upvoting

Upvoting is a user action on many online platforms that signals approval or perceived usefulness of a post, comment, answer, or link. The effect is twofold: it helps surface quality content and, on many sites, increases the item's visibility or ranking. Upvotes are often paired with downvotes to express disagreement, and some platforms also use a reputation or karma system that rewards the author when content is upvoted.

Different platforms implement upvotes in different ways. Reddit uses upvotes and downvotes to determine a post’s score and its position in feeds. Stack Exchange uses votes to adjust user reputation and to measure content quality, with upvotes on questions and answers influencing the contributor’s standing. Other networks may simply nudge popular items higher in a feed without changing reputations.

Upvoting supports community moderation by elevating useful content and discouraging low-effort submissions. It can also be biased by popularity, social networks, or coordinated campaigns, which may distort outcomes. Most sites prohibit manipulation and encourage voting based on content quality, accuracy, and usefulness rather than personal preference or notoriety.

Best practices include voting only on content you have read and evaluated, considering relevance, correctness, clarity, and usefulness. Be aware of platform-specific rules about voting, including how votes affect the author’s reputation and the visibility of submissions.