Please do not allow this. Upvote serves little purpose. We all know I'd upvote nearly everything SLX writes. We all know Buxtebudda would upvote nearly everything Agustino would write. And of course TimeLine would sheepishly upvote everything by Hanover, despite denying it all.

I'd like to voice a stern opposition to this request. This is a forum for discussion. If you like something that someone says, tell them. Discuss it with them. "Likes" and "upvotes" are completely detrimental to intelligent conversation. I have no idea why anybody would want that here.

There are plenty of social media sites to choose from, Abdul. Try Reddit, it sounds like they'll have exactly what you're looking for.

I'd have to agree with the others in the thread. The other forum had an upvote/downvote system and I never understood why it was there. Seeing that a post has a certain amount of upvotes or downvotes just means that some person liked or disliked that post for whatever reason, whether it be deserved or not. For instance, they may not like it simply because it disagrees with their own views, or like it because of the person who wrote it and not because the post itself had anything interesting to say. Not only is it not helpful to any intelligent discussion, but it can also prevent people from judging a post on its own merits. Somebody can write utter rubbish, but if enough people (for one reason or another) like it, then people are more inclined to take it seriously and vice versa.

If you want to thank the people who make good points, then you can just do so directly. And if you want to disagree with someone else, then it'd be best if you speak your mind about it instead of hiding behind a downvote. No need for a voting system and I'd imagine that people would appreciate the personal interaction far more than any vague like/dislike.

There are plenty of social media sites to choose from, Abdul. Try Reddit, it sounds like they'll have exactly what you're looking for. — JustSomeGuy

I give a strong down vote for this snotty and condescending post.

The people in this community have very strong points. I would like to at least thank them with an upvote. — Abdul

Sorry, I have to agree with the general direction of the posts here, if not the tone of some of them. I've never seen a situation where I thought voting helped. As one of the other posters said, if you like what someone wrote, tell them. It will make them feel good.

I can't tell if you're just making a joke, but to be safe I'll clarify that I wasn't trying to be condescending; I was being completely earnest. Reddit has forums for almost every topic you could imagine, including philosophical topics, and it is all based on an upvote/downvote system. I also wasn't trying to imply that Abdul isn't welcome here, which I just realized could have been misconstrued.
I suppose I should have chosen my phrasing more carefully.

I also wasn't trying to imply that Abdul isn't welcome here, which I just realized could have been misconstrued.
I suppose I should have chosen my phrasing more carefully. — JustSomeGuy

Yes, I did misunderstand. I appreciate the clarification.

We all know I'd upvote nearly everything SLX writes. — Akanthinos

(Y) + 1

:P

I remember being a little put out when we took it off here, but I've come to realise that it's just with better without. It puts a stop to a weird micro-politics that detracts from the substance of posts.

We used to have upvotes, but after some debate we got rid of them. I don't believe a majority want them back so gone they shall stay.

Neigh to upvotes

If you like something that someone says, tell them. — JustSomeGuy

Very wise words.

Poll on the forthcoming software update: likes and reputations

We all know Buxtebudda would upvote nearly everything Agustino would write. — Akanthinos

Man @Buxtebuddha, these people do seem really confused >:O

So, thank them, in words.

And of course TimeLine would sheepishly upvote everything by Hanover, despite denying it all. — Akanthinos

Don't you dare talk about TimeLine that way. She would never lie.

I think each user should be permitted to turn on or off the ability to receive up/down votes in their profile so it'll be up to the member to decide if he wants to be subject to the scrutiny of his fellow posters.

I also think we should have an auto up vote feature where it automatically sends an upvote to every post for those posters we like and just know in our heart of hearts only has upvotey things to say.

If we had the upvote function, I'd be confused whether I should upvote that comment or not use it because of my principles.

In Shoutbox

We all know Buxtebudda would upvote nearly everything Agustino would write.
— Akanthinos
Man Buxtebuddha, these people do seem really confused >:O — Agustino

So new guy thinks we agree on everything, ay? >:O Gods I hope not, I couldn't sleep at night were that the case, ;)

~

Besides, how would a voting system even work on a small forum like this? For large subreddits, it's a necessary evil, in my opinion. The community here is so small that I don't see it necessary like bigger forums where trolling and nonsense is a far bigger issue.

Just put a thank you button there.

That cannot be mistaken for likes or up-votes and it will not confuse anyone about its purpose. At least I don't think it would be confusing.

I'd rather this not turn into a reddit-style forum, so I'm opposed to the request. I might be okay with only upvotes, but there definitely shouldn't be downvotes.

Man Buxtebuddha, these people do seem really confused — Agustino

If he actually read the wider forum, instead of cheerleading certain posters in the Shoutbox, he might realize that Buxe, you, and I disagree with each other quite frequently....

I do miss upvotes. I like to see what people are thinking and how popular certain posts and kinds of posts are. But first of all, last time I checked you couldn't get upvoting without downvoting (as far as I can recall), and secondly, voting is probably mostly used for agreement and disagreement anyway, which is not the ideal use of the feature.

I agree with those who suggest expressing approval or thanks with words. Even posts with just a (Y) are okay, within reason.

There was never downvoting.

Oh

But it seems most people are still against it anyway.

Yeah, I think the issue was with the cumulative score showing for each member. Creates a sort of "I'm better than you" hierarchy.

The poll we did actually had "if possible, get rid of likes that accrue to members but retain them for posts" as the winner.

Ah yes, I remember now. I think I asked the developers to remove the cumulative score. Without that I think it would've been ok.

(Apart from doing most of the work, @Michael is also the only person who remembers anything around here. Indispensable really. And worth every penny.)

(Y)

If by "remember" you mean "able to use the search function"... ;)