply disagree with him??

This thread should help: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/36m9ks/why_is_the_downvote_button_not_the_equivalent_of/#ampf=undefined

Its like you guys trashed the intended use of Downvotes just because you can't handle someone having different opinions.

Downvotes are not meant for disagreement,period.

Also:

its common sense. why would downvotes be for disagreement when it litteraly moves comments/posts down while possibly making it "thresh hold". You really think someone deserves that just because they posted an opinion you don't like?

This is a forum that's meant for discussion. And everyone downvoting because of disagreement completely counteracts that.

Here's people opinions: https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/WLKecAF9-why-are-downvotes-disabled-in-gameplay

Let me give you some quotes:

{quoted}

You can explain why you despise something rather than doing a quick zero effort downvote. Mass downvotes completely shut down discussion because the comment gets hidden and pushed down, so why should honest discussion have that?

{quoted}

But that's not what downvotes are meant to do, even though most people use them that way.

Showing disagreement without any explanation as to why you feel that way doesn't help anyone. Discussions require constructive feedback. Sure, Zoe is controversial at best, but what do you think will actually help to resolve her issues? A mountain of contextless downvotes or comments explaining why it feels frustrating to play against her?

{quoted}

No, in fact, that's the exact reason they're disabled. Voting is not " I agree with this ", voting should be used to show you think a post is well written (or not). Unfortunately, having downvotes enabled on G+ would hinder that use of voting as people would dislike a well written and logical idea just because they personally don't like it.

If you don't think a comment needs boosted, simply don't upvote it

There is a reason downvotes aren't allowed in gameplay+: Downvoting has been disabled Due to the thread review process, downvotes will be disabled. Downvotes are, arguably, intended to filter out content that doesn't foster meaningful discussion; however, the approval process will serve this purpose instead, removing the need for downvotes.

This forum is meant for discussion. Downvoting for disagreement is detrimental to that.

^ This is my view on downvotes.

To summarise: downvotes solely for disagreement is detrimental in a discussion board. You should not downvote just for disagreement.

Mcsquzzy1 votes

honestly i either upvote or move on, or downvote if necessary to maintain jhin meme perfection

mlm olo mlm1 votes

Riots website, Riots rules.

doiminat0r36001 votes

for example, i'll always see "upvote/downvote" as "i agree/disagree with this" based on how people use them on twitter, reddit, youtube, etc.

Almost all of these sites have an eddiquette system in place. On reddit, it's Reddiquette. On Twitter, there is no downvote and on youtube, downvotes do nothing.

The original purpose of the upvote/downvote system was to promote what was starting conversation and suppress what was trolling/useless to a conversation. That's how nearly every site is intended to use it and how nearly every site has for a long time

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