The Upvote System, the Bane of this Site, Let's Utilize it a Little More.
TappedOut forum
Posted on April 11, 2015, 3:47 p.m. by Femme_Fatale
Specifically, what if we utilized it in the forums? The upvote system has encouraged a lot of people to do very nicely detailed descriptions which utilize spoilers and images, so what if we had an upvote system for threads to encourage this same idea? People would then have an average thread upvote count for this as well. Articles could also go in here, so it would be a thread/upvote count.
Thoughts/opinions/ideas? Let's discuss them!
Femme_Fatale says... #4
Not too sure actually, just wanted to create a catchy title.
April 11, 2015 3:52 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #6
Oh, I realized I pasted it a little too soon without going into detail, sorry, I've got the tutorials on my mind.
Basically I wanted to include this to see if it can manage the blind and uninformative posts people keep making in places like the deck help. As getting more upvotes would be an incentive to going into more detail with your thread, helping communication as a whole. We could also deny the thread the ability to gain upvotes if it has been moved, to see if that will help stagger the misplaced threads.
April 11, 2015 4:06 p.m.
An upvote system for threads and comments is pretty much how Reddit works. And r/magicTCG is the subreddit for MTG.
April 11, 2015 4:20 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #11
But what's the value of upvotes?
The thing is, upvotes are inherently valueless on this site. You don't gain anything from having them, so they're only psychological, and the potential for them to just become a popularity thing like deck votes is pretty high.
April 11, 2015 4:20 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #12
And I don't think the comparison to deck votes is wholly accurate. A large part of the incentive for writing good deck descriptions is getting views and comments to actually improve your deck.
April 11, 2015 4:22 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #14
That's exactly what I meant, they are a psychological thing. If we say that the best way to get upvotes is to produce better quality posts then for the most part that is exactly what they'll do.
April 11, 2015 5:23 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #15
What I'm saying is why should we assume that upvotes will be productive for forum posts? If they're meaningless, what incentive do people have to get more of them? At least the deck votes help attract more views and feedback. Posts don't have even that benefit.
April 11, 2015 5:39 p.m.
I kinda disagree. The reason for upvotes/downvotes is so that the comments people agree are most useful end up towards the top of the forum, and the shitposts end up at the bottom where people don't have to see em. It would allow questions to be answered more efficiently, while any bickering between users would sink to the bottom and not clog up the forum. I've always been somewhat disappointed this site doesn't have a better +1/-1 system, honestly. It shouldn't add to your T/O score or whatever, it would just make things more efficient and add an extra layer of user interaction which is a good thing.
April 11, 2015 5:55 p.m.
This isn't about down votes, and down votes won't happen.
April 11, 2015 5:56 p.m.
What's the difference between having downvotes and not having em? I mean, say there are three comments, and I like two and don't think the last is worthwhile at all. Either I +1 two of em, and -1 the other, or I +1 two of em, and leave the other alone. Either way, the comment that wasn't worthwhile is going to head towards the bottom by virtue of not getting a +1. Having the option to downvote a comment just makes it happen quicker. There's really no downside to having downvotes if you are implementing an upvote system.
April 11, 2015 5:59 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #19
I can tell you with very near complete certainty that downvotes will not ever be implemented on the site. They conflict with the administrative philosophy because they tend to produce a more negative atmosphere. Between vote trolling and the general discouragement that comes with downvotes, they're more toxic than "+ or nothing" systems.
Further, I don't think it's a good idea to reorder posts based on votes. That approach tends to lead to scattered conversations and disjointed references.
April 11, 2015 6:01 p.m.
I guess without having drop down windows like reddit and imgur, the whole +1/-1 thing doesn't really work as you're right, the conversations will get confusing. If that's the case, then implementing a +1 system isn't worth anything if the comments aren't going to move.
April 11, 2015 6:07 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #21
I would not be a fan of a comment upvote system. I feel it would restrict free communication, and that is what I like about this site.
April 11, 2015 6:13 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #22
I don't want comment upvote system, just a thread upvote system.
Epochalyptik, I think you are underestimating the psychological power of these upvotes. They may have no intended purpose, but the people can easily create a meaning for them themselves, and this is definitely seen in deck votes for people who see the deck votes as a method to compete against others. In this way, people want to be number one, and they'll create properly constructed threads much more often than if they were placed in an environment with no incentive to create a properly constructed thread.
April 12, 2015 12:46 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #23
I don't think it would really help. I do not like the idea.
Upvote system would just be a popularity contest for threads. It would not give the same voice to a new user as it does a 3 year top 25 user. I do not think it would police content as you think.
April 12, 2015 12:55 p.m.
What would an up vote thread system actually do in your view?
Mark a thread as worth reading?
April 12, 2015 1:07 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #26
I'm not saying that upvotes don't have any appeal. I'm just saying that deck votes actually have something of a purpose behind them. Decks with more votes are likelier to stand out and draw more feedback. Threads don't really hold the same significance; people aren't looking to improve their threads. As long as someone shows up and answers the question or contributes to the discussion, the thread has served its purpose.
And there really isn't an independent reason for threads to have vote systems.
HolyFalcon says... #2
+1
April 11, 2015 3:48 p.m.