It is not the points, rather it may be an indicator of a trend among the demographic of individuals. For example say I participated in a car club, where all members where experts at vehicle technology and then over time said BMW jerks took over more and more, the information would start to reflect their preference (BMW tech) and thought process and at some point there will be a event horizon where it seems like all car club members are jerks and all information was being presented by jerks who think so little of opposing viewpoint that they would disable your car, for something as petty as making a point that maybe a particular Mercedes technology is superior. I personally don't like information that is biased by ego. I am not saying that HN is close to that, but it was not long ago that the thought of someone systematically down-voting another member in HN would be unheard-of. My point was not that I am on the cusp of leaving but rather I share the concern that with HN's growth we have to be aware of possible decline in quality and discuss ways to ensure the quality that HN provides.
> am not saying that HN is close to that, but it was not long ago that the thought of someone systematically down-voting another member in HN would be unheard-of.
Oh really? When was this time?
I ask because I saw it the first time I noticed points. Is that because I'm a newbie?
> I share the concern that with HN's growth we have to be aware of possible decline in quality and discuss ways to ensure the quality that HN provides.
And the relationship between HN quality and "inappropriate downvoting" is?
I ask because I saw it the first time I noticed points. Is that because I'm a newbie?
I only noticed it twice and that is the reason I asked about the issue. It may very well have happened before, that is what I was inquiring about, to understand if it is widespread.
And the relationship between HN quality and "inappropriate downvoting" is?
I think you are looking for something empirical which is not what I am basing my view on this subject on. Rather I hold some core values and that is what I am basing it on a value system as such it is internal to me. To me a widespread demographic of people who downvote out of malice compromises that value system, I would not want to participate in such a system. In saying that, I am not saying that HN has come to that.
And you're not going to tell us those "core values".
I apologize I thought I was clear on it, I would not want to participate in a forum with people that's conduct is below a conduce standard that I hold myself to, If I felt that such conduct had reached a threshold of my tolerance for such behavior.
I don't know about your "core values", but 1% doing something every other month doesn't strike me as widespread.
I don't know if my case is even a true case of it or if it is widespread hence me asking if other people have seen the pattern, therefore the exact value of when it would send me over the edge is unknown. I do know that if it where happening to me once a week or so, I would probably give serious consideration to not participating in posting comments at the least. And I would also tend to view contributed news as having the possibility of being posted by such people that have little regard for the quality of the site.
Anamax, you are missing the point. He doesn't care about any of the ancilliary effects that come as a consequence of the down voting... but the person who is clicking on the links clearly does see some worth in the "sniping behaviour". That behaviour points towards the reverse of the cultural norm that most people think of when they think of HN.
To directly address that question, no it would not affect my purchasing decision, but it would affect my decision to join a club for BMW owners and associate with those members. To me, I view HN as more of a social group than a product.
Why? Karma points are meaningless.
Suppose that you thought that a lot of BMW drivers were jerks. Would that affect your decision to buy a BMW?