We obviously have a sad, pathetic individual that is trying to create a negative mood by giving a -1 vote on every single post.

We should stand up to him and do something he cannot affect.

Everyone who wants to should post something positive here, and we should all +1 each others' posts. That sad little person with the -1s won't be able to affect that!

We can show him that we're better than him, and that his -1s are only there because we have better things to than look at them. When we do decide to address them, like here, we can drown out his pathetic negativity!

---

gave you a +1 to get your post to +2

---

Or we could just get rid of the rating system - I don't see what purpose it serves anyway. If someone's just starting out asking a newbie question, it's probably not the most inviting thing when he sees his post filtered.

By the way: You can rate your own posts +1 to prevent a single person from getting it filtered.

its gotta be automated - i can't believe anyone could be sad enough to do that manually!

---

its gotta be automated - i can't believe anyone could be sad enough to do that manually!

I think it actually could be a person doing it manually - one of my recent threads had my question (which I admit was worded badly) left with a rating of zero, but the answer posted by a moderator had been rated -1 (now corrected).

---

its gotta be automated - i can't believe anyone could be sad enough to do that manually!

I'd also say it does not have to be automated. I myself have been "sad" enough to manually give a plus to a lot of those posts in threads that had been systematically minused. I thought maybe it would spoil the fun if the effect was virtually nil - and it also made keeping track of applied minuses harder. I just thought it might be better to do it quietly to not give that thing any open attention, which I guess is the main intention of it all.


Regards,

Christoph

---

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." R.M. Nixon

I once, horror of horrors, made a comment about the way a particular team seemed to spam "Cafe" boards with their ads when a "Team Recruitment" facility was availble. Oddly, after that, all my posts, on various projects were getting numerous minuses.

It interests me to see that members of BS regard minusers as sad pathetic negative morons...

---

Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.

We know who the offenders are since every rating that a user gives is tracked in the database and there are a couple users that stand out. If it continues, we will block them from the forum.

May I ask a really stupid question but how do you rate a thread?

---

There are green+/red, (well pinkish)- icon at the bottom of each post. Click on them.

---

Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.

I find it interesting that you consider using a valid forum tool that is not against any forum rules to use, as something evil.

As long as the '+', '-', and 'x' icons are there for anyone to use, they should be free for anyone to use as they please. If you like a post, use the '+', if you don't, use the '-'. If administrators start to ban users who use them, it brings this project into the same category as Predictator@home, where any contrary opinion of any sort gets you an immediate ban and IP block.

If the project administrators here don't want people to use the ratings system, then remove it as other forums have done, or post a rule against using the ratings system, which will then make it meaningless to retain.

Makes me wonder who the people are that need a life....

---

Nemesis n. A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent.

As long as the '+', '-', and 'x' icons are there for anyone to use, they should be free for anyone to use as they please.

So does that imply because my home address is not secret that it's ok for any company to send me junk mail? If my email address is on a website that's it's ok for 3rd parties to send me ads for penny stocks and 'lottery' winnings?

There's a difference between using a system as it was intended and taking advantage of it. Giving negative ratings to all posts isn't using the system as it was intended, it just blocks posts the vast majority of people find completely normal. Sure, the project could up the level at which posts are hidden, but there would be nothing to prevent that number of people with too much free time to cause the same effect.

It makes much more sense to block those who are the obvious user(s) behind it.

---

Although a "victim" myself of a seemingly disproportionate number of -1 posts, I am going to agree with Nemesis on this one (and not just because of their choice in avatars).

"Beauty", and "taking advantage" are both in the eyes of the beholder.

I fail to see how "taking advantage" can be objectively defined, any more so than US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's infamous definition of pornography, which he regretted to his dying day, paraphrased as "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it."

The premise must be that some individuals can legitimately not like all the posts.

The question then becomes how to proceed.

The initial reaction may be to say, if someone doesn't like all the posts, then they shouldn't be allowed here. This approach will ultimately fail for two reasons.

