It would be great if we could have a ‘down vote’ option for posts and comments, similar to Reddit (aka opposite of the ‘Kudos’). I would imagine it is best if it remained anonymous and did not show names like the kudos. I know a lot of people are not comfortable commenting on ideas or suggestions by other users, but still want the Zazzle team to know when they do not agree with an idea being potentially implemented. I believe this would cut down on friction within the forum when people disagree with a post or comment.
I’m not sure how much the Zazzle team listens to the suggestions in the various feeds, but I think it’s important that they not only see the ‘kudos’ in favor, but also when users would not like to see something implemented on the site.
Currently the only option is to publicly post a comment, which can often times lead to further disagreements. While I think open dialogue is important, not everyone is comfortable opening themselves up to criticism or getting into arguments for disagreeing.
I think this would be really helpful as it’s extremely tricky here to voice a dissenting opinion without it being taken like you are personally attacking the person who suggested it. To be able to simply cast an anon vote for ‘no I would NOT like this idea implemented’ would provide meaningful drama-free feedback. But just like on Reddit, downvoting could be abused. So maybe this is something that could be implemented in just the official Feedback/Suggestions forum which already has its own set of weird rules. Because yes, the Z team might see the 20 Kudos in favor of something but they don’t see the 40 others not in favor who had no thumbs-down option to submit.
@ColsCreations I had originally thought about it just being in this ‘Ideas’ section, but I feel like at least 50% (if not more) of ‘ideas/suggestions’ types of posts end up in the ‘General’ and/or ‘Ask’ feeds (sometimes even the private ones). So I think it would either need to be on all (or maybe at least those additional ones, and not on say the ‘show me’ or ‘technical’ type of ones), or the moderators would have to move posts over to here which could get annoying. Plus sometimes the ideas can end up in comments themselves too.
I get why some people think a downvote sounds helpful, but honestly it’s kinda a two‑way street. No likes already tells you the idea didn’t land, and adding a thumbs‑down just opens the door for trolls or someone having a bad day to smack the button out of spite.
Most of us already stay away from some discussions because disagreeing can get taken way too personal. A downvote might make that worse, not better. And half the time a downvote isn’t even about the idea it’s about the person who posted it, which is exactly the kind of drama everyone says they don’t want.
I’m all for Zazzle seeing both sides, but I think the current “kudos or nothing” setup keeps things from turning into a popularity contest or a pile‑on. If an idea doesn’t get likes , the silence kinda speaks for itself, you know.
Yes, a downvote option would be a great way to anonymously disapprove of an idea. It would help avoid the discussions and disagreements that often end up becoming personal attacks. And it would give a voice to everyone, including those who currently don’t post their objections because they don’t want to attract unwanted drama.
I’m not sure it would really stay “anonymous” here. We can already see who likes our posts, so I kinda doubt a thumbs‑down would be hidden either. And even on the big platforms where it is anonymous, it doesn’t magically stop drama Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, all of them have issues with downvote pile‑ons, people using it to target the person not the idea, or just hitting it out of spite. And the thing is, negative reactions actually draw more attention. People want to see “who’s getting the thumbs down,” and it turns into this odd energy loop. Sometimes it even drives more clicks to the person’s profile or store because folks get curious. So I’m not sure it would cut down on disagreements here it might just shift them into a quieter, kinda harsher place. Sometimes no likes already says enough without adding a whole new button
I think the only time this would be useful is if Zazzle were considering implementing a change or a new feature and asking for designer feedback on a newly created forum area where only Zazzle poses the questions/topics that allow either (1) verbal replies for or against the suggestion or (2) thumbs up or down responses.
We already have enough negativity on these forums; we don’t need to invite more of this type of behavior.
If thumbs up/thumbs down response opportunities were only allowed on Zazzle-generated posts, then no one individual’s feelings would get hurt and folks would not be able to gang up on posters that they don’t agree with. A non-response and non-kudos already conveys a polite, respectful disagreement for those people who don’t feel comfortable offering a verbal response.
In addition, these Zazzle-generated posts would need to be posted on a private forum so that negative feedback doesn’t harm seller’s or Zazzle’s sales.
