About discussions and the ratings system
By estherlou
@estherlou (5015)
United States
April 1, 2007 9:42am CST
We have all discussed rating other discussions and using the "+" or the "-" to rate the discussions. I just went into the FAQS section for a look since things have changed so much this week. If you haven't looked in awhile, it would be a good review. Just in the FAQS about the Discussion Ratings System, was a ton of information, and it gives you the guidelines to rating people's discussions. Most of us have been right on! Here is part of what it said...
How do I use the DRS?
Read the topic, response, or comment.
If you find the topic, responses, comments, or photos useful, then positively rate that action by clicking on the plus sign (+) next to it.
If you find the topic, responses, comments, or photos not useful, and feel it negatively impacts the myLot community, then negatively rate that action by clicking on the minus sign (-) next to it.
If you have no strong opinions either way, you should not rate the topic, response, comment, or photo. Many actions are indeed “neutral” and should not be rated at all.
If you feel the topic, response, comment, or photo violates the myLot community guidelines, then click on the explanation point (!) next to it, and report the abuse to the myLot staff.
What if I disagree with someone? Should I give that post a negative rating?
Absolutely not! In fact, if you disagree with a post, but still feel it positively contributes to the discussion, you should rate it positively. Rating quality content negatively will hurt your ratings overall. Remember differing opinions and viewpoints tend to make for the most interesting discussions.
16 people like this
19 responses
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
1 Apr 07
I would never rate a discussion or comment with a negative rating just because I dont agree. That is what free speech is all about. We cant all agree with every one all the time and we need to agree to disagree. I have read that some people do rate negative when they disagree and I think this is just wrong.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
1 Apr 07
Esther, it was good of you to bring this into a discussion. It is what I have been doing, and I have said before that we should. I just have never posted the content to support what I was saying. It is one way for us to be part of the community, and to support quality discussions.
7 people like this
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
1 Apr 07
estherlou,
This is a topic on my mind lately, too. Thank-you for responding in my similar topic at the url below:
http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/945046.aspx
I certainly agree with you and thank you for the reminder concerning the mylot guidelines. I did need my memory refreshed a little.
5 people like this
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
1 Apr 07
Didn't mean to step on your discussion idea...I don't always remember to do a search before I get a "bright" idea! LOL I'm glad I actually posted in your discussion. They tend to run together the longer you are here!
5 people like this
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
1 Apr 07
Nah, I don't see where you stepped on my discussion. I'm not at all sure which came first, anyway. Additionally, we are both taking a slightly different angle of attack at the problem. Both our discussions are mutually useful and reinforcing. :-)
4 people like this
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
1 Apr 07
I have read this before and I definitely agree with it. I always try to rate everyone and I tend to rate positively. I will rate people negatively if they aren't following guidelines, obviously didn't read the discussion topic, or are just plain abusive. I know there are a lot of people on this site that rate people negative because they don't like them or what they say.
7 people like this
@kaperkitty (1097)
• Canada
1 Apr 07
Thanks so much for the clarification on the rating system..I always rate i think its important but i have yet given a negative..
Cheryl
@lossforredwords (3620)
• Philippines
2 Apr 07
I definitely agree with you the more disagreement in a discussion the more information we can get and the more the discussion will be entertaining. Don't mistaken me for any quarrel or enemies that some make here but I really do feel that lots of disagreement is more informative like they say you can see the two sides of the issue. Well I only give negative ratings whenever the response has nothing to do or irrelevant to the discussion.
2 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
1 Apr 07
Thanks for the reminder. I have been doing all that it says.
3 people like this
@kelly60 (4547)
• United States
2 Apr 07
I remember reading this soon after I joined MyLot. It's always great to get a refresher course, not only for me but for everyone else as well. I know that I have seen the question floating around the site quite a bit too, and hope that those who are asking will find your discussion.
I know also that there are those who will rate others down because they do not agree with them. I feel they are only hurting themselves in the end though because I think that they are only hurting their own reputations by down rating other people's discussions. I am sure that if one member is consistently down rating others when everyone else is rating them + then mylot will take note and their reputation will go down, and probably their pay will be affected as well.
Personally, I have rarely rated anyone with a - because unless they are abusing the system or being rude and obnoxious to others, I do not feel the need. It is a much more interesting discussion if there are different views, so why rate people down for not agreeing with you. I may not agree with their point, but I will probably still be rated well if they have not gotten rude about making the point.
I do not like rude people, and I do not like abusers. These are the ones who are likely to be down rated by me.
@steney (1418)
• Philippines
2 Apr 07
Having read that, I'm glad I'm on the right track and have been doing things fairly. I'm fond of using the positive (+) rating and has only used the negative (-) sign once in my entire time here in mylot. I'm not comfortable of giving anyone a negative rating, but I found a particular post that deserved it because it was way out of line. I haven't used the exclamation (!) though, as I haven't encountered something that is worth the mark. Thanks for refreshing aour memories so we can make better use of our rating system for everyone's benefit. :)
2 people like this
@vogelvrij (196)
• Netherlands
2 Apr 07
What do you think about when a respons is only one line long or two lines. So that person didnt do such a good job for the responding on the discussion. Is that, for you, also worth a -? I am still in doubts what to do. But when I read over your start of this discussion, I can easily leave those one and two liners out of the rating. Do you do the same when you got that kind of answers? Although the ratings discussions are here on the site a lot, there must be a clearly understanding for all of us.
1 person likes this
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
2 Apr 07
Yes, I just pass over the one-liners or the one or two words. If it looks like they put some thought into a short answer, I'll go ahead and rate them "+".
@charms88 (7538)
• Philippines
2 Apr 07
I am guilty of not checking the new FAQs of mylot and appreciate you sharing this info. The rules I've seen are so far almost the same thing as the old one. Regarding the + and - button, I agree that a lot of mylotters tend to rate a member negative just because of differing opinions and views. I don't think we have the control to stop them though. I rarely rated negative unless it is a spammer or using abusive words. :)
@malouasuncion (555)
• Malaysia
2 Apr 07
Thanks for reminding us on how to rate someone in his/her topic. Actually I don't use much this rating (+) or (-). Most of the times I have a neutral opinion on the discussions i've read. Some users here in mylot rate his/her friend positive even the reply is not quiet good.
