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So I was looking at my profile, and noticed that I had lost a couple of reputation point. I didn't remember having recently downvoted any questions or answers. So it got me thinking about other people's reputations.

Generally I don't care about this sort of behaviour. If someone wants to be a vindictive jerk, that's their right. However, others may not have such an attitude, and it got me wondering. How would someone redress a situation where they are being personally targeted due to their beliefs or other factors outside the substance of the question?

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    despite the fact that I've had some very controversial questions and answers, I have yet to experience any serial downvoting(it didn't even happen after my answer to the condom question as I figured it might). people seem to have chosen to respond in the comments rather than just by downvoting without explanation. If anything, as of late I feel I've gotten many more upvotes than I probably deserve.
    – Monkey Tuesday
    May 15, 2011 at 21:45
  • @Monkey Tuesday As is human nature, I know that when I see a question from you, it will be interesting, imaginative, and usually have a cute picture with it. If nothing else, it shows a mastery of psychology. :)
    – Larian LeQuella
    May 15, 2011 at 22:39
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    @Larian - Actually, I think the same about your answers. I loved the detail you gave for the helicopter question. Top work. All I can suggest is to keep up the good work. It's appreciated by many of us.
    – user2466
    May 16, 2011 at 2:45
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    @Larian I agree wholeheartedly with boehj.
    – Monkey Tuesday
    May 16, 2011 at 5:48
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    As for my questions, I try to make it so they are answerable by all, especially those new to the site or haven't yet established themselves.My reasoning is that perhaps for the newer skeptics it might make doing the necessary research a little more enjoyable if it doesn't seem quite so much like doing homework. And I have this half-brained notion that using a little humor might ease the amount of them who just get huffy and quit the first time they get called out for not using references.
    – Monkey Tuesday
    May 16, 2011 at 5:52
  • Small nitpick: If I understand the rules of the site correctly, users have no such right "being vindictive jerks" and those who try should be dealt with. And probably are. This is not a kindergarten afterall
    – user288
    May 17, 2011 at 17:21
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    It would be rather ironic for this question to get downvoted...
    – kralco626
    May 19, 2011 at 10:37

1 Answer 1

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I'm only seeing 2 very recent downvotes, which amounts to only -4 reputation. If someone would serial-downvote your posts, we moderators could see that and intervene. We don't see specific votes, but we can see voting patterns.

There is also a daily script that reverts serial down- or upvotes. This is the major defense against vote-fraud and revenge downvoting. The exact details of this script are not public to prevent people from circumventing it.

So, if you notice an unusual amount of downvotes on your posts, just wait for 24-36 hours and they should be reverted automatically. If that does not happen you can email the StackExchange team directly.

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  • Just edited my question. I was cross thinking about two different questions/situations at the same time. :) Hopefully it's clear now.
    – Larian LeQuella
    May 15, 2011 at 18:56
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    @larian the general advice is wait 24-36 hours for the daily scripts to kick in, and if you feel there are still issues email us via the address at the bottom of the page. We prefer email for one-to-one issues, if it is a broader general topic of interest to others, feel free to discuss it here on meta of course.
    – Jeff Atwood
    May 18, 2011 at 7:51

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