Hello!
Tuesday, July 29, 2003 by adni18 | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
Even if the majority of members here are not children any more(
they still have a lot to learn!I have learn a lot of things for 2 years now, thanks to you, thanks to positive or negative comments to authors and of course, thanks to messageboard arguments, they were all very useful, for one who likes to learn!
I must say there is a quallity in WinCustomize MessageBoard, you can't find very easy in a public MB.
There are some exceptions though, from some persons, but that's life, in any activity of life there are always some bad exceptions.
You may ask why I am writing all this now, because I have spend too many hours to read some long threads in the messageboard those last couple days, (you know the language problem for the foreigners) and I want to share my thoughts about what I have read with you.
Some really nice people, both sides, they have lost control when they have try to express their thoughts, both ways.
No harm is made, both sides they have understand well what is going on and they have turn down their tones.
I hope and I wish the tones remain like this.
Why all this happening, this is the important question!
I can tell you my opinion, it is the only thing I have to offer you about this problem.
Reason 1:
In the messageboard, there are some people who like to make fun to others, no matter if their fun hurts the others or they want to be accepted as clever or perfect ones. This gives a wrong and bad impression to many people who may think that this is WC.
(By the way, we must not forget that this is an Intenational site and not all are knowing the English language well, so this may be another reason of missunderstanding and wrong conclusions).
Solution to Reason 1:
The admins who are in general nice persons, (nobody wants to have an admin in his site who sending away the people), when the see a post that it is not well-meaning or it looks like an offence to another person, they must interact with good words and try to make them understand that this is not an acceptable post for a quality MB, even if they find it that it is correct or fun for them, but offensive for another person.
In that way those x persons they will learn to behave them selves and be nice for everyone and the offended ones will feel that at least they are among friendly people and mates.
We are a community, we must help each other.
Reason 2:
Some persons, are giving bad rattings not only for the quallity of a work, but also for who the artist is and this is some times not fair at all, this is for the bad and the good rates too, so the artists, who are always very sensitive, (how can any one be an artist
without sensitivity?), are geting hurt in a certain away.
Solution to the Reason 2:
The ratting system is very good for the admins and their friends, they are happy to see their high rates, so they find no reason to change it. I don't mean here that they don't deserve high rattings because they do, but this is not the point.
The point is, that very few are giving rates and the ratting system rules in WC, this doesn't happen in any other site, there are rates, but not so crucial as here. Some works disappear because of one bad rate which has been given for personal or taste reasons!
The solution is obvious.
Reason 3:
The moderation of wallpapers. I know and you know very well all the story, no need to repeat it here.
Solution to the Reason 3:
Make a new section for the wallpapers, a second one and put there all the wallpapers and let people deside which of them are going to be in the main Wallpaper section. A certain number of downloads will make a wallpaper jumb to the main Wallpapers section, please no rattings. If people like something let them have it!
A decent name for this second walls section must not have in any way an offensive name.
A slogan like:
"We are not moderating your wallpapers, we let you
decide" is very friendly and no one can complain and give a headache to moderators.
This site is for the people and from the people!
(I know that Stardock pays for the site
)Wow! Did I wrote so many in English?
Yes I did, because I care!

Please, don't shoot the piano man!
Reply #142 Wednesday, July 30, 2003 10:46 PM
Hey...what happened to my post? I posted a reply to Jafo!
Ok let me try to think what the heck did I say?
Oh yeah;
I agree Jafo, I just assumed that even with allowing all submissions, it would still have fall into the guideline regime of WC. That was just assumed on my part. NO NO NO Britney BOOBS. If I can't Vin Diesel pecks...
The fellas can't have Britney Boobs! >

