#poll

Poll: Flags or Downvotes?

Polling Steemians Thumb.jpg

Hello Steemians, we want to hear your thoughts on whether we should replace "flags" with "downvotes" on steemit.com, which is why we’d like you to participate in this poll. Specifically we will be changing the icon and some of the verbiage that users see when they click on the icon. This idea has been brought up in the past by community members through various channels. You can view some of that discussion here: Change flag to downvote #2258.

TL;DR

Do you think flags should be changed to downvotes? Leave a comment to this post saying “Yes” if you would like flags changed to downvotes, or leave a comment saying “No” if you would not like flags to be changed to downvotes.

Why?

There are two reasons why we would support this change. First, a “downvote” is more accurate as that is what the action is called on the blockchain level. The reason why Steem has downvotes is to enable the Steem user base to self-regulate and police the distribution of tokens from the rewards pool. If Steem only had upvotes, that would enable people to exploit the rewards pool while leaving other users without the ability to counter that behavior.

Downvotes are a critical function from a game theoretical perspective. Rendering a downvote is technically just a user expressing their opinion that a post is overvalued, but a flag connotes a negative moral or legal judgment about the content. That creates a negative user experience and engenders confusion in the mind of the user with respect to how the protocol functions on a technical level.

The Role of Steemit.com

We believe that part of steemit.com’s function within the ecosystem is to be the most accurate visual representation of the Steem blockchain. Steem can be used to power an infinite variety of applications, but it is for other developers to explore those opportunities. It is our responsibility at Steemit to ensure that users and developers who are new to the ecosystem are introduced to the blockchain in a way that maximizes the odds that they will be able to rapidly acquire a deep understanding of the protocol so that they can come up with new and innovative uses of it.

Communities

The second reason why we would like to experiment with downvotes is because the Communities specification also has a flag component that is effectively identical to the more typical use of that element in other social media applications. Thanks to flexibility of Soft Consensus, flags in Hivemind can be used to satisfy whatever subjective standards a community desires to enforce, freeing downvotes to serve the specific application for which they were intended: regulating the rewards pool.

Dialogue Suggestions

For now, we only plan to replace the flag icon with a downvote icon as a test. We are not making substantial changes to the text used in the dialogue box that appears when you click on the Flag icon, so we would love to read any suggestions you might have for changes to that text in the comments section below.

We want steemit.com to be a great experience for you all, so let us know what you think by completing the poll below.

The Poll

Do you think flags should be changed to downvotes? Leave a comment saying “Yes” if you would like flags changed to downvotes, or leave a comment saying “No” if you would not like flags to be changed to downvotes.

The Steemit Team

Comments · 242

@denis-skripnik(50)· 2662d
Yes
@currentxchange(57)· 2672d
Can we have an update on SMTs please??
@scalextrix(63)· 2673d
Accounts in poor standing should not have a downvote ability (negative rep) and downvote weight should be at 100% for accounts of rep 25 and over. for accounts lower than 25 rep the downvote power should exponentially be sacrifices for every 1 rep point lost (until zero)
@lichtblick(77)· 2673d
No.
@maxocoin(38)· 2674d
Yes, I always thought that the "flag" was for reporting offending content!!
@grottbags(56)· 2674d
It would be good to have both options available. Perhaps the perfect system design needs them both eventually anyway? I imagine you'd need to be able to differentiate between harmful-extreme negative content and simple-overvalued "boo" posts.
@stealthtrader(69)· 2674d
Great choice! The new Upvote/Downvote is very cool!
@fraenk(63)· 2674d
YES

Downvotes are an integral part of this platform's economic model, just as much as upvotes are, they are equally important and useful and should be represented as such. I was delighted when I discovered this change just now.

I hope this will help with some awareness and legitimization of downvoting as a measure to curate the platform.

Also, I think quite some newbies stumble upon the flag thinking it means something completely different, like bookmarking. The relationship of flags and votes, being essentially the same, remains obscure to many users of the platform.

I hope this becomes a permanent change!
@bashadow(70)· 2674d
Why even ask when you had the intentions of doing it anyway. Like the peoples opinion, the users, that their opinion really really matters. I mean if you are going to ask on such a trivial change and then do what you want and not even pretend to wait for the people to have a say, why bother asking the people/users for any opinion at all when you are going to do what ever the hell you feel like anyway. Why pretend that peoples opinion matters.
@igster(63)· 2674d
Yes.

It's the right step forward to introducing downvotes as an accepted tool to be used by any Steem member. People need to learn to accept downvotes as a natural thing that will happen to anyone as nothing can be liked by everyone. I hope this will eventually put "flag wars" to the end.

I'd also consider introducing a separate, smaller, pool for downvotes so people/curators can actively use downvotes without feeling that they're losing on individual level. We have to start thinking what's best on community level.
@beanz(69)· 2674d
Yes.

It took more than two years but it's about time users could redistribute rewards from an overvalued post without miscommunicating an attack on the author.
@lextenebris(64)· 2674d
YES
@promobot(61)· 2674d
yes
@drutter(73)· 2675d
Here come the downvote bots! :(
@mizej(57)· 2675d
@theycallmedan(80)· 2675d
Yes
@darth-cryptic(65)· 2675d
yes
@ajayyy(65)· 2675d
Yes
@kanedizzle08(55)· 2675d
yes
@elsiekjay(77)· 2675d
How About Upvotes & Downvotes,then Replace Flags with Report? Report for inappropriate content that can be manually moderated by your team & taken down if need be? Either way, if Downvotes will still affect Reputation then there's no use, just same old shit just a different name. Flagging accounts to oblivion is in a way censorship cause it hides away the affected Account's content, Which is not fair, Which would make Steemite no better than mainstream media in that regard. Maybe downvotes should ONLY affect the rewards and not the Reputation.
@jacobtothe(77)· 2675d
No, but . . .

We need a way to differentiate between bad actors and substandard content. Spam, plagiarism, fraud, and other abuses need to be signalled to the community.

