Addition to the rating system?

I think this is a good idea. However, I really hate that rating a user down remains anonymous. I think far fewer people would be so quick to lash out with a bad rating if they knew the other user could see it.

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Original post by darkpegasus I think this is a good idea. However, I really hate that rating a user down remains anonymous. I think far fewer people would be so quick to lash out with a bad rating if they knew the other user could see it.

I'd think you'd get too much backlash if the other could see who rated them down. Some may just start clicking on the profiles to rate all those down who rated them down.

Why do ratings matter?

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Original post by Dave Why do ratings matter?

Thats kind of the point. I think of the ratings as sort of indicator/feedback if i, or others, are interacting well within the community. Other than that, the rating doesn't mean much.
However, if that is truly the only meaning the rating system has, then wouldn't it make sense to give the person commented feedback as to why he/she was rated down? To allow the user to more effectively learn where they're going wrong?

I don't miss the 0-rated users, not one bit. They got there for a reason.

At least one problem with anonymous feedback is that it is an anonymous message, which opens things up for abuse. For example, I could rate you down and include a message "Your momma likes to bake apple pies."

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Original post by capn_midnight I don't miss the 0-rated users, not one bit. They got there for a reason.

:( You don't miss me!!!???

/me *cries*

I actually had fun getting my rating down to zero. I posted in every controversial thread I could find, and simply argued my viewpoint without insulting or being uncivil to anyone (or at least, I don't think I was :P). I thought about posting about my rating to make it dive like a submarine, but that's cheating. It actually took a good half year to get to zero. I wish I could see how far negative I am now :)

Maybe don't need comments but I think but I think we should be able to see who has rated us down. If you are going to rate somebody down then you should have the balls to stand behind it.

All that does is introduce retaliation -- this happens now, except it's unwarranted (people see their rating drop, and then assume it was the poster or posters in their most recent thread, when it fact it could have been somebody who never even responded or somebody who read some other post entirely, and then they go and rate those people down in retaliation).

If you feel that you should take credit for down-ratings, then you can easily do so via PM or in a post.

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Original post by SiCrane At least one problem with anonymous feedback is that it is an anonymous message, which opens things up for abuse. For example, I could rate you down and include a message "Your momma likes to bake apple pies."

Would it be feasible to have feedback comments be anonymous to the receiver, but the sender visible to moderators and staff? That way the moderators could police the comments as per normal threads. The main downside would be if this was put too much work on the mods.

My main concern over feedback, and especially non-anonymous feedback, is if it would sour the community spirit with squabbles and flames.

I think an optional feedback field would probably get largely ignored for positive ratings and abused for negative ones; that wouldn't be overly useful to the community.

I did once suggest that ratings could be tied to threads or posts, this can be done automagically when you use a thread to rate someone. It would allow that person to see what it was they contributed that deserved them a rating.
I can't imagine a reason to rate a user separately to their contribution in a thread?

One technique currently is to take the name of a person who's rated you and search for both your user name and theirs to find threads you've both participated in and try to see why they rated you.

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Original post by j_smith4 Maybe don't need comments but I think but I think we should be able to see who has rated us down. If you are going to rate somebody down then you should have the balls to stand behind it.

Yikes. Angry much? That's exactly why we don't show who rated people down, or allow reasons for it: it makes the whole thing far too personal. That's also why we make it so that one user can have almost no effect on another user. Ratings are impersonal, inexact, and statistical by design. It's just a number. Ignore it.

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Original post by SiCrane At least one problem with anonymous feedback is that it is an anonymous message, which opens things up for abuse. For example, I could rate you down and include a message "Your momma likes to bake apple pies."

You can introduce a community policed system. Have anyone in the community, except for those who the comment is for, tag the comment as abuse if it is. After so many community taggings, like from 4 or more community members, the comment will be removed.
However, i feel it would be a bad idea no matter what to make it non-anonymous. Anonymous is needed to avoid childish backlash.

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Original post by Jarrod1937 Quote: Original post by SiCrane At least one problem with anonymous feedback is that it is an anonymous message, which opens things up for abuse. For example, I could rate you down and include a message "Your momma likes to bake apple pies." You can introduce a community policed system. Have anyone in the community, except for those who the comment is for, tag the comment as abuse if it is. After so many community taggings, like from 4 or more community members, the comment will be removed. However, i feel it would be a bad idea no matter what to make it non-anonymous. Anonymous is needed to avoid childish backlash.

Sounds to me like a lot of work to fix something that isn't particularly broken. I say leave the rating system be (for the time being).

The rating system is BS. It says that it rates "helpfulness" but I could help people here until I'm blue in the face and my rating will stay the same. But, post one opinion that some people don't like, and your rating will go in the can.

You'd think a site for game developers would have a decently designed point system... :
I tutored people in college, I served a year in Iraq, I volunteer for the church choir (in Iraq too), but according to my rating I'm a jerk. Figures...

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Original post by T1OracleI tutored people in college, I served a year in Iraq, I volunteer for the church choir (in Iraq too), but according to my rating I'm a jerk. Figures...

Wow. If you're a jerk, I must be..... Satan!!!??

Does anybody actually filter out people with low ratings?

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Original post by T1Oracle The rating system is BS. It says that it rates "helpfulness" but I could help people here until I'm blue in the face and my rating will stay the same. But, post one opinion that some people don't like, and your rating will go in the can. You'd think a site for game developers would have a decently designed point system... : I tutored people in college, I served a year in Iraq, I volunteer for the church choir (in Iraq too), but according to my rating I'm a jerk. Figures...

it's not your opinion, it's how you present it.

We've been over this time and time again. Large jumps in rating occur when large groups of people rate a single person in one direction.

I've made threads on cannibalism being a *good* thing, and actually gotten rated UP for it. Clearly, that would be an unpopular opinion, it was all in how I presented it.

Besides, it says "or friendly".

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Original post by curtmax_0 Does anybody actually filter out people with low ratings?

I do!!!

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Original post by Mushu Quote: Original post by curtmax_0 Does anybody actually filter out people with low ratings? I do!!!

Then how did you see my post? ;)