Yeah. If I continue the awards, I'm going to have to evaluate each post AFTER checking the zaprank.

Instead of removing downzaps from the calculation you should remove boosts.  That post's "investment" came almost entirely from boosts.

But to be honest, that's too much work unless SN implements a sort ranking that excludes boosts.

SimpleStacker

I know. This post gave me pause. It did generate so much discussion that I decided not to get in the way of my normal practice. I may have to rethink my rewards method. Maybe check each post for downzaps. I don't want to completely disincentivise controversial posts, so it's a tough call.