Is it fair to give bad ratings/feedback to pages/blogs you personally disagree w

1. 58

   manningndposted 12 years ago

   Is it fair to give bad ratings/feedback to pages/blogs you personally disagree with?
   
   If I come across an article that I strongly disagree with, but the author did not resort to name calling, over-generalization or stereotyping and expressed his/her opinion in an intelligent and reasonable matter I will actually give that author a good rating or page up. I believe comment sections are for disagreements of opinions to be voiced, ratings systems are for the quality of writing. But what do you think?

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2. 77

   pmorriesposted 12 years ago

   I would have to say that I agree with you. One of my favorite Hubbers, actually, I should  say writer, wrote a Hub that I absolutely disagree with (at a cellular level), but her writing and logic was flawless. I had to vote it up, and I could not leave a comment, because it would take a lot of research for me to come up with a viable rebuttal.

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3. 74

   SidKempposted 12 years ago

   I agree with you. I almost never give something a negative rating (though I will quickly flag anything that violates HubPages standards). I would only give a thumbs down to bad writing or bad thinking, and by that, I mean things that are unclear or self-contradictory, or someone who believes and re-iterates cant without knowing what he or she is saying.

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4. 63

   alvairsposted 12 years ago

   I don,t think the comment section is just to voice disagreements, it is also to give advice communicate your thoughts to hubbers that has an interest in  a particular niche, it also is for voicing opinions, ideas, advice, suggestions and so much more. I don't think it is fair to give some one a bad rating because of a statement that has been made, stating what you are in disagreement with is a more direct way of dealing with the issue.

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5. 79

   Barbara Kayposted 12 years ago

   I think any hub that is well written shouldn't be rated down. It doesn't matter if I agree with their opinion or not. However, I did quit following a hubber because they constantly wrote hubs that I disagreed with.

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6. 93

   cam8510posted 12 years ago

   I absolutely agree with what you have said.  HubPages is primarily a writing oriented site as opposed to an issue oriented site.  Everything here, in my opinion, is about the quality of the writing.  Good for you for raising this subject.

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7. 99

   vespawoolfposted 12 years ago

   The internet is all about opinions. Everyone has a right to their opinion and I wouldn't vote anyone down for it. In my comment, though, I feel it would be in line to state my view in a tactful way. It promotes discussion and that's how we learn, isn't it?

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8. 81

   Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years ago

   If the page/blog is well written and presented in an intelligent manner, and as you said, didn't resort to name calling or demeaning comments, there would be no reason to leave bad or negative feedback.
   
   Just because you disagree is no reason to leave someone poor feedback. I've had answers that I put a lot of research into voted down because they were disagreed with (at least I assume that was why).

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9. 80

   PDXKaraokeGuyposted 12 years ago

   I don't care if someone disagrees with me or not, if it's well written, you shouldn't flag it. If you do it simply because you don't agree with the viewpoint, then you're kind being silly

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10. 90

    wayseekerposted 12 years ago

    I fully agree.  So long as the person is not being somehow offensive or inappropriate, opinions are opinions and we all need to have a right to voice them, though we will often disagree with one another.  Those disagreements can be voiced in the comments area, but I reserve down votes for pieces that I feel are not up to the Hubpages standard of quality.

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11. 0

    sord87posted 12 years ago

    So far i never give bad rating to any page but many dislike in Yahoo comment .Whoever person openly brought up sensitive issue or sensitive topics on Hubpages must have a good reason why they doing it.I  do not think their Hub should receive a bad rating.Some are very well written hub and very attractive.

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12. 69

    Etherealenigmaposted 12 years ago

    I think it's ok to disagree as long as you are respectful in your statements.

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13. 67

    hawaiianodysseusposted 12 years ago

    I'll admit a certain bias before I respond because I just came from a Hub written by soccer-world which I thought to be an earnest attempt to share her views about a tough subject--evolution vs. creationism.  Another Hubber blasted her...he or she was so rude to soccer-world. I don't think that the global village that is HubPages should ever tolerate that kind of behavior.
    
    None of us are supreme court justices of the universe. We need never be so arrogant as to downgrade another human being solely on the basis that we do not agree with what that person is saying. My guess is that the founders of HubPages and the people that truly do get that is about COMMUNITY rather than judgment would not want that kind of negative energy flowing through this wonderful literary neighborhood.
    
    Thanks for asking such a thought-provoking question.

