Perhaps comments for news articles should be removed in general. LOL. Or perhaps they should be removed for more controversial topics, since at least from my perspective- most comment sections seem to devolve into volatile arguments. The rating system only seems to exacerbate the problem.
Case in point. Not sure if this allowed, but just read through some of the comments posted in this recently published news article:
Never happen to me til today, i commented on a friends blog, who was being thumbed down on every comment .... like 5, 8 times on each. This morning i find the same thing on my blog too. I mean it doesnt really bother me so much, but yea it is harassment and i think there should be an option to turn it off .... or at least have thumbs up only on blogs.Sheena321
LOL! In one of your blog posts, a majority of the comments received exactly three thumbs down. It's like someone solely created alt accounts to torment you in this fashion. Crazy.
I do not believe it is practical to disable thumbs down only for blogs.
this is an all or nothing and we have what we have and need to get along with it.
Is a few down votes that have no tangible effect really that big a deal?
iowastate
The system, however, is a little disjointed. The fact that some anonymous person can come along and rate my comment is silly. IMHO, it fosters a kind of "submissive" (sheepish) mentality, and curtails legitimate opinions. The fact that people go through lengths to create alt accounts, just to promote/debase certain opinions, proves that some people take internet rep very seriously. These thumbs up/down setups only serve to reinforce that notion.
She did however make a point of mentioning how you basically 'mash' X.
NarutoFever1
Well, I kinda gathered the first point, and you definitely do more than mash X (if I recall). But it's a moot point, and I don't wanna derail this discussion.
But the review doesn't really indicate that. Its main points are that there are too many cutscenes, the graphics are good, and that the entire series (essentially) is subpar. She needs to go into much more detail.
I actually like the idea of receiving a thumbs up only, since it doesn't allow those who oppose your POV to discredit your opinion by simply clicking a mouse. If a user is trolling while commenting, he can still be reported. In regards to reviews, I, to some extent, think it's justified. I've come across a number of reviews that make gross misstatements, or appear to be nothing more than rants/comparisons, as opposed to thorough reviews. However, there are some valid, negative reviews that receive the "thumbs down" treatment. It's all subjective.
My sister's review of a Final Fantasy game:
No offense (really), but if I had originally come across your sister's review, I would have given it a thumbs down too ( I haven't and won't). She complains about too many cut-scenes, but says hardly anything about the actual game play. She then, essentially, condemns the whole series; which is a pretty sweeping generalization.
Yeah, most likely an error. However, I think the voting system resets itself when the game is released; atleast I think it does that with premature reviews.
Besides think about how easily someone can maintain an alt account that uses it just to rate comments. Its possible.
How true. As stated, it's already ridiculous that people can give themselves thumbs up. But, I'm certain there are a number members that maintain alt accounts simply to give themselves thumbs up (yes, the internet is serious business!), or support themselves in losing arguments. From my understanding, unless you're ban dodging, it's okay maintain multiple accounts. It's frustrating to express a valid point- one that is logical and backed by facts- only to receive multiple thumbs down because it supports a particular point of view.
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