Only people who are above downrating of questions and answers are given admission into the COAT club. A COAT will invariably use the comments threads to express disagreements and to resolve them through discussions. An answerbag COAT will never downrate no matter what!

Not at all Keithold. We are here to uprate those that are hit by trolls and offer a kind word. You will not be admitted into the COAT's unless you are above downrating with any manner of frequency. Invisible +5

I dont know of any COAT ever downrating anyone. Thats not our nature. I feel we are a great group of people who want to try our hardest to make the site a little better because we are here. Sometimes we get talked about badly but we try our hardest to just "Brush it off" and go about our merry way. We are human though just like the CLs..and we have feelings just like everyone else. I truly hope that everyone knows that our Duty and Goal when wearing a COAT is Only to Do Good..Not Harm. I know that if anyone was to ask a COAT for help, everyone of us would jump at the chance. And if we couldnt figure it out we would work our hardest to find someone who could. Thats Whats so Wonderful about being a COAT! ☼

1) As far as I remember, you need to have at least "95% + ratings given" to be accepted as a COAT. So you could theoretically have 5% of your given ratings as downratings. Well here it is: "COATS are asked to have and maintain a 95% + positive ratings given and to adhere to our mission statement. New members are asked to be at least a level 20 or have at least 1 month or more on AB. Junior Coats are members from [14] to 15 and aren't necessarily bound by the positive rating entry requirement at first (we try to work with them to bring it up if need be) and the idea is for us all to visit them and lend support and coaching as needed." Source and further information: http://www.answerbag.com/profile/?id=241558 >>>>> MODIFIED: Junior Coats: as pointed by Gingermix, the lowest age requirement for Answerbag is 14, not 13. 2) However, some users who want to become COATs have less than "95% + ratings given", so it is better for them not to give downratings for a time. The Answerbag Staff suggests that we don't give downratings very often anyway: "Downrating is for the purpose of identifying incorrect, unresponsive or otherwise not useful questions and answers, and should be used very sparingly. Remember that your positive rating percentage is available on your profile page, and constitutes part of your reputation on the site. Downrating because you disagree with or dislike the author is against Answerbag policy. If a question or answer is genuinely offensive, report it to the moderators by flagging it." Source and further information: http://www.answerbag.com/guideline/ (link "Site Guidelines" at the bottom of the page) Further information: "Categories » Answerbag » Clubs » COATS" http://www.answerbag.com/c_view/9687

Even though I'm a COAT, I do downrate occassionally when someone is being excessively rude or crass. The reason for the COATS is to undo the DR's given to people that get stalked by trolls who don't deserve to be DR'd. I don't give points to every DR because some are just deserved. I only will step in if someone is getting stalked and getting all their Q & A's DR'd for no reason.

Since I do not believe in Downrating anyway, I would say No.

I have a very high percentage of NOT downrating anyone and yet I do downrate a lot. It's because I give so many points that the DR's seem few and far between. I am sick and tired of people crying about DR's. They are fun and they are necessary.

I have a 100% and I just don't DR! I think it is a FIGHT WAITING TO HAPPEN! DRing does NOTHING except move your answer closer to the bottom! IT TAKES "NO" POINTS away from the person you DR'd! It is a wasted RED BUTTON! Most people don't have the BALLS to tell you they used it anyway! +5 keithold!!!

I have never down rated any one and have no intention of doing so. Down rates are a cowards way of objecting to a question or answer without having to leave a comment.

I'm not sure what COATs are and I don't care if I am downrated. I answer honestly and leave it at that.

I can't speak for the other COATs, but I only downrate in a specific situation, that is when the question or answer is openly offensive, derogatory or just plain mean, but it doesn't quite put a toe over that line to the point where I feel I can flag it. I have downrated very few questions in my time here.

I don't down rate because I expect to run into questions and answers I don't personally approve of or agree with. That's sort of the point of being here for me. Learning new ways of looking at things, seeing opinions that are worlds apart from mine.

I'm not a coat but I also rarely downrate anyone. I don't know if any of us should really downrate anyone. I haven't looked at your rating but you are such a nice guy I would be surprised if you ever downrated anyone. It has to be REALLY offensive before I would consider it. There are a few who I really have to use some self discipline to not give them a neg but they are a minority. I have a personal troll, I even know who it is. He comes around every few days and goes down my list of answers for that day and downrates them all then attacks me in one or two comments. LOL! It's all good. I get a laugh out of him. I tend to speak my mind and don't apologize for it. That really bothers some people. If you are afraid to speak your mind for fear of downrates than you are self imposing limits on your own freedom of speech. I just tell it like I feel it. When my troll comes around I just give everyone else a positive but him. It has the same effect of putting his response at the bottom and I don't have to feel bad for giving someone a negative. :)

We do not have any "rules" that state that we cannot downrate. The big thing is that we do not attack or act the *ss. We can disagree, and express our disagreement, just like everyone else. I get into a lot of debates and controversial discussions/debates. Should we downrate? That is up to each COAT member to decide. Some do not downrate at all. I downrate a bit but am, and have been, sparing in my DRs. I am more likely to comment than DR and, if you are DRed by me, you know it because a comment comes with it.

if they don't, the terrorists (trolls) win