What's the deal with all the negative ratings on answers? ?

I noticed the same thing and I made a suggestion to Y/A that maybe they should remove the thumbs down option.I guess they didn't like my idea. It really burns me to see great answers getting multiple thumbs down.There are some mean jealous childish users on here or a troll or two.

Either thumbs up or down does not effect points just certain ones ego. Simply put, it's annoying and childish. I'd say, more than most give well thought out answers (fact or opinion) in this category, but there's someone here who can't accept answers for what it is. I see the troll has been narrowed down to a "she." I really haven't paid that close of attention to the downer until someone pointed it out to me, and because of all the great answers. How does a person get multiple accounts anyway? Yahoo Answers should stop that sh*t. One account per PC. Just like voting polls, some polls don't allow you to vote more than once on the same PC. Maybe we can figure out a way to stop this immaturity all together. In the meantime keep up the great answers and ignore the mean ole troll.

It's because there's a troll on this category with about 10 accounts. When this person first started answering questions here, she was getting a lot of thumbs downs because (1) the answers weren't very good and (2) they were very hard to read (misspellings, poor grammar, bizarre punctuation, a very wierd use of the enter key rather than paragraphs). Since she got thumbs downs, she was convinced that "someone is out to get me" (actual quote from one of her answers). Meanwhile, this person started making rude comments about my answers, picking out a specific sentence or two, declaring how wrong I was about those statements. I would edit my answers to defend myself saying that I was correct, but that person wouldn't retract their statements. I finally got angry about it enough to specifically address this person by name in one of my answers saying that I was sick of what she was doing and that's when the extra accounts started showing up. She uses the other accounts to support her main account, defending those answers, and to give her own answers thumbs up while giving mine thumbs down. This person is convinced that thumbs mean more than they actually do... when this person was initially complaining about getting so many thumbs downs, she was calling them points when in reality, thumbs down don't take away any points at all. And the only way that thumbs up matter is if you get chosen as best answer.

Since then, this person has become completely paranoid. She's convinced that I have multiple accounts and that all of you are just my extra accounts that I use to earn more points. A couple months ago there was one question that I answered... I was the only person to answer the question until a couple of days after the question was asked... that's when this person found the question. Then she answered and completely berated the asker saying that she wasn't really asking the question and that it was just me on another account and that this person was lying about everything that she was saying. It was completely belligerent, then she used the extra accounts to vote that answer as best during voting. It was just disgusting.

Lately this person has been asking questions with one account, then answering them with another so that she can choose it as best answer. That happens about once a week lately. She also votes for her own answers and she uses all of her accounts not only to give herself thumbs up, but also to give others thumbs down. It's really obsessive compulsive behavior and it shows a real sickness... she's so upset that she can't give good answers that she uses multiple accounts to give herself thumbs ups and others thumbs downs so she can pretend that people actually like her answers. Fortunately, real people who use this website can tell the difference between a good answer and a bad answer and people like yourself can see right through the thumbs downs and can tell that they're given by someone "to spit on other people." But apparently all of the thumbs make this person feel better about herself.

I won't publically name this person here because I believe that "calling someone out" is against the community guidelines... this person is also very quick to hit the report button on my answers, so I don't want to give her any opportunities to do that. Fortunately, Yahoo Answers can also tell the difference between a good answer and a violation and has seen fit to reinstate both of my answers and the points earned from them. Nevertheless, it's a hassle to deal with this jerk when she reports the answers, so I'm careful not to give her any opportunities.

I too give thumbs ups to good answers and I only give thumbs downs to really horrible answers... for instance I once saw a young girl ask a question about the weather for the day of the Kentucky Derby... some jerk answered, giving her a 1-900 phone number which I was told was a dial-a-porn number.

By the way, this person has also taken to commenting whenever I receive best answer to once again assert how bad my answer was and to claim that I am just cheating with another account. Most recently, I've seen this on one of Dog Lover's questions... it was about why people say that Ruffian wasn't a great horse. Despite the fact that Dog Lover has been here for months, asking questions and giving best answer to many different people, this lady accused her of being me on another account just because she gave me best answer on that one question.

Until we get rid of this troll, we'll just have to ignore the thumbs.

personally i only give a thumb (up or down) to ansewrs of my own questions!

if you notice there is always someone on here playing the animal activist, saying racing is cruel, this that and the other, me thinks it possibly people like that!

Jealousy??? I think your right about the competition though!!!

i haven't noticed that yet i only stay in a few sections will have to keep my eye on it???