I personally am quite comfortable sharing my verbal feedback on a wide variety of topics. And, honestly, I wouldn’t mind if the kudos option were eliminated because it can be used to gang up on people that some folks disagree with. (I’ve seen it happen on this forum myself.) I’m old enough not to care what other people think of me or my ideas (what other people think of me is not my business). And I’m confident enough to say what I mean, without saying it mean. (Though sometimes I fail in that area because I’m human.)
This could be a slippery slope if a thumbs down option could be used on every post and every forum topic.
Add a thumbs down option? Only on Zazzle-generated posts with subject lines like “New Zazzle Design Tool—Designer Feedback Needed” type of posts.
‘Silence speaks for itself’ is not really accurate when people are too afraid to comment. It just means the ‘loudest’ are the only ones that get heard. I know people who no longer comment on this forum because every time they do it turns into people arguing with them. I for one will also likely stay out of most conversations going forward.
Zazzle can also make the ‘down votes’ hidden, like they are on YouTube.
I am not really sure what the purpose would be of “hiding” downvotes. On YouTube the number is hidden, but the effect is still there. The system still reacts to it, and people still use it as a way to quietly push someone down without ever saying anything directly. It ends up working almost the same as flagging.
And once you give people a silent button like that, it can be used the same way troll‑flagging gets used. A group can decide they do not like what someone said, and suddenly that person is marked as “negative” even if all they did was speak honestly. I have already seen how strongly some people react when anyone brings up fairness / visibility for all creators.
So a hidden downvote does not make the situation more fair or more peaceful. It just gives people another tool to control the conversation of the community. The absence of likes already communicates enough without adding another mechanism that can be misused.
@Susang6 Maybe some people are too sensitive and would take everything as a personal attack, but “downvote pile on” is mostly imaginary and would not reflect on a seller’s sales or views. If the idea is good and has value for people, those people will upvote it. If it doesn’t, people will downvote it. Unless you’re purposely posting ideas with the intent to get a rise out of people (which is common on Reddit especially), there’s no reason to think that you’ll be personally targeted and piled on with anonymous drama and negativity. (And in case there’s any doubt, I’m using “you” in a general sense, not you personally.)
You can’t compare YT/Tiktok dislikes to if Z adds a thumbs down for their forums here. Absolutely no creators worth their salt care about dislikes on those platforms. I’ve had my channel for 5 years, If someone likes my video, its engagement, if someone dislikes it, its engagement. Leaving a comment? Engagement. YT doesn’t push videos out to people, it finds people that would enjoy the content, so leaving a dislike tweaks your personal algorithm while telling YT to try showing a different kind of person that content.
There is no “quietly pushing that person down”. To push an individual creator’s video down, that would require you and about two hundred friends loading up said video, watch it for 5 seconds all at the same time then leave, but even through trying to plumet the AVD organic traffic still comes in and balances it out.
Going forward, Reddit up/down votes are the closest thing for comparison here. But Reddit is also full of fake stories, scams, and people that just want to watch the world burn. Its the reason its so successful when places like Tumblr and Periscope died. Being able to post about anything you want at any time you want, and to do it anonymously is the biggest draw for Reddit and why its described as a dumpster fire to most.
On posts made in announcements or by Zazzle employees I would very much like a dislike button. A lot of designers would rather spend their available time designing/editing their products instead of typing a lot like I do. Being able to digest a Z post and do a like/dislike and get back to work would help respect designers’ time while also allowing those that are usually silent to give their opinion when they don’t want to or feel comfortable with writing text.
How about having a block option on this forum? Not like the one that’s currently used, where it hides an individual’s comments from your own view, but still allows them to respond to your posts and comments (at least that’s how I think it currently works—I’ve never used it). That way, individuals can choose who they interact with on this forum, if they want, because we all know that the only actions and behaviors we can control are our own actions and behaviors.
If people are worried about downvote abuse, how about a poll function? So, when posting a suggestion, you could also add a poll to your post. If Zazzle wants the polls limited to only suggestions, the function could be aptly named and the options could be pre-written (“I also want this,” and “I do not want this,” or similar).