Idea: make it clear where you can suggest improvements to the forum

i'm curious how you know that downvoting does not have many fans. I wonder if the non-"expert" participants have ever been asked if they would find this a useful feature--if they think it might add a little useful restraint.

make all forum suggestions for all boards in the same place. Apparently some boards used something called uservoice.

By @Alphabet Publishing

A few years ago, most boards were using UserVoice (PS used feedback.com). I think it was two years ago that Photoshop closed the Feedback forum and added Bugs and Ideas to the PS board (threads were moved). Since then many other boards have adopted this new method, but there are hold-outs. I'm with you on wishing they would all drop UserVoice, but it's not my decision.

Adding downvotes has been discussed and rejected for the reasons Abambo listed, and I agree. We can always use words to say, "I disagree" or "there's another way to look at this".

Do away with topic tags, or at least made them optimal,

By @Alphabet Publishing

Any chance you meant to say "optional" instead of "optimal"? If you meant "optional", then I agree — especially here in Using the Community where so many posts are moved to the other boards and the tags disappear anyway. In some boards the tags are essential, such as for Scripting.

Staff will see your Ideas even if they don't reply, and they are the ones who make changes. Volunteers can only give opinions. 

Jane

It's contradictory for a company to use different systems to track bug reports and ideas of the general public. But many of the tools developed at Adobe have a historic background that lets them use different tools at different moments. It's not something you can change with a snip of the fingers.

Downvoting does not have many fans in many communities, because it expresses a negative feeling. The community should be driven by positive energy.

And answers should not get downvoted because you do not like the answer. Sometimes answers are simply correct, but not much appreciated.

One size doesn't fit all.  It varies by product.   Product managers decide what works best for their team.  Every team has different resources, priorities & logistics to consider. 

To which product team do you want to submit feedback?  Please be specific.

NOTE:  This community platform is NOT an Adobe product.  It's leased from the 3rd party company who designs & maintains it.  Adobe has very little to say about it.