Well let's put it this way. You mentioned poker. What if I am a whale and I really dislike poker. So I down vote flag posts about poker because I think they are worthless.
What does that say to the people that do like poker?
Is their interest meaningless due to a whale not liking the topic?
If so this platform is truly in trouble.
The easiest thing for the whale to do is not read posts about poker. Don't vote on posts about poker.
Yet it leaves the rights of people that do like poker to continue to award each other.
Also... for the record. It has not happened to me yet. I've seen it happen to quite a few people though. It is not just a whale issue. It can potentially be an issue when anyone of power to influence you down votes you.
So my question is this... If I don't like poker, why should I be able to impact the votes of you that do like poker? In my opinion it shouldn't mean a damn thing that I have no interest in poker. I just go vote for things I do have an interest in.
That way everyone can express their interests and it ceases being about others dictating what interests should be rewarded. Is the steem power I earned to reward as I see fit and exercise power truly worthless in the event someone with more power doesn't have the same interests as I do?
hello @dwinblood, i am sorry if my use of the word " poker " made you a little angry, as indeed in retrospect was probably not at all the right use of phrase concerning this subject being treated here. It was just an image of the risk investment involved and I think when one is confronted by such a thing its hard to digest and may put you in a vulnerable nervous space creating possibly later irrational reactions. I am not advocating at all what might be happening. But I think I made it clear in my first comment that this downvoting i did not see or experience personally. but I can see and understand that this has been your case perhaps and so i do understand your anger As anything abused brings harm for sure. We need balance here and support, not the reverse, its clear.
So you say too like me that you have not personally been down voted. But you create this post just to bring light to it !! I see ! Well I think the Witness might be a good solution no?? So maybe suggest it up ! I am really not in a posistion to put pressure anyhwere. It just needs to be addressed perhaps and this system of checks and balance be brought to bear before we leave Beta. As yes it could and yes will do damage potentially to the Steemit politics of doing things I feel. A great community we are and we should remain so no @dwinblood? So with all that said I now upvote your determination and sense of right and wrong here on this platform and the community present and future. may the Force be with you ; - )
It didn't make me angry at all. I have noting against poker. It was just something you mentioned that gave me something to use as an example. :)
If you had commented about Fish I could have made my response to you about fish. Poker just happened to be a TOPIC I could use as an example. So take my response to you and insert ANY TOPIC you like and it will hopefully illustrate what I was saying.
Also, I am not angry. I am definitely concerned. :)
Right you are then !! so put like that it,s clear that a downvote can be seen as a weapon to your economy and reward of course. So does it have a negative effect on your reputation also?? I am not sure either !!
Perhaps it might be a good thing that in the instance of a flag being made, that this could be exposed in writing from both parties to explain the reasoning to our trusted witnesses system say !! A " judgement " to be made for the better of the community as a whole, that its settled by a recognized group without it being , my concern, visible to other,s outside our platform !! Could this be a way @dwinblood ?? that if later the witness,es were to estimate that the flag in question was a knee jerk style reaction and not particularly fair, it could be reversed and the rewards calculated before the flag be reallocated to the offended user ??
this subject worries me and I am fairly new here !! ; - ) I do not have really any details of what is being reported here as again I say I have been ever downvoted myself.. But I do see you making an opinion that must be perhaps looked into somehow and resolved if possible. We must preserve the good behavior we i think see generally here, or we will be just like all the rest !! Do we need to be if we build a machine which does work for the better good of All, Big and small we can enjoy a civility and gain through¡this way to Unilateral reward.
I like the idea of the witnesses being able to arbitrate on such decisions if it is a case of false flag. You can't really reward the person after the fact since it is pulled from the steem pool for the day it was awarded.
As to reputation if someone with a greater reputation (note: reputation system is not same as steem power. @stellabelle is one of the highest reputations but is not a whale) down votes your post it can negatively impact your reputation. This has been tweaked quite a bit so I am not absolutely certain how the reputation system works at this point. It seems pretty effective. It also protects you from negative votes from people of lower reputation than you. Again, I am not sure how it is.
As to being new here... I started on July 7th. I love the idea and see it's brilliant potential. I also see these blemishes and I haven't been on the receiving end, but I've witnessed it and I extrapolate that to what happens when someone really wealthy buys into steem and purchase a bunch of steem power outright? Yes, that will increase the value of steem and will be beneficial to value of our investments... but there is also a negative. They now have the power to down vote into oblivion any topic they don't like, or anyone who disagrees with them.
Anyone that thinks this will not happen with the current system is I believe deluding themselves.
It is in beta, so part of me speaking up is trying to get positive changes in place before the end of beta if there is still time.
Once we are out of beta then posts like this would only really be useful for community organization.