Topic Rating Abuse

(David's post edited slightly for length only.)

David_NYC


Pay the programmers a few bucks if you have to get them to deactivate the ratings feature. For starters, the authors of the software didn't provide anything that forces you to realize that if you give someone a one star, you are putting them in the hole.
 
[Forum abuse:] All free forums have this problem to a certain extent.
 
I don't think the people who are into Roadfood are into numerical ratings. It's nice to get written posts that thank you for the tips you posted, and constructive criticism should make posters re-think their positions.
 
Going after ratings abusers just makes more work for the moderators. Take away the feature, and you don't have to worry about it. I never pay attention to numerical ratings on posts ratings anyway.

I agree entirely. I now know more than I need to know about the rating system and still don't see a need for it, so will continue to ignore it. If I see a review I disagree with I'll say so; but I won't intentionally slam a reviewer. Why on earth should I?

Ah, Padre, I see you are feeling better!

Rick F.


(David's post edited slightly for length only.)

David_NYC


Pay the programmers a few bucks if you have to get them to deactivate the ratings feature. For starters, the authors of the software didn't provide anything that forces you to realize that if you give someone a one star, you are putting them in the hole.

[Forum abuse:] All free forums have this problem to a certain extent.

I don't think the people who are into Roadfood are into numerical ratings. It's nice to get written posts that thank you for the tips you posted, and constructive criticism should make posters re-think their positions.

Going after ratings abusers just makes more work for the moderators. Take away the feature, and you don't have to worry about it. I never pay attention to numerical ratings on posts ratings anyway.

I agree entirely. I now know more than I need to know about the rating system and still don't see a need for it, so will continue to ignore it. If I see a review I disagree with I'll say so; but I won't intentionally slam a reviewer. Why on earth should I?

Rick:  Some have and we know who they are.  Believe me, we watch this very carefully.  They who have done it know who they are.   I sincerely hope they are ashamed of themselves.  If they continue, they will not be here any longer.
 
This site needs volume and we certainly appreciate it but not at the cost of insulting others.
 
Paul E. Smith
knoxville, TN

 I just accidently rated a poster just trying to figure out where this rating system is! How to find my ratings?

All I can add to this discussion is that I just noticed that Ellen has zero points. I was trying to find an old post of hers and noticed the ratings. So then I checked mine and I somehow have accumulated 2 points.

Any system tthat has me rated with more points than one of our star posters has got to be fundamentally flawed. 

But hey, to whoever, thanks for the points. If I could figure out how to do it I'd give Ellen 3 points so she's at least ahead of me.

ken8038


All I can add to this discussion is that I just noticed that Ellen has zero points. I was trying to find an old post of hers and noticed the ratings. So then I checked mine and I somehow have accumulated 2 points.

 If I could figure out how to do it I'd give Ellen 3 points so she's at least ahead of me.

You're so kind, Ken8038!
It's ironic, as I just checked the other day for fun, and I saw I had about 31 points. Boy, I'm really slippping FAST, huh??! (and to think , I was once a "57")
And those were the only 2 times I even checked..
 I've hardly even been posting the last few days , so I wonder how I could drop 31 points like that.
"zero" is just so stagnant; I want to see some movement, up, down, whatever!
(LOL)
So, if you like my post, KEN, you better hurry up and give me my 5 stars right now....  (before one of my enemies comes along and gives me only 1 or 2 stars, LOL)
 
All this stuff just adds to the negative spirits in many of the posts.
(mine included, sorry)
Plus the fact that about 5 out of 7 "front page conversations" are from that Restaurant Professionals Forum.  They've really taken over! Looks like the rest of us that love to talk about Roadfood have mostly been delegated to the back pages, the "miscellaneous" forums....
and unfortunately, it's just not as much fun for me, cause those are not deemed worthy enough to make the front page...
 
Sorry if I sound bitter; it's a real crossroads for me, as I've put hundreds and hundreds of hours into doing Trip Reports, including posting lots of pics...
The shelf life of most of these reports is only about 3 or 4 days , though..
I've found some other websites where I can provide my food pics, and they are more accessible for those that wish to look up the info ; "burgers in Connecticut", whatever.... 
 
