I am curious as to the purpose of the file ratings for uploads. I have noticed a number of cases where one of my uploads has received a low (5 out of 10) rating shortly after uploading, without any indication (via comment) as to the reason for the low rating. Are the ratings intended as feedback on the quality of the edit, the condition of the book, the "likeability" of the story and/or artwork, or the scanner/editor who did the work, or some other indicator? Or perhaps all of the above? As someone who puts a fair amount of work into my edits, it can be discouraging to see low ratings on the books I upload. I am sure other contributors would feel the same. I have also noticed that one or more contributors here appear to be rating their own uploads with a 10 right after they are uploaded. I don't know if they do this because they are proud of their own work, or if they are trying to position their uploads at the top of the "Top Rated Comics" chart, or if they are just trying to counteract low ratings that might be given by others. However, to me it seems a bit pompous to rate ones own uploads highly, a form of loudly tooting ones own horn.
I understand from previous discussion that these ratings are anonymous, even to the admins, so there is no way to tell who among the thousands of users here is peeing in the lemonade with their low ratings. I know that the system software is keeping track of who posts ratings, since i have done a few tests, and I notice that it won't let me rate a book twice, hence it is probably storing my user ID along with my rating.
In closing, as currently implemented, the rating system doesn't seem to be a very productive feature. The maintainers of this site have made a number of useful additions, such as inclusion of GCD information for downloads, so perhaps something could be done with the rating system to make it more accountable and useful. For example, it might be possible to add a link that would list the ratings that were given in the past, along with the raters' nicknames. Or, perhaps an admin function could be added to remove bogus malicious ratings. Alternately, a more drastic approach might be to hide the ratings button and value altogether, if the feature is being abused and is only upsetting or discouraging those of us who provide content here. There have been times that I have considered discontinuing my uploads, if there are people who feel the need to disrespect them with a low rating. I know that the majority of the users here are appreciative and respectful, but there are many examples of sites or forums that have been spoiled by the negative users. I sincerely hope that DCM doesn't become one of them.
Thanks for listening, and I welcome feedback or discussion on this topic. If you don't want to comment publicly, please send me private feedback.
