Revamp of the Ratings System

Hello,
I was just talking with a friend of mine when this topic came up, about how the ratings system seems to have stopped being useful over time. Whether it be the increase in the amount required to rate somebody, or how ratings seem to no longer have any significant effect on a person's stipend, somehow its come to the point where nobody takes the time to rate anyone, anymore. My friend and I were thinking though- the ratings system's purpose as a money-sink has disappeared, and since nobody uses it anymore, people's positive ratings have often enough just frozen at the number they were at when they were changed in the patch (I know this is a long time back, and an obscure topic, but its just what came up tonight).

We were thinking, maybe if the Lindens took away the fee that it costs to rate someone, in addition to taking away what little effect it has on a person's weekly stipend, maybe the ratings system would be useful and fun once more. You could freely rate people you met, and though it wouldn't have any real effect on that person's income, or anything else for that matter, we'd still be able to perform a nice gesture without shelling out up to 75 lindens for each person =)

I didn't even know it HAD a stippend effect....

It used to - there was some complex calculation that gave ppl with higher ratings numbers some extra L weekly - but that spicket of unwanted extra Lindens into the Economy was plugged.

I thought they killed the ratings bonus almost a year ago.

What on earth is the point of keeping some kind of pointless rump to it?

Ah.
And I just remembered what rating does these days.
Pay $25 to rate, $23 of it goes to the person you rated (along with a little message).

Actually I don't think it pays anymore. Somebody rated me recently and I didn't notice a money increase.

I've only been rated two or three times, so I may have out of date information. I'll check it when I get a chance.

I've been in SL for about a year and a half now and NEVER since I joined have you recieved any money at the time someone rated you. You did receive weekly bonus L$ for being rated and for rating, but if I remember correctly, the rewards for rating ppl was MUCH greater than those for being rated (which is why the system got to a point of UBER abuse).

You could go out club hopping just rating ppl and make back 1 1/2 if not 2 times the amount you spent (perhaps more, I never abused the system for monetary gain so I never spent nor received much from it, I'm speaking from what a few friends that did abuse it have told me). Also, rating ppl used to only cost L$1, so you could go rate a TON of ppl and have yourself a nice 'n simple (and social) "job." The amount you received for rating ppl dwindled as time went on, but to keep it high all you had to do was go out clubbing again and spend more of your "hard earned" L$ (note my sarcasm). Some ppl made THOUSANDS of L$ per week by doing this! (hence the price increase in rating and eventual removal of bonuses paid for ratings since this became a HUGE laceration on the wrist of the SL economy)

All that aside, it would be nice to see a ratings system that WORKED. Personally, I think they should reduce the price to rate someone but do NOT give rewards of any kind for rating or being rated. I believe that would at least make it a better money sink until they could come up with something that actually worked as a rating system is intended to work since ppl would be more apt to rate someone at a lower price...

I've been rated a few times, but my stippend is still L$50 and I've gotten paid at the tip for some odd amount like L$21 or L$23. Like I said, I'll be checking it later

They stopped doing that shortly after I joined, getting on for a year ago now.

(Just got a chance to test it)
Huh, I could have sword I'd seen it myself (and I'm like, 6 months old).

Like I'd said, there has never been a time since I've been in SL that you INSTANTLY received L$ at the time of being rated. It was always paid on "pay day" along with, but listed seperately from your regular stipend. Any payment you may have recieved at the time of being rated was either a coincidental payment/gift or an anomaly (which as we all know, SL is full of...heh).

I like rating systems. I was thinking since we do not get a reward for ratings anymore, that it should just be free. A kind gesture "Oh hi how are you?" *rate* It's pointless otherwise. So many people have never rated/never been rated.

Absolutely. They should have either maintained the "nerfed" system and tweaked it if necessary, or removed the cost of rating completely.

That's pretty much how I feel too. I haven't been rated nor have I rated anyone else for nearly 6 months or so.

Incidentally, if anyone was wondering, the stipend bonus went away at the exact same time negative ratings were removed. Which was with the release of SL 1.7.