Downrate THIS: Downrating Articles for Fun and Profit

All right, so last night I'm feeling pretty good (this was written on March 21). I hopped onto AC and found I had two articles on the front page. They had some wonderful comments. Life was great. But something mysterious happened during the night.

When I checked my articles in the morning, they'd been hit. Not just hit - crushed. They went from ratings in the mid-four range to the high one's. I suppose a third article of mine must have reached the front page sometime during the night because it too had plummeted. I was puzzled by this. Were my articles poorly written? (you can click on the links below to see the articles and decide for yourself.) If the articles had been political in nature , I could understand someone being offended. But one article was purely informational -- an analysis of Steven Spielberg's directing style. One article was a humorous look at the internet, and the other one was about chat forums - not exactly controversial stuff. So I'm thinking, -- man, I must have made an enemy. Maybe Spielberg didn't like what I had to say, clicked out of the chat room he was in, and started downrating my articles. As idiotic as that sounds, it made just about as much sense as the alternative - I'd been hit by a downrater.

While I pondered this, I remembered another article I'd read last night that was under top-rated content. This one was about Easter baskets. Out of curiosity, I found that article this morning and checked it. It had been hit too. Okay, so it wasn't just me. But if it's not me, then who is it? What pathetic entity would go through the trouble of repeatedly clicking on articles and hitting the little 'one' star until an article was not only knocked out of the top rated content, but buried?

I take very little of what I read on the internet personally. In ways I look at the internet as the world's largest insane asylum. AC is my refuge from that. There are so many terrific writers here. It's quite an amazing community. And yet, like any community, under the streets lie sewer pipes and on the outskirts there's a garbage dump. And somewhere in the muck, downraters sit outside their clapboard shanties trying to figure a way out of the trash heap.

Psychology of a Downrater
Life must not be too fair for a downrater. Everyone else gets the attention they alone deserve. But to truly understand a downrater, you have to look at it from his or her point of view. It takes a lot of work to vote down people's articles. Think about the time it takes to click again and again and again on someone's article. The time involved alone indicates a high degree of perseverance and a dedicated work ethic. Granted they could be working on writing articles instead of trashing them, but still, you have to give credit where credit is due. If only they used their powers for good.

Of course for the downrater, power is everything. They have their finger on the button. They alone can decide whose articles get read, and whose articles get sent to oblivion. If they'd seen Spiderman, perhaps they'd know that with great power comes great responsibility. But with so many articles to rate, I imagine the typical downrater doesn't have a lot of leisure time.

How Many Clicks Does it Take to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?
As I thought about the much-maligned downrater, an idea hit me. This person isn't some pathetic, jealous, greed-driven, knuckle-dragging, self-centered loser. This person is a genius. After all, with AC's new bonus program, they can get more hits for their articles by wiping out the competition. If they empty out the Top-Rated Content section, their self-inflated articles can move on up and get the attention they deserve. You can just hear the pennies rolling in. With that in mind, I've developed a training guide for people who want to be top downraters.

DownRaterPlus! The Complete Downrating System!

You too can become a top downrater! Just read what these satisfied downraters have to say:

Ima Loser writes: "I love downrating! It gives me such a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day knowing that I made sure that no one else's articles but my own will ever get read."

Quasha Wordsmith writes: "Downrating is so simple. You don't even have to leave a comment. Downrating is a lot more fun than writing!"

I. M. Bitter writes: "Before I started downrating, my articles were only getting five to six page views a piece. Now, after only a month of downrating, my page views haven't gone up - but neither have anyone else's! Thank you, DownRaterPlus!"

It's true! Downrating is the simplest, most convenient way to turn low self-esteem into big bucks.

But don't take my word for it - check out these DownRaterPlus! sample tips for yourself.

Tip 1. Remove Your Finger From Your Nose and Get Clicking!

No need to dig for gold up there. With DownRaterPlus! you can click your way to wealth. By removing other people's articles, you make way for your own. That means more page views for you and more of those precious pennies in your pocket!

Tip 2. Surgically Remove Your Integrity

Most people have an innate sense of decency, so when in doubt, cut it out! Don't let honesty stand in the way of your goals. That extra dollar you'll earn each month will buy all the integrity you'll ever need.

Tip 3. Greed is Good

Many people thought this idea died out in the 80s. But greed is the new black. Self-absorption has never been so easy. You're just one click away from wiping out the work of other writers and replacing it with your own!

These are but a few of the fabulous tips you'll discover using the patented DownRaterPlus! system.

But Wait! There's more. Order now and you'll receive the following how-to guides at no extra cost:

How to Burn Other Writers - Without the Guilt!

How to be Brave Behind an Anonymous Computer Screen

The Passive-Aggressive Guide to Internet Marketing

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