Ratings "Oh no , not again"

from WinCustomize Forums
I have to agree for the most part the rating system is nice. It gives you some sense of what people think of your work other than the comments alone. Although the comments are of the utmost importance in my opinion. I have noticed though with many other skinners work that you will have a very nicely designed and working skin that ends up with a well deserved rating. As it should be yes? Then you find a little while later the comments have not gone up but the skins rating has gone down quite a bit. This leads me to believe that people are rating skins without even trying them, just looking at the preview and rating it. Or, worse than that purposely giving someone a lower rating because they do not like them for some reason or another. This is when the rating system does not work. Unfortunately, some people have their preferences set that they do not see a skin below a certain rating and because someone came along and did this to your work your skin will not even be viewed by some people. This itself is not fair to the skinner and all the hours of work they put into their skin. So I guess in closing, I just want to say to anyone who has done this to someone please try to remember that there is a real person with real feelings behind the skin you just gave a bad rating just for the short term pleasure you took in doing so.
18,551 views 87 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
For some people, the only power in life they have to elevate themselves with, is the power given them.




Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
good point and very well put too, keila.
Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I would think the reasoning would be. A person downloads the skin, test drives it for awhile, then finds a few bugs or little things they may not like, Then go back and rate it

At least that's what I do. You have to run the blind for a considerable amount of time before you can justly rate it
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
True Zodiaq~, but if the blind is technically sound then why smash it! I did that once and felt bad but before I could go back and up the rating I got jumped on. So if the blind has no bugs I give it a good rating.



Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...It's difficult to please everyone.

To just give a poor or high rating because of reasons other than the performance or aesthetics of the skin itself..well that's not cool...unfortuanately there are a few out there that would do that.

On the other hand, If 10 people rate a skin 10 then someone thinks the skin is just average and gives it a 5, I don't see a problem with that.

As far as ratings go...There are really very few that rate...I have one skin rated 8 with over 20,000 downloads and only 8 people rated it

For me it's not too big a deal, but that's just my take on it
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I rate skins as fairly as I possibly can. For one, I never give out 10's unless it's absolutely stellar work and truely a cut above the rest. So far I think only 2 or 3 works got 10's from me. The rest of the time, I give the skin what I think it deserves. Usually 6's or 7's...if it's very good but not quite the best, it will get an 8 or 9 and if it stinks beyond stinkiness, you get the dredded 1. I actually think it's harder to get a 1 from me than a 10.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I don't worry about ratings too much. One of the skins I've ported to WindowBlinds received a low score, even though it is probably the most accurate and complete ports available. Still, it's not something to lose too much sleep over, since intelligent comments are really what's important.



Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Keila, I agree with you. Also ratings are used to show the skins. If a skin has a rating of 6 or less it will not be shown to most users. There are skins that are worth to be shown, but won't because of that. Not sure how to "save" such skins.

Maybe a skin author can contact one of the admins to check whether one or more extreme low ratings are involved.
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
why not just drop the rateing system?!

Nothing but trouble imo
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Amen to the dropping ratings.I've stopped rating skins alltogether because of rating problems i'm experiencing.To the only person i ever gave a bad rate to I apologize,I wish i could take it back.(even tho it was a real stinkeroo )I no longer see myself fit to pass judgement,I see now the harm it can do.
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I.R.Brainiac, you can alqways go back and rate it higher is it bothers you.



Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Why not just have it be so that people have to leave comments to rate a skin? Then it'll require some effort to rate a skin, and you'll be able to know who gave who what.



Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Rate the rater on the quality of thier ratings and put pressure. Turn these raters into Elizabeth Bathorys poor servant girls That will teach them.
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
WOM... you can rate a skin more than once?
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Nope ...wont let me.I only see a ratings button when a skin is on the newest additions list or the updated list.Guess i'll email them and at least apologize.
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Now if something is really bad and you have looked it over then the lower rating is not mean to give. If a skin does not work right or is just plain messed up in some way it does not deserve a higher rating. I think maybe the best way would be for people to give the number they feel the skin deserves. Not a lower then what you think because you feel the skin is rated higher then you would like it to be.Then you are giving a lot lower rating then you intended to being with yourself. Same goes in the other direction. Giving a skin you feel is an 8 for instance, a rating of 10 because you feel the skins not rated high enough. It's all the same and it makes it so the rating system not work.

