Recently, I've noticed some have taken to 'turning off' the ability to rate their articles and photos that they have posted here on Gather. To some degree, I can understand it, for it is rather disconcerting to have a rating below 10 without any explanation. Even more disconcerting to me is a drive-by 10 generic comment that indicates the commentor probably hasn't even READ my article.
I can remember in school (back in the age when dinosaurs roamed the Earth) that teachers would provide explanations for grades below an A+ or A-. Sometimes, the critiques were even detailed. The reason for this was simple: It left you know where you could improve.
Much later in life, Ford Motor Company had a grading system for every aspect of my performance as a sales associate. When someone bought a new or certified pre-owned car (heaven forbid you call them 'used cars'), they were sent a questionnaire that asked them to grade me on everything from my 'friendliness' to my product knowledge. Ford expected me to get 'perfect 10's'. There were many times where I did. However, our management didn't want anything left to chance. Anything less than a 10 making it on scorecards was a 'bad thing', so we were 'highly encouraged' to touch base with customers ahead of time about our scorecards, since those scores affected these little things called bonuses. The dealership even had a little 'incentive' to influence perfect scores: We offered to fill the customer's tank with gas if they did us the favor of bringing the scorecard to the dealership and filling it out there, line by line, as we prompted them for perfect 10s.
Along comes a former high school teacher. She was decidedly 'old school' and recently retired after teaching for over 35 years. She expected only the best from her students and to this end, she graded to encourage improvement. Thus, it was her philosophy that 'perfection' was unattainable. No one performed at 100%. She rarely gave 'A+' (or 10 out of 10) for anything.
You can imagine how these two world collided. She got twitchy giving anything above a nine and we got twitchy with anything less than a 10. I can't say for sure, but I'd bet management tossed that scorecard in the can, even with mostly tens and a few nines.
This brings me to my question: When you rate articles here on gather, are you the type that delivers a drive-by 10 or do you rate articles with a critical eye?
I think some articles don't need to be rated. For example, my last post here wasn't really an article, it was a question to readers. Yet, for some reason, it ended up rated 9.x! WTF? Rating a question? I am not really sure why. Which leads me to my next question about ratings: Do you think gather should identify the person who is rating articles less than 10? Additionally, do you think that ratings below, say a '5', should force the person doing the rating to explain the reason for it?
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Comments: 71
I've seen comments, with ten rating, that reveal a person didn't read past my title. I shrug those off like I do the db 1s. (They're worth points and that's all they're worth)
I started out taking the rating system seriously but soon learned most don't, using it as a thumbs up (I like it! +10) or thumbs down (You made me think! I don't like it! +1) system instead. Since then, I give ten or nothing. Can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Here is an idea; give a response that is more detailed. I will try to do this in the future and I am starting right now.
Keep on going on ;-o
I don't know about the second half of your question, though. I would like to know that the low ratings were due to something not quite right rather than spite. I'm actually very open to CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.. but it matters little to me what something is rated in the big picture all that matters is that I like it.
Heather - True. Some people do take it personally. If Gather would be open and honest about how rating affect points (if at all), perhaps some of that sensitivity would disappear.
Julie/Mutiny - Nice of you to stop the car and turn around. (grins)
I do have some friends that flit around gatherland dropping off DB10's. I tolerate it because I know their motivation. However, if we knew what the difference in points was between BD10s and comments like yours, maybe more would comment as you do. I had to laugh when you said the DB1's "get off on showing others their spite". How is that? You can't tell who they are! Actually, they get off on HIDING behind their spiteful 1's because they lack the creativity of the individuals they're slamming. If the DB1-5's were 'exposed' by their ratings and had to justify them, the adolescent hijinx would end, don't you think? Fun people like yourself make it easy to drop by and be talkative, funny, sarcastic and a real PITA.
ceena v. - you are SOOOOO right. Comments are earned, not demanded. Some are now doing a reciprocal 'you comment my ass 10 times and I'll comment yours 10 times.' If you do that with 30 people 10 times a month, you hit 3000. Bastards are missing the point of being here. Would I like to get to 3000 in a month? Sure. But if I need a 'quick' $50 bucks, I'll go work 12 hours at McDonalds, not 30-60 hours here. (grins)
I knew this article would NOT remain a 10...
Points have absolutely no value for 'foreigners' like me, so I don't care how my articles are rated!
Julie/Mutiny - You will never get a DB10 from me. I'll always pull over for a little PITA first.
Ishbel - You can gather points can't you? Why not reward them to one of your American friends? Pick a BORDERS gift card and have it sent to one of your deserving friends. (hint, hint)
However, I do not rate a 10 only if I agree with the article, I look for content and I can disagree with respect and still rate a 10.
For some reason, I'm wanting to call her Mutiny more so than Julie. Probably good reasons for it. My sister is a Julie and I'm a definite water rat. The end goal in life is to cruise the tropics in a 45-foot schooner, hoping from island to island, where the water's warm, the drinks are cold, and I don't know the names of the players. Mutiny might make a nice first mate. Hotties with brains always have been my kryptonite.
I'll be honest. If you've got a note in my box to come read your contest story for the 100th time, depending on how generous I feel I am either going to not rate you at all or I am going to give you a 10 and keep going just because you've irritated me enough NOT to read it even if it's the best story ever written. One notice is enough, thank you.
