Forum Posts: Post Appreciation RANKING!!

[CavySpirit]

Originally Posted by AnimalHouse36

I got a -1 on a thread. I would like to know why I got that since I'm trying to be "nicer" in my posts since I've been targeted about it in another thread! I didn't think it was mean...and I know it was only one but I would like to know why exactly this person voted down...So I huess I don't really have a question, but I think it would be cool if there was something to find out WHY you got voted down...

P.S. thanks again T!

Well, clearly someone thought it wasn't all it could or should be! That's the whole point of this. Not to give you a specific evaluation, but to give you a heads up that it wasn't received as well you may have intended. It's up to you to decide what to do about it.

Here's a suggestion. I created a new thread prefix for this particular forum called "Assess my Post." If you dare (or are so inclined)--that is if you REALLY want feedback on the post in question, create a new thread, post the link to your post. Ask for CONSTRUCTIVE feedback. That would also highlight the post, allowing others to ANONYMOUSLY also vote on your post so that you can get a bigger picture of how more members feel about it, not just that one person.

BUT, this is NOT about DEFENDING your post. Not at all. It's about LEARNING about how you are coming across to others and trying to make adjustments to be more effective in your communications. Also, if you do this, I will caution people to not sidetrack the original thread with debate or discussion, but stick to the evaluation of that ONE post.

[CavySpirit]

I forgot to add, that the vote could have been a mistake, which is why it actually takes 5 votes to change the status of post. And only then is the post status reflected in your profile.

[AnimalHouse36]

Okay thanks so much T!

I think I'm a little scared to do the thread...since I just started making sure my posts weren't perceived wrong.

Anyway, I honostly saw NO reason for my post to be rated down. It wasn't even a heated thread. LOL. I guess it was maybe a mistake.

[pigsforlife]

Yes it could have been a mistake, I was voting on someones (wasn't yours Animalhouse) and pressed the wrong button.

[Adorable]

Originally Posted by AnimalHouse36

I got a -1 on a thread. I would like to know why I got that since I'm trying to be "nicer" in my posts since I've been targeted about it in another thread! I didn't think it was mean...and I know it was only one but I would like to know why exactly this person voted down...So I huess I don't really have a question, but I think it would be cool if there was something to find out WHY you got voted down...

I will speak up and say I gave you a negative for that post because you trampled all over the spirit of being honest without backlash. I have no idea what the post in question is but by demanding a reason, you are making it no longer anonymous or without criticism.

Perhaps you weren’t as nice as you thought, someone just doesn’t like you or it was a mistake. The system is new and I hope complaints or call-outs aren’t going to render it useless for the intended purpose.

[Paula]

Originally Posted by AnimalHouse36

Anyway, I honostly saw NO reason for my post to be rated down. It wasn't even a heated thread. LOL. I guess it was maybe a mistake.

You know, you'll find that here and in life in general, that all kinds of people will find all kinds of reasons to have a problem with something you say or do. Try to be as neutral as you can and when possible try and think of how what you’re saying might “read” to someone sitting on the other side of the computer screen reading it. Just do the best you can to be straightforward and neutral, or fair, and if you do that and people still have a problem with it, then so be it.

Originally Posted by Adorable

I will speak up and say I gave you a negative for that post because you trampled all over the spirit of being honest without backlash. I have no idea what the post in question is but by demanding a reason, you are making it no longer anonymous or without criticism.

So much for remaining anonymous and giving people unbiased feedback, eh? Speaking of trampling all over the spirit of something …

[fieryone]

Originally Posted by pigsforlife

Yes it could have been a mistake, I was voting on someones (wasn't yours Animalhouse) and pressed the wrong button.

I did this once, too but it wasn't a post by AH36. So it is a good thing that it takes 5 votes

[Adorable]

Originally Posted by paula.m.moore

So much for remaining anonymous and giving people unbiased feedback, eh? Speaking of trampling all over the spirit of something …

I chose not to be anonymous but I can see how others might not want to deal with this kind of backlash. My approach may be different, but it doesn’t undermine anyone else’s effort to show what they want to see more of on this site.

Along with what’s already been said, your vote makes a difference so just do it. LOL

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by CavySpirit

in a way that is objective, collective and not personal.

I want to bring up a point here. The voting isn't here so you can go, "Oh, I don't like this person, so I am going to vote as many of their posts down as I can". That's NOT what the voting is about. I believe it may already be happening and it needs to stop please.

[Paula]

Originally Posted by Adorable

I chose not to be anonymous but I can see how others might not want to deal with this kind of backlash. My approach may be different, but it doesn’t undermine anyone else’s effort to show what they want to see more of on this site.

I had thought the point of this ranking system was to remain anonymous. If you choose not to there’s no reason you couldn’t have sent her a private message explaining your stance, unless of course, you meant for it to belittle her and more or less wanted “backlash.”

[AnimalHouse36]

Thanks everyone.

Just one thing, I wasn't asking so I could jump all over the person, I was asking so that I could figure out what I was doing wrong and fix it so that it wouldn't be a future problem.

Adorable: I asked that so I could here ways to IMPROVE. I want to inforce the new rules and I wasn't asking for this person to tell him if s/he didn't want to. I was wondering if there was anyway to find out.

Why was it neccassary to try to make this thread heated? I would have been perfectly fine with you PMing me but now you've gone and done it infront of everyone. You seem to be just TRYING to get me (or others) angry.

You talk about feeling attacked. How am I sopposed to feel? Like this was "contructive critism" or you just biasing against me?

I have probably acciently clicked the wrong one, too. Is there anyway to remove it like a thanks?

