A request... (related to downvotes) · 3:42pm Aug 21st, 2014
Before i go anywhere this is NOT a butthurt blog post, i promise. It is just something i felt like sharing my opinion on.
The upvote and downvote system was implemented for a reason. it allows readers to see what stories have a positive reception and likewise those that have a negative reception. It can give a potential reader an idea of how good or how bad a story might be before they even read it.
Keyword: MIGHT
The system is a double edged sword. while it provides insight, it can also be used negatively. I come to everyone reading this post humbly as someone who is... in fact... guilty of using the downvotes for the wrong reason. I have in the past downvoted a story without even reading it either because the author had pissed me off or because i was sick of seeing a certain theme was so popular for reasons unbeknownst to me. Looking back it made me feel childish and i immediately went back and removed as many downvotes as i could... at least the ones i remembered.
This was about a month back when i tried to purge my little miffed actions, but i couldnt reverse all the damage. I was thinking about this now and felt the need to encourage.
I HEAVILY encourage anyone who downvotes a story... to leave a comment explaining why. Some authors only have the upvote/downvote system as in indicator of how their story is doing... and when no constructive criticism is given, a downvote can come off as a pointless act of aggression. This is not how i specifically feel about it, but i know there are some who might feel this way.
So please please PLEASE. i know the chances of people who have downvoted me seeing this are super slim, but this is something i want ALL of my followers to see. If you downvote something, let the author know and tell them why. I've seen more than one new writer give up because they have no idea what people dislike about their writing. Even if it's something as simple as not liking a shipping or you think it's overdone. At least the author will know WHY you downvoted and you won't leave them confused.
Again, not a rant. I did just receive a fresh downvote, but it only reminded me i wanted to post something like this.
Just something to think about, i only have the site and all of my fellow writers in mind. 
I try, but there are times the story is just so bad, I can't even put it into words on how I felt.
I have only ever downvoted two stories, and those authors know exactly why. Sometimes people don't want to leave reasons. One I think of is that they are upset they didn't have that idea first. So what?
Good post. I very, very rarely downvote a story, and those are only the ones that are just so terrible that nobody can ever read them. But I always explain what they can do better.
With the downvoting before even reading thing, that has always bugged me. My most popular story has probably close to 125 downvotes simply because of having Flash Sentry in it. I understand that there were probably 50 other people that genuinely didn't like the story, but I've only gotten about 5 negative comments ever about the actual writing, and not just about it having Flash Sentry in it. A few other people told me what I could improve on, and I always appreciate it. I just wish more people did that.
Calm, there's no words to tell you how much I feel the same way.
I've been saying the same things for months.
I downvoted your story Piercing the Heavens on the grounds that I am a total dick
(Joking, I haven't actually downvoted it)
Wait...so were not allowed to have multiple accounts to down vote stories that we think are horrible?
2388433
i hear ya there brother. While it doesnt even come close to comparing to that, all of my SoarinDash stories received 6 of their downvotes within the first day of it being posted. it always felt like people were either waiting for it, or anti-shipperswere instantly taking a swing at it. It's frustrating to know that happens.
(But Flash Sentry... it still befuddles me why people straight up hate him so much. I understand the whole deal with brad and how his character wasn't developed much and what not, but sheesh, it's like people go on crusades about him.
)
2388434
yeah downvotes don't really get to me too much anymore since my stories have grown in popularity... but i will never forget how crushed i felt when i came back the next day after submitting Soft Spoken 2 years ago... and saw 3 likes and 3 dislikes. No comments. I felt really upset, and if not for the slow increase of likes and very friendly comments i received soon after i doubt i'd have had the urge to write more.
Whenever i see a new writer post their first story, if the same thing happens to them it seriously makes my heart ache, especially if i give it a look and the story isn't really that bad.
2388442
So this is where all the dicks hang out?
(Ooo... that was punbelievable...
)
2388456
egad... that's just wrong. (but i don't doubt it happens.
)
2388486
Sometimes I bet that would happen, but I was joking I wouldn't do that.
2388488
oh no, i wasn't accusing you
i have seen cases where people use more than one account. Not for downvoting necessarily, but it happens.
2388492
I do know someone with two accounts. But they use both to write stories.
2388476 Yeah, exactly.
I think some people follow me to instantly downvote my shipping stuff too.
And Flash Sentry not having a personality is a good thing. Then we all can make one for him. It's literally the same as every background character on the show!
