Why take away Rating System?

When I first started SL a little over 2 years ago, ratings were 5L per...it was a good way to show friendship and basically give thanks to people who you admired for their work, personality, and appearence.

Over time this changed to 25L per, but I still used it having spent in upwards of 200usd, there were/are many others who did the same and to an even greater extent.

In looking at Joshua Linden's notes I noticed the following * Rating system removed from Profile*

This is disturbing if true on a few levels. I can see removing rating land or objects, and I can list many other less useful features that are still around and that have not garnered the financial gain or loss (depending on which side of SL you are on) as a result.

Hopefully Josh made a typo...hopefully he cannot be serious about removing the rating system, which for all intensive purposes is a slap in the face to long time residents and even newer ones.

- Calix

I quite agree. There are some problems with the rating system, like the overly inflated ratings of users who had been in the world since it cost 1L to rate someone (and you got the money back at the end of the week). But overall I often checked a person's ratings to determine if they seemed to be a social person who other people respected. Obviously a profile with no ratings was someone who didn't interact often with others, or cause quite a lot of trouble.

Plus, it felt nice to know you had done something that another person had appreciated enough to rate you for. I noticed a comment on the blog that mentioned one of the Linden's saying they were taking it out because it increased the time it took to load a profile because of some complex calculations. I can only hope they wil be replacing it with some other system. That would still mean we've lost all the money we've used on ratings, and everyone will have to start on the same page.

Not a typo - they are indeed going away in an effort to reduce database load. I'll also miss them. It was a nice way to give somebody a thumbs-up.

It's been in the pipeline for weeks that these were going. But I just had to keep rating people till yesterday, because it's just a nice thing to do. I sincerely hope it will return sometime, though probably in a different shape if it ever does.

What's the point of having a positive only rating system? Can you imagine if ebay had only positive ratings? It's the most one-sided load of crap I've ever seen. Plus, there is absolutely nothing that the ratings actually say about you. I met someone who had been around for 3 years and had higher ratings than anyone I had ever seen. Especially when it came to building skills. Ask her to build me something with more than one prim, and it would never happen. So, how in the world is that realiable information? It's not.

If anything the Lindens are right about what they're doing. The ratings system is worthless, and why would I dare waste L$75 just to give someone 3 positive ratings, when I can't give someone a negative one? I believe that a lot of 3rd parties are also coming up with good rating systems.

IMO, this is a great thing to get rid of, becuase it's been worthless ever since I joined the game.

It could be WAY better.

It was nice when ratings turned into a larger stipend and you could give negative ratings as well. Now its nothing more than paying 25L for a compliment, which can be replaced by just saying "I love your work".

I've met people of who I had no idea if they ever even touched a single prim, yet did give them a builders rating. Why? These people had other qualities that didn't fit into the appearance or personality category. Like Animating or scripting.

I also saw a complaint on the front page of the blog about how totally unfair it was that escorts and dancers always got their appearance and personality ratings so much easier. My simple answer to that is, that it is actually part of our "job" to be good at these two points. And our job allows for a lot of personal contact (and I don't just mean sex) with other people, so yes, we tend to have a very big network, and yes, if we do our job well, then people will usually rate us. Who's profile do you look on more often? That of an escort you just had a great time with, or the profile of the creator of that nice outfit you just bought at the local mall?
Trust me, I've met clothes designers who frequented their own main store regularly, to talk with their customers about their ideas and asked for feedback, and those designers DID tend to get rewarded with ratings for their buildingskills, as well as appearance and personality more often. And about every customer of a House That Jack Built I spoke to so far commented on how friendly and patient he is, which you'll find reflected in his ratings as well, he's got ratings in all categories that many escorts should dream of. Especially now ratings are no longer available.

The least they could do is refund us for the wasted money we've spent on the now defunct ratings given out. Of course that wont happen.

Personally I felt the ratings were useles, whether free or not. If I felt someone did something nice, saying that in an IM, sending them a gift, hell even give them the 25 bucks personally. I felt the numbers paraded in profiles gaudy and somewhat insulting. Friends could inflate each others numbers and back in the negative days, I assume do a number on someone they had a grudge with. There are plenty of ways to acknowledge and reward people we feel are good citizens, or just plain nice people.

/me rates Brenda Positively

Used to be you could neg. rate someone too...so there is that as well, they took that part away, but when I started there were people in minus column.

They took it away because of database load. I don't think I need to point out they CAUSED the database load themselves. (and refuse to do anything to fix it)

Can I have the 25 bucks too?

That was even more dangerous. Back when Negative ratings could have consequenses.

*Fades to flashback*

Pretty girl in a mall. Idiot with exposed penis demands sex. Girl walks away, is followed. Idiot persists. Girl politely asks to be left alone, moves away. Idiot persisits, Girl loses cool, telld idiot where he can rezz his prims. idiot hits girl with negative rating, gets blackmark, and/or loses cash. repeat a few times, maybe in a club or whatever, and our girl would be in deep doo doo.

I really never liked the rating system, especially when it used to have those negative ratings that the griefers would abuse to grief innocent people. In effect, a rating system doesn't always tell the truth about someone. It had no value at all IMO. You could rate someone all day long with all your alts, but it wouldn't make them a better person. At least now we have to actually talk to someone to find out what their really like. I have a few alts from 2 years ago, who i never use and have no ratings. At least now those alts can lead their own lives and not be labeled negatively for not having ratings. Seeing that those ratings decay over time, it was honestly a waste of money. If you like the person so much, give them the money. ;p

The few times I got rated I didnt realize it cost them money. I always thanked them but if I had known it cost $25 I woudl have thanked them even more. Why do you have to pay to give a positive ratiing? It should be free.

Elinah

It is. Just send them an IM saying.. I like you or whatever.