Rate Thread tool added (1 Viewer)

[Jon]

If you look at the top right of each thread view, you will now see an option to rate threads. This will help users identify threads that have been particularly useful.

 

[ChrisO]

Just a curious observation, which perhaps should be ignored, but if a thread is not rated at all does that mean it is worse than Terrible?

Chris.

 

[Banana]

Just a curious observation, which perhaps should be ignored, but if a thread is not rated at all does that mean it is worse than Terrible?

Chris.

Let's evaluate this; LHS represents the rating of a given thread and we assume there were no rating given. RHS is the number of starts or points or whatever units we use to rate a thread's relative merits. We will assume 0 for terrible.

?Null > 0
Null

Now, perhaps one insists that the rating ought to be number of points / number of rating given. Again for no rating given:

?(0 / 0) > 0

which is of course an error and thus we are no wiser than when we had the null.

Does that answer your question, Chris?


PS: I note with interest that 0/0 results in an overflow error while any other number divided by 0 results in a division by zero error.

 

[ChrisO]

>>Does that answer your question, Chris?<<

Yep, it means I have to go to the immediate window to rate the thread.

Chris.

 

[ChrisO]

Jon.

On a slightly more serious note I can potentially wrought the system to my favour.

I person does not need to be logged in to rate a thread.
The check if someone has already voted seems to be made on IP address.
I use a wireless connection and am assigned a different IP address each time I connect.
By disconnecting and reconnecting I can make multiple votes.
(I brought this thread up to 4 stars just for a demo.)

It would not be foolproof, only more difficult, if a person needed to be logged in to vote.
The check could then be made against user name.
If a person had multiple accounts then a pattern of the user names voting on the same thread might be established.


I bring this up because it seems that the site is becoming more, for want of a better word, competitive.
The word competitive may become vindictive leading to the down grading of a threads rating for personal reasons.

If that is seen to happen then the thread rating system in general could become a sham.
If it is your position that you would like this facility in place then so be it, and I have no objection to that, but could it please be make a little more transparent.

Cheers,
Chris.

 

[Jon]

I notice that the Thread Rating system is not being used at present, at least not in the volume I thought it would. So, I am contemplating adding a system where you see a "Did you like this post/thread?" text followed by Yes, No buttons. That way, its just a single click to rate and in a more visible location.

Your thoughts?

 

[ChrisO]

Well, Jon, I hope “Your thoughts?” doesn’t just refer to me.

My view is that there is a difference between the ‘Thanks’ button and a ‘Thread Rating’ button.

The ‘Thanks’ facility is a personal thanks from X to Y and both are displayed.
A ‘Thread Rating’ facility is an impersonal thanks to an impersonal object and X is not displayed.

The former has some potential for improved consideration, the latter has none.

It may seem insensitive, even hard to some; but what benefits X by pushing the button?

Regards,
Chris.

 

[ChrisO]

Jon.

I think I should ask the obvious question here; what is the purpose of these changes?

I can only see four possible answers: -
1. To increase the hit rate on the site.
2. To increase the number of members of the site.
3. Both of the above.
4. None of the above.

1. Good for advertising returns, good to help pay for the site, in general, good for the site.
2. Almost the same as above but the methodology varies.
3. Somewhat obvious.
4. I don’t know.

An explanation of what I see as the difference in methodology between 1 and 2.
Take the case of the Sample Database Forum: -

A non-member of this site, but member of another site, Googles for an answer.
Google returns a list of possible answers.
One of the possible answers is in the above Forum.
Non-member decides that the answer given is possibly correct and downloads the example.
Non-member has difficulty incorporating example into their database.
Non-member returns to their site and asks a question regarding the example or
non-member returns to their site and answers questions based on the example.

Non-member is still not a member of this site but is creating advertising traffic on another site.
We have (this site has) given away, absolutely for free, advertising traffic.

I see it as a rhetorical question but will ask it anyway; why, if we are wanting advertising traffic, would we give it away for free?

The answer to that rhetorical question, if it requires one, is to force members to log in before a download.
Non-member now needs to become a member, and log in, in order to get the thing they want.

In my previous post I asked the question; but what benefits X by pushing the button?
Now X has a reason to become a member, X can see a benefit.



And so back to your question; “Your thoughts?”

For the moment scrap the ideas of rating threads, it is not beneficial for X to do so.
Lock downloads for people not logged in.
If X is not a member then make X become a member in order for X to get the benefit.
Once X is a member of this site, X may increase traffic on this site and help raise advertising returns for this site.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Chris.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

I think there is a danger of information overload

I still like the poster star ratings to be honest.

it's a helpful indication about the poster, and keeps us going to try and improve our rating (at least for anal guys like me .... )

 

[David R]

I think it's subject to gaming (as outlined above) and probably too underutilized to be of much use (catch 22, of course). But an unrated thread LOOKS worse than a 1 or 2-star thread, which is counterintuitive.