I do not personally care for the review system on here, due to the fact that there are no dates on the reviews.  So I can't really see posting reviews.
 
And having ads for Weight Watchers pop up at me ! Ouch!
How about some ads for Tums instead?!?
 
It's just not as much fun on here.... I guess a lot of us (me, too!) have cut back a bit on traveling, due to the fact that we keep losing our shirts in the stock market. 
 
Also, a big part of it is also that certain longtime posters have either cut back on the length of their personal e-mails to me, (meanwhile I was an idiot for sending them long e-mails) or else have not come thru (yet?) on deleted posts, etc  they  were supposed to send me .
 
I think what's been happening is that it feels like we've all been in a long time marriage , and we've started getting annoying to each other!
We keep beating the same issues with a dead horse (like fast food hatred and preferences, etc)
 
It's funny, cause a "zero" pretty much sums up how I'm feeling today, anyway..
but after this post, I'll probably be a minus 57!
That's okay, cause there's some good company in that minus column!
I could hang out with GREYMO and LEETHEBARD, etc...
 
 
 


 

ellen4641


I do not personally care for the review system on here, due to the fact that there are no dates on the reviews.  So I can't really see posting reviews.

I just want to point out that user reviews DO have dates.

ellen4641

ken8038


All I can add to this discussion is that I just noticed that Ellen has zero points. I was trying to find an old post of hers and noticed the ratings. So then I checked mine and I somehow have accumulated 2 points.

 If I could figure out how to do it I'd give Ellen 3 points so she's at least ahead of me.

You're so kind, Ken8038!
It's ironic, as I just checked the other day for fun, and I saw I had about 31 points. Boy, I'm really slippping FAST, huh??! (and to think , I was once a "57")
And those were the only 2 times I even checked..
 I've hardly even been posting the last few days , so I wonder how I could drop 31 points like that.
"zero" is just so stagnant; I want to see some movement, up, down, whatever!
(LOL)
So, if you like my post, KEN, you better hurry up and give me my 5 stars right now....  (before one of my enemies comes along and gives me only 1 or 2 stars, LOL)
 

Ellen, you should have checked first...you still have 31 points.


 

Hi Tony,
You're right, as I should've checked,  before I started all my ranting..  (I barely know how to check it , anyway, so I'll take your word on it.....  I know your word is good, at least)
sorry about that...  guess I just had too much energy late last night....  and a lot of it was misplaced energy...

oh well, enjoy your day! happy roadfooding, Tony!

So far, I've heard nothing good about the Rating System and a whole lot of bad.
 
WHY are we beating a dead horse???
 
Mark your calendars today as the "Day the Rating System Died".
 
Shut the darn thing down today!
 
End of Story!

Foodbme, I share you're feelings. The more I learn about the ratings system, the more convinced I am that it's time for that cowboy to get on it's horse and ride into the sunset ( uh-oh, someone's been watching John Wayne films again! ) Seriously, this "system' has caused nothing but dissention and bad feelings among posters, so it's just gotta go.

Sheryl Crow
Soak Up The Sun

My friend the communist
Holds meetings in his RV
I can't afford his gas
So I'm stuck here watching TV
I don't have digital
I don't have diddly squat
It's not having what you want
It's wanting what you've got

I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna tell everyone
To lighten up
I'm gonna tell 'em that
I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up
I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna soak up the sun

I've got a crummy job
It don't pay near enough
To buy the things it takes
To win me some of your love
Every time I turn around
I'm looking up, you're looking down
Maybe something's wrong with you
That makes you act the way you do
Maybe I am crazy too

I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna tell everyone
To lighten up
I'm gonna tell 'em that
I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up
I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna soak up the sun

I'm gonna soak up the sun
While it's still free
I'm gonna soak up the sun
Before it goes out on me

Don't have no master suite
I'm still the king of me
You have a fancy ride, but baby
I'm the one who has the key
Every time I turn around
I'm looking up, you're looking down
Maybe something's wrong with you
That makes you act the way you do
Maybe I am crazy too

I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna tell everyone
To lighten up
I'm gonna tell 'em that
I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up
I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna soak up the sun

I'm gonna soak up the sun
Got my 45 on
So I can rock on

Thats all that is needed, Travelin Man!

what I find amazing, is that, I've barely posted, yet seem to be losing points. This is the singlemost stupidest feature on the site.