@mattockfs's comment is spot-on. Bidbots are doing a lot of harm to the reward pool and artificially inflating the reputations of their users. Perhaps voting needs two tiers. Reward only +/-, and reward and reputation +/-. In the mean time, we need to keep the flag as an indication of dishonest users.
@travelersmemoire(58)· 2675d
I like calling it a downvote. As downvote signifies a person disliking a post while a flag makes it feel like someone is reporting a post

Posted using Partiko iOS
@astrophoto.kevin(69)· 2675d
Yes

But I think there are some more important thing to implement/fix first. Some weeks ago, I heard something about SMTs, I hope you remember too. Would be nice to see some updates and informations there.
@fermionico(81)· 2675d
Yes
@pagandance(56)· 2675d
This flag/downvote fake discussion post is extremely insulting towards the normal non-geek Steemit users.

Most of us here know who is responsable for the collapse of Steemit.

It is not the small fish who put effort in creating posts, often to see their reputation going downwards and being robbed by rogue witnesses.

It is the flag and downvote abusers that have made Steem tumbling down to 6360 Satoshi this week.

These apex-predators or top-abusers are among the top witnesses.

And it is time to take action NOW if we want Steemit to continue living.

Among the top 5 steemit abusers are:

@themarkymark (badcontent) @berniesanders / @nextgencrypto + some 100-300 other accounts @anyx (cheetah, steamcleaners etc)

These mega abusers, harrassers, stalkers that have chased many people away from the platform and stolen many earnings from authors should immediately and forever be banned from being witness.

There will of course be other abusers, but as far as I know these are the topdogs among them.

We have to get rid of them is Steemit is to survive.

There are without doubt very big interests involved in keeping Steemit as small as possible, as we see the same happening with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube where unwanted voices are being silenced.

That's why I think it is safe to assume that at least one of these top abusers is in cahoots with those that are pressuring the other social media platforms to silence critical voices, by banning, shadow banning and other techniques.

This platform has an exceptionally strong potential, but yet it gets dwarfed by anything else on the market.

There is no excuse why Steemit is nowhere to be seen in this list.

We all know who are responsible for this shameful situation and they should pay for that.
@master-set(65)· 2675d
There must be NO flags or downvotes. If you want to live in peace you need no spears. If you give people spears - they will poke each other "in a name of greater good". And than a flag war begins. For what? If you don't like something - just ignore it. If no one can hurt you, you need no means to hurt others yourself.

Flags must be abandoned. You can do so much more if there is no violence in system is possible by design.
@trafalgar(73)· 2675d
Yes

While I believe the reluctance to use downvotes is mostly due to economic rather than a UI reasons, I'd support any move to promote their use, however minor, like this one.

Overall, we're currently in a state where voting rewards are being used as staking returns through either bid botting or self voting. This is completely undermining the content discovery ability of this platform and is predominantly due to misaligned economic incentives.

While UI changes are welcome, I believe they'll make very little difference on their own. Having a certain amount of free downvotes (like 25% of upvotes) and bringing up curation rewards will likely remedy a lot of the economic problems and allow people to use their votes to actually reward content they find appealing. A tiny amount of superlinear can also help force all potentially profitable voting behavior into the light and prevent profitable micro spamming.
@briggsy(65)· 2675d
Yes. The flagging system is underused and only used by those abusing it.

That being said, there needs to be a flag/downvote history for an account built in to steemit, just like we have a wallet history. I want to make sure someone I'm upvoting isn't abusing their downvoting power, and currently I have to use a 3rd party tool to see that flagging history.
@arcange(79)· 2675d
Congratulations @steemitblog! Your post was mentioned in the Steem Hit Parade in the following category:
- Comments - Ranked 1 with 358 comments
@thedarkhorse(68)· 2675d
Before I answer I'd like to say thank you for asking the community vs just moving forward with what you think is correct.

I'd say Yes call it what it really is which will help new users understand the purpose of the downvote.

As someone that is looking forward to the communities functions I think we need both flags and downvotes to run it more efficiently. To be able to make a flag just something that needs to be reviewed by community leaders or whatever other purpose is assigned is great.
@shadowspub(77)· 2675d
yes
- having said that it might be worth considering have both the flag and downvote function but have them differ.
- leave the flag function as it is and where it is but have it apply to inappropriate content and abuse. The ability of the larger stakeholders to be able to influence rewards of abusers is important in the absence of a centralized authority.
- put a downvote button on the right side of the rewards amount display but have it run on an algorithm which will impact the rewards based on the number of downvotes rather than on stake. Sort of after x number of downvotes, the rewards drop by y% type of thing.
I think that something like this would better reflect the community response to the value of the post rather than a single large stakeholder being able to kill it.

Putting the downvote button near but not beside the upvote sends the message they are opposite actions.
@yoginiofoz(60)· 2675d
No. Flagging still seems important with regards to folks that abuse Steemit. If there was a way to check for abuse with the flagging, that would be great. Or maybe you cannot flag until you have a higher rating (say 50), which means you are invested in this community.
@ats-david(75)· 2675d
Yes.

And why TF has this taken THREE YEARS?
@lennstar(66)· 2675d
Yes

But I think just downvoting is not enough. Ther should be a flag possibility. I can't see how to implement this in a way that cannot be abused though.
@sacra97(77)· 2675d
I lean for a yes. And I would like to have more warnings before placing that downvotes @steemitblog
@novacadian(65)· 2675d
No - Downvote War does not have the same ring to it as Flag War. 😎
@themanualbot(72)· 2675d
Yes!
@namiks(77)· 2675d
It would entirely depend on how the changes are implemented.

As of now the flag works. Depending on how downvotes are added, it could change things for the worst.
@stackin(78)· 2675d
YES
@trayan(71)· 2675d
yes why don't you use dpoll for this? ;)
@mgibson(69)· 2675d
Who will decide a post should be downvoted? How can you say that no one will use this feature to exploit the system? I remember there was a Decentralized platform called dmunity. The platform was new and used to distribute ERC-20 token for creating content. It had both features downvote and upvote. Most of the articles on dmunity were downvoted without any perfect reasons and none of downvoters ever used to give any clarification for their downvoting activity. However the platform couldn't survive and shut down completely. And What about the users who buy upvotes? If their posts will get downvoted what will happen next? I am not against of downvote provided it should be used properly.
@onnovocks(50)· 2675d
Too late; I'm powering down. As a paying customer I will not put up with the infinite power of a sociopath with a large wallet to wipe out everything that I worked for days to create. Yep, it takes 2 days to make a halfway decent music video and a split second to wipe it. Do what you want, and thanks for a very unpleasant experience on Steemit. Although I didn't come here as an investor, I came looking for an alternative platform and was willing to pay to use it, I am leaving as one. You'll not get another drop of sweat from me, ..ever.

