I didn't read the whole thread so am unclear on the exact system being suggested here; our system only allows a member to like a post, and later unlike (take their like away) a post. Posts cannot be 'voted down', meaning 'dislikes' being tallied publicly. Members on moderation (postings reviewed by moderation) can still access the like system. Members on temporary or permanent suspension (access to the site as a posting member removed) cannot access the like system.

There is a 'like tally' which floats at the top right of each thread, showing the number of likes that posts in a particular thread have received. What I find interesting is, generally like FT, hardly anyone uses the "Rate this thread" feature (the star system).

In our case we didn't have a debate period prior to the system starting. It simply showed up one day. We have a much smaller forum, only about .38MM members and about 5.2MM posts, and don't have the large management structure that FT has. IMO, input and discussion can be helpful in such matters.

If FT were to implement such a system, my vote would be for an anonymous " ^" type system similar to that of youtube and other sites.