I'm losing patience with this new set up.

The following is a lifecycle of how some people have been reacting to the ratings system.  Maybe you will see the same silliness as I do.

1. "What rating system?"
2. "I really don't care about a rating system, so I will ignore it"
3. "Oh, I have score?"
4. "WTF, why is my score so low?"
5. "This feature is stupid, take it away!"
6. The same person covertly scores other people with lower ratings hoping to cause raucous.  OK, not everyone does it, but you can't deny it happens.

The ratings are staying, so please ignore if you REALLY don't care about them.

I have zilch points and never rated anyone. I feel so unworthy.

This is a fun place.  Not a beauty contest.  There is no award for popularity.

OK, now I have to do some research and find out why places like youtube and Gannett online newspaper sites allow readers to rate posts.
 
EDIT
Right off the bat, I found these interesting items over at CBS Sports:
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/authors/help/frequently_asked_questions
 
and this gripe thread:
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/messages/chrono/13578565/0/1

I have something else to say, but I think I'll wait until page four.

Joe, wait until page 360. Look at this astounding 360 page thread (as of this writing) on CBS Sports about manipulating ratings:
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/messages/chrono/6792880/0/1
EDIT: Wait, there's more! A whole section of gripes about CBS Sports' ratings system:
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/messages/board/622?thread_start=1
 

Thanks Stephen! Now we know. How do you check your rating anyway???

Just teasin...  I know how. I just don't do it. :~)
Joe

I refuse to rate any posts. Good or, bad. The whole "rating" thing is stupid and too easy to abuse-either way.

annpeeples


Thats all that is needed, Travelin Man!

I'm aboard too, Travelin' Man!
I just wish there was some WARM sun to soak up here in Jersey!
It was SUNNY today, but only got up to about 37 degrees.
I DID soak up whatever I could of it today...
 
All this while hearing from my friend on vacation in Florida, who's enjoying 72 degree ocean temperatures.


 

Foodbme

Mark your calendars today as the "Day the Rating System Died".

A happy occasion, unlike the sad time "the day the MUSIC died"...

Stephen Rushmore Jr.


Most of you probably don't realize, but the moderators are able to see who is rating posts and the respective scores they give the poster.  Therefore, we know who has been abusing the system by purposely downgrading certain individuals.  Interestingly, many of the people complaining about abuses of the system are ALSO the abusers themselves.

Let me cut to the chase - You will lose posting privileges on the site if you continue to abuse the rating system.  Downgrading peoples posts for personal reasons will not be tolerated.

Stephen

Above is the first message in this thread. I have now spent several hours reading many other threads from the last six months that I selected by simply seaching for the word "rating", using the search function. The message board operators seem to have believed at first that a rating system would help solve the problems of the abusive posts that we are all familiar with. However, certain skells have managed to outsmart and embarrass Stephen Rushmore, Jr. at every turn. Until tonight, I never studied the rating features of message board software, but I got a crash course by reading those posts over at CBS Sports. The skells or former skells here may also be familiar with CBS Sports' software, and already knew how to push Mr. Rushmore's buttons, like getting the people whose name was changed to Quack Quack mad at him by tripping off certain features in software. He closed that barn door after the Animal House crowd got their rocks off.
 
Here is a cut-and-pasted message from Mr. Rushmore from another thread, made on December 23rd:
==============
Re:Scores in your Profile??? - Tue, 12/23/08 12:45 PM
Scorereader & everyone else who doesn't like the scores:  You only access them from a users profile - so ignore them if you don't like it.
The forum software originally came with the scores shown next to every post.  I felt that added little value so I removed it.  Scores are part of the package, and as you can see from the presentation, I have drawn very little attention to it.  So, ignore and move along...
==============
Then, the dinged people who looked at their profiles got hot under the collar.
 
