Why not 4 and 1/2 stars?? Please...

Stars are stars. If a more precise rating was adopted, it would have to be points. Instead of 4 or 5 stars, we could have 15/20, 18/20...
'4.5 stars' sounds like 'problems coming your way': some people could ask for having more precise semi-decimals like '3.75', '4.25' or '1.115'.

^ Over at PF we started with 15 steps, later changed it to 20 and now we have 100 steps (0.0 - 10.0), which seems to please everyone. You usually only need the fine grained steps in the upper area of the scale, so in practice we have fewer steps ... and of course no member has to use them, some are perfectly fine with 20 steps (5.0, 5.5, 6.0 etc), 10 steps (5.0, 6.0, 7.0 etc) or even the 5 star system (2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 10.0).

Epignosis wrote: *sigh* Let's recap, shall we? 1. The more important aspect is the review.  If you rate something 4.5 and don't say why, I don't care.  You can rate something a five, but explain there are unlikable aspects to an album, or rate it a four and say why it's almost a masterpiece.  Either way, we have your thoughts- infinitely more valuable than a rating alone. 2.  Using the five star system in place means you are forced to think more critically about the music before you.  I have put off a few big reviews because I still have not made up my mind about whether a certain album is a four or five.  This draws me into a deeper appreciation for the music, and forces me to make a decision, not go "Gee, there ought to be a .5 system in place at PA." 3.  If you require more incremental ratings, there are many other sites that oblige (like our Mr. Prog Freak's site). I honestly think the ratings system we have here is perfect- it doesn't allow for virtually unjustifiable numerical nitpicking (with all due respect to PF), and forces us to make up our minds about what we as individuals think is a masterpiece compared to what is merely an excellent work.

Well, I'm just gonna have to respectfully dissagree with ya on that one, Rob.

To me not having a .5 option doesn't make appreciate the music more; it's just annoying.

But oh well. I didn't start this thread, and I never will start a thread like this. However, since somebody else did, I just felt like putting my two cents in. I've figured out by now that PA is like a bunch of conservative right-wingers; they don't like having new ideas suggested to them no matter how much sense it makes or how many people may agree with it.

Epignosis wrote: p0mt3 wrote: Epignosis wrote: *sigh* Let's recap, shall we? 1. The more important aspect is the review.  If you rate something 4.5 and don't say why, I don't care.  You can rate something a five, but explain there are unlikable aspects to an album, or rate it a four and say why it's almost a masterpiece.  Either way, we have your thoughts- infinitely more valuable than a rating alone. 2.  Using the five star system in place means you are forced to think more critically about the music before you.  I have put off a few big reviews because I still have not made up my mind about whether a certain album is a four or five.  This draws me into a deeper appreciation for the music, and forces me to make a decision, not go "Gee, there ought to be a .5 system in place at PA." 3.  If you require more incremental ratings, there are many other sites that oblige (like our Mr. Prog Freak's site). I honestly think the ratings system we have here is perfect- it doesn't allow for virtually unjustifiable numerical nitpicking (with all due respect to PF), and forces us to make up our minds about what we as individuals think is a masterpiece compared to what is merely an excellent work. Well, I'm just gonna have to respectfully dissagree with ya on that one, Rob. To me not having a .5 option doesn't make appreciate the music more; it's just annoying. But oh well. I didn't start this thread, and I never will start a thread like this. However, since somebody else did, I just felt like putting my two cents in. I've figured out by now that PA is like a bunch of conservative right-wingers; they don't like having new ideas suggested to them no matter how much sense it makes or how many people may agree with it. PA is anything but!  Do you read the political discussion thread, for instance?  *Waits for Slart to intrude with an obscure comic*

i didn't say they were right-wingers, I said they behaved that way when it came to suggestions for improvement. Or at least that's what I've seen happen 'round these parts.

But I digress . . . perhaps I am being a bit harsh. I'm just tired of seeing nearly every suggestion given in this place hardly regarded by anybody as being serious. They're all just kind of waved away as foolish, then the Admins and/or my fellow Collaborators proceed to explain why PA is perfect just the way it is.

If this truly is the case, then this section of the forums might as well not exist.

This is just an impression I'm getting, and I'm not trying to speak badly of anyone here, nor am I intending to start any fights. *hides*

Epignosis wrote: Now my opinion could be swayed...if we implemented a .5 system, would my album benefit any?

Classic!

Actually, yes, it would! I've found myself in this position many times of not being able to bring myself to rate something a full '5', yet feel it deserves more than a '4'. Your album was one of those moments.


Edited by p0mt3 - July 26 2009 at 19:05

I agree with the .5 ratings

Padraic wrote: p0mt3 wrote: they don't like having new ideas suggested to them no matter how much sense it makes or how many people may agree with it. And much like liberals, every else loves to complain, and they're not the ones that have to do the work.  Kidding.  I think it's more along the lines of a bit of a nuisance, really - M@X and admin have already answered the question, to have to keep hearing it over and over.  I know new people come in and aren't necessarily aware of the history, and initial debate is fine and proper, but a decision once rendered should be at least be respected, if not agreed with. In all honesty I'm on your side, I'd like to see a finer granularity (10 instead of 5) for ratings, but it ain't gonna happen, so I don't sweat it.

Pat wins the thread.

I agree with both you and Micah on this one, but I'm not pushy in getting a new ratings system.

Anyway, PA is perfect.  Low taxes and no abortion.  That's how we like it 'round these parts.

Now, wanna go huntin? 


And ideas aren't dismissed easily...they are carefully considered and not poo pooed away- I think several changes implemented in the past year have reflected this (ex. non-collabs having a review weight of 5 instead of 3, the way the charts are calculated, etc). 

But the people who do the dirty work of running this site have to weigh the benefit to the work involved, and I don't think more incremental ratings are worth all the business necessary to make them happen (and prolific reviewers might have a time going trough old reviews to make their ratings more accurate).

It's easy enough...this is how I see the ratings as we have them:

5: Masterpiece
4: Excellent
3: Good
2: Fair (or as I prefer to call it, "Meh.")
1: Poor- suitable for toilet tissue should I run out


Edited by Epignosis - July 26 2009 at 19:12

mrcozdude wrote: p0mt3 wrote: mrcozdude wrote: I agree with the .5 ratings Most people here do, it seems. Which is why it confuses me even more, but as was pointed out to me before in a similar thread a while back, PA is NOT a democracy. Basically that means that the number of people for something makes little to no difference at the end of the day. Yeah that's fine.PA works for me at the moment.But I wish you could view artists albums from ratings and chronological.But I'll save that discussion for a rainy day.

Oh now you've REALLY done it!




Edited by p0mt3 - July 26 2009 at 19:18

Stars Die.

p0mt3 wrote: But I digress . . . perhaps I am being a bit harsh. I'm just tired of seeing nearly every suggestion given in this place hardly regarded by anybody as being serious. They're all just kind of waved away as foolish, then the Admins and/or my fellow Collaborators proceed to explain why PA is perfect just the way it is. If this truly is the case, then this section of the forums might as well not exist.

Finally somebody who has seen the light. No suggestion here is taken seriously, and the result is that people have left the site in droves. But you cannot force people to listen to you. They will just point out, and not necessarily in a pleasant way, that either you accept things as they are, or you can leave - no matter how hard you have worked on behalf of the site. If anyone bothered to look at things a bit more in depth, they would realize there are LOTS of things that are in need of fixing, and the review section is only one of them.


Edited by TheSubhuman - July 26 2009 at 19:49