You neednāt worry about the ādislikeā hits. SB has already noted that such is abuse of the system, and will be handled. So, those who click RUDE! for no good reason may find themselves dis-membered, I mean un-membered, I mean, not a BLF member any more. 
Also, this is still a self-moderated forum. The new RUDE! button is mostly meant to be used as a gentle reminder, and secondly a way for sb to track consistently rude behavior and deal with it, since he isnāt here all the time and canāt simply take the time to read every post. And it is hidden, sorta. You are the only one (other than sb himself) who can see your meter.
Iām aware of that, i meant hidden from the member himself, to avoid additional drama.
OK. That has been suggested by others as well. But, I think it would hinder one of the purposes of the meter - to help us members see when we might need to tone things down a bit.
Judging by this thread it just seems to antagonise people even more.
I aināt smart but I like this new gadget just as it is. Adding a āniceā button will just turn this place into a popularity contest instead of a flashlight forum.
I control my keyboard and I have no right to be rude to you. I am responsible for what I type. You are responsible for what you type no matter what Iāve posted before that, and vice-versa. If you canāt control yourself then log off until you can, it is that easy to do.
I noticed that one particular member who was rude, crude, abrasive, spiteful, arrogant, and abusive to anybody who disagreed with them suddenly cleaned up their act when the ārudeā button was implemented. Their posts are much more restrained now and the threads they are involved in are now a lot more pleasant. I was not alone in highly disliking this person- several people clearly felt as I did. I figured that this person was about to see themselves banned :laughing: I think they saw that too, so they changed for the better, and if they can make that huge of a change then anyone can. Had they not done this Iād have used the button as intended on them.
Much calmness has returned as if by magic. Itās not universal here but whatever. I havenāt felt the need to hit ārudeā yet and I hope I donāt have to, but just itās presence has chased away a lot of the previous rudeness so it is working as intended and doesnāt need any āfixingā.
Good Job SB :+1:
Phil
I agree, i sometimes want a thanks button, but then getting thanks points becomes a game 
Well, it is my opinion that anybody who feels threatened by the existence of the RUDE! button and/or meter, either doesnāt understand sbās intent, or has a less-than-honorable intent himself. In the first case, that person should read the OP again, as well as the BLF Rules. If that doesnāt help, they can PM sb for better details, Iām sure. One thing to remember is that this forum is different from others that are more heavy handed in their moderation. I donāt think sb will be going on any member-deleting joyrides through BLF. Itās not what he does.
In the case of someone who has no intention of following the rules, they are probably right to feel threatened, because the RUDE! button can and will be used against them as needed. And, since sb can track all the RUDE! button activity, it helps him to catch situations that he might have otherwise missed. I see that as a good thing.
I also believe TK is right about the psychological effect of the ānewā tool. Iām expecting things to settle down in a while. It might take longer for some than others. But I think it will all be okay in a week or two for most.
DavidEF, it seems we donāt understand each other.
I never questioned the rude button, i only have praise for the rude button, the meter on the other hand just seems to add conflict:
1) For the members who are Consciously rude or trolling , the button is enough of a deterent.
2) For the members who are not aware of their perceived rudeness, if they meter doesnāt reach the level at wich our respected admin will step in, that mean that they are not considered rude by the majority and they will feel (like has been reported in this thread) shamed for their opinions or targeted by other members.
I canāt find any merit to the rudeness meter in any circumstance.
Yea, one problem I see is that you can no longer strongly disagree with someone. If you do, the person with whom you are disagreeing with and whoever shares their opinion are likely to "Rude" you. So I suggest going with the flow or risk the potential ill received side affects.
OK, hopefully Iām understanding you better now. Your #2 situation is the part that I think will settle down once people are accustomed to the button and the meter being there. Remember that sb is tracking the use of the button and abuses will be handled. With that in mind, I would never worry about my rudeness meter. If I see it bump up, I may look back at some of my recent posts. I think thatās the main purpose of it being there. But, unless I know Iāve been rude, I have no reason to feel bad. Only if I hear from sb will I be worried.
If someone hits the RUDE! button on me just because they disagree with me, they are putting themselves in danger with sb for abuse. Iām fine with that. 
It was actually the other way around, read it again.
āSorry, but I strongly disagree with youā then go on to say why, using no name calling, abuse, rudeness or offensive language.
Easy isnāt it
A few ārudeā scores against you is nothing, and will disappear in time.
This whole thread brings a couple of sayings to my mind,
A storm in a tea cup
A mountain out of a molehill
Lighten up and party on
Cheers David
YaHoooo!!!
Sorry, had to Rude you for that...
Yes, I agree with this observation, and the ārudeā button is working. It may not be perfect, but itās an effective first step.
Somewhat i doubt SB will review each and every rude point for the same reason he doesnāt read the forum, and if someone takes offense and goes to SB with a rude point he consider isnāt deserved or malicious that would be a sad loss of time and energy considering the giver of the point might feel righteous given the subjective nature of rudeness i wrote about earlier, i canāt see SB wasting his time with this pointless arguing, and entering minute phylosophical arguments to decide where to put the blame.
And this trouble would only be created by the rude meter wich i still canāt find any merit to.
You can still disagree every bit as strongly a before, but youāll have to be focused on debating the ideas and not the person unless you want to risk being ārudedā. Iāve been in courtrooms listening to some lawyers who could debase the Pope without being directly rude or abusive. Itās something of an art which I wish I were good at. The only ones at risk here are those intentionally being rude and those too stupid to understand the value of eloquence and respect for others in a civil and public setting. 98% of us are safe, the remaining 2% wonāt last long, and that is pretty darn good if you ask me.
Debate the message, not the messenger
Phil
Here here!
One thing the new feature might do is pop a few ājudgy bubblesāā¦ and this might be pretty unpleasant for anyone whose bubble gets poked.
If you find yourself checking the meter I wouldnāt be alarmed, itās new, so I think itās normal to be curious, I certainly am. If you see points on a regular basis then maybe thereās an issue. If you donāt then after awhile youāll probably stop looking at it. Itās not an issue to post about what happens in the news. The problem comes from voicing things that are against the rules. if you feel this is an infringement then itās more than likely that what you wanted to say shouldnāt be said here. I think a like button unnecessary. It should be assumed that we are already nice. If you want to thank someone especially then just post or pm your gratitude, no need to do it all the time but it will get noticed. I should do more of this myself as this place is loaded with really great people. I think we should keep the rudeness button well past the time it loses interest as only then will we begin to see the normal affect it will have. I think the only response to an uptick should be āOops, sorry folksā and no more. Let it go and it will go away, keep bringing it up and it wonāt.