Good bye and good luck.
@suntree(60)· 2675d
Nothing. Just talking to each other
@pagandance(56)· 2675d
There is some positive aspect of this surreal flag/downvote post.

After 2 years being on Steemit, I learned there exists an idea called "communities". Have no clue on wether it is already implemented or in the pipeline to put in action within 3 years or so.

Anyways, found this interesting post of someone who last posted on Steemit six months ago

https://steemit.com/steemit/@wanxlol/a-look-at-the-steemit-communities-feature-aka-subreddits

Alas, I am unable to upvote it in a monetized way, or however you may call it.
@pagandance(56)· 2675d
Guys, just had to power up again to get some stuff posted here.

Imagine you're from some country where you make 1$ a day and have to pay to try to interact on this platform, while on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook etc. it is free.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE SORTS OF THINGS FIRST!
@sikhander(49)· 2675d
Yes.
@movingman(71)· 2675d
YES 100%
@cryptopie(78)· 2675d
Downvote with a slider option.
@zuerich(72)· 2675d
Downvoting should be limited, e.g. to 20% of a maximum upvote. There are flaggers/downvoters like @camillesteemer or @spaminator who downvote without reason and discourage people to create/post content.
@ili0braz(64)· 2675d
“Yes”, I propose to make price on Dislike and comments = 0.001STEEM, so that this is a tool of communication like/dislike, and not climbing pockets. Disliked - the author disappeared for an hour (-1), day (-2), week (-3), month (-4), year (-5). Feeds should be interesting, but not disgusting because of haters. (And besides, the blockchain has dPoll:)
@evildido(61)· 2675d
Yes
@ocrdu(71)· 2675d
This makes me wonder about your priorities.

Do whatever you like quickly, and then move on to more important things.
@mattockfs(61)· 2675d
Yes and No, depending.

I would like to suggest the flag/down-vote terminology should be implemented according to impact.
- If the flag/downvote is going to result in reputation damage, call it a flag.
- If the flag/downvote only has concequences for the pay-out amount but not to the reputation, call it a downvote.
Ideally, I think, a change to the underlying APIs would be needed to further untangle the situation according to intent.
- Ideally, a high-rep individual should get the option to do an actual downvote without reputation damage to the receiving party. That is, a high rep individual should get both options where the downvote option should be free of inflicting reputation damage regardless of reputations involved.
- Expanding on this idea, a reputation-impact-free version of upvotes could help fix the inflated reputation problem caused by the use of bid bots. Allow bid-bots to drop their reputation lifting capacity voluntarily and user initiatives could declare open seizon on reputation-inflation bid-bot users if they would see fit to do so.
@jbgarrison72(50)· 2675d
Yes
@pagandance(56)· 2675d
During the siege of Constantinople in 1453, the Orthodox Byzantines were debating the sex of angels instead of defending the fortress. Thus the failure of the Byzantine world ironically stems from the disengagement of the Church from society and its immediate reality, while the event led to the spread of its knowledge to the West.

Does that sound familiar to someone in here? While STEEM is at an All Time Low, the guys running the show are discussing "should we choose a flag or a thumbs down"? hmmm... let us think about it for a while

this model?

or this one?

or should we go for something like this?

or more like this?

or let's make a compromise, a transgender neutral

Or let's just be real and take this one
@hasenmann(59)· 2675d
Something like a 4-eye-system. So that spmming downvotes will be detected and not approved.

https://steemworld.org/@camillesteemer Take a look here, and ask yourself what will happen if this guy and his retared frieds would have more power.
@four20(50)· 2675d
It won't make a difference when you have people who abuse the flag system, they will abuse the down vote the same with their 100's of accounts and bots. Being flagged simply because the flagger has issues with someone who upvotes your posts is unfair and will destroy the community. Just because someone is a whale does not give them the right to take down content out of spite for someone else.

What we need is a community appeal system. If the community finds a post was flagged for vindictive reasons and not for poor content, the flagger should lose reputation points and the poster should have the post un hidden and remonetized.
@schattenjaeger(71)· 2675d
Yes.
@madalchemist(50)· 2675d
Flagging is an act of war here, if I don't like a post I should be able to downvote it without getting murdered. Under the current system you cannot express your displeasure with the contents of a whale post. I would go as far as to say downvotes should be anonymous.
@nathanmars(75)· 2675d
Yes

Put two button next to each other

like 👍 unlike 👎
@georgeboya(67)· 2675d
Yes, flags should be changed to downvotes. It is easier for users to understand the concept. Flagging is sth i did not understood when i joined steemit. Also downvote or dislike, lets say is a button that the users of established social media like Fb having been asking for a lot of years. It is true that a downvote can do damage but it is vital to exist because people like to express their positive feelings and their negative ones.
@direwolf(65)· 2675d
Yes.
@ezzy(77)· 2675d
Choice seems obvious to me. Changing from "flag" to "downvote" is a huge improvement.
@fratheone(56)· 2675d
Yes!!!
@enjoycompany(57)· 2675d
YES Flag should remain as a way to report. Up and down vote should be widely spaced so no person clicks down vote in error.
@steemfeed(59)· 2675d
yes
@marcosdk(63)· 2675d
Yes, I prefer downvotes instead of flags. Neither of the two systems prevents abuse. For this reason, the method that causes the least damage in a situation of abuse is necessary. If no option is perfect, it is necessary to choose the least bad.
@steallion(63)· 2675d
yes
@hijosdelhombre(66)· 2675d

a flag connotes a negative moral or legal judgment about the content. That creates a negative user experience and engenders confusion in the mind of the user with respect to how the protocol functions on a technical level.

I think you got your answer right there. Keeping the flag and having a downvote would be my choice.

Also, could you make that if I select some text inside the post I can quote it in a more easy-fastest way? You could add the bold and italic shortcut too.
@dramatoken(62)· 2675d
Yes, please change the flag to a downvote.

