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Individual Writer Rating

WrittenHollowness

WrittenHollowness

Fairest
I've had the idea that the site needs a rating system for the writers. Maybe something like what is already in place for the characters and RP's. A simple star system that can be graded upon by peers, maybe? There can be a perk system too, encouraging the members to be a tad bit more creative. Several other members and I feel that there is an over abundance of people who create flourishing C/S and end up being the "one-liner" types. This can set the difference with that problem. Spotting a sub par writer with this system can help for a better RP.


(Sorry for the brashness... I'm just tired of one lines and random droppers)
 
RedInkKid said:
I've had the idea that the site needs a rating system for the writers. Maybe something like what is already in place for the characters and RP's. A simple star system that can be graded upon by peers, maybe? There can be a perk system too, encouraging the members to be a tad bit more creative. Several other members and I feel that there is an over abundance of people who create flourishing C/S and end up being the "one-liner" types. This can set the difference with that problem. Spotting a sub par writer with this system can help for a better RP.
(Sorry for the brashness... I'm just tired of one lines and random droppers)
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This would ultimately force users to make new accounts in hopes of getting better ratings. Does that make sense?


Basically, if your peers rate you low then why bother staying? We are a community that allows all types of role plays. If one-liners are not your thing, make sure the role plays you join strictly prohibit the use of one-liners.


We had a similar system before (maybe a year or 2 ago) & it was perceived in a negative light. We of course removed it based on site feedback.
 
If your peers rate you low, it's probably your fault. If you can't be bothered to write well, you don't deserve a good review.


The problem is that there's no good way to know if someone is up to par with the requirements of your RP. You have to take it on faith that they can do what you ask for. Character Sheets have proven time and time again in my experience to be a horrible judging system. Anyone can put an hour into a character and make them look well-written.


The trouble is what comes afterwards. You get a group together and start the roleplay, and then it tanks. People start posting one-liners (even when the rules prohibit it), you drop them from the RP for rule-breaking, and what do you have left? Nothing but your own character and the overview. So the roleplay you likely put serious time and effort into is now ruined, and the people responsible for it get away scott-free and do it again somewhere else.


I don't think their intent is malicious. I seriously doubt there are people out there who go around writing poorly solely for the sake of getting kicked and bringing a roleplay to a crashing halt.


But there are people who just can't handle the requirements and sign up anyway. These people are the problem, and some sort of star-based, convenient judging system seems like a viable way to pick them out of a crowd.
 
If your peers rate you low, it's probably your fault. If you can't be bothered to write well, you don't deserve a good review.
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I want to believe that we are all born with the ability to write well but let's face it, no one is perfect. We all have to learn somehow.


We are not a "semi-lit only" forum. We allow users of all levels to join us & learn.

The trouble is what comes afterwards. You get a group together and start the roleplay, and then it tanks. People start posting one-liners (even when the rules prohibit it), you drop them from the RP for rule-breaking, and what do you have left? Nothing but your own character and the overview. So the roleplay you likely put serious time and effort into is now ruined, and the people responsible for it get away scott-free and do it again somewhere else.
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Place a poll up - Get 100 votes for yes (it's possible... trust me). I will review the entries & comments after that & speak with the staff. From there we can speak with our developer to see what needs to take place & how much it would cost for a custom system.


Things for YOU to think about:

  1. How do we prevent cheating?
  2. How do we get users to use the system a side from forcing them
  3. Who rates them? The author? All role players? Anyone on the forum?
  4. Is the person rating posted publicly?
  5. Could we determine a "better" means of measure than "numbers"? (Ex: A system that counts completed RPs/one-liners/left RPs early, etc.) to be completed by the RP authors?
 
Sorry to intrude, but I was intrigued. I'm not sure if there's a poll up or not, so I'll post this here for now.


I can see how something like this could be extremely negative. I've been involved in an environment where this is the case, and it was terrible.


But! I believe this is a great way to help the members in the long run. I would have never gotten better as a writer if I didn't have others to advise me. It shouldn't be used into shaming other writers because they have certain roleplay preferences. Maybe they aren't sure what else to write, or maybe they just love what they do.


This could be a great system for helping others. Or maybe there could be something equivalent? Ratings always have a way of bringing people down. "What? I'm only worth a three??" I'd love to have something that promoted the community without stigmata.


