i dont want a guidline... i want to know when YOU do it.

Never.

I don't, actually. Too much work and what's the point? Forgive the pun.

when someone says something stupid

I never have. If I disagree with someone's answer or question, I just don't rate it at all.

I don't :)

I don't. If a question or answer is vulgar, abusive, argumenative, bigoted, or racist, I flag it as such. Sometimes, but not often I will flag one as nonsense. The staff can then decide whether it should or should not be removed.

Well alot of people seem to when it disagrees with their point of view. Not many people here owning up to it though...

I don't. If I don't like a question or answer, either I flag it or leave it alone.

I don't, any more. I will FLAG, but not DR. If I don't like it and it doesn't fall into the spam/offensive, nonsense or other flag categories, then I ignore it. NOTE: "Subtracting points" really does nothing to someone's points TOTAL. It affects the question's or answer's points, the questioner's or answerer's percentages, and the person who flagged them's "+ ratings given." In other words, if they give TOO many negative ratings, their percentages will be low, and they can be "caught", if you know what I mean.

I can't be bothered subtracting. I'm not trying to "punish" anyone on AB. I have gotten "snappy" in my comments once or twice, but I just ignore questions I don't like or answers I don't like. People get maximum points for answering my questions even if I don't like their answers. That's what this site is all about . . . in my opinion anyway.

I did it twice and it was by accident while wanting to give good points. I then gave the points back and explained to the user what happened.

i think ive only done it once and it was because what the person wrote was completely wrong and inappropriate..

I don't think using the negative ratings is the same thing as taking off points. It only reduces the approval rate on the question. The points on the "level" stays the same. Read this, by Joel Downs, the creator of Answerbag: "Answerbag brings trust to information on the web. Every bit of info on this site can be voted on, so trustworthy answers are promoted and the chaff is weeded out. People just like you tell if they think an answer was useful, and if most people agree, you'll see that answer is "trusted." This lets you know that it isn't just some loony like my Uncle Herb giving you his answer - it's a group of people who have come together to agree on an answer. The Internet has brought about the first time in history when people around the globe have had the ability to freely share and compare their knowledge and expertise. Gone are the political and geographic boundaries that once restricted information flow. Now is the time to compile the knowledge of the world so it can be easily found, validated, and disseminated to those who need it. Answerbag allows the people of the world to share not just information but knowledge with each other, to improve each others' lives, and benefit the global society.

I don't. Personally I think the whole idea of taking points is potentially subjecting people to abuse. I guess not adding points isn't enough for some. (?) I give points to any question that peaks my intrest enough to answer and I give points to any answer in that question that I agree with but to DR someones opinion, (IMHO), is just wrong.

I take points away if the person answering the question tries to pretend they know what they are talking about and clearly don't. This is very rare however.

I don't.

There are 2 reasons and I rarely do. 1- When a person asks a question that is offensive or just plain ignorant. 2- When someone gives an answer that is not helpful in any way to the person asking the questions. or they are so incorrect with their information. I never use my own opinions, I have more discipline than that. I try very hard to use facts and only facts.

I take off points if the person is completely wrong in their answer, or they are completely inappropriate and/or offensive. I do not take off points if a person's opinion is different from my own.

a)Questions copied and pasted from some other site b)Offensive questions c)completely misleading in answers

I have only done it a few times. Each time the answer was either completely vulgar or his/her answer was insulting another ABer. No need for that junk on here.

I do it on a case-by-case basis. As I write in many of my comments: "Ron giveth! AND Ron CAND AND WILL taketh away!" Thanks for asking your Q! I did my best to answer it. I hope the information helps. VTY, Ron Berue Yes, that is my real last name! Sources: Some personal observations and opinions. "THE University of Hard Knocks" Also known as ("a/k/a") "life's valuable lessons".