If the is a part of this that does not make any since keep in mind I just woke up and have not finished my coffee yet.
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Keila thats exactly why ratings should not influence a skins availability.People abuse and manipulate the system.I didnt mind so much the bad rating my WB got because the dl count told a different story.Until it got slammed to a 4 and now it dosnt show to the general public anymore.If the rating system stays in place it people shouldnt be able to rate anonymously.Make them put it in there comment.
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Which is what messy buu said and I totally agree.
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I.R.Brainiac, if you rate someone a 5 you ca go back and give them a 6 and above. You have to be an apprentice or above or a level 4 to rate.



Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
That's what I thought WOM but the rate button dosnt show for me after a skin falls off those two list.Which Is ok ,I wont be rating anymore skins.I leave comments on all the stuff I like and the occasional new skinner to welcome them.
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Personally, I won't rate a skin that I don't like just to bring down the rating of the skin that a artist clearly spent a lot of time doing. To me that is cruel and unneccessary. But, that is just me. Someone else might really like the skin, and why should I deny anyone the pleasure of seeing it just because I didn't like it. If I can't give a skin a rating of at least an 8, I won't rate it. But, that is just me. I've seen a lot of hurt artists here that spend massive "free" hours on their skins and get a four or below rating from someone. And, I have seen awesome skins get a terrible review only because of faults in the users operating system or program setup. Then, there are the dreaded politics, that plague the rating system. If the skin has bugs, and I like it, I prefer to wait until the bugs are fixed and I tell the artist about them in the comments section. Me-Goodie two shoes? Maybe. But, I really appreciate the hard work and freely dedicated hours spent on all these works and I want to help inspire the artist to further develop their work, instead of slamming it.
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well, ChasUGC, that is a weird opnion. It is like "I don't like classical music, but I listen to it anyway, because these people have worked so hard for it". The point of rating things is that you use it to separate good skins from bad ones.

In your system everybody would have high ratings.

[Message Edited]
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I guess I'm the same way, I don't give bad ratings to work I don't care for, but I assume other people will so it's not like I'm preventing low ratings.  When I post a piece I have to give it a rating. In this case I try to apply lots of different criteria and give as fair and accurate a rating as I can. I feel it's important to place the piece in a spot where it would be surrounded by similar works in terms of execution, function and aesthetics. But I don't think I ever go rate a piece after it's posted unless I really like it.
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Want to hear from a "newbie" ? I discoveres Wincustomize & liked it . Bought the od & wincustomize subscriptions suites, yada yada. I decided I liked what I was seeing & wanted to learn myself how to do skinning. My very first logon was rated a 3 within just a few minutes of it going up WITH NO EXPLANATION from the rater. I thought it was pretty good. I made something I like & it's what I use as My logon. All my friends & family I showed it to thought it was cool. Granted they aren't skinners, but how many visitors to this site are & how many are people who just want to make their computer look cool ? Well from what I'm hearing noone ever got a chance to see it unless they are a 3 or higher subscriber with their filter set to show everything. TRUST ME, THAT"S TOTALLY DISHEARTENING & DISCOURAGING WHEN NOONE CAN EVEN SEE WHAT I've done and if needed offer SOME ADVICE TO THE NEWBIE. I GUESS SOME PEOPLE HERE WERE BORN GREAT SKINNERS AND THEIR THE ELITE. > and to the a-hole who rated my first skin so low at least step up into the light and offer some reason or are you just a coward hiding in the shadows playing games ? same for all the rest of the maliciousness I've seen on these message boards. Get a life and make people feel like it IS a community, for god's sake! Are 'yall TRYING to scare away anyone new?