Skinner is considering replacing all <0 ratings with the neutral "0." What do you think?

[Bicoastal]

Poll question: Skinner is considering replacing all <0 ratings with the neutral "0." What do you think?

(In other words, a post with more unrecs than recs will be indistinguishable from a post with no ratings at all.)

[Bolo Boffin]

1. I guess I should have picked 1 instead of 5

But I like seeing the little DUnce caps on silly threads. Shoot me.

[Cronus Protagonist]

2. I think the thread TITLE should be changed to "LESS THAN ZERO"

When they get unrecommended to the point of falling below zero. It would help me tremendously.

[Bicoastal]

12. Ever watch PBS in the early nineties?

A little gem courtesy of Square One TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH0-DCA5uJg

[Mojambo]

3. It's an improvement.

I'm still in favor of dumping unrecs AND recs.

[GreenArrow]

28. that'd be my preference

.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

4. Other... We should show the negative tally. n/t

[redqueen]

5. I'd like to just see the numbers of votes...

both positive and negative. But it's far from a big deal.

No, wait... suddenly I think it might be a very big deal, and worthy of me starting at least one thread per day (probably more), railing about the unfairness and injustice of hiding the negative votes. What do you think?

[Spazito]

19. Hmmm, it depends on whether you can link Orwell to this or not....

I am partial to Orwell linkages myself, lol!

[panader0]

6. I like the idea of showing both the positive and negative votes.

The less than zero thing is too kind. How many below zero we want to know!

[enigmatic]

7. I really don't care one or the other

But if it will stem the tide of the threads complaining about the unRec feature to a minimum, then I'm all for it.

[RoyGBiv]

18. My thoughts exactly n/t

[Ohio Joe]

8. Other - I would prefer to see the actual total

Positive or negative.

[wndycty]

13. Me too

:kick:

[HughMoran]

9. less than 0 is no indication AT ALL of whether the thread is popular

Just one person could have voted negative on a thread that would otherwise not be a recommendable topic.

How different is -1 from 0? How does anybody know "how negative" the tally is?

I couldn't vote in the poll due to lack of an appropriate choice.

[DJ13]

10. Only thing I want is to know both the #'s

Both the rec's and the un-rec's.

The <0 or even just 0 tells us nothing about the overall sentiment.

[Renew Deal]

11. It's a way of making a bad feature less bad.

In the end it's still bad.

[louis c]

57. Agreed (NT)

[SidDithers]

14. I don't like it...

I'd prefer to see it left the way it is. I like knowing whether a post is in the has positive vs negative recs.

Sid

[Spazito]

15. I chose your first option but...

I can envision at least a few threads started stating the poster rec'd a post and it didn't show up so either the rec function is broken or it's a damn conspiracy whereas with the <0 it is more obvious there are 'unrecommends' already.

[Fumesucker]

16. Other: Show the total recs *and* unrecs..

I would prefer to see just how badly my threads bite, show us the overall score and the recs and unrecs it took to get there.

I suspect there will be a lot of highly unrecced threads that might be worth a look.

[BlooInBloo]

Yup. Just show the numbers.

[BlooInBloo]

17. I think telling people that a thread has one number of recs when it really has another is bizarre.

[glowing]

20. I'd actually like to see the -number amt.

[Sebastian Doyle]

21. Allows the swarm to cover its tracks

swarm. mob. cheerleaders. DLC basement intern trolls. Use which ever term fits.

[truedelphi]

46. It really does, doesn't it? n/t

[Grey]

22. Whatever Skinner wants....

Fine with me.

[el_bryanto]

23. I wish i could find out how many people are unrecommending my posts/polls

I mean I know I'm disliked by some, but I'd really like to know exactly to what extent.

Bryant

[WeDidIt]

24. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I LOVE Less Than Nothing!!!!!!!

[GreenArrow]

25. I'd like to see the negative ratings numbers

If I don't get to see my unrec, then it's as if my vote never counted. If something has -27 unrecs, then show -27 unrecs.

[FarCenter]

26. Show the total

If more posters unrecommend the thread, show the negative number. Otherwise, you are just pandering to the whiners.

[AngryOldDem]

27. I think I'm done with all of these threads.

Since this started I have been paying more attention to the Greatest Page, and it does seem to be a little more substantive than before.

Other than that, the world is still turning for me, so life's good.

[valerief]

29. Keep the less than sign!!!!! nt

[democrat2thecore]

30. I honestly worry about DU becoming even more divided with this...and...

turning the whole forum into a up or down vote based on one's personal beliefs and not whether an argument is thoughtful and helpful. It's kind of like the Amazon reviews if you think about it. But the Amazon reviewers don't have to spend so much time together and raise the possibility of more discord. Politics doesn't lend itself to a "Digg-style" up or down because a post isn't seen as "interesting", "helpful" or whatever - but more supportive of their view - or otherwise. It could just turn everything into one giant poll. I don't like it, but I trust Skinner and the gang to do what's best in the end - whatever that might be.

