Right now we have the downvote and the flagging system. A downvote, in my opinion, should only be cast together with a flag. Hence, I would propose that we incorporate the flagging system into the downvoting system, meaning that all downvotes should have a reason(like flags). Now, if this downvote is unjustified, it will be like a declined flag, and too many declined downvotes(in this new system) will warrant one to be suspended from downvoting. Can this proposal be implemented? Any objections?
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11How do you propose to tell when downvotes are justified or not? Please do note that downvotes on metas, particularly on feature requests indicate disagreement. Also, where do these flags go? Because, as a moderator, I absolutely do not want to adjudicate the validity of votes. That's not my job.– CatijaCommented Jan 14, 2018 at 5:33
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13All my down votes are justified. don't ask about my up votes though ...– rene ModCommented Jan 14, 2018 at 7:09
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1Wow there we go. Another 10 downvotes. You still think they're unjustified?– iBug says Reinstate MonicaCommented Jan 14, 2018 at 8:52
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2Downvotes on Meta are for disagreement, so the downvotes on this question aren't unjustified, it's just people who disagree with you.– Donald DuckCommented Jan 15, 2018 at 18:00
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1 Answer
A downvote, in my opinion, should only be cast together with a flag.
You did a great job into thinking it wrong in the first place.
Flags were initially (and is still mostly now) intended to notify moderators of contents that should be removed. One of the reasons for moderators to choose from when declining a flag is:
declined - flags should not be used to indicate technical inaccuracies, or an altogether wrong answer
So your first step to error is there.
Meanwhile, downvotes are meant for bad answers, such as suggesting jQuery for whatever JavaScript questions, or answering a C++ question in Python. These answers aren't suitable for a flag as they are honest attempts to answer the question. Downvote them and comment how they're wrong is what you should do.
Finally, how do you determine whether a downvote is justified or not? IMHO any downvote that was intended to mean "I think this is a bad question/answer" is justified as that's the correct use of votes. So your "unjustified" is merely something practical. Especially on Meta where downvoting happen more often on feature-requests and discussions. It means disagreement with the proposal or discussion (like your question). You want everyone flag whatever they disagree with? Or justify every downvotes? Then mods are soon burdened down.
answered Jan 14, 2018 at 5:38
iBug says Reinstate MonicaiBug says Reinstate Monica
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@XcoderX Mostly the same for main sites. Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 6:22
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Also I observed that this is the only meta site which affects reputation Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 6:23
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1@XcoderX that's because it's the only Meta site that really has reputation associated with it. It has no parent site.– CatijaCommented Jan 14, 2018 at 6:33
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I feel like taking down this post now...😂it is ruining my reputation Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 8:48
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@XcoderX LOL. Unfortunately you can't now. Don't worry about that. Go find a question and post a decent answer. You need only 3 upvotes to compensate. Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 8:52
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Haha. Actually you can remove your answer but nah, I’m not so mean. Honestly idrc about my meta rep Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 8:53
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2@XcoderX Get used to it. Meta Stack Exchange is the only meta that has reputation. If you write a few answers you'll soon enjoy the high amount of voting on Meta accompanied with rep :) Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 8:55
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Yes @iDebug I will keep that in mind. Also thanks very much for your answer and opinions Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 8:56
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@XcoderX If you're worried about your reputation, you can dissociate the question from your account, which will reset your reputation as if you never asked the question and remove your name from the question. Note that if you do that too often, your account risks getting deleted (source), so don't do that too often. But if you only do it once there's nothing to worry about. Commented Jan 15, 2018 at 18:07
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Thanks @DonaldDuck but I don’t think that would be necessary Commented Jan 15, 2018 at 21:37
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@Ramhound One upvote on an answer would suffice. No need for a positive score. Commented Jan 16, 2018 at 14:34