"Likes" Enhancement

[potato_hamster]

JEMC said:

potato_hamster said:

I agree it says a lot about the users that will try and use it this way. Unfortunately, based on my past experience with the userbase of this site, and with the direction it appears the mods want to take this site, I highly doubt that behavior will be discouraged or that the people that will employ such tactics will be moderated for it.

Sometimes I like posts I wholeheartedly disagree with because the argument is well reasoned and well supported. How does one draw that conclusion from seeing my name next to a post I liked?

If you're that affraid of what others will think, you can still like the post and then quote it and explain that, while you don't agree with his/her opinions, at least you understand why he/she thinks that way... and then share your own ideas, thus leading to more and better discussions.

As for people misbehaving and using the likes to attack someone. First you (or well, "we" as a whole) should be more proactive and report those wrong doers so mods can do their job. Sometimes mods don't do anything because they arrive late as no one has warned them about what was happening before. Give them the benefit of doubt there's always time to complain later.

I'm not at all afraid about what others would think, like not even a little bit. I do, however, expect it to affect the way conversations are had in the future on this site in a negative way. Like systems automatically add a degree of popularity or implied "correctness" to conversations.

As for reporting, I've also had enough experience with the reporting system to have a more cynical opinion about it than you appear to have. That's all I'm willing to say about that.