The community is filled with misconceptions of what downvotes mean.
@tijanidamilare31(25)· 2675d
Yes
@ausbitbank(74)· 2675d
Yes
@steem-plus(74)· 2675d
Yes
@hotsauceislethal(66)· 2675d
There should be some sort of protections in place to protect smaller accounts from flagging abuses because Bernie Sanders likes to attack people in order to get his point across from what I've heard. Actions like this cause smaller accounts to quit out of fear and frustration which simply isnt cool. We need to grow not shrink our user base!
@kabir88(61)· 2675d
If you're here for feedback, you could start by removing the 7 day monetisation window for content. It encourages low value content as the author knows it can only earn income within the first seven days. If you really want to monetise the "long tail" of content, you need to allow content to earn rewards for as long as people can view it
@alvheid(53)· 2675d
Yes
@kabir88(61)· 2675d
Yes
@darrenfj(62)· 2675d
yes.

downvote without the negative connotations of a flag
@amsakhan(60)· 2675d
Yes
@riseofth(62)· 2675d
Yes.
@zanoni(66)· 2675d
Hello, You can call it how you want: FLAG or DOWNVOTE It's absolutely UNSOCIAL‼️ WHY? because of the system of steem. A user with high voting power can flag or downvote a smaller users account to zero. Many people left Steemit because of that already or stopped posting. So don't think about how to call it, think about to remove it. Have a good day Tom

Posted using Partiko Android
@nextgen622(76)· 2675d
Yes
@truthforce(69)· 2675d
Flags should be used for abuse/plagiarism/disagreement on rewards, when a flag is used it takes away monetary value from a post or comment.

Downvotes should be used on "disliking a post" to show that you don't agree with it/don't like it/whatever, but it doesn't take away any value from the post itself.

Just because I disagree with someone doesn't mean I want to take value away from their content.
@yumyumseth(67)· 2675d
Yes
@gregorythomas(25)· 2675d
Yes
@liondani(70)· 2675d
Keep both options, downvote & flag

1.What if the downvote could not be larger than the current biggest upvote of the post?

2.and flag should be by default 100% without option to change it
@viraldrome(67)· 2675d
I think flagging and downvoting being separate is a great idea. Like downvoting a youtube video just because it sucks is different than hitting the "report video" because the video has like animal abuse or something.
@traciyork(75)· 2675d
Yes.

Other people have stated reasons much more eloquently than I, so I'll just express my thoughts (as is my wont) via GIPHY...
via GIPHY
@abitcoinskeptic(75)· 2675d
YES
- Upvote is bottom left, flag is top right. Please move downvote to bottom right. Keep it opposite side to avoid accidents.
@bitrocker2020(79)· 2675d
YES !

Having UPvote and DOWNvote is way more recognizable in comparison with the UPVOTE + FLAG ! as illustrated below
___ # VS
@bossel(74)· 2675d
Yes.
@freebornangel(72)· 2675d
Negative curation should work as a mirror image of upvoting. Each valued equally in the math. Downvoting should be eligible for curation rewards, too.

How that is plotted in the math needs some discussion, but all this hate directed at negativity really needs to stop. Dissent is essential to finding the truth. Why should fake positive curation get rewarded when real negative curation gets stiffed?

Just the change proposed by the post is pointless. Those that complain will just use whichever term is suitable.
@luckystrikes(73)· 2675d
YYYYes
@maxer27(68)· 2676d
Yes
@remlaps(66)· 2676d
Yes
@kim0412(62)· 2676d
yes 100%

You have to state it correctly as a downboat. This is because I don't know well and I can click on the first one.
@dsonophorus(51)· 2676d
Reading a bunch of the comments, it appears like they are mostly opinions without much thought behind them. It is a very complex topic and people use down-votes differently than they use up-votes, so it isn't a simple symmetry. Honestly, the whole concept of up-votes and down-votes lies on some very questionable assumptions of group cohesion. For instance, the popularity of a movie tends to be a counter-indicator of it being a persistent cult classic.

As a society moves further away from 'healthy' 'unhealthy' things rise in popularity and 'healthy' things decline. Substitute X & ~X for 'healthy', 'unhealthy' to get the the generalized principle for any dipole category. I think when people publicly classify content in some way, they should be publicly classifying themselves as well. The current system doesn't have that aspect. Going back to the movie popularity example, imagine how useful it would be if you could factor out all of the votes from people who think car crashes are the most important aspects of movies.

Another example: Imagine having a popularity contest for fruit. If strawberry wins and it also happens to be your personal favorite, you would probably see nice effects from that result. If your favorite is actually orange, you may see some kind of negative results. Most people may actually prefer something other than the popular fruit. What does a popularity contest achieve? Is it intended to validate the people who like strawberries? Provide a social pressure to people who like oranges to conform?

This isn't a dissertation, so that is enough to hint at the serious problems underlying the popularity assumption. I personally don't think any particularly interesting results are going to come without looking at the bigger meaning context. I.e. it doesn't really matter what you do with down-votes because it will still be fundamentally flawed.
@treepi(65)· 2676d
Downvote implies content you disagree with. Flag implies content that breaks rules. I say stick with flag.

Posted using Partiko Android
@nazasaad2000(6)· 2676d
Flag will be much easier.. Just a click
@michealb(67)· 2676d
Yes.
@greer184(62)· 2676d
Yes
@bitcoinflood(80)· 2676d
Downvote makes more sense since you are upvoting on posts.
@phoenixwren(73)· 2676d
So the function works the same, it's just a name change for clarity? Sure, yes. But I'm confused by the hivemind communities part you mentioned - does that mean when we get groups someday, there will be a new, separate function called flagging that works differently? Or am I totally lost? LOL
@angrytwin(44)· 2676d
#downvotes sounds so negative though -
@ssjsasha(74)· 2676d
If i had an Apple Pencil I would screenshot and draw what I recommend but pretty much a red downvote button to the right of the pending payout amount.
@khufu(55)· 2676d
How about you fix that stupid fucking ad that drops down at the top of the page and obscures obscures everyone's profile and hides the follow button.
@theadamprost(66)· 2676d
No.
@prydefoltz(75)· 2676d
I would give a big fat 'NO'.

To my mind a flag should only be applied when someone is posting outright illegal subject matter. It should not be about one's opinion of what constitutes a valuable post. There are individuals on here that I would never upvote because I do not personally enjoy what they produce. There are even times I find what they do to be offensive. But I also know that my opinion is not flawless and I should not rule the world or steem with it.

