Recent drop in voting... what's up with that? =)
Ok, hopefully I'm not out of line here when bringing up this matter, but it seems to me there has been a noticeable drop in voting when participating lately. This is by noooo means personal, I'm bringing it to everyone's attention on the behalf of.... well.... everyone. 
If you participate in a thread you enjoy, see something cool, see something you agree with, or something intriguing (I think I misspelled that), vote for it. That's the reason the little button is there. By voting for the topic OR answer, you let the author know you support what ever they have published or atleast find it intriguing (there I go again... maybe). Then second, you as well let the public know that this is something useful or atleast worth reading. 
An example of this unfortunate drop was displayed today and provoked me (amongst others) to bring this subject to light. Take for instance "La Palabra del Día: Cultivar" at this moment has 22 answers and only 11 votes! 
I know for sure, this and the picture of the day thread are two of the highest volume threads... and that's it, only half the people enjoy it? That's what those votes tell me. 
Despite what most mistake the voting system for, it's not really a "bragging rights" system (ok, well maybe 50/50), but it's more for promoting the good stuff. I don't know if anyone looks at this at the top of the answers section, but I notice it a lot and it reads as follows... 
"The answers section is a great way to become part of the SpanishDict learning community. Ask and answer questions, vote on good questions and answers, and earn Reputation! Your vote helps the best content rise to the top. (View Rules and Guidelines)."
That last part, says it all, your vote counts and helps so cast 'em! 
34 Answers
He probably wasn't prescient enough to be predicting why SpanishDict would be, 225 years later, such a valuable resource for language students (Spanish or English), but way back then, Ben Franklin made the following observation:
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
Now, if I have it aright, this is a big part of the reason for the voting/reputation system and its success here in involving people in learning is what makes this "place on the web" unique, not just on the internet, but in the world. It's not really about amassing points or competition (except with yourself), but about an incentive for involvement because of the feedback generated.
Well, okay there are my two cents . . . and, of course, your mileage may vary. 
I really agree with you DJ, and actually l was thinking of this a short time ago, but l couldn't find a way to open that, good job 
So after this should each of us have a pic like this in his-her own answer or thread?
Jejeje...just kidding
Please be guided by DJ´s post. Good questions and good answers deserve your votes.
Perhaps its just me lol, but I come on this site to learn Spanish! If I ask a question and somebody gives up his\her precious time to give me advice and answers then they get my vote. Similarly if somebody gives a great answer to say 'word of the day' for example and I learn from them, then they too get a vote.
However, I dont just spread votes around to perceived virtual friends every time they post lol - I'm sure there are other more suitable 'social' websites for that sort of thing.
I think SpanishDict is fantastic. If i can improve my Spanish to an advanced level, but never receive a single vote ever again - that will do for me
Personally, I find generous and well thought out comments and replies to be far more rewarding than any number of votes I may or, quite often, may not have received.
Then again, I also tend to prefer substance over pageantry...but that's just me.
Spanish dict has lost some voting,
and hey, I'm not one for gloating,
but I often give the blue thumbs up,
for answers considered way up top.
So why don't we all just give a click
or else y'all gonna get a kick.
Just a joke, though not too funny,
seriously though, share the honey!
Vote until your finger twitches,
Sharing the love is what enriches
Spanish dict and all its riches!
That's a big reason I haven't been posting questions here much. I'll get like 10 answers to a question "Hey good question" etc... but no votes.
It's just like getting a verbal tip at a restaurant. Thanks guys!
I think people think you only get 10 a day but that's not true, you only get points for 10 votes but you can vote an unlimited number of times.
I have voted ever since I came here (March 29th 2010 )and I often leave a comment to indicate a favourable response I will sometimes vote for a person's post even if I don't completely agree with their view/the content of their post but think that they have expressed their point well!
I think some people who used to vote regularly have either dropped-off in their level of participation or may have over-reacted to their dislike of the reputaion points system.Yes, we know that reputation points don't accurately represent people's level of ability but simply their contribution to the site However, the main point of the points syetem (if you pardon my pun) is to:
1 Vote up accurate answers which show a correct understanding of Spanish and /or English
2 Show agreement with the views expressed by an individual in their post/response
and 3 Express appreciaton for a person's humour,(wit) cleverness and skill when composing captions for Picture of the Day and Word of the day, guessing accurately the answers to games such as What is it? that Annie has given us, or the Mystery sentence of the night by Heidi or the Interactive audio thread that Kiwi girl has worked so hard to produce. The listi is endless but I am sure you get my point lol
I am sure someone will tell me other principal purposes of the system
I would encourage everyone who reads people's posts/responses to think carefully about what they read/have read and show genuien appreciation and encourage people who have made a big effort whether with the Spanish and English languages or simply having the courage to share their view by voting for them It doesn;t take much effort to vote and it can certainly encourage someone just knowing that at least one person enjoyed reading their response or found their caption funny 
Go on ...make someone's day!