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14. 72

    purnimamoh1982posted 12 years ago

    No, its not fair. We disagree on many counts and for valid reasons. Our disagreement is an outcome of the differences in our thinking process.TO me, comments sections are for expressing your opinions, not just disagreements. If one disagrees with someone to such an extent that a response is not possible within the limits of the comments section, let him/her write a new hub with all the disagreements. Why vote someone down? As far as quality is concerned, when a hub is already published, the minimum level of quality required is already maintained. If some one is so concerned about quality, she may hop a hub. No need to vote down a hub if it does not meet the standards perceived by a fellow hubber.
    I strongly believe that voting down something just because we disagree with the arguments and because we think the quality is low, is a show of arrogance.

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15. 0

    msorenssonposted 12 years ago

    I have never given anyone a bad rating because first I think of the courage and then  the effort to write and publish. The publishing by itself deserves an applause.

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16. 61

    Wesley Meachamposted 12 years ago

    I think that ratings should be based on whether or not the hub is well written, insightful, articulate and well-organized.
    
    I agree with your statement that disagreements (and of course other comments) are for the comments section. I would never vote a hub down simply because I disagreed with the writers opinion.
    
    I've read a lot of hubs here that I've disagreed with and even a few hubs that I thought were trash. I usually don't comment on these. If I don't like a hub I usually don't bother with rating it.
    
    Something would have to be seriously wrong with the hub for me to give bad feedback. In the short time that I've been here I think that there has only been one hub that I actually rated down and that was because it was completely incoherent.

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17. 83

    prettynutjob30posted 12 years ago

    I totally agree with you we should never give someone a bad rating just because their views are different than ours.

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18. 88

    Learn Things Webposted 12 years ago

    When I come across something I don't agree with I don't give a rating of any kind. I sometimes vote down rants because they are so poorly thought out but even with those, I usually don't do anything.

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19. 82

    Marseiposted 12 years ago

    I absolutely agree.  I tend to lean toward the left and when I come upon an article that is far right, I am particularly conscientious about being fair.  Ratings have nothing to do with your feelings about subject matter.  The forums are the (forum) for that.  Ratings are quality of writing.  Because I was a teacher in my professional life, I find it hard to overlook bad grammar and punctuation, but I do if the content is unusually interesting or moving.

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20. 82

    Vitallaniposted 12 years ago

    I agree; just because I disagree with the content or am not interested in it, does not mean that it is a bad hub. For those hubs, I tend not to rate them; I can't give them a thumbs up because I don't like them, but I can't give them a thumbs down because there is nothing wrong with them either.

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21. 66

    skgraoposted 12 years ago

    It is very easy to disagree or flag but why not agree by giving a deep thinking of what and why you cannot agree.Any writer has his ideas which he can give as he thinks.If you disagree you must discuss with him or write to him.just do not click.

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22. 72

    NMLadyposted 12 years ago

    I don't think I would give a bad review to any article just because I do not agree with them.  If it was hateful I would report them.  However,  I have 'un-followed' some due to mean spirited or lack of civility articles.  I don't have time in my life for hate or nastiness! 
    I esp. choose to keep these pages non-political.  The nasty adverts on TV are as much if not more than I care to take!

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23. 0

    Sooner28posted 12 years ago

    This is tricky.  I don't judge the level of writing, but the content.  If someone doesn't know how to write a coherent essay, that's not enough for me to vote it down.
    
    If someone writes a hub full of blatantly false or bigoted information (being gay is immoral, climate change is a hoax), I am more likely to vote it down.  Even then though, I'm hesitant because I am not in favor of silencing views.  I think people should see imbecilic writings in the light of day.
    
    Free speech is a good thing.

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24. 0

    Lizam1posted 12 years ago

    Great discussion you have created.  I absolutely agree that voting down someone because you don't agree with what they have written is unreasonable.  However I do flag hubs usually when I "hop" that are poorly written or appear to be copied or robot translated text.  I enjoy this community and have found most visitors to my hubs very respectful.

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25. 71

    michiganman567posted 12 years ago

    I started a separate blog for anything that I write that it political based.  I think that a lot of people vote down hubs that they disagree with.  It is bad for all of us because their tactics run off writers and hurt the Hubpages community.  I've only had two hubs reported for violations and they were both political based blogs.  One took a critical look at a president and the other criticized a well known website.

