G'day Sophie
Subject: "Mark this post as helpful"
I'm new to this very long thread; my apologies if I am rehashing something that has already been flagged, discussed and dispatched.
At the bottom of every post, we see a "Mark this post as helpful" button. In the context of the population that this forum serves, I often wonder if a count above "1", serves any real purpose. This type of button (and counter) has a place on social media, and ecommerce sites, but I wonder if its place here, is as clear-cut or as helpful.
On the positive side, the button gives the author of the post some feedback; on the negative side, the counter does not serve the original poster (OP) or others reading the thread looking for answers.
Without criticising, large post counts on some types of threads, probable have a negative impact on the OP. I'm not saying that this is deliberate, just an unintentional consequence of well meaning members agreeing with what has been said. Unfortunately, when the OP sees the a high count contrary to there feelings, s/he may feel isolated and bullied.
Similarly, posters that see a high count on a particular thread, may not be willing to share contrary views for fear of being out of step with the majority. In this case, the OP loses an alternative point of view.
So the question is; do we need a counter that counts above one. In the current setup, do the pros outweigh the cons.
Paul
