Re:Hacker News for Hackers
by Nomentatus on Friday October 27, 2017 @10:21PM
(#15573639)
I don't think we're there, yet.
Sadly, I begin to conclude that right now most downvotes mean: "I really, really hope that isn't true, even though you have a bibliography and I just have an emotional reaction."
Maybe a Markov-chain based reputation system (a la Google for search) that makes downvotes unequal is in order.
What about stating this in a reply?
I've often prefaced such replies with "Because sometimes a upvote isn't enough...", and those get downvoted about 40% of the time. Not that I care, I bathe daily in karma points, it's just a tiny bit disheartening.
I would also argue that an upvote is not "I agree with you", but "this contributes to the conversation in a positive manner". I frequently upvote posts with which I disagree. Conversely, a downvote in my book says, "hey, you're kind of being a dick and dragging the conversation down" rather than "I disagree". I mean, I'll downvote something that is just demonstrably wrong, but more often than not it's "quit being a dick".
I'd like to be able to credit comments that got me to re-think or even change my position on a topic. Upvotes basically say, 'that's a good point', or 'I agree with you'. But I'd like to see a way to gauge 'influence', in terms of affecting what people think in a positive way.
Can that be worked in?