I was remarking to a friend from another social media site today, that steemit does not suffer from trolls the same way his said platform does. That is because the flag is effective, the way it is. Changing flags to downvotes would probably encourage people to use it. They would see it as an opportunity to express their opinions and that is is, in my opinion, what the comment section is for. The flag button should only be used in extreme situations. We should be encouraging people to support other bloggers and not downvote those we disagree with or even worse are jealous of because they have received a large payout.

Now that steemit is a monetized platform through ads. We want to encourage the folks on here to come back and come back often. You do not want them chased off by downvotes.

Generally speaking, a blogger receives upvotes because of two reasons. They have paid for promotional bots, which must maintain steem power to be of any use, or they have networked and produced in a sustained and positive manner. Either way, they are supporting the ecosystem that is steem and neither way should they be punished for it.
@timcliff(74)· 2676d
Yes. I support the change from 'flag' to 'downvote'.
@eastmael(69)· 2676d
If only a yes or no is accepted, I'll vote Yes.

But here's another idea, why not have both then use analytics and see which one users will most likely use?

I just think that there has to be a difference in functionality or use for each one. Like flags should be anonimous? I'm not sure. And flags should be reported or sent to a third party and then this 3rd party (@steemcleaners perhaps) will be the one who will take action on the report or flag.

I'm just concerned of the flag wars I heard that happened before.
@thedegensloth(60)· 2676d
Yes

As much as we have listened to people complain about being flagged it's about time.

That or emotions like Facebook would be wise as well. Though, id make it so users can set what %'s the emotions have. Say an angry face is worth -50% upvote or smoke coming out ears is 100%.

Regardless users are going to complain, the better option is to keep flags but for steemits benefit to log abusers. So, id say keep flags and add downvotes.
@distantsignal(66)· 2676d
Yes.
@d0zer(61)· 2676d
Yes and no.

The downvote/flag process should be reviewed. Right now, if you have a lot of SP you can downvote anyone you want even if they don't deserve it. This happens a lot. So much abuse. This needs to be fixed ASAP.

We don't care about the names.
@marki99(62)· 2676d
Yes. Much more clear.
@ayowolf(48)· 2676d
Yes, use downvotes but this should not be at the top of the priority list.

Posted using Partiko iOS
@roswellrockman(60)· 2676d
No. We should have both. I also believe I should have a say about not having ads on my blog site.
@mys(63)· 2676d
Yes
@thoughts-in-time(68)· 2676d
No.

Let’s be real for a moment here, after Steemit rolled out the first condenser the dotcom folks quickly learned the reasons behind flagging cannot be policed, controlled, or regulated.

This is when STINC threw in the catch-all "disagreement on rewards" as if applying a bandaid to a bullet-wound ("problem solved"). I’d like the ability to disagree with the content of a post without affecting its reward potential.

Afterall who am I to tell someone their writing efforts isn‘t worth what someone else is willing to reward them via their hard-earned or rightfully purchased steem power?

So, why not just keep the flag tool as it is with all of its specious reasonings, but also include a downvote button just on the condenser side, or with json transactions that don‘t affect the reward potential.

My idea doesn't remove the ability to flag, nor does it encourage flagging. It would provide an outlet for people to disagree with a post ideologically without conveying the illusion or reality of fuckery.

Just imagine a world where not only could you withhold from your waitress her tip because of poor service, but you could also do an action that erases her days' tips. For good or ill, on this platform, we really don't have to imagine that hard.
@viverridae(63)· 2676d
Yes
@itstime(61)· 2676d
yes
@stablewon(65)· 2676d
yes
@circa(62)· 2676d
Yes.

This change could allow the community to provide a greater range of feedback.
@onthewayout(62)· 2676d
Yes
@dunsky(70)· 2676d
Yes
@howo(76)· 2676d
Yes
@cityofstars(66)· 2676d
No it's not a new thing that makes steem stronger it's just changing the name from flag to down vote BUT if you guys are going to do that please don't put the downvote button beside upvote button because a lot of people will click the wrong button like if someone wanna upvote he/she will click downvote by wrong and vice versa :) peace.
@bidesign(64)· 2676d
Sorry but this is more important than flags or downvotes for me now

https://steemit.com/steemit/@bidesign/here-is-how-to-see-images-on-steemit-when-broken-4hegqgby
@steevc(80)· 2676d
Yes, as some people get all upset by a flag.
@chesatochi(73)· 2676d
Yes and is a pleasure to see new change on the way.

Posted using Partiko Android
@jrcornel(82)· 2676d
To be honest I am not even sure why this is a poll. You guys should just fix it. Clearly it is a "yes". Having upvotes and downvotes would be much more congruent with how just about every other social site works, don't even ask, just fix it. A flag is something else entirely. Why is it that everything takes months on here? Literally...
@beatminister(67)· 2676d
Yes
@orkin420(61)· 2676d
Yes, this makes sense to me
@a0i(70)· 2676d
Yes, encouraging downvotes would be a great way to regulate the "trending" sections. And it could make bidbots unprofitable for low-quality posts.
@pdp-7(28)· 2676d
Yes.

I don't have that much experience of Steem but what others say seems reasonable.

If there is other more urgent things that need to be addressed then these trivial things aren't that important imo.
@patrickulrich(70)· 2676d
Yes.

Posted using Partiko Android
@flemingfarm(81)· 2676d
Yes. Semantics matter.
@anthonyadavisii(73)· 2676d
Flags
- The flag has become an icon within the antiabuse community.
- SteemDownvoteRewards is not NEARLY as catchy as @steemflagrewards
- There are more novelty flag accounts than downvote accounts. Much greater memetic potential in the former imho.
- Consistency. People have built things based on flags such as the latest SFR mascot. We have a culture around flags.
Yall went with flag as a label for downvote and I would prefer we stick with it.

Unless there is a functional reason, making these sort of changes should be avoided as it breaks dependencies / relationships.

As I see it, this change is more cosmetic than anything. I vote for "Save the Flags!"
@reggaemuffin(66)· 2676d
Yes
@victoriabsb(75)· 2676d
yes
@southernwolf(54)· 2676d
Yes! Considering most every other stem platform refers to it as "Downvoting" I think it is important that Steemit recognize this, and change the verbiage to say "Downvote" instead of "Flag"
@dobartim(77)· 2676d
Ban from list of followers - This is the best solution. Flag - downvote = fear
@camiloferrua(72)· 2676d
NO. This is the real use of those features, but people don't understand it.

