Thread Ratings...

[sk66]

I just noticed this feature of the new format.

Every post has a "rate thread" option at the top.....I'm pretty certain the displayed rating is an average of all of the votes entered.

I REALLY think this should be used more.
It can help identify posts with very few replies but may be of great interest (high rating).

It can help identify posts with a ton of replies which is nothing more than a hijacked thread/ bickering (low rating).

It can help speed up finding useful information when doing a search.

It's also an easy way to have a little input without having to type a bunch of nothing.

[sk66]

Heck I think we should start going back and rating some old posts...

You know, the ones that you refer new members to go read...

[dcclark]

Actually, this has been around for a long time. I think that most people don't notice it hiding up there, though.

I am a fan of ratings, although there's a danger of insulting people... especially if few people use ratings, a whole thread can be "1-starred" just by one person not liking it.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by dcclark

Actually, this has been around for a long time. I think that most people don't notice it hiding up there, though.

I am a fan of ratings, although there's a danger of insulting people... especially if few people use ratings, a whole thread can be "1-starred" just by one person not liking it.

yeah, kinda like this one...
And the opposite is true if only one person votes and gives it a 5star...

Shame, I really think this could be much more useful...

[Mr Guy]

Honestly, though, the fact anyone bothered enough to rate a thread one star might mean there's at least a good argument going on in there worth reading!

[sk66]

I suppose that "should" indicate it a more worthwhile post than one with no rating....
but it needs to be used more to mean much of anything really......

[wulf]

Ratings have been around for a long time. I'm not sure the system is robust enough to work though. What stops someone rating all their own threads highly (or just rating indiscriminately)? I think tags are potentially a more useful tool - they are more about identifying the subject of a thread rather than trying to put a number on it.

Wulf

[sk66]

Originally Posted by wulf

Ratings have been around for a long time. I'm not sure the system is robust enough to work though. What stops someone rating all their own threads highly (or just rating indiscriminately)? I think tags are potentially a more useful tool - they are more about identifying the subject of a thread rather than trying to put a number on it.

Wulf

What stops an individual from artifically boosting the rating of thier own posts? Others rating it lower...

Where's the tag tool? Besides, if we're too lazy to just vote, I don't think many are going to type in a bunch of tags... If it's an "automatic tagger", then the results are as wild as the search function itself...

[freybear3]

Originally Posted by sk66

Where's the tag tool? Besides, if we're too lazy to just vote, I don't think many are going to type in a bunch of tags... If it's an "automatic tagger", then the results are as wild as the search function itself...

the tag tool is at the bottom of the page when you start a thread. Wulf is right, it is much better to tag a thread than rate it.




Ratign threads has been around awhile on forums, and yes, it does get abused alot. I never look at thread ratings because i know that people abuse that part of the forum alot.

If my threads get 1 star, i will take it as a compliment! At least some jerk took the time to think about my thread

[dcclark]

There is a cool tool I've seen over at BoardGameGeek which works well in their forums -- the "thumbs up". Every post, as well as every thread, has a thumbs-up button. Anyone can thumb any posts and/or threads that they like. The relative "worth" of a thread is judged (somewhat, at least) by the number of thumbs that it earns. The thumbs work well because they are so easy -- an obvious button right there next to each post, it's hard NOT to thumb ones that you like! This also eliminates the problem of people promoting their own stuff, because a single thumbs-up doesn't mean much.

Not necessarily suggesting that we do that here (it may not be possible with the forum software), but it's a cool idea that works well.