Zkuq said:
I feel like this is potentially at the core of the whole issue, because this is not all my experience with downvoted comments (mine or others'). Do some people really think some comments are bad whereas others think they're at least decent, or even good? I'm repeating myself, but a lot of the time (much more than the remaining 5% of the time), the downvotes don't really seem to correlate much, if at all, with the quality of the comment. Still, a lot of people here seem to think comments get downvoted essentially for being bad, whereas others don't find that to be the case all that often. Personally I find that curious. |
I'm sure that there are some legitimate differences of opinion regarding comment quality. As to how significant those differences are, I have no idea.
Some of it is probably stuff where someone comes into an article about PS and talks about XBox, for example. Their comment may be constructive and well written, but some people may feel like it just doesn't belong there. Others may think it is fine. I'd say that's a legitimate difference of opinion.
Similarly, there are probably legit differences of opinion about what is or is not on-topic.
My perception is that there are more than 5% of cases where the downvotes don't seem to align with comment quality or questionable placement. However, I had never really given this much thought until the last day or so. So, I don't really trust my own perception at this point. That's a big part of the reason that I prefer taking no action at this time. The issue has been brought forward for all of us. Let's now take some time, pay some attention, and get our heads around how widespread and serious of an issue this actually is. This isn't a life or death issue that must be addressed today or the site will cease to exist. Let's take our time and see what, if anything, really needs to be done.
Also, those of us with supporter status that could theoretically be amplifying abuse of the system might now think more carefully about how we use our extra voting power. I think it is within the realm of possibility that the problem, assuming that there really is one, will take care of itself. I wouldn't bet on that, but I think the odds are far greater than zero.
