Look under my username. I'm a brand new member. What do I know about the "Talkboard"? Absolutely NOTHING.

But I voted.

The day the elections opened, on what, 14 Nov? I voted. Why?

Because I happened to log in that day, like everyday in my freshman newbyness, and lo and behold the poster above me had that "I Voted" emblem under her or his username. And I thought to myself, I'll be dang gummed if make another post without having voted. What will they think I am? A selfish free loader?

So I fished around, found the links, read everyone's election statements, found a huge difference between candidates based on statements alone, which gave me enough of a basis to feel comfortable making a couple of selections, and I VOTED.

If that icon had not been there in the poster before me, I would not have voted. I just got here. It would have taken me a long time to feel invested enough to vote. But that symbol under the user name? I wasn't going to be caught hanging around here without voting.

The point: Good behavior is motivated by little things like that icon.

Something to think about when considering an "informative" button.