good point! minus for you!

people only enjoy positive reinforcement. besides... people might just start downrating out of spite.

Its not really a bad thing, its a useful tool. But, it can be abused, and thats why it has such a bad "rap". I do downrate occasionally, usually with comment, and most likely because of an infactual answer, that should be "under" the more factual, or completely factual answer. Not to be confused with nonsense, which should be flagged as such, where appropriate. I think lots of people downrate instead of flag when it comes to nonsense and offensive material. I think that is nonsense ☺

Before there were points here, there was "useful" or "not useful". I doubt many of the current AB'rs here were around for that. Downrating is a useful tool. It puts garbage where it belongs. At the bottom of the heap. With this realtively new "points" system, it seems some people are putting their own " I never rate down" rating above all else. What does that do? For one, if they don't vote negatively for something that deserves it, it often times puts an answer up top that doesn't deserve that status over one below it. Kinda like not voting for the leader of your country. Don't vote, may as well take the blame for the outcome if you don't agree with it. The same holds true in reverse. It also skews a lot of stats. If someone gets on your case about downrating an answer or question, be up front. Tell them why. If they call you a troll or what have you, ignore 'em. They are the trolls. They're trolling for "points". This place wasn't originally designed as a game. It was to answer questions and to call into doubt crap answers. You have the option of downrating. Use it if you feel the need, just like rating an answer up. You can't go on a spree on someone either positively or negatively and...contrary to popular belief here, if you neg something, it doesn't take away from anyone's points. All it does is put that answer or question where it may belong. Thanks for having the guts to ask that California. Good question. Edit: Ohh..and that positive rate %. Do the math. If you are rating this: 2+2=? one answer says 4. Another answer says 157. You rate the correct answer positively 1 point, the mathematically challenged answer of 157 at -1. What's your %? It's 50% positive ratings. For anyone to have 100% positive rates in their profile actually translates to " I don't care about accuracy", I care about other things like "yeah, I can see how 2+2=157...neat huh...I have space aliens as pets and I like candy bars". Not someone I'd personally trust providing an answer or contributing in a meaningful way here.

If you've obtained 10 or more -5s in a span of a few seconds, you'd realize that it's a bad thing. It's called trolling. Where do such trolls get the negativity anyway? Oh well, I suppose they have terribly sad lives, and they use the anonymity of the Internet to feel good about themselves, even for just a few minutes.