TYCUS TYCUS

Updating the star rating system

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Updating the star rating system

here are the ideas...

from WinCustomize Forums

The following is an extended explanation of my idea in how the actual rating system can improve; the goal of this is to lower down the amount of threads at the forum complaining and asking why their skins got a low rating.

Stars 2.0

One of the common arguments about the actual rating system is the “why I got a low rate?”; right now when you submit a skin at any gallery your work will be rated by a moderator, this person will even decide if your work is good enough or suitable to enter into the gallery, in fact, this procedure is quite necessary and it doesn’t need to change at all, we can consider that like the “start point” to begin the rating. Now, how should we rate in the correct way? My idea is quite simple:

  1. - Rate and add a comment.

To prevent skinners fury we can replace the little window showing the amount of stars to rate the skin with two things: at the top right side of the skinner description of the skin it could be a star-meter, just to show the rating the skin has. The other part is at the comments area: in there aside the guy/gal name it will appear the rate he/she gave to the skin and comment will be the reason of the amount of the stars he/she gave. Now, you will ask your self how in the name of God we can make that person to leave a comment and not just the rate? It’s simple, during the procedure of rating a comment it “must” be added a comment to apply the rate, if not it won’t let the user to apply any star at all. If a user rates any skin just righting some useless words or typing anything in a random way without any sense, the skinner can request to undo the rate and delete the comment. All this can be done just by making a pop-up window to appear (we can even add an edit button to leave the option open if the user want to change the rate or the comment he/she did). By doing this we can even prevent other users to spam or put a low rating just to damage the skinner work.

2.   - Hide the troll.

A plus to this idea is to add a “hide” button in every comment that can be use only by the owner of the skin, this is to leave the option of hiding useless comments with a low rating or other kind of comments that the skinner might consider unnecessary.

3.   - Flaming stars!

Other thing that it might be good is to give to the skin the honor of “flaming star”; it is something like a popular skin thing. A skin can get the title of flaming star when it gets more than 20 or 10 five star ratings (given by users).

  1. - Who can rate?

I don’t remember who are able to rate and who doesn’t, but to me, the only ones who must rate a skin are the Master Apprentice, Journeyman and Masters. Why of this? Not only because they are at certain point experts on what they do, they also make a great effort to make this site even better in many ways.

And that is all.., I really hope my idea(s) could be considered and be applied…

community
112,275 views 72 replies
Reply #26 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Forget stars.....put us on the beer system


I think Lantec's beer thingy is a great idea! The world needs to drink more beer! Wait, it's 8:30 in the morning! Time for a beer!

 :LOL:  :LOL:  :LOL: 
Reply #27 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you're worried about people beating the "download to rate" process then what about a timed interval that has to pass before being able to rate after you have downloaded?

It may cut down on the hit & run ratings and those who are going to actually judge something based on trying it and give honest/constructive feedback will take the time to go back and do it afterwards anyways.

Don't know if it's even possible without being a huge headache but it's a thought :NOTSURE:



Siege of Centauri
Reply #28 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think that was actually my idea.


Ahem...see reply #10 in WOM's thread
Reply #29 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I now don't care for ratings...i wish them to a bit higher...still its a true indication of how my work is...
However, it looks good to hav a higher rating..why...it looks golden then....
Reply #30 from WinCustomize Forums Top
well, the thread is still open, please add more ideas! :)

Thankx for the reply Zoomba, it's great that some of my ideas were ok for you., i do realy hope to see more comments with great ideas! ;)
Reply #31 from Stardock Forums Top
Well i dont have a great idea...But I DO have beer!
Reply #32 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I want to be able to skin the stars...
Reply #34 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well I have 2 ideas that might be not too bad. Seeing that most people have confidence here in the moderators and knowing that all skins, wallpapers, whatever are rated by the moderator, maybe there could be a system implemented where people have the rights to rate, but the rating cannot drop below the moderator's rating. For example you make a wallpaper and its rated at 6. No matter what, the wallpaper would never drop below the initial rating of 6. Could increase, but never decrease.My second idea would be to work on a 50-50 basis which is to say no matter what the moderator has rated it, 7,8,9, for example, it could be rated by the eligible, but could never drop below 5. That would be a knock off point. MIght also help with drive-bys, because if they know they cant rate the skin below 5 then whats the use, just a waste of their time...
Reply #35 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Personally I think there should be less "I dont see you submitting any skins" or "great gallery you have" when someone does say something negative about a skin. Seems like a lot of times when someone does 'call it like it is' they are ganged up on by members who seem to think all commenting should be positive. The new system should definately in someway encourage more honest critique of submissions and lessen the use of sugar coated criticism for fear of being verbally punished for speaking one's mind.

Lastly.. I feel I must downrate the new smileys some for being too orange and not working correctly in IE6  :LOL: 
Reply #36 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The new system should definately in someway encourage more honest critique of submissions and lessen the use of sugar coated criticism for fear of being verbally punished for speaking one's mind.