I dont' understand that whole XP thing you mentioned why would ANYONE want XP all over every single wall? It's fine if that's the main focal point of a wall, but not ALL OF THEM. Again, I stress, it would have to fall into suite of the WC guidelines.
And yeah, I remember that wall you did.
I was very new then, and it had me stumped at first. I didnt understand why it was 'accepted'
And when I saw the downloads I about died. 
Reply #143 Wednesday, July 30, 2003 11:13 PM
Having responsable raters are a core in the problem here
Reply #144 Wednesday, July 30, 2003 11:23 PM
Reply #145 Thursday, July 31, 2003 12:00 AM
Reply #146 Thursday, July 31, 2003 12:39 AM
Scribe Fuzzy Logic as we have learned it is also User level 3 or 4 (?) on up that can rate here as well.
Maybe that's the problem...too many non-skinners rating. Dunno. Would be curious ourselves who rated us (not cuz we were rated bad but cuz we were just curious, aren't we all?
) but anonymous rating for the general public is best we think just cuz...without anonymity it could work in reverse "I see Jane rates me good, now I will rate her good"..."I see Joe rates me bad, I will be sure to rate him bad" Not too good an idea.Maybe rating priveleges should be tamed so that level 4 users can only rate skinz between 4-8...making their vote *count* but only SOMEWHAT so that the customer still can have a say but they won't effect a skin so drastically with their rate and maybe this can be progressive through the levels further up...Apprentice can only rate 3-9 and
Master Apprentice 2-9 and then Journeymen on up no limits and give them the 1-10 ability.
This idea might not work so well in coding...might be too much trouble than it's worth...ah well
Just our shave and a haircut...two bits!

Reply #147 Thursday, July 31, 2003 12:40 AM

Reply #148 Thursday, July 31, 2003 12:40 AM
Event...yes, we can see the ratings...and we can click on a rater's name and see a list of what he has rated overall and how it compares with the average rating for that skin....a good tool to determine who has an 'agenda'....and surprisingly [or not], very few real trends emerge that are 'suspect'...
Generally a 'trend' needs to be blatant before any response is made, or considered, as we'd rather not interfere if we can help it.
I think the system of rating, or who can and cannot will be amended, subsequent to more feedback....[both public and private]...
Reply #149 Thursday, July 31, 2003 12:50 AM
Maybe give a skin so long to be voted on and then a "time-out" is given and the voting process is no longer plausible for that skin and it is set at a certain rate. Give enough time for folks to come to conclusions (maybe a week or two?) and then set that final score as IT...no more voting.
Just more ideas off the top of our heads.

Reply #151 Thursday, July 31, 2003 12:55 AM
And if the skin is re-uploaded with improvements the skins is once again OPEN for rating but for the same time limit it was given at first. The original rate won't be reset but just be open to being rated again.
Okay...off to bed for the Eckerlings!

Reply #152 Thursday, July 31, 2003 1:16 AM
Give me the power to rate call me Executioner anthony roberts
or The Terminator themajor
[Message Edited]
Reply #153 Thursday, July 31, 2003 2:39 AM
Reply #155 Thursday, July 31, 2003 4:45 AM
Yes, a lot of the rating problems may very well be non skinners rating, but there's is evidence of skinners mucking up ratings also.
Part of the preceived problem is that, often people see any low rating as malicious, even if the skin is deserving of a low rate.
I've noticed several post, where follks say they won't rate a skin if they can't give it high marks, This is a problem too..... all skins need honest evaluations. You're not really doing a skinner any favors by this practice.
Very few skins should deserve a 10, it should be nigh impossible to attain. Fuzzy's system is very similar to mine, and could be a useful tool for raters, if they will honestly apply it to all skins they rate.
0 to 3 marks for appearence
0 to 3 marks for useability
0 to 3 marks for skill level
1 mark for something extra-ordinary (very rarely used) assuming the work has already achieved a maximum 9 marks.
You'll notice, that in order to use this system, you must download, and use the skin first. A skin shouldn't be rated by the screenshot.
my nickels worth........ you can keep the change. 

Reply #157 Thursday, July 31, 2003 8:31 AM
Reply #158 Thursday, July 31, 2003 8:35 AM
Reply #159 Thursday, July 31, 2003 8:39 AM

Reply #160 Thursday, July 31, 2003 9:27 AM
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Reply #141 Wednesday, July 30, 2003 10:34 PM