I think voting is a helpful first pass filter to cut down on the noise, but it n...

I think voting is a helpful first pass filter to cut down on the noise, but it needs to be capped or it becomes a game. I think Slashdot made the right call by capping the votes to +5/-2 and being somewhat stingy with their voting points. They also don't allow you to post and vote on the same article.

Any discussion system that wants to grow large and doesn't have a plan to deal with trolls is doomed to fail. It would be like building an airplane but not taking wind resistance into account.