Have you thought?
Tuesday, May 7, 2002 by adni18 | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
What is the use of it, if the authors doesn't know why they get 10 from someone and after 1 from someone else for the same work and in the same day?
As the comments are not anonymous why the ratings must be anonymous and without a small comment giving the reason of the rate?
I think that the rating system is the only black point in WinCustomize and it has to be fixed. So, much work from all sides and the result is not the one that we all expecting, for many well known reasons.
Do you care about the authors of this site? Please give us a sign that you care.
I didn't want to say anything personal in this thread, but I will:
I am mad with this system rating that gives a change to some persons to express their lower self’s.
Reply #2 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 8:15 AM
Reply #3 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 8:42 AM
Reply #4 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 10:28 AM
While the system isn't perfect (not by a long shot), as a GENERAL tool for USERS to wade through thousands of wallpapers or skins to quickly find the best stuff, it works remarkably well on the whole.
That said, I do want to have a feature where admins can see who rated what. If some guy is going around wrecking the ratings, we can re-evaluate their access priviledges.
Reply #5 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 10:36 AM
Reply #6 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 10:46 AM
I never said to remove the system rating!
I just said that is good to improve it, 'cause it has some weakness.
The word Contributer is not equal with the word Saint, if you know what I mean.
Reply #7 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 11:48 AM
Although at some point I was among those thinking that ratings should not be made anonymously, I have changed my mind. I think that a lot of people would give high ratings just to make themselves look like nice guys and to score "political points" in the skinning community. For example, Brad's skins may receive only 10's from people who want to look nice in the eyes of the almighty.
I don't know if there are any way to make the ratings better. So I've come back to my original opinion: get rid of them, they are useless.
Reply #8 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 12:06 PM
as an artist, this has a huge benefit. when getting feedback about your work, in hopes of improving what you do, or to find out what it is you're doing right, quantitative numbers are the worst information. forcing a person to tie a rating and a comment together would do several things, in my opinion:
-reduce the amount of thought going into the comments
-force the comment to be qualitative rather than informative
-discourage people from making comments about various details of the piece which might not have anything to do with its overall quality
my advice to artists is to -definitely- not pay attention to the rating, but rather to read the comments.
additionally, if it's merely a desire to find a way to increase the number of comments, please remember that quantity is far less important than quality when it comes to critiques.

Reply #9 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 12:14 PM
often i wonder at the ratings on some of the skins and wallpapers. but when you realise there are only 2 values entered, the score isnt that representative.
requiring comments with ratings sounds like it should help deal with the flattering effect.
not all comments i make are constructive. sometimes all there is to say is "i loved it".
at least with a comment as well as a score simply flattery should be noticable.
i can see the point in the ratings, i just dont pay them much attension personally.
Reply #10 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 1:12 PM
paxx,
I can see your point, but if "...lot of people would give high ratings just to make themselves look like nice guys", it never hurt anyone, the bad ratings are those that are hurting authors and making them want to stop working.
The only reason, that make me start been a member of our community, (1 year ago), was when I have send my first wallpaper and I saw it having so big success, (you know, the one with big perspective MS logo), if the result then, was the opposite, I am sure that I will have stop.
That's why I am commenting a lot the new authors works, even if their works are nothing special, to give them courage to go on.
The child’s need encouragement and the most authors here, are children in authoring, for example I am not even 1 year old.
To be continued...
Reply #11 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 1:54 PM

Reply #13 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 5:06 PM
The results of all those threads were always the same.
The majority of the active members of our community, they don't like the ratings as they are now or they don't want the ratings at all.
I know that Brad insist in this rating system.
I know also that it is his site.
I am wondering why all those arguments, about the rating system, are not having any effect.
Do you remember who wrote the folowing:
"I think that those who hold strong opinions should consider why they have those opinions before airing them in a public forum. For if someone challenges those opinions, one better be prepared to back them up with seemingly rational reasons (evidence)."
and
"The ability to provide rational arguments is important in a community"
and
"Without someone challenging ones views and being forced to back them up, people tend to become more and more set in a particularly narrow view."
Reply #14 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 5:30 PM
Ideally 'IF' the artist's peers actually 'rated' the walls frequently enough to give a more 'accurate' indicator of its 'standard, or quality', then we'd have the most democratic, or community-led filtration system possible.
If there are too few ratings to generate an accurate 'average' then it 'can' all fall apart.
I guess the trick is to 'do more rating'....

Reply #15 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 6:06 PM
About your comment and the wallpapers,in particular, there are 3 facts:
1. The quality is up to moderators of WinCustomize, isn't it? Therefore, it has nothing to do with the rating system.
2. How can any one forse the people for rating more? After all this period of time, we know well, that only very few people are rating.
3. The 99% of the people are downloading, "by date", so this fact also has nothing to do with the rating system again.
Reply #16 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 6:23 PM
paxx says: get rid of them, they are useless
migellito says: not pay attention to the rating
treetog says: I don´t give a crap about ratings
feline says: i can see the point in the ratings
c242 says: ...the rating is still anonymous. Theres no use for that
jcg says: not accept ratings that are not accompanied by a comment
WiseOldMan says: I agree. There needs to be some sort of accountability in the rating system
Reply #18 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 6:57 PM
And on top of that I will have not much to do during the day anymore instead of waiting for new uploads to give the rating of 1 to.Did I post that out loud? DOH!
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Reply #1 Tuesday, May 7, 2002 6:40 AM