I hate that I always compare Lemmy to Reddit, but Reddit used to have (not sure if they still do) guidelines called “Reddiquette” that included guidelines about upvoting and downvoting. I don’t remember the specifics (and sending too much of my browser traffic to Reddit makes me feel dirty) but one of the guidelines was not to upvote/downvote on the basis of agreement/disagreement with the content.
On Lemmy, I’m honestly a bit lax about upvoting and downvoting at all. (I’m trying to be better about it.) Buy when I do upvote/downvote, I try to do so on the basis of whether the comment/post “adds to” or “subtracts from” the community or conversation. I can disagree with one comment’s take on some subject but still upvote them if they’ve given me a more nuanced perspective on the issue. If they’re just parrotting well-known talking points and not being thoughtful with their posts, I may downvote them evren if I agree with their ultimate stance.
I’m just mostly wondering how folks on Lemmy think about upvotes/downvotes and what implications that has for the content here.
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Upvoting: I like this post or it adds to the discussion/community (I want to see more of this)
Downvoting: This is spam, off topic, etc. or the poster is being an arse (in general, I want to see less of this)
Simple as.
Up: Time was worth reading
Down: Time wasted reading (I want my time back!)
Upvote: contributes positively to the discussion, hasnt been said before in the same thread, well researched/high effort
Downvote: trolling, obvious/overdone, bad/disingenuous reasoning, spreads misinformation, bigotry/sexism
“Do you wish there were more content like this?” Upvote.
“Do you wish there were less content like this?” Downvote.
I downvote for people being assholes (trolling, bigotry, ad hominem, etc), spreading misinformation, or making comments which don’t add to the conversation (“This.”, “This is the way.”), and rarely for anything else.
I upvote content that I find interesting, educational, funny, etc. I also upvote people for being polite and willing to admit to being incorrect (“Thanks for the information, I didn’t know that”, etc).
If you reply to my comment or post, it’s an automatic upvote because I appreciate you for taking the time to interact with me and I will try to reply in return.
If a post or comment is funny, touching, interesting, heartfelt or anything else that makes me appreciate the time and effort you put into this, it’s an upvote.
If you’re only here to argue in bad faith, insult or belittle someone, it’s a downvote. If it’s with me, I will ignore you and not even downvote.Obligatory response.
Happy upvote and reply :)
Upvote me, sempai.
Always :)
I like this: upvote
I don’t like this: downvote
This guy puts his pants on one leg at a time
Up: more people should read this
Down: less people should have to read this
I tend to upvote if someone brings something unique to the discussion. If you’re just giving a quick generic response to OP or parroting the same opinion a dozen other people in the thread have already posted, then I’m gonna read your comment and keep going. But if you provide thoughtful content that promotes discussion, provides a unique perspective, or at least had a lot of thought put into it, I’m likely to upvote it. Same goes for the post itself.
I generally avoid downvoting, even if I disagree with the comment. But if someone is factually wrong, misleading, posting in bad faith, or just being a troll, I’ll downvote their comments in a thread and upvote anyone who attempts to be reasonable with them. If two people are just bickering back and forth, they both get downvotes. And as always, any comments that distract from the discussion or are off-topic will get a downvote.
If two people are just bickering back and forth, they both get downvotes.
You made me think of this:
I tend to agree about the down cote it if you disagree with it. I tend to just leave the thread or try not to comment to avoid silly online arguments.
However, if I read something posted that is obviously misleading or someone is just outright lying, then downvote away!
Upvote for funny posts, posts that contribute to the discussion even if they drift a bit off topic, and anything that promotes positivity.
No upvotes/downvites for things I disagree with that are just differences in opinions, or something that is trying to be funny but doesn’t work for me. Also posts I just don’t understand or understand the context.
Downvotes for people being jerks, posting misinformation, promoting terrible stuff like fascism, racism, sexism, etc. It does mean I mostly downvote anything positive about US conservatives, but that is because they tend to promote those things I mentioned already.
I sometimes also downvote people who go overboard with generally positive things by assuming anything other than agreeing with their narrow view is automatically malicious. Some of us are trying and admitting we aren’t perfect or that maybe there is more than one way to be supportive than the one they think the only way.
If it contributed to the conversation, I upvote. Especially if it’s well-written and informative.
If it’s off-topic, incorrect, or repetitive, I downvote.
If it’s banal or uninteresting but not actually deleterious to discourse or distracting from the topic, I don’t vote.
I upvote almost all replies to my comments, including those disagreeing with me, unless they clearly didn’t take the time to read and understand my comment.
I vote on almost all comments I reply to, as well.
I use this method as well but I also use the criteria that if I learned something new that is interesting or useful in my life I will upvote. If it’s useless drivel or based on conspiracy theories then I downvote.
“Reddiquette” that included guidelines about upvoting and downvoting.
First time that I even hear about that LOL.
I do not follow any ‘guidelines’ when up/downvoting. It comes spontaneously.
Why not?
Because it happens spontaneously.
That’s a choice, though. Why make that choice instead of considering why you vote?
Of course I make a choice each time when I vote. I’m not a robot after all… :-)
I try to upvote most things I see, especially if someone took the time to comment under one of my posts.
If I downvote, it’s usually because I see someone is actively being rude or is trying to steer something light into something controversial to bait arguments.
I’ve found that the Risa community very much uses downvotes to disagree. I made a harmless joke and got dogpiled on, including a very toxic and rude comment from Stamets.
Since you are a highly respected member there, and really all of Lemmy, I think it would be greatly beneficial for you to openly advocate for people sticking to your logic when it comes to downvotes.
Thank you, and I’m sorry if people dogpiled on you about something. I just want everybody to be cool to each other and have fun.
Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment. It is the internet after all so I basically always expect toxicity to some extent, but I was just surprised at the extreme disproportion of the response. Also, I expected more from Lemmy and in particular Risa, but I guess that’s on me.
I’ve found that Lemmy tends to be about 50% more chill than reddit, but it definitely has some similar challenges. I try to be positive on a personal level and try to support others who I see doing the same.
In my experience so far (just a few months) Risa has been one of the most friendly places on lemmy - maybe it was just a full moon or something? Whatever the case, I say positive people are always welcome.
I generally don’t downvote anything. I, however, upvote stuff other people might want to see first. Easy as that.
I upvote any reply to anything I say and everything I reply to as a way of remembering where I’ve engaged. The only exceptions are things with clear perspective-lacking malice.