The first, and primary reason, is that the person should be able to come here, read the posts, and decide if they like the post or not. Stating that they shouldn't come here would deny the possibility that they may actually like a future post.

Secondly, I suspect that although an individual account can be "banned", this can easily be overcome. No need to go into details of this.

If there is a +/- system available, then it should be everyones to use.

If the project perceives as a problem, users who could legitimately not like every post, and believe that it negatively impacts on others, they have options:

One option for the project would be to change the default threshold for "blanking" posts from -1 to a different number, perhaps -5?

Or, as was hinted at, the project can remove the +/- options, and leave a "report this post" option, to let the moderators, who by virtue of their authority, are entrusted to make an appropriate decision with regard to the postings.

I'm giving a +1 to Nemesis' post.

Anyone who wants to give this post a -1, please feel free.....

So does that imply because my home address is not secret that it's ok for any company to send me junk mail? If my email address is on a website that's it's ok for 3rd parties to send me ads for penny stocks and 'lottery' winnings?

I don't follow the analogy. The answer to both questions is obviously "yes".

---

Reno, NV
Team: SETI.USA

"David Kim" wrote:

We know who the offenders are since every rating that a user gives is tracked in the database and there are a couple users that stand out. If it continues, we will block them from the forum.

Blocking people from a forum is a bad way to go, and causes a great deal of ill will with your participants, especially, as Nemesis pointed out, the project has not stated any rules on how to use this function.

Instead I would suggest that you ask for volunteers to set their preferences to a lower Filter threshold and add a plus one to the posts that in their opinion shouldn't have a negative number as MattDavis more or less said in his first post.

Alway ask for volunteers first, this seems to me the best way to go on BOINC, use your powers only if all else fails or simply can't be done by volunteers.

Catch ya later Hugo.

Blocking people from a forum is a bad way to go, and causes a great deal of ill will with your participants, especially, as Nemesis pointed out, the project has not stated any rules on how to use this function.

Yeah, that kind of ambiguity caused a major flame up right here about a year ago.

Instead I would suggest that you ask for volunteers to set their preferences to a lower Filter threshold and add a plus one to the posts that in their opinion shouldn't have a negative number as MattDavis more or less said in his first post.

Better yet, set the default threshold to a lower number. That way it doesn't require each paerson to manually change it.

---

Reno, NV
Team: SETI.USA

Or, as was hinted at, the project can remove the +/- options, and leave a "report this post" option, to let the moderators, who by virtue of their authority, are entrusted to make an appropriate decision with regard to the postings.

This is the only thing I agree with so far in this entire discussion.
I think this whole +/- thing is going to get out of control and blow up in everyones faces. Leave it to the moderators (even though they are really busy) to deal with issues that users may or may not like. If we get into this self rating stuff any deeper its going to turn into a problem like the other boards.

A user who goes through and constantly abuses the - system in the name of having fun, should get blocked from the forum. As was stated here earlier, they have identified the individuals who are abusing the rating system. So let the powers that be look into why these people are doing what they are doing and give them a chance to explain and a warning given and if the abuse continues then block them.

I also think that if we eliminate the +/- system then we can take up our specific issues in each thread instead of being chicken and giving it a - and walk away anonymous.

---

I also think that if we eliminate the +/- system then we can take up our specific issues in each thread instead of being chicken and giving it a - and walk away anonymous.

I have an idea. What you said about someone walking away anonymous after giving a - got me thinking...and I was wondering, would it be possible to have the system list who gave what ratings for each post? That would keep any person who's -'ing as a joke from doing so.

I also think that if we eliminate the +/- system then we can take up our specific issues in each thread instead of being chicken and giving it a - and walk away anonymous.

I have an idea. What you said about someone walking away anonymous after giving a - got me thinking...and I was wondering, would it be possible to have the system list who gave what ratings for each post? That would keep any person who's -'ing as a joke from doing so.

we don't see it but read this this note from david kim in a earlier part of this discussion. The mods and other "ops" see the info.

---

I believe that the plus/minus system should be removed and only the red "x" function available.