Most of the time if I read an article or look at a photo, unless it is absolute junk, I'm giving a 10, even if I give some constructive criticism in my remarks.
I know what you mean. I was away from gather for a few months due to a huge project I was heading at work. I accumulated over 900 emails with only a handful being personal. Every other one was about 'read my contest entry' or 'comment my article'. When I do that it's very rare. And you would never see an email from me without some form of descriptive subject.
I am glad they give us the option of letting us take off the rating part of the articles...
Christmas Glitter Graphics - DazzleJunction.com
Tina - I think there is a way to block a connections email without deleting them as a connection...
Good lord, but did this message stream really veer off the conversational track!
I never was lucky to get those kind of teachers that give out automatic As though - I always had the kind that were really fussy and made us work hard for even Bs. It was even hard for me to get into college because my high school GPA was only around 3.0 while people from other schools had perfect 4.0s and some even above 4.0s because their schools had A+s whereas ours didn't. However, my high school teachers prepared me well for college and I got through that ok, whereas some of my friends who had perfect 4.0s struggled in college.
1) I never rate something I haven't read.
2) I comment on everything I read, though time often limits that to "well- written" but I don't say what I don't mean.
3) I usually rate 10 partially to thank people for taking the time wo write and post what they did. I think it would be very useful to use realistic rating but only if everyone did. I think it only works with fiction. On a serious article, say on politics, I wouldn't know if a 5 meant they didn't like my writing or didn't like something I said.
... which leads me to an interesting idea. A dual rating system. One set of scores for content and one for writing.
4) With fiction, it would be helpful to know if the author wants a critique. Some don't and get quite upset.
As to you and Mutiny, that's Ok but stay away from my WASS.
Probably have the honor of the longest STRESSEDwriter thread as well...
Flirting hellaciously with Mutiny (and her 'mother') was a bonus.
I graduated 19th out of 186 in my high school class with a 3.0 average. Nearly 90% of the graduating seniors had less than a B average. I think 60% of my class went to 4 year colleges. OK, it was 1963 when self esteem wasn't a part of grading.
I wrote a manual on thread jacking a while back. I need to give credit to Lydia O, the Muse of Gather, for the inspiration.
The rating system seems to have turned into some kind of personality contest. People get so upset about it when someone rates lower than a ten, they take it as a personal attack. I don't pay attention to my ratings at all. I take that back, I did when I was in a contest, but that was the only time.
If someone has taken some actual time to either really write something or share a great photo. I give them a ten. If it just some throw away photo or something that that was just a waste of my time, I usually skip the rating all together. People get so persnickety about low ratings that I don't want to start something.
I am so glad that you added what your Grandfather said....it was the first thing that I thought of!
Great discussion
she believed that A is for god...B is for her...C is for the bright students..D is for the average one..and F is..u know..
Well concerning rate..I think some takes it seriously and some don't..so what...they r gaining points remember..
So..don't worry..:)
I do not rate anything I haven't read in its entirety and its a 10 or nothing.
I try to comment as much as possible, but my gramma told me if I didn't have nothin' nice to say, than don't say nothin' at all... ;)
Sure missed you while you were away - glad your back!
But I can tell you that I don't do drive bys. Unless we're talking about photos, it's a real slap in the face. I mean it's nice to have the comments and ratings; but I really want my work read, not just rated. I have something to say about what I have read - and I do read everything I comment on - or what I view. I think a view times I read an article, poem or viewed a photo that didn't really deserve a 10, but I felt uncomfortable about rating them lower, so I left a comment about their work, but didn't rate at all.
Now, I have received several drive by 7's. Odd number. I even wrote an article asking the drive by to come back and tell me why so I could improve my work. Got a lot of attention, but I don't think the mystery rater was among those who debated the quality of my work.
Interview over. The job is yours.
I NEVER rate anything. WHY? Because most Gatherites are not honest. Read Karen Tyme's comments above - she once wrote a great article on ratings and she is right. If you can't rate honestly- then do not rate at all. I do not rate because I think the ratings are stupid. WHO CARES what anyone thinks of your article - it is the COMMENTS that tell the tale.
For example, HERE you have a slew of comments - ok, many of them came back more than once - but that is the proof of the value of this article! If it gets NO comments, or only a few, then it is of little value to the many. But when it gets as many as this got - it is a TEN - no one has to say so. It's obvious.
No ratings from me.
rate 10 on every article because whoever wrote & whatever they
did took them time and effort to do so. Y'all deserve 10's. *smiles*
Huggers4U
Just Me
Barbie
Otherwise there are sales type "pitching" articles that turn off comments and rating function just using gather as a forum to promote. I saw an author do this to promote her romance book the other day.
I'm on an art website where they require one to make comments for ratings under 5. I'm not certain this is constructive. Again, because I find most people don't want to hear the truth as I see it. Or anyone else's truth for that matter. I think it's part of the creative attachment to one's work. Or perhaps a fear of not being good enough. Or some other ego thing. And then comes the emotional baggage if you simply don't like the work, or find it sub par. So, I don't think having to explain away why you don't like something is helpful.