What does thumbs up and down mean?  Do you get penalised for thumbs down and similarly praised for thumbs up?
914875
I have No idea but some of you answers are great and i HAVE given you thumbs up....so don't stress about it...and just enjoy the fact that you are a funny man!\n\nwhat a bunch of losers......he's asking about yahoo answers!!! not the "idea" of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
288292
I do find it annoying to see that, however, all hope is not lost.  The first thing you can do is to rate the Answer with a thumbs down rating. You do this by clicking the circle next to the thumbs down symbol under the selected answer.  The next thing to do is to post a comment by clicking on the "View Comments" link next to the ratings.  There will be an "Add comments" box where you can type in the correct answer.  Be sure to include a source link so that others will be able to verify your answer as the correct one.
777717
Right under the -answer question- there is thumbs up-down,and plus sign. If you click on the plus sign, you will choose one of the following. I think it sais add details. Click on that.
826136
That's hilarious!!! Sure, I think you should try it!  By the way, darling, I gave you thumbs up!! You should see the thumbs downs I get from Christians, on answers I give that are totally neutral.  You like to have a bit of fun honey, I'm sure there are some (yes even Christians) that get upset at that!  I personally think you're quite funny and realize that you are just playing.  Makes this place more interesting!
2385
I have no idea...the "how it works" section just says "Points and levels help you keep tabs on how active you (and others) are on Yahoo! Answers. You get points for different types of actions, like answering a question. The more points you get, the higher your level."
817811
I gave you a thumbs up-now pick me as the best answer LOL!
105700
I believe a lot of "Thumbs Down" ratings are based in resentment. I tend to give a Thumbs Down only if the chosen answer was voted and has no relationship to the question.\n\nIf the asker chose the answer, I'll likely give it a Thumbs Up for support, even if I don't agree with it.
25089
If the site attracts enough users I expect the points system to be radically changed, possibly rewarding only "Best Answers" and "Thumbs Up" ratings.  That would be the way to encourage and reward positive participation and quality.  As it stands now, they are on a mission of getting people here and keeping them for a while, so basically any and all participation is rewarded.
999230
u asked the question twice buddy!!! if u r so eager to spend points.. why don't u give me some thumbs up's
755121
Yeah, you always see that on here. People don't even take into consideration the quality of the answer, a lot of times. That's what annoys me about that system on here; it's interesting to see how many thumbs up or thumbs down you get, but more often than not, it feels like some kind of popularity contest instead of a thing where people are actually judging your answer fairly.
751063
Text support for a subjective opinion? no. Why might it be upsetting or good to you? That's what you should write.
813001
It means you are in hug mode.\nSomeone needs to come up and hug you.\nKeep doing it. \nLife is good. Life is real good.
344472
you get 3 points back when you pick a "best answer" for your questions, so you are really only losing 2 points.\n\nAlso, if you don't want to answer questions you can do those thumbs up or down ratings to get points.
969365
I think its funny. And you get free points. Whats not to like? Did you do something to offend someone? Is that why theyre making fun of you?
828058
YES, DO IT AGAIN!\n\nwow! obviously the person that gave me a thumbs down cant take a joke!\n\ni only wrote that coz Tink keep asking weird questions! lol
775463
a well-thought out idea, a well-defended position, an articulate answer, or one that makes me think of something i haven't thought of before all warrant a 'thumbs-up' in my book.  i am impressed by those who make the effort (NOT the same thing as "take the time") to put a coherent or creative thought to the keyboard, and give it a voice to share it with all of us.\n\ni'll almost never give a thumbs-down, but a reason i WOULD is because an answerer insults another person's questions or answers.  i feel that there's no need for that stuff here.  it's interesting to me to see how many questions (and people) have found a way to attract so many thumbs!
1088655
You can rate best answers for one point each.  If you give someone a thumbs up, they get a point, too.