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Would you please not post this sort of meta dross? That includes adding references to downvotes in your comments. For a substantive comment, all of this stuff needs to be edited out.


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While I didn't love your tone throughout, I downvoted for the "META" comment.

Couldn't you just post your own thoughts instead of downvoting my comment then? Or if you find it irrelevant just ignore it? What does downvoting add? Personally I don't care if you want to downvote, but your justification doesn't make any sense.

I downvoted you because meta-discussion of when and how downvotes should be used is irrelevant and boring.

I'm disappointed that I was downvoted to 0 on this one. I didn't think I was overly argumentative and gave an honest response to the parent poster. I hate meta-comments, but they wouldn't be necessary if people wouldn't moderate based on personal agreement/disagreement.

Whatever the results here, I want to use this opportunity to strongly object to all of the meta-scoring-discussion that I see more and more of ...

Editing your comment, or adding additional comments with things like "why the downvotes ... ?" or "not sure why I am being downvoted because ..." or "you can downvote all you want, but ..."

By all means edit posts and post followups and continue the discussion, but please, please let's stop injecting literal references to the scoring system into the conversation itself. It's distracting at best, and really narcissistic at worst.


I didn't downvote you, but your comment doesn't add anything to the public conversation, it just clutters it. Just click the upvote button next time.

You're being downvoted because you're not contributing anything at all to the discussion. It's a lowest of the low effort sort of comment. If we tolerated that then, by the very nature of requiring little effort, they would quickly drown out substantive comments.

Just downvote if you don't have anything to add, instead of a shallow and unconstructive comment.

Downvote and move on - adding a low-value comment of your own worsens the problem in some ways.

I appreciate your comments - thank you. I don't care about the karma for the sake of the karma. I care about the karma insofar as it reflects the sentiments of the community. I used to cross-reference duplicates of the same story because I thought it added value for people to see the different points of view from the different sources, and it helped avoid getting a split discussion with the same points made over and over and over again.

It became clear from the down votes that the community as a whole didn't want that, so I stopped. On the rare occasions I think it's worthwhile to put such a cross-reference I'm always a bit sensitive to the reaction. I've always tried to be a useful member of the community and not simply say "screw 'em."

My attitude is changing.

I'll say no more. It was meta-discussion like this that got me a deal of hate last time. If you want to say more, email me.


I downvoted both of the comments in which you mentioned your downvotes. Talking about downvotes adds absolutely nothing to the conversation.

You downvote me for constructively adding to the conversation and I'll downvote you. ;)

I didn't downvote your post, but I can see why others might feel that it doesn't contribute to the conversation because basically the only possible responses are "Me too" and "You are wrong". Adding the complaint about the downvote would ordinarily get a downvote from me, but I'd already used my vote in search of justice.

Anyway, consider the downvotes editorial feedback and perhaps taking advantage of the opportunity to improve or remove what you have written.


If only I had two downvotes for this nasty insinuation, to distinguish it from the rest of the off-topic meta-arguing.

You’re going to be downvoted, not because of your questions, but because you decided to put “please bring the downvotes” at the end of your comment. Why would you undermine yourself by sticking such an antagonistic comment at the end of your post?

I didn't downvote you, but I have to wonder why you didn't just edit out your self-described spiteful bits, instead of leaving them in and pointing out that they are spiteful.

I downmodded because the discussion was getting too meta :P

I don't personally know why you got downmodded, but karma isn't that important in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, it doesn't add anything to the conversation to add meta conversation about people not liking your comment. It happens sometimes, and it isn't any fun, but things work a lot better for all of us when we all just move on.

From the HN guidelines:

"Resist complaining about being downmodded. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading."


Imagine downvoting a post asking you provide references you rely on to make your point.
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