Later, the Quack Quack Quack Quack came along.
 
Now, as you can see from the lead post here, Mr Rushmore himself did not ignore and move along.
 
A Modest Proposal to all Forum Members:
 
Set your profile to Private, using the control panel. While you will still be able to see the dings and kudos others give you, anyone else looking at your profile will get a message indicating the profile is private. Skells (probably all former members of the Stasi, anyway) giving posters poor ratings with only one hand on the keyboard will not know how badly they slammed you. Let them ding you thousands of times. Lets see what other features of the software they trip off. Then, we get to that philosophical question: if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it fall, did it make a sound?
 
ADDENDUM:
 
Steps to Change Profile to Private.
1. Log In.
2. Hover over User Control Panel near top of page.
3. Click on "Profile".
4. Click the "Preferences" tab.
5. In the Fifth Section, Privacy Section, check the box next to "Hide profile from the public".
6. Clck on "Save" at the bottom of the section.

David_NYC

      
Later, the Quack Quack Quack Quack came along.
 
Now, as you can see from the lead post here, Mr Rushmore himself did not ignore and move along.

Just a couple of points...the quack, quack thing was part of the original programming. It was later removed, but a subsequent revision restored some of the original settings. It did not come along later. That makes it sound as if it was added to inflame an already tense situation.

Second, you say Stephen "did not move along", which again makes it seem as if he brought this up out of the blue just to stir trouble. This thread was started because polite requests for people to stop abusing this system were ignored. I think all the moderators and admins would have been very happy if all...and most did...had taken the initial request to ignore and move along. Unfortunately some need multiple reminders.

And lastly, I just don't see where anyone was "outsmarted". When people started complaining about the fact they felt they were being unfairly targeted, and several were, we knew who was doing it and asked them to stop. As I wrote above, some did, some didn't. Now, having had to be threatened like kiddies, it seems all have stopped. 
 

Stephen has shown great restraint in commenting here, but comment he must at appropriate times.

As for turning your profile private, I think that is an unfriendly move in that it also turns off the ability for people to follow you in other posting comments and threads you may have started. But so be it if that is the kind of participant you want to be.

As for ratings, since it is not going to go away, I will use it but only to give 5 stars to posters who have actually contributed something toward advancing roadfood on this forum. I hadn't done ratings other than that and I don't intend to rate non-roadfood postings or give negative ratings. If I have an opinion in non-roadfood areas I will express it publicly, not rate it anonymously. Miscellaneous to me is a non-ratable category for the enjoyment of those who choose to partake as I do. You'll get no rating from me, good or bad, for non-roadfood or chain restaurant discussion, or even what you cooked at home another thing I often partake in. I'm not going to give you a rating because I consider you a friend. Inappropriate messages are moderator responsibilities and they seem more than capable in handling that.

In summary, since this is a roadfood forum and ratings are not going away, roadfood per the Stern's mission and description is the only way I will participate in ratings. The rest is community building dressing but not ratable.

Davydd-
Beautifully said! 

Another thing about setting your profile to private is that you limit people communicating with you.  There have been a couple of times I wanted to send a fellow Roadfooder a private message, but wasn't able to since their profile was hidden.  If anyone knows how I can still send them a PM, please let me know. 

I fully agree with what Davydd has said, and I will attempt to remove the rating capabilities on the non-Roadfood forums.

buffetbuster


Davydd-
Beautifully said! 

Another thing about setting your profile to private is that you limit people communicating with you.  There have been a couple of times I wanted to send a fellow Roadfooder a private message, but wasn't able to since their profile was hidden.  If anyone knows how I can still send them a PM, please let me know. 

Concerning members who have their profiles set to private, if you mouse over their name where it appears in a post of theirs, a drop-down menu appears with "Send a private message". I've never tried it to see if it actually goes through.