Gatherology: Drive-by Ratings (Experiment 4)

One common element of the Gather lexicon is the term 'drive-by rating' -- in short, a rating given without much thought or concern for the actual content of the article. Usually, these ratings are either 10 (to show support for a person without having to leave a lengthy comment) or 1 (to show strong disagreement with or dislike of a person without having to leave a lengthy comment.) As a general rule, people are more likely to admit to leaving a drive-by 10, or 'DB10', than a drive-by 1, or 'DB1'. The former is occasionally met with scorn by those who think the rating goes undeserved, but the latter is almost universally reviled to the point where a rating of '1' is almost universally considered an act of malevolence against the poster, regardless of the content of the submission.

I am conducting a series of experiments. In theory, the act of receiving a rating (and a viewing) of your article earns you points, regardless of the level of the rating. Likewise, comments are presumed to add to your point value regardless of the content of the comment. Therefore, I would like to study the effects of particular guaranteed outcomes on the response of Gatherites. To view previous experiments and their results, check out the Discussion article, which contains links to all experiments, discussion of current and previous experiments, and preliminary data.

Experiment 4:

Everyone who responds to this post will receive a 'drive-by' rating of 10 on one recent article, image, or video, along with a comment that reads, simply, "Thanks for Sharing!" and links back to this article. This means that by participating in this experiment, you will not risk losing a perfect score on one of your articles, images, or videos, and guarantees you both a rating and a comment on one of your submissions.

I will be collecting data on specific aspects of the results from this and other experiments, and posting the results at a later date. You are free to participate or not at your option. Remember, you will receive one rating and comment per 'entry' (comment) you make on this article.

By replying to this article with a comment of any sort, you agree to participate in Experiment 4, and to receive a comment on one of your articles, images, or videos that includes a link to this article. If you would like to discuss this experiment or other experiments, I encourage you to post to my Experiment Discussion article. This series of experiments is not endorsed by Gather.com or its affiliates.