I agree  ;) 
Reply #37 from WinCustomize Forums Top
One idea:Once given a starting rating by the mods,it can't go below that,but ratings can make it go up or back down to that level.(From #2)
the rating cannot drop below the moderator's rating.
#34

Anyone else for this?It would keep things like walls or dreams,which don't seem to get many stars to begin with from dropping to a 2 or less.I think the mods initial rating would be a good enough judgment for visitors to go by if the rating dropped to that.It was good enough to get it into the gallery,after all. ;) [Edit]Which of course means if it's a good enough to be a 5 star rating on upload,it always will be. Further incentive to submit your best work. :D
Reply #39 from WinCustomize Forums Top
My second idea would be to work on a 50-50 basis which is to say no matter what the moderator has rated it, 7,8,9, for example, it could be rated by the eligible, but could never drop below 5.


good idea! :)
Reply #40 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Aye vStyler. There are skins out there which have had 5 stars which i dont find aesthetically pleasing but out of fear of being mobbed by that skinner and his/her close friends i dont dare come with constructive criticism. I have seen many comments giving criticism to a skin which led to a witchhunt of that poster lol.
So hopefully people will start acknowledging that there aint nothing wrong with constructive criticism. Please dont hurt me!! :SURPRISED: :CONGRAT: ;p
Reply #41 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Might as well get this one into the appropriate thread
Sooooo......you want a better system.......
how bout something like this: No stars or #'s

Recommend to Friends, Enemies & Mother-In-Law

Recommend to Friends & Enemies

Recommend to Friends

Use it myself

It's OK

I've seen it, now I can move on.

Oh My eyes!

Visually scarred for life

Recommend the artist never attempt this again

Recommend the artist be hunted down & physically punished
Reply #42 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Once given a starting rating by the mods,it can't go below that,but ratings can make it go up or back down to that level.



I don't necessarily think it is a bad thing for user ratings to ultimately push the rating lower than the original mod rating ... assuming there is no malice involved and I think the mods can take care of those cases as they already have been.

I do think if a submission is given a rating high enough by the mods to put it in the public view, it should stay in the public view no matter how low the rating may go subsequently ... and maybe that is already the case; I don't know.
Reply #43 from WinCustomize Forums Top
There are skins out there which have had 5 stars which i dont find aesthetically pleasing but out of fear of being mobbed by that skinner and his/her close friends i dont dare come with constructive criticism. I have seen many comments giving criticism to a skin which led to a witchhunt of that poster lol.So hopefully people will start acknowledging that there aint nothing wrong with constructive criticism. Please dont hurt me!!


+1
Reply #44 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Devils advocate thread...

A: This same thread appears about once every couple of months.
B: We've been told in the past - "too bad, we're not changing it"
C: Thread still reappears every couple of months

Conclusion: People don't like it or they wouldn't bitch about it every couple of months but management "wants to do what they want to do".
At least Zoomba took exception to it on this one. ;) 
Reply #45 from WinCustomize Forums Top
B: We've been told in the past - "too bad, we're not changing it"


if that is true., this thread is useless., even thoug, i keep thinking that any site can improve., no matter how excelent it looks for some, it can keep improving even more! ;)
Reply #46 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I do think if a submission is given a rating high enough by the mods to put it in the public view, it should stay in the public view no matter how low the rating may go subsequently ... and maybe that is already the case; I don't know.


I've always wondered if that was the way it's set up now.

Since I have it set ip to view all skins, no matter what the rating is, I'm not real worried about what a skin has for a rating. However, if it's too low, it will not show in the gallery for a non-subscriber, and subsequently, will not get as many downloads. It seems to me that that's why most complain about low ratings. (besides the fact that it bruises the ego when something you poured yourself into gets squashed by a moderator ;) )

My second idea would be to work on a 50-50 basis which is to say no matter what the moderator has rated it, 7,8,9, for example, it could be rated by the eligible, but could never drop below 5. That would be a knock off point. MIght also help with drive-bys, because if they know they cant rate the skin below 5 then whats the use, just a waste of their time...


So if a moderator rated a skin a 5 then it could not drop below a 4? That sounds reasonable.
Reply #47 from WinCustomize Forums Top
B: We've been told in the past - "too bad, we're not changing it"
I think the  complaint/request is most often "remove the rating".  THAT won't happen . . but a workable improvement is always appreciated.

Good discussion.

I don't think that the Mod rating should be a lodestone.  I think that the mods need to flow with the community and  . . moderate their ratings to reflect what is popular (if not what is submitted).  The mods are not the Gods of good taste.  They are the starting point for keeping the gallery a place that the community can be proud of (and encourage those skins that are not yet there and in the personal pages to improve).  I think mods should adapt.   :SURPRISED:

[As an aside . .I'd like to see the Impulse friends feature roll over to skins . . so that when I load the Valery I see skins from my friends not matter what the rating or gallery]   :CONGRAT:
Reply #48 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I've read ratings matter and ratings don't matter
I've read downloads are more accurate than ratings (I don't see that one... sometimes people download cuz the numbers are high, so they think it must be good. but sometimes that's not the case. I've downloaded quite a few that had high download counts and looked really good in the shots but didn't quite work for me in real time.)


I've read everything from'waaaahhhh!!!!' to 'shuuuttt uuuupppp!!'


My question is....

If a skin's rating can't drop (or can only drop 1) below the mod's given rating... then what's the point?
Reply #49 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'd like to see the Impulse friends feature roll over to skins . . so that when I load the Valery I see skins from my friends not matter what the rating or gallery]


Same here ... I'm a little unclear on 'Valery'. but I think I get the gist. ;)
Reply #50 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Lastly.. I feel I must downrate the new smileys some for being too orange and not working correctly in IE6

What new smilies? The Digi*cons that I've hosted so we could use them since WC's haven't been updated yet? And if IE6 actually supported transparency (or if you'd upgrade to the latest version like normal people ) they would display properly. Out with the old...in with the new. Outdated, hole-ridden software FTL.