1. How do we prevent cheating?


There's no concrete way to prevent cheating. If there's a will, there's a way, so to say. Though, you can provide limits that force thought, and add a few rules to using the system.


I think this option should be just that, an option. It shouldn't be forced upon members who wouldn't want it in the first place. Other than that, requiring detailed reviews will keep out more mediocre reviews such as "She's cool." You could have a 50 word minimum, 250 max.


2. How do we get users to use the system a side from forcing them?


This would be a great feature for people who would like to improve their writing. Maybe they would love a critique on their writing, or CS or whatever, and want a way to improve their writing. There could be advertisements for the use, maybe a guide on it, and strict rules about what kind of reviews are left. If the members feel confident that anyone who abuses the system will have consequences, the members may feel more comfortable about using the system. Perhaps there can be an alert option in case the member thinks a person is being unfair?


Also, in the poll or such, we could see how many members would be interested in using the system if it were available. Then that could give some prospective numbers?


I wouldn't mind having my roleplaying quality being objectively critiqued, so that I may improve.


3. Who rates them? The author? All role players? Anyone on the forum?


Perhaps make that an option for the member to choose. Authors, All members, or invited members. You can link only the people who you trust if you want, for limited privacy, or you can make it open to everyone, or you can have only authors from rps that you're involved in.


4. Is the person rating posted publicly?


Again, this would be better left as an option for the member. I wouldn't want a standard in a roleplay being "3.0 rated or above players only." Though, I would hope that a roleplay wouldn't be allowed to have that kind of rule to begin with.


5. Could we determine a "better" means of measure than "numbers"? (Ex: A system that counts completed RPs/one-liners/left RPs early, etc.) to be completed by the RP authors?


Stars are always standard, but I think the members deserve more than standard. Hearts, now those are grand. Give a heart, or not. Though that could lead to heart mongering. I'm trying to think of idea of getting around a rating system. Really, I'm trying to get past someone thinking of their writing on a scale. Writing is more than just giving someone a 3.5 because they dropped an RP. Maybe have a tab that allows for critiques, such as figment.com does for its stories. Maybe the option to rate with 5 stars/hearts in certain categories like: Overall, CS Sheet, Content in posts, Carrying plot along, Consistency in posts, Consistency in character, etc. Maybe have a top 5 and then a comment option.


Other Ideas: Maybe reviews are auto-pruned after 60 days, always giving members a chance to get better "ratings" as they improve?


Mostly, I'm throwing out ideas, but something similar to this would be worth the investment, I think.
 
My big worry about this sort of system is that it would turn out to be a popularity contest. We could have someone who joins tons and tons of RPs with short and poorly written replies getting five star reviews from friends, while someone who is more shy but joins literate and descriptive RPs gets a 2 or a 3 due to the levels of the people they RP with. Such a system would be highly subjective and would turn out to be more of a popularity thing than anything, I think. As it stands, we have our "like" system to highlight when someone makes a great post. I think that would be enough.


As for ways of seeing if people can live up to posting standards of RPs, I know many authors will go back and check posting history on someone's page as a way of testing.
 
No more so than how RPs are rated, characters in the character gallery, or even people receiving likes in a rp because its a requirement/they are well-liked people.


I am not a fan of there being a "rating" type of system, since it has the potential of being lack-luster. I think there should be something similar that is connected to a member's profile, perhaps, in place for roleplayers that would like critiques on how they roleplay/write. I was hoping that if there was a 50 word minimum, then it might discourage insincere ratings.


I'll have to think on it, but there must something that could be done that will work in the way I hope. There's gotta be something that will have more positive to it than negative, but will build the "quality" of writers on RpN.
 
Would you like to talk to me about it? Because I have some strong opinions. I would love to talk to you about them. ^^
 
Just thought I'd have a little input on this, but everyone's style of writing is different. Some people have a natural skill when it comes to writing eloquently and making beautiful posts, while others really have to struggle. While someone may like one style of writing, they may dislike another, and it all comes down to a matter of opinion. Having a system like this in place could cause a lot of self esteem issues, I've seen it happen. Someone might get a low review simply because the author of the review doesn't like the writing style they have. They could have a beautiful, long, descriptive, and generally well thought out post, but because their style of writing was less appealing, it could recieve a low review and make the author question themself.


