For users with files that have ratings submitted, an average program rating should be produced.
I am proposing that the line
In the Cemetech file archives, <user> is ranked <rank> busiest author with <num> files, garnering <num> downloads and achieving a position as the <rank> most downloaded author.
is changed to
In the Cemetech file archives, <user> is ranked <rank> busiest author with <num> files with an average rating of <num>/10 (<rating meaning>), garnering <num> downloads and achieving a position as the <rank> most downloaded author.
Clarification: <rating meaning> is the ex. "Outstanding" in the rating "10/10 (Outstanding)".
Only files with ratings would count to the rating average. If a user doesn't have any rated files, it would default to the current text.
This would encourage users to go give bad ratings to programs submitted by users who are ranked above them, to be the best-rated author.
The program rating system is a little wonky because programs generally get little to no ratings, so a single bad rating completely tanks the average. And non-posting users/newbies often give 0/10 ratings with something along the lines of "program doesn't work" because they couldn't figure out how to use it. Rating systems only really work well if you have a lot of people reviewing the program, which, aside from a few exceptions, is generally not the case.
Well, in this mockup, authors wouldn't be ranked by ratings - it would just show the rating on the page. I guess people might still manually compare scores with others, but I believe that Cemetech members are in general above this.
I also think that making it possible to edit rankings would cause users to want to rank programs more. I am often hesitant to give a poor or average rating to a program that deserves it, but is still under development, because if the quality of the program improves, I can't change my rating. If a program is not under active development, I don't remember to go back and rate it. Additionally, ratings aren't helpful in providing feedback to the author if the author is no longer active.
As for the 0/10 ratings, perhaps we could add a -1/10 (Doesn't Work), which registers on the user's end but doesn't affect the average rating. This might seem somewhat unfair, but considering that the archives are moderated by Cemetech staff, all programs in the archives should at least work. For any users that claim that a program doesn't even start, not being able to use that program is their own fault. We could direct them to a general help page for sending and running calc games if they give a -1 rating.
Register to Join the Conversation
Have your own thoughts to add to this or any other topic? Want to ask a question, offer a suggestion, share your own programs and projects, upload a file to the file archives, get help with calculator and computer programming, or simply chat with like-minded coders and tech and calculator enthusiasts via the site-wide AJAX SAX widget? Registration for a free Cemetech account only takes a minute.
»
Go to Registration page
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum