The Karma system is bothering me...

[Flick James]

I went through my karma-giving history and noticed I've never booed anybody. You see? I'm not a bad guy.

[AndyC]

To me it represents a popularity contest and I don't feel comfortable being "rated" (or judged?).

I think of it more as feedback. Sometimes it's hard to tell if something you've written has hit the mark as squarely as you thought it did. When somebody takes a few seconds to give me a thumbs-up, it tells me the joke I made was funny or the opinion I expressed was as convincing or thought-provoking as I hoped it would be. It feels good.

This goes back to newspaper writing. You have to give people a good read, and they don't always let you know how you're doing. And I used to get a little bit anxious when I'd stick my neck out in an editorial and then wait for some response. Would have been nice if the readers had a karma button they could push after they read something.

That said, I find I'm giving karma less than I used to. Mind you, if something strikes me as really good, I'll often say so in the thread.

And I also never boo people. I know I have done it a few times in the past, but it just seems pointless to me. If somebody says something I really disagree with, I'll argue with him, not just boo him. If I've come to the conclusion that he's full of crap and arguing is pointless (pretty rare), I just ignore him, unless he becomes a real nuisance to everyone, and then it becomes a moderator thing.

[ulthar]

And I also never boo people. .... If somebody says something I really disagree with, I'll argue with him, not just boo him.

I've boo'd a few, but NEVER for disagreeing with me.  I've only boo'd for the TONE of posting, and only then when it's a pattern.

You said yourself that it's feedback.  For those that spew hatred in their posts (and I've boo'd people for agreeing with me when they used that kind of tone).  I think of a 'boo' as a way to say, "Hey, you are not being respectful to the board...those that agree or not."

That said, I really don't boo a lot...I try to avoid it.  One or two "bad" posts...well, any of us can have a bad day or fire off something a bit overly emotional.  I look at a trend.

I like both the applaud and boo a TON better since we have to include the comment to go along with the change.  I think that helps make the system a little more 'real.'

[Flick James]

I'm not saying I've never been tempted. If somebody is just plain being a dick, then I think it's warranted. That's the only reason I ever feel like doing it.

[diamondwaspvenom]

I've never booed anyone, and I don't plan to. Even though I've disagreed with a few posters with topics about religion and entertainment, I've never found it necessary to boo the individual.

[SPazzo]

I don't think I have ever been booed by anyone, and I have only ever booed one person.  That was a user named oxode who made an off-colour joke on a thread concerning a news story about a 6 year old committing suicide.  I just thought it was too distasteful to get away with.  To be fair, I wasn't the only one who booed this user.

Other than that, I try to stay away from the "Boo" button, and only applaud people.

[Flick James]

I've gotten a few boos, but not a lot. I do express opinions that p**s people off sometimes.

[Olivia Bauer]

Smiting people for their opinions is stupid.

[Flick James]

Smiting people for their opinions is stupid.

Agreed. It's only if somebody is being a world class A-hole that I would consider the smite.

[ulthar]

Smiting people for their opinions is stupid.

That's an opinion and I should boo you for it.   

[Trevor]

Smiting people for their opinions is stupid.

That's an opinion and I should boo you for it.   

I don't laugh a lot these days but that certainly made me laugh.