The Red and the Blue of Politics and Religion!

I know how you feel. I had a 10 star rating from the time they instituted the stars until I made a post about raising my kids atheist or something like that and suddenly it was gone. Whatever. I really don't care. It isn't a popularity contest. I only rate people negative if their response adds absolutely nothing to the topic or they really tick me off because they are stalking all my topics just to disagree with me (has happened). Then I go back and rate every single one of them negative no matter what they say. Maybe I'm bad but it gets annoying after awhile.

No it's not right for someone to rate others negatively just because they disagree. I do agree with you that the negative gremlins are on the prowl right now. This exact same thing happen to me. Two days ago I had a pretty blue star and then yesterday it dropped to a red nine. I have no clue why!!! I didn't start any serious disscussions that could have caused people to rate me negatively. But apparently I upset someone, I just don't know who. The only time I use the negative button is when I see someone being extremely rude or harrassing another member or someone responds to a discussion of mine that has nothing to do with the discussion. Other than that I give everyone a positive rating, even if I disagree with them. By the way I gave you a positive rating for this discussion. I hope you get your blue star back soon!

Hi Tetchie, I reckon a lot of people are missing a few relevant factors when they worry about the star rating. First and most obvious (as pointed out by a few other respondents here), the star rating is a popularity contest. Plain and simple - it really doesn't matter what the administration here might say or how they might attempt to fluff it up into something more sophisticated. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and molests passing cats like a duck (which is why cats are afraid of ducks), then it's most likely a duck. Same here - it looks like a popularity contest, it behaves like a popularity contest, and it accosts chipmunks behind the nearest tree like a popularity contest, so why deny it (a rhetorical question)? A second and related issue - being a popularity contest, one might assume that there can only be so many people loitering at each level of achievement. This means that if there are some new myLot members who've clawed their way to the top, then it follows that someone else has been bumped from the top position to make room for them. It doesn't necessarily mean that negative ratings from other members is the culprit - it could simply be that other members are getting more positive ratings. All in all, this tells me that the star rating isn't quite so versatile an index as it's made out to be. But that's hardly of great concern, unless the star rating is factored into the value of one's posts for compensation purposes. That would be bad, because it would mean that myLot members could deliberately sabotage another member's earnings by giving negative ratings to their posts. Yes, Yes, as emphatically asserted by Crash, myLot uses a diabolically clever algorithm to determine the star ratings assigned to each member. I'm sure that the outcome of the Miss Universe pageant involves similar sophistication.

Negative ratings should only be given in my opinion to posts that break the guidelines. One or two word responses, foreign languages, or flaming posts. Other then things like that I can't really think of why people should give a negative. If you don't like the response, don't rate it then. Just ignore it but just because they disagree there is no reason to give it a negative. We should all be mature enough here not to feel the need for "revenge" on someone just because we don't like what they say.

I don't give a negative if it is something I disagree with because, it is a opinion for one and its freedom of speech. Everyone can say what they want in my view. But giving a negative for a disagreement is rather immature in my personal and honest opinion.

Another person complaining they lost their 10 star. -_- Don't take that the wrong way, its just a drag system overall and things can be worse Tetch. **************************** Come back to me when you've been sent to rank 4 after 24 hrs of starting on mylot. Come back to me when you've earned rank 8 and get sent back to 5 in 24 hrs. Come back to me when it takes several months to advance a single point. (Not a single star, a single measley stinkin point! i.e. 64, 65, 66) Come back to me when you post discussions like this http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1360349.aspx http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1360501.aspx and responses like this http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1460382.aspx http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1459593.aspx http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1453238.aspx http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1424025.aspx and you get told your activity isn't "quality" ************************************************* Long story short, that star rating is broken and just a large popularity contest. As for your questions, yes there are people who go around negativing others and they'll get friends to help (or multiple accounts). I've had to go through star vandalism three distinct times. So no one, not even lot itself will convince me "they don't exist". No I don't think its right to give negatives when you disagree. That is not only dishonest its against the rules.

How come I miss these confronting sorts of discussions? I'm not sure what ou are referring to but I'm more than ever convinced that the star thing is BROKE! I do not agree that a differing opinion should rate a negative. That's just immature and stoopid! But there are some very petty people around. Please don't worry about it...it just aint worth it mate.

It seems so petty to mark down a negative, simply because you might disagree with someone. I don't think I have ever marked more than a handful of negatives since I joined here. If I don't agree with someone's posting then so be it, but I won't mark negative purely for that reason.

I absolutely do not think it's right to give a negative rating if I don't agree with someone. It clearly says that in the guidelines but that doesn't seem to matter a bit to these gremlins you mentioned. I've come to look at it this way - if that's what it takes for some people to get their jollies, going through someone's posts who had the gall to state an opinion other than their own, that's time they're NOT using to earn points or money here. In the end they're only hurting themselves. Also, if they used the time they waste on giving out minuses instead trying to present their point in a reasonable and intelligent way maybe they'd even convert some members to their way of thinking! I have some friends here with whom I rarely agree on political issues yet I consistently give them positive ratings and often even give them BR because they don't play these childish kinds of games themselves and when they disagree with something I or someone else posts they do so in an intelligent and mature manner not by being abusive and disrespectful. Good post! You're not alone in having this done to you. Annie

I've never had a blue, but I did have a red star for a while. Personally I believe that a low star rating is a Badge of Honor. I've noticed that those who sport a blue are the myLoters who tend to agree with everyone. (Their fear is showing) I take pride in my low star rating because I like to wear my honor where all can see! I will always tell it like I see it, and May the Devil take the Hindermost!