The Thanks System

Gaspode

The thanks button is here IMO is not equivalent to the voting system on Reddit so I don't think you're comparing like with like.

Reddit is such an awful site to read anyway, I don't understand why people would want boards to emulate anything they do.

kneemos

Get rid of the thanks button then if you can't include a like button.

OldGoat

The Thanks button is poorly named. It functions as much more than a simple 'Thanks'. For me it also covers:
Thanks
Funny
I agree
I see what you did there
I read this
That’s a shame
Oh you poor thing
My sympathy
I don't necessarily agree with you but I like that you took the time and effort to write a well constructed and detailed post.
I like that photo

I’ve used the Thanks button for all of the above and more. My point is that the one click/button is being used for a multitude of uses depending on the context of the post. It's more than just one half of a Upvote(?)/downvote duo and to make it such will limit it's functionality.

Beasty

And in some forums/threads it is specifically requested that posters show their support for ideas by using the thanks button (the Soccer Forum feedback thread being an example that immediately springs to mind)

So yes it serves many different purposes and they can differ further both within and across different categories. Getting rid of it requires something in it's place or finding threads clogged up with +1s and the like again

To me it's very much a positive for the site and TBH we're not seeing a great clamour for it to be removed

Black Swan

"Thanks" has been around a long time on boards. Such things can develop multiple meanings over time. For example, a "thanks" after a post may or may not mean agreement with the contents, or alternatively, liking the person making the post, which represents 2 different meanings of "thanks." Then again, "thanks" may just be an acknowledgement. If I had asked you for more substance to support your posted argument, and you provided it accordingly, then I may note "thanks," not because I agree with your contents, but because you provided the requested information. I am sure that others could offer more examples of the different meanings of "thanks" on boards that have evolved over time.

Of course, discussion on a discussion board is preferred, rather than an over-simplistic "thanks," which may be subject to (mis)interpretation. Just my 2-euros.

There'd be more integrity, and I suggest better discussion, without any form of Thanks system as there are far too many people playing to various galleries; I often end up thanking some poor underdog soul that the Thanks system is essentially being used against as, at best, a disagreement (no problem there) and, at worst, a bullying mechanism (and there's little point denying it facilitates bullying). Overall, it brings the worst out in people - a few "happy threads" where positivity tends to dominate being exempted to a degree.
The Thanks system also ensures that a Mod will look at where popular opinion is and be much more likely to ban said person. That post some years ago "Ban, please" which got hundreds of Thanks being a perfect example.

I can't see the Thanks system being abandoned as it serves an obvious commercial function in pulling people back to the site, even if it sacrifices quality of discourse.

A down vote is just an obvious bullying mechanism by people who are absorbed into the Thanks system and clearly expend much of their existence thinking about it. Nasty mentality stuff. If somebody writes something which might not be the most popular in this tiny part of society and gets hundreds of down votes, and then takes their own life, would anybody really claim there's no link? That it isn't online bullying? Most of us would say that Ask FM does bear at the very least some responsibility for the online bullying that led to the suicides of those Irish girls a few years ago. Does Boards.ie want to have a business model which has anything to do with that sort of thing? I doubt it very, very much.

Actually, a nice idea could be to rate threads or fora in terms of positivity and helpfulness. When you've had a tough day in life it's smart to choose supportive threads and to avoid the angry people. We could have the whole website mood/outlook-rated from red all the way to yellow. I think those people posting in the (busy!) Christmas forum in July are hilariously positive in that likeable lunatics sense. Major yellow. After Hours Trivially Happy thread is similar (with an occasional negative or passive aggressive post).

Similarly there are still some really helpful fora and threads where the mods insist upon constructive or supportive posts only and they are a huge break.

Twat-Badger

I believe the thanks system works, and is well understood and liked by the vast majority of the userbase. It'd be a terrible shame if boards were to get rid of it just to pander to the will of a few vocal malcontents.

Boards.ie: Mark

For positivity, I would also recommend:
Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1292
And the BAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW Thread in Cool Vids, Pics and Links: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056365187

I'm sure there are others (and certainly helpful/supportive communities), but these are two of the more explicitly happy and positive places.

JackieChang

The mods don't want to get 5,000 thumbs down whenever they give an infraction.

LuckyLloyd

The current system works very well and the reasons for not adding a ‘dislike’ option are well worn over the years. Being Reddit should not be the aim.