Downvote means the opposite of upvote. Flag means the content is not appropriate for the blockchain because of its nature.

I think it's necessary to have both features, because they are important to the blockchain, I just think the buttons needs to be placed together, and when you click on them should appear a pop up telling you what that action means and its consequences.

Besides that it seems to me that downvote should not be able to have so much weight against the user unless that vote is given several times, because many users with power can simply harm other users without any logical reason.
@wakeupnd(69)· 2676d
So you're basically just putting lipstick on the pig?

You're just changing the name and not the actual functionality of a flag/downvote it sounds like to me. So all the negativity is still going to be there because most people don't flag to counter an "abuse" of the reward pool. 99% of flags are used to punish so called bad behavior like spam or plagiarism.

Also flagging is used as a form of censorship by punishing posts that some may deem inappropriate or offensive by taking away some or all of the monetary gains from that post in an effort to discourge that person from posting more "offensive" things in the future.

I get that countering the abuse of the reward pool is an important issue but I see abuse of the pool going like crazy now with the use of upvote bots. So is it really doing what it was designed to do? I don't think so.

I would personally like to see fagging removed completely from the code or at least the monetary impact and if things get out of hang with reward pool abuse than add it back in but I think the community would be a much happier place without flagging and all the drama it causes.
@maxsieg(57)· 2676d
depends: if you flag an original post its a flag. if you downvote a comment its a downvote.

the original post has some creational value attached to it and unless that guy really wrote some hatefull shit if you flag that you are a penis that does not respect content creators being paid. this btw already has been implemented on busy.org
@tobias-g(70)· 2676d
Yes, making them a dislike/downvote will make them feel more natural and less of a big deal as a flag may suggest from our use with other platforms.

Posted using Partiko iOS
@gremayo(60)· 2676d
In my opinion, what difference does it make? When all steemians know what a flag means and a downvote means... I think we should give more importance to those users/bot that flag good contents for no reason at all so that they could get everyone´s attention...
@foxyspirit(65)· 2676d
How about yes and no and then no. You vote for one means you encourage it. You vote for another, you are frowned upon. I would say yes because it would stop the stupidity with flag wars and I would say no, because it encourages downvoting in stupid ways just like the flag wars.

And then just plain NO to this whole dpoll. The focus shouldnt be on this at all. Think about it. What is the main reasons for flagging, and the main reasons for downvoting. The real reasons. Now that system is being abused, there are bots flagging and downvoting and people being too easily insulted getting all butthurt so they use those clickers to make themselves feel happy with what little (or big) revenge they can have.

So put the focus on something more important than just changing the "look" of things. It's a waste of time.
@cienpascal(54)· 2676d
Yes
@transisto(75)· 2676d
Yes

Downvote button next to the upvote one that cannot go below 0 rshares (hide content)

List top votes with downvotes at the bottom. (less visible)

We could extract some very valuable curation from the few downvotes that may occur. It won't affect the reward distribution or "people exploit the rewards pool" until there are cheaper downvotes implemented in the form of a separate downvote pool that doesn't take from your upvoting power.

https://steemit.com/steem/@transisto/improving-negative-curation-a-downvote-button-vs-flag-explained-condenser
@isnochys(67)· 2676d
Yes
@edicted(83)· 2676d
I already call flags downvotes because it makes more sense.

Steemit should do the same.
@tarazkp(86)· 2676d
Yes

It makes things clearer. Can't use flags though for something else for a while as it now carries a connotation on Steem which will mean a lot of 'emotions' when someone gets flagged, even though it isn't a downvote. Should change over ttime if the community expands though.

Also... SMTs :P
@birdinc(60)· 2676d
[YES]
@preparedwombat(79)· 2676d

Rendering a downvote is technically just a user expressing their opinion that a post is overvalued, but a flag connotes a negative moral or legal judgment about the content.

Rendering an upvote is technically just a user expressing their opinion that a post is undervalued, but a thumbs up connotes a positive moral or legal judgment about the content.

See how easy that was?

Tempest, meet Teapot.
@kid4life(68)· 2676d
Who cares how its called... Fix other stuff and improve the platform from BETA
@donkeypong(76)· 2676d
Yes, it's a reasonable change, as long as it doesn't take 6 months to implement and delay other needed work. I'm pretty sure it's just the name of a button on the site.
@wales(68)· 2676d
I don't like it. we could have downvote wars now this is not good...but with a flag you don't lose any money with a downvote you would, and could lose all of it...it would also mean that freedom of speech is in jepardy...if you were afraid to say something because it could get downvoted then you might not say it you could end up as some soul less entity with nothing worthwhile to say because if you said something someone, or the establishment didn't like you would be ostrasized...in the form of downvote they have up and down voting on utube, but you don't lose any money from down votes and when i see a down vote i always think it is from some idiot not a valid thing. Everyone is different and do and say things differently some are so narrow minded they will fight you to make you feel wrong and down voting in my opinion is doing that...in an ideal system it might be alright, but there are too many ones who will miss-use it. So I say: no
@nateaguila(69)· 2676d
YES.

Posted using Partiko iOS
@jacksonchakma(65)· 2676d
Yes!!! 100%
@fredrikaa(74)· 2676d
Yes. Ideally introduced together with separate voting mana for downvotes.
@vikisecrets(80)· 2676d
Yes, could help self-regulate the platform better and does not sound as harsh as a flag. But maybe both are needed.
@bluengel(71)· 2676d
ETC

Both Needed !

Do Something Goooooood for Steem ♨ !

Posted using Partiko Android
@maxbullion(55)· 2676d
Yes
@kiwifi(75)· 2676d
YES x 10000000
@drutter(73)· 2676d
"Rendering a downvote is technically just a user expressing their opinion that a post is overvalued"

'Rendering a downvote'? Sounds like the team's verbiage has already changed. I also note that you argued heavily in favour of this change. I'm thinking it has already been decided and is just being fake-run-by the community to pretend there was some public consultation.

Sooo....

Flagging is just expressing the opinion that a post is overvalued? Wow, that's news to me! I've never been using flags that way. I've only used them on inappropriate content, people trying to glitch the site code, and calls for violence.

