I guess I still don't understand what downvotes are for... I THOUGHT that they were like flags, where you downvote something to show abuse or rule-breaking or negative behavior. (Like being ticketed for breaking the law.)
But I've been getting lots of downvotes lately (as in four on my last six or seven posts), and I haven't broken any rules. I tag properly, I use only art or photos that I create, I don't beg for upvotes or follows,...I just write my stories, share my drawings, and blog about what I'm doing and thinking---same as always. AND, I spend a lot of time editing my posts to try to catch as many spelling, grammar, flow, and logic errors as I can. I'm usually proud of what I post (even if it's silly.)
And, granted, the downvotes have all been from lower reputation accounts, so they haven't really affected payouts much, if at all, but it's still odd.
Is downvoting just because you don't LIKE something an acceptable behavior? I mean, I don't like LOTS of stuff: country music, gardening tips, football, alternative "health foods" and so on, but I don't go around downvoting everything that I find uninteresting. I just figure, "It's not for me, but some people like it, I guess," and I move on.
But am I missing the point on downvotes? Should I be finding posts about stuff that I find uninteresting and use my downvotes on those, even if they are following all the "rules" and proper etiquette, just to make sure I'm using my downvotes?
(To be honest, I've never used a downvote... It seems rude to me...)
So that's my query. Are downvotes about violation and social control, or are they about personal opinion and aesthetics? When is it appropriate to downvote?
---Richard F. Yates