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26. 73

    JohnGreasyGamerposted 12 years ago

    Well yes, I think that's what it's there for. Nobody can see the votes but HubPages, so it can often make people feel like "it's not like my vote matters anyway". If you don't like it, you can ignore it or you can vote it down. If it goes against the rules, I flag it. If it's a new Hubber who shows potential but doesn't know the rules, I kindly remind them, and state that they may want to rewrite the article, but I still vote down. Better than a flag, right?
    
    If I disagree but respect the author, I might even vote it up because it probes discussion. If I disagree with it because it's immoral or whatever, I flag/down vote it. And if I don't agree with it and it doesn't probe discussion, I down vote it.
    
    TL;DR - the button's there, you should be allowed to press it. Doesn't always mean you have to though.

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27. 45

    DDEposted 12 years ago

    Definitely an option one can improve on their blogs with the feedback from others

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28. 61

    bell du jourposted 12 years ago

    Constructive criticism is always good, we can all learn from each other and everyone has a right their own opinion.  If you can't take criticism then you certianly shouldn't be a writer!

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    1. 63

       xanzacowposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, but the criticism can be in the form of a comment rather than a down vote. Votes do not allow you to be constructive, only critical.

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29. 86

    ChitrangadaSharanposted 12 years ago

    Anyone is entitled to have his/ her opinion. I do give a vote up to the article/ comment, I find good, but never ever have I given a vote down. You can have a healthy exchange of opinions, and that's what HubPages is all about.

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30. 77

    remanikiposted 12 years ago

    Hi manningnd,
    You have given the best answer to your own question. I totally agree with you. I too would give the article/author a positive feedback despite my disagreement with the contents of the article.
    
    It is not fair to give bad ratings and/or negative feedback to such blogs just because we think the article is not in line with our thinking. Cheers, Rema.

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31. 69

    Patty Kenyonposted 12 years ago

    I believe many have already had stated the answer I would give.  I have never voted anyone down just because of their beliefs and would never vote anyone down regardless of thoughts...as others have said, they were brave enough to try to give their insights...who are we to judge!!  There are a few that although I didn't agree with them, if their Hub was well written and/or cited, I gave UP votes along with Interesting, Awesome, etc.  and if I truly felt strongly enough, that is what Hubs are for...we can counter our opinions...but we should NEVER judge...and ALWAYS be respectful!!   Down votes are for those that don't abide by the rules!!

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32. 68

    Rebecca2904posted 12 years ago

    I think it depends on what's being discussed. For example, if someone voices an opinion about religion that I don't agree with, I might say that I disagree and explain why, but I would still thank them for their opinion and for sharing it, I wouldn't insult them or vote their page down. On the other hand, their are some opinions that I think it is truly offensive to have - I once came across a Hub that claimed the Holocaust was a Jewish myth which I voted down as I found it truly offensive, 11 million people died in the Holocaust and to claim it didn't happen is truly awful.

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33. 66

    Rosana Modugnoposted 12 years ago

    Personally, I believe that the quality of writing should be judged by people that in their own right are quality writers, not just writers who write.  That means actual authors of books who never used a vanity press to publish anything or Hub moderators who are paid to do so. 
    
    With that said, I am not an actual author or a Hub moderator, so I don't feel qualified to judge anyone's writing. 
    
    I will however rate an article based on how much I enjoyed it or learned anything I didn't know before I read it.  I never give a negative rating.  If someone offends me, I just don't engage with that person because no matter what that person is writing about or how they wrote it, whether or not they stereotyped or over-generalized or even name called, it still remains their opinion.  They are using their right to express themselves.  You don't have to like it and not everybody will.  That's the beauty of freedom. 
    
    For me to give them a negative rating, would mean I don't agree with them.  And?  What was I trying to tell them with my "thumbs down"?  I don't like what you wrote?  So?  Why would they care?  They still got you to read it.  There is no solution because there is no problem.
    
    And for those of you who may be wondering what's the point in not rating negatively, I ask you the same question as to why you do.  It's not our job to judge anyone on their ethics here or in what form they choose to express it. 
    If you don't like it, you move on to another article.  Let the moderators do their jobs on taking care of those that you find offensive.
    
    Not everybody will agree with everything you write about.  You will always find opposition.  And with that said, maybe it's just a matter of how you handle critique.  That's my opinion.  Yikes, hope I don't get a thumbs down for saying that or putting a smiley at the end of this sentence. 

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