I originally posted this question on the Product Hunt discussion board and didn't receive any feedback.
I've been a lurker on Product Hunt for years. Recently, I have made an effort to contribute with comments and upvote products. I don't understand why I should upvote. Does it contribute to the "greater good" of how this product will help others and is a good idea? Or do I simply like anything that is made with GPT-3 or think the product's logo looks good?
In Product Hunt's FAQ, I found:
Upvote the things you love. When you do, it is saved to your profile.
In a related sense, I have been both lurker and up/down voter on Reddit. In that community, the guidelines vary on how to up/down vote. I have roughly followed this guidance.
Quality control. Upvotes are intended to mean "this contributes to the conversation" and downvotes are intended to mean "this does not contribute to the conversation". Moderate based on quality, not opinion. Well written and interesting content can be worthwhile, even if you disagree with it.</b>
Reddit says:
Vote. If you think something contributes to the conversation, upvote it. If you think it does not contribute to the subreddit it is posted in or is off-topic in a particular community, downvote it.</b>
[META ending] Upvote this discussion if you are also curious,
Aryon
I upvote Products for following reasons:
Similar to other answers.
I also use it to bookmark products I want to use in the future.
I vote to bookmark a product and refer to it later. And, in turn, I bookmark only the products I love or may use at some point.