It is useful when used correctly but as can be seen on Reddit (and somewhat on HN but it typically balances out) it is used as "I disagree" / "I don't like this" vs being used more like a moderation tool "this has nothing to do with the conversation".
I like how HN restricts the downvote for a while but I think with Reddit being so popular there should be an opt-in where you have to acknowledge the statement "The downvote is a moderation tool and isn't used to express disagreement" (I feel like that near exact verbage is somewhere like in the guidelines but I am meaning making it required acknowledgement).
I agree, but struggle with the assumption that downvote should be for moderation. That was (and partly is) my own assumption here on HN, but after being here for a while I started wondering why we don’t treat it symmetrically. Upvote is widely used for “I agree” and “I like this” and lots of other reasons, why shouldn’t downvote do the same thing? It also makes getting downvoted feel less painful to realize people do use it like this, for a wide variety of whimsical reasons (just like with upvote), it’s not always suggesting you’re wrong or breaking the rules.
On HN before I had access to the downvote, getting one felt so strongly negative I decided I wouldn’t use it, and have stuck to that ever since. But in the mean time, I started to see real utility in it’s effects as a soft moderation tool. Downvoting someone who’s relevant but wrong or making invalid assumptions wouldn’t meet your strict moderation requirement, but downvotes do tend to sort the conversation correctly helping keep the good stuff at the top, and also being a signal (albeit imperfect) for readers. Using upvotes also helps with the sort, but doesn’t change the color of comments (maybe it should!). So I’ve questioned myself whether I should stick to not downvoting, and I only keep avoiding it out of some sort of ritual or pride or something, I dunno.
It’s interesting because upvotes here are used far more frequently than downvotes, and downvotes are strictly limited, but we still have disproportionately strong reactions to downvotes. It’s also worth noticing how because downvotes change a comment’s color, it often prevents people from piling on; many comments stay at 1 or 2 downvotes and people leave it alone after that, even when many many people notice it’s wrong or breaking guidelines.
It is useful when used correctly but as can be seen on Reddit (and somewhat on HN but it typically balances out) it is used as "I disagree" / "I don't like this" vs being used more like a moderation tool "this has nothing to do with the conversation".
I like how HN restricts the downvote for a while but I think with Reddit being so popular there should be an opt-in where you have to acknowledge the statement "The downvote is a moderation tool and isn't used to express disagreement" (I feel like that near exact verbage is somewhere like in the guidelines but I am meaning making it required acknowledgement).