This has been true for quite some time. I think those who participate in a thread should vote it up. For example, this thread had 17 answers and only 2 votes up. What's wilth that?¿Qué será esto?(96)¡Ya resuelto!
Thank you DJ for bring this to our attention. The people who do good threads and good answers deserve our votes. Remember a vote costs you nothing. Let's all do some or ovoting.
It's a good thing that we can't see who is voting for whom - could get a bit tense.
V O T I N G!
Personally, I find generous and well thought out comments and replies to be far more rewarding than any number of votes I may or, quite often, may not have received.
Then again, I also tend to prefer substance over pageantry...but that's just me.
Well, that is just me too
I couldn't care less about the votes. Actually, I find the constant hey, I lost two points, oh, it says "you gained cero points"...rather amazing.
I like to participate in the game threads for practice. I have slowed down a bit lately because I need to study via other methods as well.
Often I am among one of the first to answer in the picture of the day. I just happen to be up at the time it usually comes out and I answer to it during a break at work.
I often notice that those who answer first have a tendency to gain more votes than those who answer later.
I always come back and revisit the threads that I participate in and learn from my mistakes as well as those of others. I always drop votes on the late comers. Unless they break the rules. Fewer than four words or I spot a double or triple post.
I do wish more of the people who answered first would truly participate and revisit the thread when more answers have been posted. The number of votes to the latter posts in comparison with the number of votes to the earlier posts is evidence that not all the participants are truly participating in the entire thread.
I truly do participate in the threads and it is not for the votes but for what I might gain (learning) and what I might contribute (even if words of encouragement is all I have to offer).
So, to sum it all up. I wish more people who participate would participate the entire thread. I know I am not the only one who does. I know of other members who do as well.
Gracias y hasta pronto en el foro mis amigos.
I think votes are valuable to help indicate the best answers, but also encourage participation by letting the person know that their input is valued.
When I ask a question, votes for it indicate to me that someone else found the question useful, and when no one votes, I assume it was a dumb question that no one found helpful. So I tend to vote for questions that I would have also liked to ask.
I also vote for the “of the day” questions when I participate, but generally have the sense that I wish I could vote for the person doing the corrections instead.
When I answer a question, I look for votes as one way to indicate that I got it right- although (like izanoni)- a comment works just as well for me. The one time lazarus simply wrote “great answer” in the comments after one of my answers is worth far more to me than any votes. I was extremely discouraged when I answered a somewhat complex grammar question and finished it by saying “this needs confirmation by someone more advanced than me”- and it sat for days with no votes, no comments and no further answers, until finally the original questioner voted for it and accepted it in lieu of any other input. That makes me hesitant to answer questions that I am not absolutely sure of, as at least if they are left in the no answer column someone will eventually get to them.
I therefore try to vote for answers I am fairly sure are correct, although I have screwed up and voted for ones that later proved to be wrong- and that limits me to some extent in what I can vote for. That is why it is important for the more advanced speakers, who know which answers are right and wrong, to participate in the voting. I often wait on other people’s answers, hoping for confirmation from someone I trust more that the answer provided is correct (one of the benefits of this site is that you can learn from everyone’s questions).
I think some of the prior comments on voting had more to do with the distribution of votes, and I think the ultimate purpose of this thread should be to encourage that balance be restored. The complaint, as I see it, has been that too many votes get made for pure entertainment or social threads and not enough for efforts to help people learn correct Spanish. I actually have earned a “Great Question” medal- which I earned for posting 2 language jokes purely for entertainment. I have over the past several months tried to avoid the social threads. I am not against those votes, and I do vote from time to time for particularly entertaining posts, but I think that should not be the primary thing that is encouraged with voting.
Sorry if my thoughts on this ramble a bit, hopefully I least made my thoughts understandable.
I'm bumping this up because I've been observing this same problem throughout numerous threads, especially some of the more competitive learning games. Unless you lack fingers, it really doesn't take that much effort to vote! Come on, make someone happy from all the way across the world. 
Thanks y'all!
