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Some clarifications about the Downvote

Hi everyone, ✌️

Thank you very much for your feedback in relation to the Downvote. 👎
We totally understand that many/most of you are not happy with it.

However, based on the feedback we're reading, I'd like to clarify some points:

1) If your posts/replies frequently have many good reactions, and sometimes you get 1 or 2 downvotes, out of MANY good reactions, [b]you really shouldn't have to worry[/b]. 👍

2) If there is a user that has been downvoting you in many posts, [b]that user will eventually start seeing less contents from you[/b]. 📉

3) You don't have to worry [b]if a user tries to use multiple accounts to downvote you. Either the system knows about it already, or will know in the future[/b], and that will only go wrong on that user, [u]and never affect you[/u]. 🚩
Only a few users have attempted this so far, and we've sent notifications to those users. The targeted users [u]were not affected[/u] by the fake downvotes.

4) A comment or post will only be pushed down [b]if the amount of downvotes surpass the amount of good reactions[/b] (and only if a [u]minimum[/u] of downvotes was reached, for that to happen). You [u]don't have to worry[/u] about the visibility of your contents being impacted [u]just because of 1 or 2 downvotes, when you got several good reactions[/u] too. 📊

5) Even if a post of yours got more downvotes than good reactions, [b]it doesn't mean that your audience will be impacted on other stories/questions that you post in the future[/b]. It only affects the post that got downvoted. 📚

5) The downvote does have a slight impact on your account reputation, but [b]that impact is VERY negligible[/b]. If you [u]maintain a much higher amount of good reactions, versus the amount of downvotes[/u], [b]your account will NEVER suffer any consequences[/b]. Only accounts who have more downvotes than good reactions are the ones that will be really impacted. 😊

[b]In summary:[/b] You don't have to worry if you get a few downvotes here and there. Only if the amount of downvotes surpasses the amount of good reactions (very rare cases), you would be affected. [b]Only troublemakers will be affected by the downvote.[/b]

I want to apologize again for not being clear in my original post when it was announced.

---

Thank you for your support and we hope you continue to stay with us.

We are constantly listening to your suggestions, so please keep giving them to us, as they are very important to the future of Similar Worlds.

Very kind regards, 🧡
- The SW Team

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GJOFJ3 · 61-69, M

If all of this is true, why then have the downvote

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SW-User

@GJOFJ3 exactly

SW-User

@GJOFJ3 It's to easily identify the troublemakers without having to waste time listening to people complain, argue, post about how they unfairly were given warnings, etc.

Nuno · Admin

@GJOFJ3 The difference between the functionality of Mute User and the Downvote is that a Mute will completely hide ALL posts of a specific user on your feed (and only your feed).

As for the Downvote, if the amount of [valid/legit] downvotes surpass the amount of good reactions, then that post will be pushed down to everyone, because it's obviously not a good post/comment.

CookieCrumbs · F

@GJOFJ3
This doesn’t really clarify what the feature is for.

The way I read it: to customize what a user sees.
[quote]

2) If there is a user that has been downvoting you in many posts, that user will eventually start seeing less contents from you.

[/quote]

Wouldn’t you be able to do that with a mute (or block)?

Nuno · Admin

@CookieCrumbs Just explained in the comment before yours:

The difference between the functionality of Mute User and the Downvote is that a Mute will completely hide ALL posts of a specific user on your feed (and only your feed).

As for the Downvote, if the amount of [valid/legit] downvotes surpass the amount of good reactions, then that post will be pushed down to everyone, because it's obviously not a good post/comment.

GJOFJ3 · 61-69, M

@CookieCrumbs they keep trying to explain what it doesn’t do but fail to highlight the good features which leads me to believe this is designed for internal metrics only
I see the chance of that being used arbitrarily similar to what fb is doing

CookieCrumbs · F

@Nuno
In other words, the downvote is a voting mechanism which post will be kept on the feed for everyone?

If one downvotes a post, will that post totally disappear from the downvoter’s feed?

MartinII · 70-79, M

@Nuno No, it is not obviously not a “good” comment. It is simply one which a majority of respondents (not a majority of readers) reacted negatively to. Are you really incapable of understanding the difference?

Nuno · Admin

@CookieCrumbs It doesn't automatically hide that specific post from your feed (at least for now - we may consider that in the future), but it will "calculate" towards you seeing less contents of that user, yes.

