We would like the thumb massacre to stop. Would ...

C-1, You are not the only one this has happened to - there are many. Some have lost up to 2000. Some of us are here for different reasons than others. Not that it is the thumbs but you know what I mean...some people are just mean is what I mean I guess. Who would take the time to do this to so many people?

I wrote the staff several times last summer and suggested that they either abolish the thumbs system, or make it harder to give thumbs down by posting a reason to the staff. They didn't want to tamper with the system or abandon it. The "pond scum" will continue to harass people and pervert the system as long as they can remain anonymous haters. There is only one solution that I can see for the problem, now, and that would be: The Yeddai need to organize and force the staff to rewrite the thumbs system. If we band together and have a keyboards-down strike, refusing to post answers until the system is changed, we might get their attention. Or not, since Yedda is "an AOL company" now, and not what it used to be. It has been a long, long time since I heard from the staff (even though I have sent messages to their personal accounts, too), so I think it is time for us to take control. I think we should start an online petition to the staff listing our demands and setting a strike date. If no negotiations by then, we stop typing.

C-1, Now see I gave you 2 thumbs up. Cheer up cuz  and don't let all this triviality get to you. I like to have fun on this site and learn along the way. We also learn that there is anger and hatred in the world. Sad but true. I have been frustrated to by it as you are now. We are only human.

PB, I don't believe I was around when it was not owned by AOL. I understand AOL is owned by Time Warner as well....

citrine1, I will start working on the petition today, and circulate it a little to get other people's opinions before we officially post it. Then we can send a request to answer the question to everybody in our contact lists, or just start with the highest rated/most active list and post it to everybody, one at a time. I don't think we need much in the way of leadership or anyone in charge. Once the petition is posted and signed that is about it. Then we wait for the deadline and a response from the staff. The changes that could be made easily would be to: 1) eliminate the thumbs system altogether 2) change the system so only the person asking the question can post thumbs up or down 3) make posting a reason for thumbs down mandatory 4) allow askers to delete any response from their question We can let the staff suggest their own solution, and possibly the other petitioners may have their own ideas about what needs to be done. These are my thoughts, so far.

Maya, I don't recall the date Yedda officially became a part of AOL instead of a partner site. The gradual decline of the site started last summer I think, but it wasn't until this winter that things really started to fall apart. I used to have regular contact with the staff last year, but this year I can't even get them to reply to me at all, even when I write them specifically asking for a reply so I know they still exist. So, as far as I know, the old staff is gone and this site is being moderated by AOL staff. Otherwise I would be talking directly to the staff about this problem, instead of writing about it in public blogs. AOL and Time Warner should have an interest in keeping one of their properties from being destroyed, especially considering it's former reputation, current popularity and the number of other sites that now exist in competition (particularly the one that pays people who answer and post questions for advertising page-views). We can jump ship very easily and turn a profit from it if we choose to do so. And their allowing this harassment to continue will destroy this site sooner or later, or at the very least turn it into something almost useless. The traffic we Yeddai generate is the main source of revenue for the site. Those who visit once, post a question, and leave, normally don't even visit the site but post their questions from partner sites. They count for nothing as far as page-views or revenue. It is our answering/reading the questions that generates the revenue, not posting the questions. I kind of went off topic there, but I wanted to get it written down while I was thinking about it.

C-1             

PB, I do believe it is somehow connected to ask.com