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Despite your down votes, I agree 100%. This site seems to be headed in the wrong direction. This site is the closest I get to social media. I have always enjoyed the comments, and the fact that, whether I agree with them or not, they are directed at the topic, not an attack on the writer’s personality.
I keep away from social media because it has become the cesspool of the internet. I truly hope that this site does not become one that I feel I can no longer feel comfortable interacting with due to the tenor of the commenting, and increasing number of down votes for innocuous comments on certain writers’ posts that seem like they are negative just because of who they are.
I emailed Jonathan a while ago with this question:
In Forum comments, would you consider removing the downvote option?
In original posts on the Forum, there is only an upvote option, no downvote.
If you feel a downvote option is not useful in the original post, why have it in the comments?
The downvote option just encourages forum comment trolls.
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After he replied, I followed up with this:
No, I would not favor adding downvotes to the original post.
Separately visible downvotes are what the trolls thrive on. I just don’t see the need: If a post were that far off-base, I figure it would just get a very small number of upvotes.
I’m on team #StarveTheTrolls.
I’ve been browsing this site for a while, and it seems to me that you’ve provided the closest thing to a “social media rant” and a downgrade to my personal enjoyment. Maybe this is a thought worth contemplating as you criticize others who spend their time and effort providing content.
re. Maybe this is a thought worth contemplating as you criticize others who spend their time and effort providing content
If you are directing this at me, I think you have missed the point – or maybe I am missing your point ? I have criticized those who spend their time and effort pressing little up or down arrows. I have NOT criticized ANYONE on their content.
If you read the comments below, you’ll see that others seemed to be turned off by these random arrow pushers who provide NO value to the discourse.
If RDQ wants to stir the crap up again, thats his choice…. your own words speak volumes
‘Your own words speak volumes”.
Thank you ! I am very pleased with my words, which you obviously didn’t read before posting. I wrote:
“I have criticized those who spend their time and effort pressing little up or down arrows. I have NOT criticized ANYONE on their content”.
Do you find that offensive ?
RDQ is not the only one getting unexplained down votes. I get them on perfectly innocuous posts – like one today mentioning that 2FAs sometimes offer the use of email instead of texts. I figure there’s at least three people who down vote everything I post.
I was thinking of you as well when I posted my thoughts.
Thanks, David. At least I try to post a comment when I disagree.
I read the original post and decided it would be a waste of my time to comment. I’ll step into that ring this one time. I have been tempted to lob a few grenades from time to time and stir things up. However, I really do have other things to do. Some things I don’t comment on because I think there is a bubble and comfort zone which some will not leave or will merely respond with down arrows. Those arrows are nothing more than a form of covert attack. Civility is often a facade or a thin veneer. Up or down arrows may simply be automatic responses. Are posts or comments with up or down arrows better? Does the quantity represent anything? Are those with more up arrows more worthy of my attention? In fact, the arrows don’t matter to me, but do provide some entertainment value.. I’ll admit I tend to ignore content generated by writers enjoy making their lobs. It isn’t about the arrows. Merely the title of an article or reading a few brief sentences indicates when I should move on. It might be better if we couldn’t vote but could only leave comments. That would require discourse and would change the dynamic. Those who revel in down arrows and enjoy their lobs might change their ways. Perhaps this really is moving in the direction of a financial social media site. For example, it seems that the MSM finally is focusing on the problems of the Social Security trust fund, because it is politically expedient to do so. We see pundits of all stripes talking or writing about the “imminent failure” and as usual, this fear mongering is working. I’ve read more comments and articles about this at various sites in the last 3 months than in the preceding 10 years, when even the Comptroller of the U.S. was travelling the country and making stump speeches about this and the growing deficits. He quit in disgust as I recall.
I’m sorry you think the site is “headed in the wrong direction.” That, I’d say, is pretty harsh! Makes me feel like I’m wasting my dying days.
I believe HD participants should be able to express disapproval if someone repeatedly belabors the same point, especially if they label it as a rant, and they shouldn’t necessarily have to put themselves on the firing line to do so. So what should be the outlet for disapproval if someone chooses to rant and, indeed, admits that’s what they’re doing? Is ranting the goal here? A simple down vote seems pretty innocuous. Maybe the ranters need to show more self-control.
Jonathan,
I’m sorry if my comments offended you in any way. That was not my intent. You are DEFINITELY NOT wasting your dying days.
My main reason I posted what I did is I have recently seen a negative vote total on the most innocuous points that some people make. As I stated I have never participated, nor commented on any social media sites, as from what I have heard, is that people seem to feel that their anonymity gives them the license to attack people when they wouldn’t do so if they were face to face with that person. I was hoping that pointing out readers who seem to target the commenter, not the comment, would reflect on what they are doing. I have been reading this site for years, and have loved the give and take of ideas, it’s just that I’m starting to feel uncomfortable with some of what I have been seeing.
Again, my apologies if I offended you.
If you don’t like someone’s post, skip it and move on. If RDQ wants to stir the crap up again, thats his choice. Voting is childish.
Here are a few personal thoughts on HD culture.
To me what people are saying with their down voting, when others “stir the crap”, or authors pound the table in an aggressive “hey idiots, wise up” post is this: less of this please, there’s too much of that on the ‘net already.
Readers here were attracted by Jonathan’s content and writing style, which is always smart, engaging, authentic, vulnerable, respectful, entertaining and informative; never rude, aggressive, impolite, narrow-minded, condescending or tone deaf.
He has always embraced polite, respectful expression of diverse ideas here, but always towards a purpose of helping others manage money better and use it for more long-term happiness and utility.
To me, this site has never been about rants or provocative pot-stirring. Less of that might make many here a happier reader, and — I pray — thoughtful, caring contributor.
I wish that would work, but I fear the result would be ranting to get attention. Like it or not, reasonable discourse would get drowned out by the loudest voices.
Disagree. If you don’t like someone’s post say so with your own post/response as to why. Clicking an arrow provides no feedback, In fact, poor behavior is more likely to be curbed by comments than arrows.
If downvotes are ineffective, why does RDQ whine endlessly about them?
Perhaps, with comments rather than anonymous down arrows, he would stop both repeat posting and whining ! Don’t you think comments would be more impactful that silly down arrows ?
Down arrows are easy to blow off ; negative comments not so much.
So fascinating that all of my comments have down arrows, but all of Jonathan‘s have up arrows. Has anybody ever learned anything by an up or down arrow? If we’re all on this site to learn, comments are certainly going to be more impactful than silly little arrows.
Apparently some haven’t, though most have over the years.
Why is there “voting” on peoples comments ? If you have a comment, either positive or negative, post it. Otherwise, keep it to yourself if you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to post it publicly.
Is this Facebook or Instragram ? Are we posting to get “Likes” ?
It is childish and beneath the dignity of this blog site. Are we not adults here ? The ability to vote on comments should be removed.