This poll is yet another thing that can and obviously is being abused. Same members under different account names voting.
If this BS is instated, I'll be leaving. Not that anyone cares, but believe me many will follow. Craig said it well: "Overall impact....negative. You will lose many people, more important you will lose what makes this a useful site by intimidating responders and you'll have a glamour show on your hands. It's a bad move."
And I'll say this again, for this new thread:
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This is a HORRIBLE idea. Such a thing would only be abused, and result in "ratings gangs" the exact same way you see in the google forums. Whomever wants to implement this SURELY must know this would happen!! You cannot do anything like that at any forum because it would only be abused. "Buddy gangs" would give high ratings to their buddies regardless of content, and newbies or those that are not new, but just not known for a lot of posting would get bad ratings regardless of content. Anyone saying anything negative about SE would end up getting bad ratings, etc., etc. Then you'll have members with multiple accounts giving high ratings to their own posts, and more high ratings to their "buddies", and more negative posts to someone just because they disagree with them.
This would only exalt some to god-like status, and slam others to peon status in a continuation of the G index; widening the gap between the have's and have not's.
C'mon, think about it. Another Pandora's box we DO NOT need. Just leave (far better than) well enough alone, this would contaminate things mark my words. I've seen it happen all too many times. You need to look at the FUTURE repercussions.
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Members do not need to be intimated here. This is, WAS, an "emotionally free" and open posting forum with total freedom as far as whom is doing the posting WITHOUT any intimidation. You will be classifying all new members as "idiots" who "don't know what they are talking about" just because they are new, when they could be consummate experts in the field. They'll be afraid to post out of fear of persecution due to the ratings. They may have 50,000 posts at another forum, yet they come here and they are peons and "meaningless" thanks to some ridiculous erroneous rating system.
Then those with thousands of posts would be revered as "gospel", everything they say is "totally true, indisputable and perfect" only because they have a higher rating. You'll have a "pissing contest" between someone established here with tons of posts, and someone with only a few, and everyone will think the one with the few posts is an idiot or moron just because he/she is new here or only has x number of posts, when the newbie could be the one in the RIGHT with the CORRECT information. Yet it will NOT be seen that way thanks to some asinine voting system.
I'll say it again; any voting/rating system will be abused and end up hurting people. Haven't you ever heard of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"??
I think this is a move by the forum owners or mods to get rid of members that are here to learn and post infrequently, to try and "keep them quite" or shut them up; and to (like I said) exalt certain other members to god-like status. This is EXACTLY what would happen. That's why the mods are for it. To take a somewhat level playing field, and tilt it in their favor.
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God Bless
-Clint
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