Has everyone thought about installing a voting system for replies? I feel like that could be helpful especially with the coming out section of Empty Closets. It'd only take a minute to install via FTP. Maybe do a beta on full members?
I'll offer my opinion as a user of this forum - There's no doubt in my mind that an upvoting system could be helpful or nice to have in some situations on EC, but the idea behind an upvoting system is not one that I think fits with the overlying mission of EC - to provide helpful and resourceful options for people who need help with a situation. When you think about it, this forum is about telling someone their options. They tell us what their situation is, we suggest a variety of options, and they decide which path to take. All options are presented equally by members of the community, and it's up to the threadstarter to decide which option to choose (or not choose). All opinions are presented and valued equally. If you throw an upvoting system into that mix then things change. Stratification, popularity, and "upvotes" become a part of a forum that is about equality. Some users get reputations for making highly upvoted posts, or some users feel bad because their opinion isn't upvoted as much. It creates an unequal vibe, and that's not a vibe I want to feel when I'm browsing this place. On top of that, it discourages discussion. If someone supports my idea, I want them to quote my post and tell me they support it, or if they don't support it, tell me why. Forums are about discussion, which is why upvoting systems don't always fit. Anyway - this is just my opinion. Upvoting works well for some sites (Reddit, social media, etc.), but I don't believe it would fit into EC.
Valid point but at the sametime you can have an upvote system without having a reputation system. Ultimately it is people's decision but having 10 people agree with someone's response could be helpful to people. + I know a lot of people if they agree, they don't bother responding because they think the same thing and they feel like it's a waste of a thread. You could also make it so people can only upvote or "like" or "favorite" a response. They wouldn't downvote and replies with still be in order by response.
This seems like the "like button" debate, which has been discussed and debated many times, and the staff said that that would put too much of your reputation to numbers and votes which isn't the mission of the site. I agree 100%. JMHO
I post (or used to post, technically) on a forum that does this. Last I saw a thread on this, it was said by a mod that they don't do it here because this is a support forum and you really don't want people not feeling like they're being supported. This is a very nice idea on paper, but in practice, it really doesn't help (especially in heated debates). I, at least, have personally felt a little left out when someone who will post a fair paragraph gets about 8 likes on average, when my post that is thoroughly thought out and presented complete with links to sources, gets maybe 2 at the very most, even (and especially) when I know there are other people who agree with me and have read and replied to the OP. I know my self-esteem isn't the highest, but I also know that there are people who have come and gone that have had much lower self-esteems.
Many members in this thread have already accurately touched on this subject. Although it is a respectable idea, it just wouldn't be possible to have a voting system without reputation and validation becoming too much of a priority on the forums. In instances where you support what a member has to say, I would recommend posting in that thread, referring to the points they have made, and/or sharing your own opinions and experiences. Hearing different perspectives, or even the same perspective through different words, will always be more beneficial than accepting any set few of responses as flawless.
We've considered it many times, and one of the values that the staff and board of EC hold pretty highly is inclusion and belonging (the antithesis of shame.) The risk of "like" or "upvote" functionality in a support community is that many people here are already dealing with low self esteem and shame, and so an upvoting system is a double edged sword: For people with self-esteem issues, it's easily possible to attach self-worth to the external validation of posts that they write. They start to feel good because people are upvoting their posts. From a shame perspective, that isn't healthy, because then, if some of their posts don't get upvoted, they start feeling bad... or they start posting solely to get validation. And at the opposite end, the person who needs a lot of help, who might not be in the healthiest place emotionally, won't ever get upvoted, and will end up feeling even more shamed. I know that a lot of communities use them. I can't speak for the board, staff, or admin team as a whole, but I know that when we've considered it in the past, we've opted not to offer those options for the above reasons. It really isn't appropriate for a support community to be rating and judging the comments of those seeking or providing support, so it's unlikely that it's something we'll be adding any time in the near future unless our position changes pretty drastically.
MMkay just thought i'd suggest it. I get you want to include people but I thought i'd be helpful to some people which is why I suggested it. I wasn't sure if you guys have looked into it before.