All those posts on the 'trending' and 'hot' tabs that are clearly overvalued are the legitimate targets of all our flags?!? Hmmm!
@firepower(80)· 2676d
Yes.
@mytechtrail(64)· 2676d
Yes,

Posted using Partiko Android
@holger80(75)· 2676d
Yes
@guiltyparties(74)· 2676d
Yes. Downvotes are meant to be used to regulate rewards. Having them as a separate flag gives the impression that they are to be used only in extreme situations where abuse exists. Flags were never meant to be seen as bad, they were supposed to be a natural part of reward distribution in the ecosystem.
@pjau(64)· 2676d
I'd like to rename it to "Apply Negative rshares". Much more user friendly. 😂 But sure downvote if you wanna be technical about it. I vote YES.

Btw, wtf is this BS I'm seeing, top banners while logged in?
@yaanivapeji(65)· 2676d
yes
@jeffjagoe(77)· 2676d
No. Please work on the development and mass adoption of STEEM.
@bidesign(64)· 2676d
Sorry, I don't know am i eligible to reply this question.

But both NO.

Because you are trying to block abusing but this won' t help in my opinion. Before these image revisions you must have a better solution for this "Abuse" concept.

Sorry I do not have any offering for this solution for now. But don't worry i am thinking about it.

Thanks for interest.
@steemmillionaire(70)· 2676d
I would have a different proposal: have a single sliding bar for voting, with 0 on the middle, -100 on the left and +100 on the right. How would you like this?

Posted using Partiko Android
@andreasgrubhofer(59)· 2676d
delete
@soyrosa(75)· 2676d
Yes.

Since downvote is the exact opposite of upvote it would make sense to use these consistently. Flagging is a different action than upvoting, it seems now, while in fact a downvote and an upvote are the same, just expressing a different feeling.

Implementing this would only make sense if it's also implemented visually: by showing that it's 'the opposite of the same action' by placing upvote/downvote next to each other - instead if in two different locations, which suggests it's a totally different action.
@donekim(77)· 2676d
YES
@powernap(53)· 2676d
Beating children does not help. Quit the flag and downvote(wars) which will also liberate us of persons like @camillesteemer.
@enforcer48(75)· 2676d
Yes.

I echo everyone else who shares similar sentiments.

And why not use DPoll?
@breadcentric(60)· 2676d
I can't make up my mind. What's better: flag wars with people dragged into it without any clear reason, or perhaps downvote wars with people dragged into it without any clear reason? I can't decide which name would make me feel better about hiding and hoping I don't get targeted by any of the sides.

Passive aggressive aside, i strongly feel much more could be done that would bring actual value: https://steemit.com/steem/@midlet/what-is-ux-and-why-it-s-the-1-problem-holding-steem-back
@lordbutterfly(80)· 2676d
YES

Sure, why not. It would change a few things but probably not much. I say go for it. Seems like a pretty basic thing to do.
@alexs1320(72)· 2676d
Should a doorknob on a burning building be wiped with Windex or Mr.Proper?

*Hint: who cares
@drutter(73)· 2676d
No.
Oversimplifying the flag system into "downvotes" is unnecessary and will produce unwanted effects.

Flagging a post or comment is done for specific reasons, and should be a very rare occurrence. People upvote sometimes just to show agreement. Changing the flag system to "downvotes" would encourage those people (a majority of the users) to use them to show disagreement.

Currently, we tend to show disagreement by commenting and laying out our thoughts. With the proposed change, many people will skip commenting on things they disagree with (after all, that will just get you downvoted), in favour of just leaving a downvote.

Flagging is for inappropriate content, direct attacks, and not too much else. We shouldn't encourage overuse of that by calling them "downvotes" and changing the warning popup.
@stevescoins(70)· 2676d
semantics either way.

people will respond just as emotionally to losing rep/$ by calling it "downvoting" at the exact same level they do when it's called "flagging"
@yabapmatt(72)· 2676d
Yes 100%. Downvote means the opposite of upvote. Flag means the content is not appropriate for the current community / user interface.

Posted using Partiko iOS
@grintsch(54)· 2676d
Yes

If we want to foster downvotes in general, they should appear like less of a punishment (flagging seems like you want to complain to authorities) and more of an expression of your opinion. This mechanism has worked with a lot of other centralized platforms and has provided mostly satisfactory results.

Many clients for Steem already employ this logic and - while one might argue that this hasn't changed much - average users will find this much more familiar to what they know from elsewhere.

Posted using Partiko Android
@aussieninja(70)· 2676d
Yes

Although, I'd really like to have both flags and downvotes. Flag for something inappropriate that should be hidden from Steemit.com and downvotes for posts/comments where I don't agree with the value awarded.
@eturnerx(69)· 2676d
Yes The term flag is closer in meaning to "report" while the effect of the action is more like a downvote. Change the words and icons.

Posted using Partiko Android
@apsu(69)· 2676d
Yes.

Especially newbies seem to have issues understanding what flags currently are. I've seen more than one user thinking it's some kind of "flagged so the moderators will check it"-type of things.

Being a downvote it'll be much simpler to understand.
@meesterboom(81)· 2676d
Yes.
@pagandance(56)· 2676d
I don't see what the difference is between a flag and a downvote, except for the name change. If the witnesses we all know don't like the content they didn't like before they will just keep on downvoting those posters into oblivion.

In my view Steemit does not need flags or downvotes, but it needs moderators and not some self proclamed bad cops/cowboy sherriffs that go rogue with their power abuse.

Flagging should be something very exceptional. And should be directed to moderators, preferably per category. That would also mean when you make post, this post has to be placed in a "category" like on internet fora, what should also facilitate navigating and searching stuff on Steemit. The #tag system obviously doens't work and only turns Steemit into a junkyard of randomness where it's almost impossible to find anything meaningful.

What Steemit users want to see though is:
- how much people have viewed your post
- how many people liked your post
- how many people did not like your post
and the "meritocracy" nonsense whereby super heavy weights can now at will upvote or downvote should be replaced by flat reward system.

With moderators per category, there would also no longer be an excuse for allowing these super aggressive and ennoying harrasment bots like cheetah, badcontent etc. that are operated by rogue witnesses.
@captainklaus(66)· 2676d
yes
@jondoe(76)· 2676d
I voted earlier, but is this really the most important thing right now? We haven't heard much from you guys for two weeks and we are now just talking about changing verbage??? Please tell me there is more...
@sco(65)· 2676d
Yes
@davedickeyyall(79)· 2676d
yes
@jondoe(76)· 2676d
Yes.

