On the disagree button, I'd say it depends on the community. If most people would just leave a disagree rating without explaining, then it would be useless to some degree, not helping or furthering the conversation. If most would give a detailed reason for why, then it would be useful.
But even if it isn't brought back, it isn't really necessary for community members (but maybe for schine). I joined the forum after the disagree button was removed the first time, and whenever someone disagreed, the first sentence in their response post was something like "I disagree completely because ..." All it would mean is having to read the opposing posts to get an idea of how well or not the op's post was received. This would lead more of us to read the whole discussion, but for schine, who don't have that kind of time, the disagree button would make it easier to see how many like or share an opinion. Pretty much, I see positives and negatives to both options.
If it isn't brought back, an alternative would be to add a poll at the top of the post with a simple yes/no or agree/disagree.
But even if it isn't brought back, it isn't really necessary for community members (but maybe for schine). I joined the forum after the disagree button was removed the first time, and whenever someone disagreed, the first sentence in their response post was something like "I disagree completely because ..." All it would mean is having to read the opposing posts to get an idea of how well or not the op's post was received. This would lead more of us to read the whole discussion, but for schine, who don't have that kind of time, the disagree button would make it easier to see how many like or share an opinion. Pretty much, I see positives and negatives to both options.
If it isn't brought back, an alternative would be to add a poll at the top of the post with a simple yes/no or agree/disagree.