Dont listen to the assholes Calm Wind! You're the best author of all time.
2388505
i know right! i love creating personalities for existing characters
I've had a field day with the background Wonderbolts, in fact i'm convinced my Wonderbolt characters have become more popular with my readers than the way i portray the characters that already have personalities
Hell, i made a ship from scratch (Thunderlane and Applajack) There were no rules, no cliche's, and nothing people had already seen before. I literally got to make it anything i wanted.
It's funny though, because i remember back when i wrote Flying Sky High, someone pm'ed me to tell me how wrong i portrayed Fire Streak
None of the others, just Fire Streak. Apparently there was another fic where they thought he was better... or something... and i was wrong because i didn't do it that way... i dunno, people can be weird. 
2388512
haha this wasn't really posted because of downvotes i've gotten, more to give my opinion of how the system could be used better.
But thanks
2388524 Wooow. Lol.
I'll keep that in mind. Good advice! (;
I agree completely. My EqG story, which is by far my most popular story, has 10+ dislikes and nobody told me why. I usually got disliked when I updated. It makes me sad.
2388636
Yep, that's the blessing and the curse of the front page. Whenever you update you have the chance to attract new readers with the latest updates box... but you also expose it to any people who may have personal vendettas against your interests. That goes double for the feature box.
2388476 DOWN WITH FLASH SENTRY!! DEATH TO WAIFU STEALER!
Also that pun was horrible
Almost as horrible as 'The Night That Never Ended' s PUNultimate Chapter.
I have to agree with this. I would like to know why Ive got the 5 down votes. Its a decent Urk and petpeeve to learn that someone doesn't like your story for the sake of your content and instead of giving you, the author, insight as to why and how it can be fixed or tweaked, just a phantom degrade.
2388681
i agree with you, i wish people would just tell me whats wrong with my story so that way i can correct it or make it so it was to everyones likeing but if i dont know why people downvote i dont know what to do iv come pretty close to just giving up on my story but im not going to do that cus my gol is to get people interested in a story
2388930
one thing that always keeps me going is thinking about the people who have left positive comments and upvotes. Focusing on the fact that there ARE people interested in the story you have to tell is always motivating for me
This rating game is much like giving a review on Amazon. You have to interpret down votes or low ratings carefully, because you never know what sort of bias or prejudice the reviewer may have. On Amazon, this is especially true of political works.
Also take into account that people who give down votes may have done so ACCIDENTALLY and are too embarrassed to admit it. It is probably a small proportion of the whole but it is probably not negligible.
I agree with you on the voting system. It really can be a double edged sword and too often, new authors give up because they got down voted too many times (I being one of those authors)
But the one problem some people have with leaving a negative, but constructive comment, is being attacked by a mob of fans that don't understand why anyone wouldn't like a story about Celestia's underpants (that was not a specific example, just something I pulled out of my ass) My point being, is a lot of stories that do have a very large fan base often have said fan base attack anyone who doesn't agree with them or their view on things.
So out of fear at being lashed out at (or just plain old not wanting to deal with the hate) people choose just to silently leave a down vote.
Do I agree with it? No, I don't, but I do understand where a lot of those people are coming from.
I sometimes wonder to myself if my stories are even worth being written.
It would be nice if Fimfiction had a better ratting system, say for instance something like metacritic.com. Hell, a scaling system of 1 to 10 or 1 to 5 would be better then what we currently have.
I only downvote a story if I have a good reason to, and I always try to tell the author what I didn't like. And something that I find really funny is that people are always complaining about how they don't know why people downvoted their stories, and I'm over here going "
Heh, I've only ever had one downvote, and I know exactly why without the downvoter even telling me.
" It really was a terrible last chapter. I wish I knew who it was, though, so I could tell them that I rewrote it.
Flashlight story or any story with Flash Sentry in it = auto downvote.
Me =
Why do people downvote stories because of a character?
2389935
people can be silly like that
2389980 I know, and it's ridiculous. There are some extremely well written Flashlight stories out there that have like 20+ dislikes.
That used to be me a fair while ago, downvoting fics because I believed the pairings were stupid and make no sense at all. Most were f/f and m/m too.
I have since moved past all of that and don't do it anymore, even did what I could to reverse most of them, but it still happened and any time I recall those times, it genuinely frightens me that I let myself behave in such a way.