I addition, I'm pretty sure having a system like this in place, people with low ratings would be descriminated against in roleplays because they aren't believed to be good writers. It seems wrong and against what I've found the RpN to stand for, a safe, fun, creative place for all to enjoy, regardless of experience or ability. I love the RpN for that very reason.
 
Just thought I'd have a little input on this, but everyone's style of writing is different. Some people have a natural skill when it comes to writing eloquently and making beautiful posts, while others really have to struggle. While someone may like one style of writing, they may dislike another, and it all comes down to a matter of opinion. Having a system like this in place could cause a lot of self esteem issues, I've seen it happen. Someone might get a low review simply because the author of the review doesn't like the writing style they have. They could have a beautiful, long, descriptive, and generally well thought out post, but because their style of writing was less appealing, it could recieve a low review and make the author question themself.
I addition, I'm pretty sure having a system like this in place, people with low ratings would be descriminated against in roleplays because they aren't believed to be good writers. It seems wrong and against what I've found the RpN to stand for, a safe, fun, creative place for all to enjoy, regardless of experience or ability. I love the RpN for that very reason.
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This. All of this. I'm on another site that has a review system, and a friend of mine is in that same boat where her writing style is very different and people keep tearing her apart because of it.


It's better to be safe than sorry. I'd rather not see that happen here. Just my two-cents.


I, for one, do not support elitism in any way.
 
My goal is constructive critisism. I am currently trying to design the outline to something of that liking, making it user friendly and less of a "you suck" matter and more of a "hey, you could improve based upon what I see" type of ordeal. Words hurt, this I know so well. But, not all words are pointed out toward someone to knife them in the back. It seems like a bad idea, but we have all had that one writer (or many in my case) who you wish you could coach...


And, I just had another lightbulb moment. Let me tailor that raw idea together. To all those who have postitve ideas toward this topic, don't hesitate to PM me.
 
I dont have much an opinion on this topic. As someone who has done one liners, epic replies, dropped from RP's as well as been kicked, and had RPs that die, i wouldn't want people replying cause im sure most wouldn't have anything good to say.


With that being said. What about a Critique system like Deviantart? The user has an Option to "ask" for critique on a specific RP, Post and set of posts and once that is open a person can reply. However That critique itself can then be rated by the user, and either hidden or made public or reported if they felt content was unnecessary.


Also there could be a character or word limit so that it would have to be detailed. Give examples of why or how they thought it was a good or bad. It would still need a system to display if review was good or bad.


[/2cents]
 
If the issue is people not wanting to show their good or bad scores then make it optional to show.


If the issue is people cheating to get 5 stars/hearts/dragon eggs then limit how they can get the votes.


but as with everything, nothing is in black and white. I think that maybe you can make rps more official. Like it can stay a thread but make it like a club where people can officially sign up and you can see a official list of people in the rp. This allows but the creator and the other people to, in a sense, sign a contract saying they know the rules and agree to follow.


Then when someone breaks a rule the owner can kick them check off the reason and a stat checker will record it.


as with people enjoying good writing... the best way to determined that is not how well you write on a scale but a binary review of yes or no, i like it or i dont like it. Record the likes so the user can see how well people like their works and if they get a dislike, its only on that post and is not recorded on there profile. They can see where they made there mistakes and fix them or they can ignore it and continue getting bad reviews.


as an added bonus give the critic the option to message the user saying why they like or dislike the post. the user does not have to read it, and that alot of effort just to say it sucks. sure someone can make a billion accounts to give a billion likes but who cares, its all about self improvement and the only way to see it is to view there profile.


all of this (except disliking) is something you can do already so it should not be too much of an issue to make it more officially recorded
 
I have been reading all of this and find that I agree with everything everyone is saying.


It would be a good idea to have a system where we can gain creative feedback to better ourselves.


It would be abused


It would prevent people from getting better


It would shame people


Etc


Here I offer my two cents:


We could simply add a forum section where people can ask for reviews if they want them.


The person being reviewed would post a thread with what they want eg:


"Out of five stars with a x number of word comment please, ad suggestions on how I get better"


Or something like categories they want to be rated in, all the ideas above could be used they could tag people they have RPd with if they like , do whatever they like


We could add a feature that allows creators of these threads to hide them in some way if they like


It would give all the protections of the threads with ratings.