To go a bit further, flags and downvotes should be two separate things. Flags should be for abuses/violations of steemit.com rules whereas downvotes should be for disagreement of rewards.
@ma1neevent(67)· 2676d
Flags should be limited and only used for plagiarism, hate speech, etc and have it effect both rep and rewards. Down votes should be something seperate with a seperate vp and only hit rewards in my opinion.
@newageinv(74)· 2676d
Yes, Both will be needed for community expansion and moderations.

Posted using Partiko iOS
@ew-and-patterns(71)· 2676d
Yes.
@dobartim(77)· 2676d
No
@alokkumar121(82)· 2676d
Glad to know that you're asking suggestions from people. I think this is good idea but I would say there are many other important things to do rather than this one.

Posted using Partiko Android
@pagandance(56)· 2676d
What is "TL;DR" and "verbiage"?
@themonetaryfew(58)· 2676d
Doesn't matter much, but downvotes should have their own punishment pool (reward pool). So downvoting doesn't take from your upvote %
@anyx(70)· 2676d
Yes.

Increasing downvotes is healthy and important for the ecosystem, so much so that I am still a strong proponent of a separate downvote power pool. I agree with the other comments that downvotes should be more visually similar to upvotes -- it is an important UX decision that will be able to slowly change the culture to be more accepting of downvotes. The two above changes -- separate downvote power, and equivalent UX design -- would go a long way to better sample both positive and negative feedback on a post and lead to more "fair" rewards.

One consideration would be the continuation of "flag wars" to "downvote wars". I'm not sure the best approach for avoiding this becoming more common (perhaps hiding the list of downvoters from Steemit's UX would help) but with more prevalent downvotes it is likely retaliation will increase. It is a consideration, but the benefits outweigh this concern in my opinion.

Finally, the new communities interface surrounding a new form of "flagging" should be robust. Moderation is very important for social networks, and having robust tools for community leaders to clean their space is a key element for having a good public image and leaving good impressions for newcomers.
@smooth(74)· 2676d
Yes.

so we would love to read any suggestions you might have for changes to that text in the comments section below

Remove the dialog altogether for downvotes as they relate to users expressing an opinion about the reward pool. Alternately, replace with a brief explanation about how the reward pool works (upvotes minus downvotes as a measurement of stakeholder consensus) which should appear once for each user.

For 'flags' as a Communities feature, community managers should be able to customize the text.
@bryan-imhoff(69)· 2676d
Yes.
@justineh(72)· 2676d
Yes.
- As well as better information of what downvotes are and how they should be used. As Crim said, normalizing downvotes and changing the culture is key.
@lelon(54)· 2676d
Yes
@pet.society(69)· 2676d
Yes
@ddrfr33k(71)· 2676d
Yes
@ericburgoyne(65)· 2676d
Yes

Posted using Partiko iOS
@nikolanikola(67)· 2676d
I think that you have more important things to do on Steem, instead of dealing with such trivia at this moment.

P.S. Both, flags and downvotes are needed
@midlet(74)· 2676d
Yes, and to take it a step further you need to think about the visual communication of having the flag/downvote in a different place than the upvote button.

This communicates that these actions aren't related and it's inconsistent with every other social platform that has downvotes.

So something like this
@shaphir(62)· 2676d
Yes
@petecko(56)· 2676d
No

The flag distinguishes Steemit from other social networks. On other social networks, "dislikes" by merely expressing displeasure. But the "Flag" of the Steemit is much more. "Flag" is an educational element for the new Steemians.

Posted using Partiko iOS
@mylord1992(58)· 2676d
Hello bro, uh........ maybe we can chose”Dislike” How do you think?😘
@abh12345(80)· 2676d
Yes.
@chrisrice(68)· 2676d
Yes
@reazuliqbal(68)· 2676d
Yes
@battleaxe(70)· 2676d
didn't read why do you give a shit now anyways, shalom
@bluemist(66)· 2676d
Yes

Posted using Partiko Android
@arcange(79)· 2676d
Yes, although I think there are other more important features to implement on the steemit.com website than changing an icon or some terminology.

BTW, do you know about dpoll? Why not use it?
@meedo(46)· 2676d
.

Posted using Partiko Android
@whatsup(76)· 2676d
Yes
@bashadow(70)· 2676d
No.

A down vote has a much much more "... negative moral or legal judgment about the content." than a flag. A flag is simply a means to indicate there may be issues with a post. A Down vote is a definite moral judgement made by an individual about a post worthiness.
@javirid(56)· 2676d
Yes.

But only because of the consistency in wording. Leave the moral discussion to damn leftists.
@rabeel(71)· 2676d
Yes, Agreed.
@demotruk(75)· 2676d
Yes
@mentalhealthguru(55)· 2676d
yes
@crimsonclad(74)· 2676d
Yes.
- This is something has been talked about for a long time, and I'm glad to see it come under consideration. It's not going to magically fix the culture around flagging/downvoting, but most types of users have been socially conditioned toward feeling an aggressive response to the action of a flag. Normalizing voting down at the same level as up is a good start to helping creating a less emotionally charged ecosystem surrounding curation. The UI imagery and terminology flagging currently represents is something much better suited to each front end creating ways to express and regulate their own ToS.
@okean123(66)· 2676d
Yes

Posted using Partiko Android
@aftabkhan10(68)· 2676d
Yes

Posted using Partiko Android
@alexvanaken(68)· 2676d
Yes
@aaliyahholt(71)· 2676d
It's up to you.
@lordneroo(74)· 2676d
Yes.
@sumit1998(67)· 2676d
Yes , but it should not decrease the value gained by blog. It should be like indicators that indicates people are liking this blog or not
@therealwolf(77)· 2676d
Yes
@daveks(83)· 2676d
Yes
@artem-sokoloff(68)· 2676d
Yes.
@themarkymark(81)· 2676d
Yes
@ericet(73)· 2676d
Yes
@shaka(78)· 2676d
Yes

TL;DR

Why?

The Role of Steemit.com

Communities

Dialogue Suggestions

The Poll

Comments · 242

Downvote with a slider option.

Also, could you make that if I select some text inside the post I can quote it in a more easy-fastest way? You could add the bold and italic shortcut too.

YES !

Having UPvote and DOWNvote is way more recognizable in comparison with the UPVOTE + FLAG ! as illustrated below

yes 100%

No.

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