For example, this one had 1 upvote before it got downvoted. Did I post too fast, titles, etc or are riddles not allowed?
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5$\begingroup$ There are many reasons to downvote, not just whether it's on topic or not. I can only assume some people didn't like it, thought it was too easy/hard, too ambiguous, etc. Voting is anonymous, and trying to find out why people vote the way they do is often an exercise in futility. $\endgroup$– Set Big ODec 5, 2014 at 13:45
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2$\begingroup$ Note: I did downvote this question, because I don't feel having a bunch of people ask "why was I downvoted" on meta is useful. $\endgroup$– Set Big ODec 5, 2014 at 13:46
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$\begingroup$ @Geobits It's the recommendation of the establishment to do exactly that. It educates the community. $\endgroup$– d'alar'copDec 5, 2014 at 15:30
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$\begingroup$ @d'alar'cop As far as I can tell, while commenting about downvotes is encouraged (in comments), it's still anonymous by design, and asking why something was downvoted is often seen as non-productive even there. Bringing that same noise to meta is not useful, in my opinion, so I downvoted (as the tooltip says I should for something I see as non-useful). I certainly haven't seen anything explicitly saying that you should ask on meta. Link? $\endgroup$– Set Big ODec 5, 2014 at 15:46
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$\begingroup$ @Geobits puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/5893/… $\endgroup$– d'alar'copDec 7, 2014 at 9:48
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3 Answers
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Riddles that follow the rules are totally allowed. While those rules are currently being formalized and will continue to change, here's a good guideline for now. There are those on the site that feel we should only talk about puzzle theory. Some of them serial downvote puzzles themselves. Other times, it's that someone just doesn't like the style or feel that the quality is up to par. I've got a riddle that's over +50 right now, but it started off in the negatives. It's just part of the game. Don't get discouraged.
answered Dec 5, 2014 at 13:48
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2$\begingroup$ Right. Best to let it wash over you. Reputation points don't matter. $\endgroup$– A EDec 5, 2014 at 14:00
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$\begingroup$ I wouldn't say "totally allowed." Good riddles with a single unique answer are allowed. $\endgroup$– KevinDec 5, 2014 at 17:17
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1$\begingroup$ @Kevin Modified it to reflect your correct point. $\endgroup$ Dec 5, 2014 at 17:22
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$\begingroup$ your 'riddle over 50' is the highest-voted question on P.SE $\endgroup$ Dec 8, 2014 at 23:23
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I didn't see the riddle and didn't vote on it, but I would guess it's been downvoted due to an apparent lack of effort. Riddles are very much welcome, low-quality anythings are not.
The lines don't rhyme, they have no meter (di-dah di-dah di-dah, di-dah di-dah di-dah) and personally I feel that it's a bit too obvious (note: I don't think overly-abstract riddles are good either - balance is important).
That said, don't let it dissuade you. Look at other riddles (maybe not from the last 2 days) and you'll see they flow when you read them. Try to copy that, and don't forget you can always post a riddle, give the answer (maybe in a spoiler tag) then specifically ask How do I improve my riddle? to get feedback from people who are more into riddling.
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Don't confuse down-voting with voting-for-closure (or hold). While explanation for votes are encouraged it is not obligatory (but sensible voting is not yet established in the community as a whole).
Asking for the reasons of a down vote might be futile, as the person giving it most likely never reads your question (or cares about.) Also, votes (up and down) change. If you receive many down votes, there is obviously something not quite right - or your puzzle/riddle has not yet found it's fan group.
Either way, if your posted puzzles/riddles are voted for [closure], then there is likely a "not suitable for this site" reason. If it is purely down voted, some / many people just don't think it's a good riddle. Opinions are free.