There would just need to be some way to prevent them from editing the post.


Just an idea probably has holes lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Reading this thread, I can probably say for the moment the Staff is not really considering adding a rating feature onto users. Mainly because for the reasons listed above: there is a lot of fear that this could come back to harm or offend someone. The real problem with a "rating" is that it does not provide much criticism beyond comparing you to a subjective "perfect". That's not to say rating scales are flawed but if the real goal is for someone to improve, I don't think there maybe better systems to do that.


Likewise the technical needs to make a system like this, I am not sure if we would be able to create such a system ourselves with the needed features that people want. We probably would have to commission something and that opens a whole other can of worms.


Wanting people to improve in their writing abilities is a fantastic goal but as a Staff member I find it difficult to impose this on everyone. Really those who will improve their writing the most are those who want to improve. Forcing this kind of system could cause some issues. even if we could allow a user to enable and disable it. This is because a stigma could be developed for those who turn off their rating. By choosing not to participate users could be labeled as having "something to hide". There could also be a creation of elitism and other issues within the rating system.


This all adds up to cause users to maybe feeling discouraged from posting or roleplaying, which far from our goal on this site. In fact discouraging people is counter-productive to the goal of this thread, as people only really improve in their writing ability if they continuously write things.


Some Suggestions

But enough of me being a Debbie Downer. I will say that there is some good ideas behind this thread. Nevertheless I do believe there might be better ways to accomplish what some of you want but without a new Rating System.


First, those wanting to improve their writing abilities have many options right now. Roleplay Discussion has a prefix for Characters and Lore where you can ask for people's opinions on your creations. Similarly, Creativity Discussion has prefixes for Prose and other forms of writing. Other prefixes can be added to Creativity Discussion if need be, but if someone is looking for Constructive Criticism those are the best places to turn.


Though reading this did give me another idea that might be a bit more helpful to this thread's issue. This idea is just my own, so no other Staff have signed onto it (at least not yet). My idea relies on using the "Like" system for posts. However when you push the "Like" button on someone's post, there will be other icons underneath that you could select. This would allow users to state the reason why they "liked" this post.


How does this relate to this thread? Well if this idea flies, we could make a few different "Likes" about having Good Grammar or Great Writing Skills, etc. This way readers and other roleplayers might reward another member for having good writing skills. It will encourage better writing ability (hopefully) and maybe even get those who aren't receiving as many likes to search for constructive criticism in the appropriate places.


That's just my idea. No way are my words the final words on this discussion. I just was very much intrigued by the suggestions discussed in this thread I decided to comment.
 
Solitaire said:
If you want to ensure quality in your RP's, ask for a writing sample. The ratings would be detrimental to new RPers.
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This! If you have certain demands you can either ask for writing samples or have a short introduction 1x1 with them or something.
 
The thing about such a system, I would say, is that everyone gets a vote.


Not everyone is equipped to evaluate the material to a sufficient degree for their vote to have genuine value.


Cue grossly inflated ratings, five stars/hearts/toned buttocks become meaningless.


Furthermore, if the feedback is not anonymous, someone will always take it personally when a glowing review is not reciprocated. If it is anonymous, people will be petty and dishonest.


Ultimately, I think the existing critique solicitation via Roleplay Discussion or Creativity Discussion is quite enough.


One could always start a thread reviewing members, if they so chose, I suppose.
 
Grey said:
The thing about such a system, I would say, is that everyone gets a vote.
Not everyone is equipped to evaluate the material to a sufficient degree for their vote to have genuine value.


Cue grossly inflated ratings, five stars/hearts/toned buttocks become meaningless.


Furthermore, if the feedback is not anonymous, someone will always take it personally when a glowing review is not reciprocated. If it is anonymous, people will be petty and dishonest.


Ultimately, I think the existing critique solicitation via Roleplay Discussion or Creativity Discussion is quite enough.


One could always start a thread reviewing members, if they so chose, I suppose.
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Toned buttocks are never meaningless! Perish the thought.


In seriousness, I think that at best, the rating system could descend into some kind of popularity contest. At worst, it could actively dissuade some forum members from posting at all as some individuals are very shy about their own writing.....and that defeats the purpose of the forum.
 
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