The Ratings Monster Bites Again

I have read things on gather that I love. I have read things on gather that I hate. I have read read things on gather that I think are stupid. But I have never once given a rating nor will I

Cheryl, I wouldn't let the 1 rating bother you. I agree with John. Ratings mean nothing really. It's much better when you get feedback. I think someone is just pushing buttons.

Cheryl, you know your writing didn't deserve a one. Apparently, someone gets a big thrill out of hitting that one star. I'm pretty sure I've been hit, although I have a hard time telling unless it's the first or second rating. I don't take the time to do the math and decide if all the other low ratings I receive are truly ones, or something else between two and nine. I believe I deserve some 'between six and nines', but not ones.

Im sorry. I know what you mean. I have not only gotten no ratings but i have few comments as well !lol

I believe the beast here is anonymity... i don't think it would be so bad if we see a comment with a rating, as opposed to allow anybody rate an article... and one that is not spam... like it sucks 1... i guess more advanced filter and spam recognition technology would be in order... or some type of self moderation system where we can delete comments we find harmful, but then they could also just do away with the whole ratings system... i rarely choose anything other than between 8 and 10 anyways... and unless a piece totally offends me, which is rare... i will either bother not rating it or in an extreme case will give a 1 for ignorance or massive typing errors... although the perfectionist in me hates seeing unsightly 1's... perhaps, a filter would look at deviation from norm... and throw out extremes that deviate too much... guess that's more complex software that isn't really necessary for such a minor haggle... on the other hand, people who see low ratings for good pieces might be inclined to boost your rating just as easily... so what is truth anyways in the rating? just a game of vanity.

better yet just publish your pieces on google and have no feedback system except email... i guarantee you will get even fewer feedback because people are too lazy to give you feedback at all ;) ... one good thing about gather is it has been much more constructive than destructive... but sometimes i do tire of the good job thanks post with no explanation.

When will Gather get the guts to change this ridiculous rating system. People should not be allowed to put ones on an article or image without revealing who they are.

that would lead to a cult called the "Masked Ones" dear Jan... see i am always one step ahead of ya ;) ... kidding

In the end it is how YOU feel about your piece. You know you are a better writer than a '1' and you are smart enough to view the comments with an educated eye (are the readers responding to the piece or are they writing 'I'm a nice girl have fun this summer' in my yearbook because they don't know what else to say). There are very few articles on this site that deserve a one. Usually they are written in spite then posted without spell checking. People give 'ones' because they are pissed at you for some reason and the only way for perfect strangers to get pissed at you on a website like this is because you expressed an opinion that they don't like. So, consider a one a backhanded compliment of sorts, your writing has managed to stir enough passion that someone is willing to one you. If you only wrote pleasant pieces without every expressing an opinion you wouldn't be much of a writer.

P.S. I reposted this again because I needed to deal with the typos. Maybe I'm shooting blind here, but the rating system doesn't bother me because of what I said above. The whole point of Gather (ergo the name) is to gather and thus we build relationships with others. I'm sure we, with the exception of a few, seldom rate things as they should be rated because we consider the author a cyberspace buddy. The only time I feel perfectly honest about rating things is on the E network's site dealing with the clothes the stars are wearing. I'm sure if I had even the remotest relationship with Paris Hilton I would probably rate her differently. Otherwise, if I extremely moved by an article I will give it a ten or nothing.

the one thing gather does need to fix is disappearing messages... sometimes i will hit submit, but my message box will return blank... causing me to submit thoughts in pieces, revising them, then deleting the old one. ;)

Jeff, I haven't had that happen to me lately.

Gather keeps promising to do something about this problem, but no changes..... Try not to get discouraged. You are in good company. I think all of us regulars have been zapped.
I wish people could rate for quality, content, style etc, so we could actually learn from the ratings. Some very clever pieces have poor grammar, or well-written pieces need a spellcheck, or whatever. That doesn't make them worth a 1.

Cheryl, I know changes are forthcoming. Simply put, the system is far to easy to manipulate. Quite frankly, I'm surprised it's not more rampant. Nevertheless, changes will come soon (within a month) and we can kiss this 1-10 system goodbye. In a perfect world, it would have been fun. But not in our world.

Cheryl, A one is really difficult to get. I imagine if all the articles ever posted on Gather were tallied with respect to rating, the result would be about 1 percent or less of the total with a one rating. Assuming I am accurate then what accounts for such an 'abnormally' low rating? Here are a few ideas. It sounds to me that you have one or more enemies who are calculating to hurt you. What would incite one or more people to purposefully do this to you? In my experience the chief motivator for such unfair behavior is ENVY. Further assuming I am right you may then interpret the one rating as a backward compliment. Congratulations.

P.S. Anyone with your last name can't be all that bad.

You're right, it does get under the skin for a hot minute, then you go on and write more. When writing's in your blood you can't help but give into the muse.

I still think that people who give 1 ratings are doing it out of spitefullness but, there's nothing you can do about it.

Oh and by the way...yeah...I rated this a *10* so who ever that ugly 1 rating bugger is can stick it up their nose...oops, did I say that...

Cheryl,
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Your pudding keeps tasting better and better. The '1' sneaks don't read; they just hoot and howl, pleased with themselves. How powerful they must feel for a split second when their finger lingers over that score. Click. Power gone.
Your poems will last; their numbers don't add up.

I agree .... but I would say all ratings should be visible. Can't wait to see what if any changes lie ahead.

I don't even understand what this rating is all about and how it is done; did not understand what we do with the points. BUT once you like s/thing and take the time to read a 10 is a 10, so why bother with the other numbers?
I agree with you !

I pray for a better way.

Cheryl,
I had a friend , years ago, who was your classic " man of few words". Whenever a situation would arise that got the whole crowd in an uproar, he always had the same opinion on whatever subject was being discussed. He'd simply say, " It's all goofy."
He was always right.

George,
I think your friend was right. This does seem to be a bit of a 'tempest in a teapot'.

I actually agree with you, Pat...that it is a tempest in a teapot. In the long run, it truly doesn't matter what our "rating" is. I never thought it important at all when my ratings were good. But that initial reaction from the 1's made me think of how discouraging that might be to a brand new writer. I'm old and wise enough to brush it off of me like a grain of salt. But I would hate to think that a "1" rating might keep someone from writing. In the beginning, we are quite fragile, and do depend on some of those kudos from fellow writers.

What significance does a "1" carry? Can it negatively impact your gather points? If not, what's the problem? Actually, gather points seem to be a silly way to encourage participation, but heck, if it works, I won't knock it.

Cheryl, you are definitely not a writer deserving of a 1 or anything even close to that. It is extremely annoying. When I got hit with it, I at least felt I was in good company with those who have also been hit by the 1 monster.

I am fortunate to have made A LOT of friends on here!! While no one likes getting a 1, I have enough friends who, if I receive one, will help me get back up to atleast an 8 or a 9. THANKS GATHER!!!!! ;-)