--

[quote]@MartinII It is simply one which a majority of respondents (not a majority of readers) reacted negatively to.[/quote]

And when that happens, does that mean it's a good and accepted comment in the community? If the majority dislikes, then it doesn't look like a good comment to me.

SW-User

@Nuno so it's like mute in slow motion.. Sounds ridiculous tbh

CookieCrumbs · F

@Nuno
But your answer is a contradiction to what you wrote about a downvote only affecting that * particular post* from that user and will not affect other future posts of that user.

JerseyGal · 51-55, F

@Nuno

[quote]because it's obviously not a good post/comment.[/quote]

What may be classified as 'not a good post/comment' to some, may be a good post/comment to others.
I still feel this is the beginning of censorship.
The users are to use the downvote, which is a way of censoring others posts.
I understand it takes more than a couple to move that post/comment down. But, is that really fair to the person who wrote the post/comment? For example: just say 10 downvote a post/comment because they do not like the content, so now this post/comment which may actually be amazing to some, gets bumped down until it's no longer seen.
😔

MartinII · 70-79, M

@Nuno Thank you for, at last, responding to one of my comments. But the content of your response shocks me. Suppose you have a community in which 75% of the members are Muslims and 25% are Jews (or vice versa). Or perhaps 75% are conservatives and 25% are left-wingers (or vice versa). The majority, whoever they are, give downvotes and the minority give hearts. So the comments are bad ones, simply because their authors are in the minority. I really do suggest you reflect on what you just said.

MartinII · 70-79, M

@JerseyGal The tyranny of the majority.

SW-User

@JerseyGal Another issue is that comments without any reactions get pushed to the bottom as well (in favor of comments with positive reactions), which makes it harder to see the most recent comment on a given post (a personal preference of mine, but I prefer threads to be chronological, like a traditional forum) and makes those without reactions more likely to be further ignored. Just on this thread you can click on the last page and see comments that never got any reaction, all bunched together at the end.

Nuno · Admin

[quote]@JerseyGal What may be classified as 'not a good post/comment' to some, may be a good post/comment to others.[/quote]

If it's not a good post to SOME, but is a good post to others, then I don't expect the [valid/legit] downvotes to surpass the good reactions, and therefore there should be no problem there.

[quote]@SW-User I prefer threads to be chronological, like a traditional forum[/quote]

Please note that you can sort the Comments by "Newest First", "Oldest First" and "Top" (default).

JerseyGal · 51-55, F

@MartinII
[quote]
No, it is not obviously not a “good” comment. It is simply one which a majority of respondents (not a majority of readers) reacted negatively to.
[/quote]

Exactly how I feel about all this.

MartinII · 70-79, M

@Nuno That’s nonsense. If those who dislike the post outnumber those who like it, then of course the downvotes will surpass the good reactions!

JerseyGal · 51-55, F

@SW-User
[quote]
Another issue is that comments without any reactions get pushed to the bottom as well (in favor of comments with positive reactions), which makes it harder to see the most recent comment on a given post (a personal preference of mine, but I prefer threads to be chronological, like a traditional forum) and makes those without reactions more likely to be further ignored. Just on this thread you can click on the last page and see comments that never got any reaction, all bunched together at the end.
[/quote]

I agree. I was trying to go through this thread to read all the comments.

MethDozer · M

@MartinII Democracy is the will of the majority. Tyranny is the will of the minority

OogieBoogie · F

@JerseyGal oh gosh.. Yes - the chronological order!

If that's fucked up, I wonder if arguments are gonna be real messy to follow🤔

Doomflower · 36-40, M

@Nuno instead of the downvote you should have given us the ability to mute user posts but not comments or vice versa.

SW-User

@Doomflower exactly, this is the most convoluted way of doing something that it feels like, "what the heck is really going on"

bijouxbroussard · F

@Nuno [quote] As for the Downvote, if the amount of [valid/legit] downvotes surpass the amount of good reactions, then that post will be pushed down to everyone, because it's obviously not a good post/comment.[/quote]

So this sounds like a way several people can, by targeting someone they dislike and downvoting their posts, remove their input from the site. I’ve already seen downvotes on completely neutral posts. 🙁

Doomflower · 36-40, M

@SW-User it's just incompetent nonsense.

Then again if they were super competent this site would blow up and get ruined anyway so a certain level of bumbling is acceptable. This is just too far though. I will miss SW when it is gone. Where will I go? It is lonely in the online world.

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