[enigmatic]

34. I can understand that

Though I'm not as worried as you are; DU has been divided since at least the 2004 primaries and if anything, reached rock bottom in the 2008 primaries. To me, it can't go any lower.

Others have talked about getting rid of the greatest page altogether and replacing it w/ a hottest topics page, and I'm all for that if it comes to pass.

[BlooInBloo]

31. This person would certainly agree....

(thanks again Sid!)

[SidDithers]

39. Heheh, my pleasure :)...nt

Sid

[Skinner]

41. Oh God That Is FUNNY!

The backward <0 is a nice touch. I almost didn't get it.

[BlooInBloo]

43. :) The credit is all Sid's (poster above yours).

[SidDithers]

44. Shared credit Bloo...

it was your idea, after all.

Sid

[Xipe Totec]

32. Other: It's fine the way it is, and I prefer it that way. n/t

[onehandle]

33. Just as long as they Keep the unrec feature. Taking away the < may even help. nt

[jody]

35. "0" isn't neutral, it censors negative ratings while emphasizing positive rating./ n/t

[Hepburn]

36. This is the primary reason I dislike thre unR system ~~

the "<0" notation. It is so negative and we should not be acting like that.

I could get on board with the unR system, but for this feature. If Skinner is considering this, I think this would be a vast improvement.

:hi:

[peacetalksforall]

37. I think the unrecommend gives double power to trolls, especially when they strike early.

I think it's a trolls tool.

I think it can be used like what I call "ice on the wings".

Though the FBI was at the Wellstone crash scene within minutes, the trolls were on DU within fewer minutes fighting all posts that started to talk about a conspiracy-murder.

Now, in addition to two line put-downs with no attempt at justification of position, they get to unrecommend.

If I'm wrong I'm prepared to listen to a calm, cool defense because it has not interested me enough to take the time to do my own analysis. Having observed trolls in the past to watch how they work, I think they got more power with this tool. Listening. Because I would like to be proven wrong.

[Blasphemer]

60. Complete transparency would be only solution to that

Much like ebay's feedback system. Of course, that could well result in a high level of troll-hunting (and other type of hunting) behavior.

[BurtWorm]

38. Removing the < from the 0 would remove the possibility that one person could

have the power to put a stain on any thread he or she chose to by being the only person to vote on them. Some might actually enjoy that power. I think it's a good idea to deprive them of their pleasure at other people's expense.

It's not important to me to know how unrecommended a post is. Not sure why that would be important to anyone.

But ultimately, I don't care, as long as it becomes normal.

[Hepburn]

40. Good points here. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

58. On the flip side, people could think that "since it's only 5 recs from Greatest"...

some may unwittingly "pile on" unnecessary unrecs. Such a thing would be avoided by just showing the actual rec/unrec count, rather than showing a false number.

Note that the situation you describe would also be avoided by showing the actual number, rather than a false number.

[xultar]

42. Seriously, do people take DU that cloes to heart? PEOPLE GET OUT! LIVE!

If your self esteem or self worth can be damaged on DU by a <0 on a thread I think it may be time to seriously rethink how you approach DU.

IT's not like someone is attacking you personally. They just don't agree or want to see it on the greatest page.

Being on the greatest page isn't the end all be all. It's just the greatest page.

GEEZ!

[HamdenRice]

45. I would like the totals. -1 is very different from -247

I think I may have clicked the wrong entry in the poll though.

This isn't censorship. It's feedback to the poster. I think that if someone posts dozens of posts saying "Obama is just like Bush," and lots of people get sick of that, they should know it.

It's feedback, not censorship.

Also, if a person always get -5 (for example) no matter what the subject, that person can conclude that a "clique" doesn't like him or her.

[timeforpeace]

47. Ambivalent about the whole thing, except it still seems pointless and over-reaching.

[Oeditpus Rex]

48. I think this whole stupid thing makes us look like a bunch of helicopter parents

[Bicoastal]

49. ?

[NoPasaran]

50. I would be furious at the disrespect shown Elvis Costello

The greatest living rock and roller whose name is an amalgam of two other stars' names of our generation. I'm shocked that such a thing is even being considered on a "progressive" website.

[Bicoastal]

51. An amalgam of Elvis Presley and...Lou Costello?

Hey Abbaaaaaaaaaatt!

[whatchamacallit]

52. Display the numbers. People should be punished for their "bad" posts

Maybe we should consider public stoning while we're at it...

[ecstatic]

53. Please don't. I'd like people to know when their shit stinks

Unfortunately, some bitter people will negative rec a decent OP, but it's still worth it for the repeat disruptors to know how their dishonest posts are being received.

[Sinistrous]

54. I wish this whole inane kerfluffle would go away.

I'm getting tired of hiding all these threads.

[Jim Lane]

55. K&R: I just took this thread from < 0 to 0

which is ironic, because my vote was that <0 was better, but that displaying the gross totals (recs and unrecs) would be best.

[ShamelessHussy]

56. I prefer to see the actual numbers

I don't get why you would show one and not the other :shrug:

[Laelth]

59. "Less than Zero" is rather insulting and unnecessary. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth