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before you downvote everybody should be forced to enter a commemnt why you downvote.

Edit: I have no idea who typed this. Must be a mistake from someone with my posting key!

Downvoting can play a significant role on Steemit, It's a great way for the community to regulate the content that they want. Its just common decency to give an explanation unless there is a blatant reason. I like this suggestion.

regulate the content that they want

Very bad reason to down vote. Do you walk into a store and see a type of food you dislike and pull it off the shelf or pull out a marker and start writing all over it?

Likely the answer is no. So why should you, or me get to dictate what OTHER people can like? We shouldn't. We should focus on what WE like, and let other people focus on what they like.

Down voting stuff simply because it is content you are not interested in or dislike is a VERY bad idea.

^This X1000. The same tool that punishes spammers and plagiarists is being used for difference of opinion. This has far reaching consequences, and that is apparent with the 7% retention rate for new accounts.

Yep I finally got hit pretty hard by it yesterday. A big bot net slammed my post that was doing fairly well to 0. All the negative votes came in at the same time from a large group of botted accounts. I am turning it to a positive. Lots of good data came from that. I am still mining it for data but, I will do an investigative report here soon.

Exactly..

Are we witnessing a Steemit feud? ;)