How do GAs or the lack of them on Fluther impact your thinking?

It depends on the nature of the question but it shows how skewed the viewpoints on certain things are here. Politics is one for sure. Bash a conservative get a bunch of GA’s. Bash anything liberal get attacked, perhaps one or two GA’s. Y’all have run most of the conservatives off so when it comes to politics, there is no valid corroboration anymore. Other subjects that are less political, I see things more skewed to an older demographic. We only have a handful of actual subject matter experts on just a few topics. These are things you probably know that the other person will know more than you about. We all know who they are now and what they know a lot about. Never surprising about any GA’s there. For me, GA’s are almost meaningless now that we all mostly know each other.

GA’s, or the lack of them, shows me that there are some here who either don’t award GA’s or don’t like the answers some give to an answer, or any answer by that certain individual.

I also have to mention that it depends on the subject.

There have been times on here when I’ve received very few GAs or GQs for something, and it is a matter I actually know a great deal about. In the thread, others may be getting many GAs. In those instances, I look at how I’m wording my responses. I try to be clearer.

I am open to being wrong. I know I don’t own Truth. If I’m in a thread and others are disagreeing with me and they’re given many GAs while I receive none or a few, then yes, I’m going to study their answers and my own ideas.

I am open to learning new things. I don’t fear being wrong. I think that comes from a solid liberal arts education in university and grad school. I’m OK with the idea of constructive debate with people who are equally at ease with reassessing their own notions.

I like Fluther. It’s diverting. I have friends here, and I’ve met some in real life and am friends with them off the site. I don’t fear the ones here who aren’t my friends. There are people here who actively dislike me, because I’m gay and a vocal advocate for LGBTQ matters. F*ck them. I don’t lose sleep over anything that happens on this site.

Thanks for a great question.

GAs often make me think differently about a topic. There have been times when I just love my answer and think it’s great, only to have someone point out an entirely different aspect of a subject. I like that – it not only broadens my viewpoint, it also makes me think.

Of course, there are other times when I wonder what the hell people are thinking in giving someone a GA!

The main influence GA’s have on me, is to get me to return to a topic. My habitual behavior with Fluther is to start by looking at the list of recent GA’s I’ve received, and clicking on those, to see if anyone has responded to what I’ve written before. A GA usually gets me to return to a thread (unless I’m not interested much in the topic).

I do like/appreciate the positive feedback of GA’s on my and others’ questions. I realize there may be various reasons why different types of responses get more or fewer GA’s.

As for the question about someone disagreeing with me getting more GA’s, it does make me wonder what’s going on with that.

I also notice that longer posts often seem to get fewer GA’s, I assume often because fewer people may be bothering to read through all of them.

If I am interested in what the group’s relative feelings on a question are, I do sometimes look through the responses and notice how many GA’s each answer got.

It also seems like something of an indicator of how many people are still following a longer thread.

I still can’t use them for air miles or even fuel points, so… 0_o

Not too much. I didn’t even notice lurve for like 8 months when I first got here…

I appreciate why they exist, and how they are intended to be used. But. They are certainly predictable, with such a tight knit community.

Sometimes I wish we didn’t have them. Mainly because newcomers get all pissy about it. Next thing I know, I’m getting PM’s from newbies, about lurve and cliques, and Fluther politics. I try to tell them it’s not a big deal. Then newbies are telling me they are getting targeted, and the Mods are biased, and blah, blah, blah…. Then. The newcomers are banned for taking it too seriously, or leave because they get butt-hurt…

To me, lurve is like Stripes in a gang, or army. People who have more lurve have probably been here longer. So they have tenure. However. After years being here, I know that there are plenty of jellies who just drop by occasionally that have like 7,000, but have been here since the “Big Jelly Bang.”...

Of course, I occasionally get surprised when I feel I made a valid point. But as mentioned above, longer posts get less. I notice that if it’s a long thread, the earlier posts get less, as jellies don’t read all posts before they post…

As far as GQ’s. I usually love many questions, but forget that GQ’s are even a thing…

Taken in context, the whole system is fairly unimportant to me… Again. Knowing each other, as we do, I can pretty much predict what each of you think about what I’m going to post before I hit answer… Rare exceptions happen, of course. But typically jellies explain, or fuss at me, or agree with me, and that is what impacts my thinking. As far as my opinions, I typically don’t contribute to, or start a thread unless I feel like I already have a firm grasp on the subject. So. I’m likely seeking to see if I have company in my opinions, or sometimes I just want to rattle a lot of cages if it’s been too long since a lot of jellies chewed me out. I don’t seem to like being adored. If people start thinking I’m a good person, I have to change that perception…

It does get old when the same subjects draw seemingly fresh ire no matter how a topic is brought up. Worst-case is when jellies will join a thread that they have no interest in, just to act offended and pat each other on the back while they attack someone until what could have been an interesting discussion is a complete dumpster fire…

All in all. I love it here. But. The same small cast of characters, are a big reason that the site has so few active members, and/or unpolluted interesting threads… Controversial subject matter, which should lead to passionate, deep discussion, more often than not leads to personal attacks, and then the Mods have to put out so much flame baiting, and attacks, that a thread looks like a declassified document, with mostly confidential material…

Lurve it or hate it, it is what it is…

^Long post.
Should get very little lurve….

Walls of text don’t get read.

Sorry. I don’t read short posts… I’m too complex…

Often I don’t respond to or give a GA to a long post because the person has made so many points that it would take a long post from me to address them all. I may agree with ⅔ of the post and disagree strongly with the other ⅓. So I don’t give it a GA, even though I agree with a higher percentage of the post, because I don’t want them thinking someone (me) is agreeing with the disagreeable ⅓. Make sense?

^^ Yes. For me as well, if someone is going back and forth repeatedly with the same argument with another Jelly, I will stop following or giving GAs.

As long as any rational response gets one GA, I’m good. I think zero likes is rude, especially if I am the OP. Everyone should feel valued.

I think a few others do this also – when I ask a question, everyone gets a GA

^Every response to my questions that contributes to the subject, either by answering or offering a different view or even challenging a view get a GA from me.
I reward good debate etiquette. Jellies that remain unfazed by scrutiny or ridicule, and can make or concede points and use logic to challenge others get GA’s. If someone gets personal with someone else, even if they also make great points, I do not reward flame. People who get really upset with others, and decend into insult lose respect. If you can’t use logic to defend your position, or concede you are mistaken or thinking of reshaping your opinion, so your only resort is insult, you have “lost” your position…

With GQ’s I sometimes forget. But. Regardless of the original question, if it promotes interesting exchanges, I’ll give a GQ. If a threas gets a lot of responses, I’ll typically give it a GQ…

I agree with those above. Long responses can be almost too thorough. If enough points of view are expressed, it’s unlikely to get unanimous positive response. I am fully aware of this. However. I care more about a complete response, than a bunch of pats on the back…

Just seeing this question now as I’ve been traveling.
I literally don’t care at all about GA, points, awards, or anything. I would rather get away from it all together and just have discussions.

I don’t worry much about getting any GA because I just want to provide my input. But it feels good to get some.