Quote:
Originally Posted by Criseyde 
Personally -- I'm not speaking as a mod, here -- I don't see a problem with having the ability to leave negative feedback. I've never actually done it though.  But it seems like the membership here is by and large mature enough to handle it. |
Exactly.
Plus, when you can thank just any post I think it makes it less meaningful than a rep. It's not exactly a 1:1 tradeoff as the system prevents you from repping based on the number of other people you've repped, but I like having to think about who I rep and for what.
No system of rep or thanks is going to be -that- meaningful, of course. The most valuable feedback almost always emerges in the threads themselves, or in private messages, but it's one of those things where there are enough benefits (and change would mean a lot of hassle) that it doesn't seem like we need to tinker with it.
The one benefit I'd see a thank system having over this is that with the restrictions lifted it would make it really clear which posts resonate with people the most. Those who might not leave any feedback otherwise would readily click a button, and they already do. The other side to that is that you can argue it forces you to be more clever when trying to solicit a response from the general forum populace.