the nods

[essen]

Now that we've had the nod system in place for some time, I'm curious about what other people think of it. I personally think it serves no good purpose. It seems people either don't care about the nods, or they call out into the internet abyss when they get negative nods and don't understand why. Or they invite negative nods upon themselves when they feel like they've said something that may offend people (though often I have noticed this results in a positive nod count). Some people get negative nods just because some other people find them generally annoying and negative nod everything they post. It seems that all the nods do is give people a way to passively voice their opinion without actually voicing their opinion, which I feel doesn't add to a discussion in any way and sometimes even detracts from it.

And to make sure it's clear, I'm not posting this in order to try to get merm to get rid of the feature. I'm just interested in what others think of it since I find the feature so strange. Sorry if I posted this in the wrong category but I wasn't sure where else it would fit.

[paratactical]

I think the problem with the nods is that many people just negative nod rather than engaging someone in discussion. This doesn't matter so much in random gabble or the like, but in a restaurants or politics thread it seems like people don't even post anymore, just nod.

But I've been pretty candid about my belief that the board has a problem with everyone agreeing and I think that the nods encourage that.

[bstewart]

I consider the nod feature to be worthwhile because it provides an alternative to  messages that say nothing but "yeah, you rock" or "yeah, well, you suck." I try not to take any (-) ones personally. (The (+) ones, of course, are well deserved.)

[Astoria Luv]

I could care less about the nods.  I don't feel any better or worse if I get nodded for my posts.  Granted, in the beginning I did.  However, as I got more comfortable with the board and posted more often, especially about controversial topics, I realized that I couldn't take the nods personal.  Besides, my job is contentious enough without having to worry about who doesn't like me in cyber-world. 

[Harlan]

I think the positive nods serve a useful purpose, but that the negative nods are sometimes disruptive.

[paratactical]

I think the positive nods serve a useful purpose, but that the negative nods are sometimes disruptive.

I think I agree with you. A positive one is saying that someone agrees, but with negative ones, you don't really know what they disagree with or why and that inhibits discussion.

[Astoria Luv]

I think the positive nods serve a useful purpose, but that the negative nods are sometimes disruptive.

I just gave you a positive nod for saying something useful!

[Alexa]

I like them, and I don't think that every time you disagree with someone you need to make a declaration about it...sometimes the disagreements warrant discussion, but sometimes it is very clearcut and a neg nod suffices...not as malicious, but rather as a disagreement.

[pineapple]

I think the nods are generally silly.  It is a blunt instrument and fairly has no meaning.  People negative nod when, for example, someone describes a bad experience in a restaurant but then writes a comment agreeing with the OP.  In this case the person is negative nodding the bad experience the OP had in the restaurant.  In other words neg nodding the restaurant.  Of course this doesn't really make sense when the neg nod in most cases is directed toward the poster.  And many, many times their is no reasonable explanation for a nod (negative or positive).  It is just silly.  (now don't get me started on the emoticons).

[goldfish boy]

I think the positive and negative nods should be abolished and replaced by two new nods: a neutral nod and an "I wish I was eating steamed crabs outdoors on some kind of deck right now" nod.

[paratactical]

I think the positive and negative nods should be abolished and replaced by two new nods: a neutral nod and an "I wish I was eating steamed crabs outdoors on some kind of deck right now" nod.

I would totally click the second.

[wasabisam]

I have to say that I like them and that I think that they add value to threads. For me it helps to show how more people feel - because even if some people were to reply "yeah I agree" not everyone will, whereas it seems that more people would simply click on the positive nod. Lurkers, who would rather not post, have the chance to offer their dis/agreement without having to actually step into the conversation if they are not comfortable doing so.

I'll agree that not everyone uses the feature in a constructive or mature way, but I have to admit that when I am on other discussion boards I find myself looking for those little buttons to click on. I'll also say that I am at heart a shy and quiet person, so perhaps that's one reason why I like it so much - it allows me be quiet yet still offer my opinion.

[essen]

pineapple, you hit the nail on the head for me. Sure, the nods mean something for the people who use them, but how are the people who receive them or the people reading the threads supposed to interpret the nod count? Especially since you don't have any indication of how many people responded in that manner.

bstewart, I would also rather have someone nodding than have a new post saying "I agree," but we didn't have a whole lot of "I agree" posts before the nod thing was started. As for posts that might've said "yeah, well, you suck," those wouldn't be allowed anyway. So the nods then allow people to anonymously vote that a person sucks, and it's pretty obvious when negative nods are more about the person who posted the message than the message itself. This is mostly what bugs me about the nods. Well that and when people wig out when they get negative nods.

[daisy]

I'm really not into the nods, and I often bump up a person's negative nod when there's no explanation of why it was done, and especially when all the person was doing was expressing their opinion on something trivial as what songs they like to listen to.  I said this once, and it triggered an entire new thread on the topic of why nods were the greatest thing around.  It took on a life of it's own, and I was stuck defending myself and feeling stupid and then just annoyed that anyone cared if I upped a nod.  I'm wasn't the only one who disliked them, but I realized I have better things to do than waste my thoughts on dealing with them (nods), so I moved on.  Which is what I do now with most posts that get touchy, as in politics, religion, etc.  I have other things to do.  Life is short, and who really cares about such trivialities as nods?  Moving on....

[bstewart]

Two ideas:
(1) Monetize the nods, like Facebook would: charge people a dollar to nod someone.
(2) replace them with maybe cookies and kisses.