I don't see a big difference between Helpful votes and "Suggest this thread for TalkMail". Nobody has ever asked for ability to prevent others from suggesting your thread for TalkMail.
Originally Posted by
Canarsie
In contrast to the “like” button system, submitting suggestions for inclusion in the TalkMail newsletter is completely anonymous to fellow FlyerTalk members; is not “invasive” to the profile of a FlyerTalk member; and submitting a suggestion does not automatically guarantee publication.
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Yes, my point too.
And also, when pressing "Suggest to talkmail" it is pretty clear to the user what will happen - the thread will be suggested to be included in talkmail. The user can understand the consequences of the action.
The usage of the like/helpful vote is much more sneaky - it is in no way clear to the "liker" that the action will lead to anything besides a thumbs up on the post.
Another difference between the two functions is that one works on a thread and the other works on a single post. A single post is uniquely associated with a single member. A single post, outside its context can be read as something completely different than the poster intended.
The "no one ever asked for opt out on suggest to talkmail" is not a very good argument to not include opt-out when designing a new feature. In my mind, if the summary of this thread states "opt-out is just a nice to have", it suggests
nsx read this thread very selectively.
If opt-out is left out, I guess members who doesn't want to be voted upon can resort to self-censoring by refraining from posting helpful things. This is in fact what has happened on some social media sites, where users have learned the hard way that they have very little control over how posted material is used.