[CavySpirit]

Originally Posted by AnimalHouse36

I have probably acciently clicked the wrong one, too. Is there anyway to remove it like a thanks?

At the moment, no. I have a feature request in to the author of the modification asking for that and a few other things. We'll see.

[Kipsie]

Animalhouse36? Are you talking about me? If so, I don't even use this new system. I haven't seen a good reason to yet.

[AnimalHouse36]

Originally Posted by Kipsie

Animalhouse36? Are you talking about me? If so, I don't even use this new system. I haven't seen a good reason to yet.

What do you mean was I talking to you....? Sorry if I sound stupid I'm just a little confused.

[Kipsie]

Originally Posted by AnimalHouse36

What do you mean was I talking to you....? Sorry if I sound stupid I'm just a little confused.

On one of your first messages on the forum on the first page, you said that you got a -1 rating because someone reported you for being mean, or something like that. I thought you were referring to me, and I was saying that I don't even rate posts.

[tehdoc809]

I would just like to point out that I think I'm addicted to this voting thing and can't wait until more people are doing it as well.

[CavySpirit]

I'd like to share my thoughts a bit more about the voting, now that we've got a few days under our belt. First of all, if I turned the voting on in the Kitchen, I'm sure my negative vote count would shoot up in not too much time. It's not that I'm concerned about getting negative votes--I actually think getting negative votes is a very good thing (it means you're not God and there is room for self-improvement!)--it's just I don't think the nature of that forum lends itself to this. I may change my mind over time, in which case all posts would be fair game, so something to think about when you are posting there anyway!

Another point I want to make. This system doesn't have an "okay, start now" option. So ALL posts from the past are fair game. And anyone new coming into the forum reading through back threads--which we strongly encourage them to do, right?--will be voting on old threads. And if you are voted down on old threads and you've already been adapting to better ways to post, well, you just need to suck it up and move forward like the rest of us.

Now, I'd like to discuss the emotional process of voting itself. I've done the best I could (I think) on coming up with an easy, two-fold criteria for voting. But seriously, it does take a bit of mental gymnastics to do an honest assessment on how a post hits you on a scale of both "helpful AND tactful." And to be honest, not everyone is going to be able to apply that criteria with the same diligence. And even if it's applied with the same due diligence, it is a subjective feeling. So, it's going to be different from person to person even with the same level of intelligence, maturity, etc. And if you are doing what I've asked, that is, rating as many posts as possible, you aren't going to be doing any heavy-duty analysis. You just kind of get into your groove, decide what mental gymnastics you are using and vote accordingly. I guess, if I had to summarize the way I am assessing posts, it's "how did it hit me?" Did I feel good about it or did I say, hmmm. If it's a hmmm, then to me, it could have been better. Send a message. Move on. If it was a fluff post or didn't do anything for me one way or another, I just leave it.

I hope it doesn't come as a surprise to anyone, but I've voted down a few posts already--giving me currently about a 88% positive and 12% negative voting record. So far, most people (about 75%) are voting positively 90% or more of the time. I guess your voting record will depend on how you view the posts on the forum and how much change you would like to see. I think having a mix of positive and negative is a good thing. But again, if someone chooses to vote negatively all or most of the time, that's their prerogative. Perhaps they are only putting their voting effort into the posts that they have an issue with.

So, let's talk about the notion of popularity. I agree that the whole point of this is not a popularity contest. However, what makes one popular? To a large extent, it's how their overall postings are perceived, because that's pretty much all we have to go on here. So, depending on how you view things, to an extent it may be popularity. And even if there are one or two people who have an issue with one or two others, it's not enough to move a post off of neutral.

The posting system was just upgraded as I was writing this post, so I took a break and did the upgrade. I have the ability now to not allow members to vote on their own posts, but I'm going to leave it. If someone votes negatively, you can cancel out their vote. So, it really takes 6 negative votes to move a post down enough below neutral to be unappreciated. And if it is, it is something to take heed of--if you choose. You can also ignore it.

One of my requests was to have the ability to display the post up and down count along side the total score without having to click into it. That got done. Also, I wanted a distinction between "Not Ranked" and "Neutral." That got done. Hopefully later, he'll add a member post count summary of neutral posts. I guess that was a harder request.

Also, there is a top 10 statistic on the quick link pull-down. But, it's a little meaningless at this point with so few votes. I've asked for better reporting, but that will probably take more time.

So there you go. Sorry this was so long-winded.

[PiggieMamaKelly]

Is there a way to utilize the system in the kitchen but using different criteria? More of an 'agree' vs 'disagree'. Without creating a post, the only way to weigh in on the threads is in a positive manner (thanks button). Sometimes I wish I could disagree without making a post and creating hooplah about it or restating what has already been said, and said, and said again. It would give a sense of how the larger group was leaning on an issue.

[CavySpirit]

Originally Posted by PiggieMamaKelly

Is there a way to utilize the system in the kitchen but using different criteria? More of an 'agree' vs 'disagree'. Without creating a post, the only way to weigh in on the threads is in a positive manner (thanks button). Sometimes I wish I could disagree without making a post and creating hooplah about it or restating what has already been said, and said, and said again. It would give a sense of how the larger group was leaning on an issue.

Hmmm. Well, way back when, when I initially installed the Thanks feature, there was also a Groan version. It wasn't well received at all and I disabled and uninstalled it pretty quick. Maybe I can check back into that modification and see if it's available by forum. I'll check and let you know. Good idea.

[CavySpirit]

Yup. It's possible. It works just like Thanks, only opposite. Instead of 'groan', we could call it "No Thanks" with a different color. But, unlike the post voting, the groans are public, just like the thanks. And it can be limited to specific forums, like the Kitchen.

What do you think?