I've you don't read SLOG, chances are you didn't see this.

This was a post I did for SLOG and I thought I'd bring it to this forum for discussion, I'm just curious what others have to say since comments aren't allowed on SLOG.

http://secondslog.blogspot.com/2005/12/temptation-of-one-star.html

It's definitely not as bad as it was at first but there are still obviously a great deal of people who rate very low on just about everything. So..yeah, discuss!

I've never seen the point of the star rating system for products. All you have is an image, not an actual item. I'd like to see it dropped, but otherwise I just ignore it. The personal pleasure Ferran and I get from making stuff, and the chi-ching of customer satisfaction is really all the feedback we need.

i don't pay attention to the stars. i didn't even notice them until people started posting about "star abuse". if i like it, i buy it, if i don't, i don't.

I think the star rating system, in its current state, is a poor excuse for a rating system, and too easily abused. The ability to be anonymous (not to mention using alts to rate) makes it easy for people to be petty and judgemental. I originally thought it would be a good thing because people would be honest about their ratings, but I think it's clear that it's not being used in that way.

Maybe if there was a public history of who made what ratings, similar to a public poll, things would be much different. I'd really prefer the whole star thing just go away altogether, because I think it's discouraging for designers, especially new ones.

I really could care less about the damn stars. I see things that aren't the greatest (in my opinion) have high stars, and things that are great have low stars. If I like something, I buy it. The stars don't mean a thing to me as I have never been one to buy something just because everyone else thinks it's the bombdizzle...

I totally agree with you ZsuZsanna, I don't see any relevance in how many stars something has to how good I feel the item is. I think the issue is more about the designers - think about if you were a new designer, all excited about your first creation that you worked really really hard on. Yeah, maybe it's not the best, but it's YOUR best. I just think it must be incredibly discouraging.

Ditto...and I still fail to watch for stars or the ratings of a thread, not just in classifieds but also in other forums. They just don't register for me or something. (though I did buy a One Star shirt from Jonquille, just because they were funny).

That's why I don't post anything I've made, I'm far too sensitive even though I know the star system is wacked.

Hmm. A rating system that entirely useless that noone pays attention to.

*scratches head*

Haven't we discussed this one already?

Oops, noticed this AFTER my post! Still maybe a petition would help, the most striking comment here is the one about not posting because of sensitivity, that is becoming far too common a comment. i've heard it a lot from people and i really hate that the forum has become too intimidating to post for some people.

Star ratings are pointless.. If any content creator takes any notice of them tell them to SNAP OUT OF IT!

If the star system allows people to take out anger and bitterness, let it be so.. Better there than in posts etc..

I read the SLOG article and couldn't agree more, Torrid. A lot of established designers know not to even worry about them, because they judge a product's reception by how well it sells. For newer designers that receive less traffic/sales through their stores and haven't yet established a steady customer base, they'll have no real way of knowing how their products are being received.

Hopefully it will be a non-issue after the resident mod system is rolled out. That would be the best thing to come from it, as far as I can see.