What is your criteria for deciding whether to recommend or unrecommended a post...

[WCGreen]

For me, if the argument is solid, if the sentiment is genuine, if the writing is witty or interesting then I consider recommending. It matters not to me if I agree with the post or not, it is the development and passion of a great argument that will get my vote. That's why I keep coming back to DU almost everyday for the last six or so years, the quality of the writing...

Oh, and this is very important to me, if a post makes me laugh while developing a point, I am almost certain to recommend that post whether I agree or not.

I almost never post that I recommended. I don't want anyone to feel obligated to me just because I gave them a rec. The same goes with unrecing a post. To me, each post should stand on its own merits.

I barely ever UnRec a post, in fact I believe I have used that option only four times since it was initiated. Three of those posts ended up being tomb stoned or locked.

Just because I don't agree with a post doesn't mean that I should challenge the wishes of those who found merit enough to recommend that post.

I know the feeling is that the greatest threads are put out there on our front porch for the world to see so that we should be careful what we recommend. But I feel confident with my choices to let them stand whether the argument is pro or con. That, to me at least, is what separates us from the guys and gals pontificating on the other side; we are not afraid of people questioning the democratic party or it's representatives. In fact, it makes us stronger.

Happy Holidays to all...

[Bicoastal]

1. I Unrec if the point is stupidly presented, even if I agree with the general premise.

There was a post here about a week ago about how the OP was taking a firm stance against...warfare. Yes, they went on and on and on about how vaguely terrible war is, in that kind of strident, "what I'm saying is extremely controversial" tone of authorial voice, and ended with some hippy-trippy callback to 60's Flower Power. It was silly and sanctimonious as hell, and the worst part is the OP really did believe they were making a terribly BRAVE political statement...about how war was, in fact, a bad thing.

So I unrec'ed it. I'm against war in general and the Afghan escalation in particular, but man oh man, get some better material.

[ThomWV]

2. Recommends are easy, unrecommends are as difficult as they are uncommon for me

I will recommend a post if I think the argument has merit and I really want to see what others have to say about it or if I think something was particularly well said. I will also recommend some posts because they are the first to point out what I consider to be important information.

Unrecommends are tough. Generally it has to be a real asshole of a post to get an unrec from me.

[rug]

3. Spelling.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. I don't use the unrec feature.

I feel it's punitive and harsh.

I will recommend depending on how clever, knowledgable and funny the post is.

I don't always say K&R...just sometimes. I will do that often if there have been a lot of unrecs. I don't want the poster to feel obliged to me, but I want them to be aware that I'm on their side.

I know when someone says out loud that they've K&R'd my post, I feel supported in my ideas. It means a lot.

Oh, and K&R...

[Kolesar]

5. There are some posts that make me feel I have to come to the defense of...

...Pelosi, Reid, Daschle, President Obama, or others.

I certainly will unrecommend posts that do not have a clearly stated arguement or "thesis". When people just start dropping "hot words" into a thread to get an inflammation swelling, I reach for the unrec. Or a flamethrower

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. I seldom use either; I don't care much for this feature.

Occasionally I will rec a post that I think is especially well-reasoned and that the OP gave a lot of thought to, or one that I suspect will need defending. On rare occasions I have unrecced a few that were clearly intended as flame-bait or were just plain stupid and/or trollish. Otherwise I don't bother with it.

[scentopine]

7. I never unrec - what is the point?

Are people so lazy -errr- busy, they can't articulate their disagreement?

Not recommending and unrecommending serve the same general purpose. Now there are twice as many ways to kill a post as there are to promote a post.

What bugged me the most about unrec is how the majority of people said that the unrec feature would finally put and end to the criticism of Obama.

That did it for me. I stopped donating to DU over this. That's how strongly I object to unrec.

[Ozymanithrax]

8. I recomend if people say something very well...I never unrec a post.

Never.

I've been tempted, but I have always been able to resist the temptation.

[hyphenate]

9. I think if something offers thought

for a new debate or even argument, it's worth getting more people to talk about it. Sometimes we get a lot of agreement with a post, but very few people can bring even a detestable situation into a topic for discussion.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Wimsey.

[Blasphemer]

11. Argument, level of interest, level of importance and intent... nt

[MadBadger]

12. If I think something is complete and utter Bullshit, or Flamebait

I unrec.

[Myrina]

13. Rec = newsworthy, tangible, worth discussion.

Unrec = "Chris Matthews just bitch slapped so-and-so" (followed by no text)/ "OMG You'll never guess what KO just said" (followed by no text) / "I just farted" types of threads that bring less than nothing to the table.

[TexasObserver]

14. I use many factors to decide.

It's easy because so many threads have OPs that I would not want to see on the Greatest Page. If the OP is deficient, I unrecommend and move on, usually.

If one uses profanity in their title line, I'm unrecommending it.

If one uses "fuckwad" or similar terms in the body, I'm unrecommending it.

If one issues a personal rant, I'm unrecommending it. I don't care about reading what some believe is their righteous anger. I realize we have people addicted to their own anger, but I don't care. Keep that crap off the Greatest Page.

If one posts about Palin, Limbaugh, Fox News, or Free Republic, I'm unrecommending it.

If one posts some post read somewhere else, such as at Kos, I'm unrecommending it.

If one posts about one's cat, I'm unrecommending it.

If one posts about something cute one's ten year old said, I'm unrecommending it.

If one can't write a sentence, I'm unrecommmending it.

If one can't spell and is too lazy to use spell check, I'm unrecommending it.

I can't understand why so many posters think their weak OPs deserve anything but unrecommend.

I recommend threads (1) that have a source that is legitimate, (2) that have some text by the OP that makes the OP worth reading, (3) that don't duplicate other threads already up on the topic, (4) that present a topic I think should be read, and (5) that don't contain the things I listed above which I find worthy of unrecommending.

I recommend and unrecommend about the same number of threads a day, and I seldom post "unrecommend" on a thread. I often post "recommend" on a thread, however.

[Flaneur]

15. Whether it's from LoZoccolo or not.

[bridgit]

16. More often, I rec for the pith of an OP - I don't rec on a 'cult of personality' basis...

though many seem to. So I neither rec nor un-rec. I'll un-rec something that is to me divisive. But even at that rate I can't sit here and do that all day cause that's the level of picayune 24/7 intensity required, and I have work IRL to do. I do enloy rec'ing an important topic just hovering at +4 and make it 5, to put it out front - I like that

[necso]

17. I recommend infrequently,

and do so to highlight threads, especially those that don't seem to be getting the kind of attention I think they warrant (I also "kick" in those circumstances).

I've (intentionally) unrecommended once, on a thread I also alerted on (which may be the only alert I've done since unrecommend was instituted).

I don't like either feature, but they seem to be popular (and unrec does seem to keep some junk off the greatest page... which I don't frequent). And I try to use them without getting caught up in the rec/unrec wars.

(Policy, not personal differences, is how I see it. Of course, generally I'd have a hard time having personal differences, because except for a few personal details about some longer-term members, I don't seem to remember much of anything about other members. Indeed, I've basically given up trying to remember such personal details.)