How do you view the Like/Dislike system?

K_Pepper · Very bored Joined: 08 Jul 2011 Posts: 156 Location: Here

So a small part of me has always been a little bit bewildered by our little " Smile

/

" system for rating art. It, along with favs, are what can eventually put a picture into the popular section for awhile, but what, exactly, causes you to hit that ol' like button?

I'm bringing it up because I've been utterly dismayed lately to see that someone- or maybe several someones- has been thumbs-downing some legitimately good art, leaving pieces that have obvious, legitimate hard work put into them actually being erased from the front page (yes, a negative rating actually denies the artist the right to have their picture shown on the front page's most recent submissions) when other pictures that have very, very little effort put into them fly straight to the popular section.

I don't want to point fingers or put anybody down, but it's upsetting to me to see good art not only ignored, but shamed, and five minute doodles glorified far above it. Shouldn't the thumbs up and thumbs down option be to acknowledge the work put into the piece, not how much we may like the artist as a person, or, in the case of the thumbs down, to use our own personal bias against the subject matter to push something off the page?

So how do YOU guys view the system, and how do you use it? Maybe I'm way off-based compared to everyone else's thinking, but this recent tendency to give negative ratings for no discernible reason has me wondering if it's being abused.

Morpher · Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 10:57 am Post subject:

I'm indifferent towards it. If it ever disappeared one day it wouldn't phase me.

I can see what you mean about it being abused in some ways to keep people off the popularity images section, and being friends with the artist and up-voting there work because of said friendship. however I feel that most on here aren't intentionally keep highly skilled works from appearing in the popular image section.

Me personally, I use the vote system to up-vote images that I myself enjoy greatly. Whether they are highly skilled works or not; if it's something I really like I'm gonna vote it up. I also up-vote when I really like the image but, words do not come to mind for how I want to express how much I enjoy the work so I just up vote it to still give my input. I don't ever down-vote someones work. I mean, what is honestly the point of down voting someone's work? I truly don't see any point.

...Favs put images into the popular pic section? I've only seen the votes contribute to that. You got three votes up on your image it will be there.
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K_Pepper · Very bored Joined: 08 Jul 2011 Posts: 156 Location: Here

I thought so far awhile, myself, but I started noticing a picture of two of my own going up with two votes and a fav.

Morpher · Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 2:43 pm Post subject:

^Interesting. Learning something new about this site all the time even after so many years. haha.
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TeeJay87 · Very bored Joined: 24 Jun 2014 Posts: 193

This system is useful in providing feedback, when you like a picture but not enough to fave it.

Firiel · Has No Life Joined: 13 Feb 2012 Posts: 620

I agree with TeeJay on the Likes end of things. I'm not certain about the Dislikes, though - I suppose it could be the non-confrontational version of "yeah I'm not keen on this," or even of "I find this subject matter personally offensive" - but if you really wanted to you could say those kinds of sentiments to an artist's face and give them a chance to defend their decisions or agree to disagree?

Jadis · Still very bored Joined: 08 Dec 2014 Posts: 337

I did not know I could increase my chance of not having to look at an offensive image by down voting it. I will now have to consider whether to start using the down vote, as there are some images on here I do find personally offensive which get popular because they are skillfully done.

I probably still won't down vote them, to do so would be slightly judgmental. I have not in fact commented that they are offensive either.

I don't know or care how the uproot works. I uproot if I like something, even f I don't want to keep it in my favs, as TJ said. I never down vote.

I vote for myself now and then when I really like something I posted. I think it's odd but nice that self uprooting is allowed. for some things I am the most important audience.

Morpher · Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 7:04 pm Post subject:

^I always found it odd as well that you could up-vote yourself, and I'm not gonna lie when I say I've up-voted some of my own pics for a time but, I soon stopped as I just found it kinda weird. I mean, I'd rather see what others think rather then inputting my own thoughts cause, well, I already know my own thoughts on my work. (Plus that's also what the "image description" is for as well.) xP
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Jadis · Still very bored Joined: 08 Dec 2014 Posts: 337

yeah I agree Morpher but there are times when I'm feeling down and I need any positive feedback I can get even from myself.

K_Pepper · Very bored Joined: 08 Jul 2011 Posts: 156 Location: Here

I did it once thinking, "Can I actually do this...? Wow, that happened. That's kinda funny." For the most part I don't, though. I also don't downvote things unless I truly think they don't belong on the site- being against TOS in some way, or lacking mature tags when they direly need them. (I'm not a prude by any means and I usually don't care about the mature tags, but if there's blatant sexual content and full nudity in a picture, that needs to be tagged. Not everyone here is an adult.)

Jadis · Still very bored Joined: 08 Dec 2014 Posts: 337

I don't upvote my own work often, only if I would have upvoted and faved it had it been someone else. Personally, I need to learn to give my own work the same respect I would give to someone elses. Since the system is set up that way, I think I should do that. It might seem a bit inconstant that we are told not to suggest our work for a feature but allowed to upvote ourselves. but it makes sense since upvotes are about sentiment and features are supposed to be about quality.

The down vote gives us a way to express disapproval without getting confrontational, so that might also be good for the community.

There was a month or two recently when I constantly had something in the "popular" feature, not so much because i'm good but because I have several active friends who always look at my stuff.

I consider it good that I don't have anything popular right now. That means more
people are participating. I'm not here to win a popularity contest, I'm here to share.

***
There's two ways to have my art always on the front page[not that I try but it sometimes happens] get the faves and upvotes ORRR...just post something more or less every a day. i love that they only show the last item posted on the front page, because I can post things all at once and not be spamming the front page, but on the other hand, it means I have to be carefull each time to post the thing I most want seen LAST, because only the last thing I post on a day gets seen by people who don't watch me.

and then, when something gets stuck in the approval cue it screws up my planning because I never know when that will suddenly appear. lol...keeps life an interesting adventure I guess.

TeeJay87 · Very bored Joined: 24 Jun 2014 Posts: 193

I have to ask:

Is it possible to check, who is voting the pictures after the account?

Stratadrake · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:20 pm Post subject:

No, the point of a like/dislike system is to be an aggregate of opinions, and not to pinpoint individual users who have voted one way or another.

Though some ability to break it down and analyze it could be useful ... maybe as a staff tool.
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TeeJay87 · Very bored Joined: 24 Jun 2014 Posts: 193

Agreed - it would help in fighting with some abuses.