# Rating: has it been adopted?



## Joelline

A couple of days ago, as usual, I checked my "Subscribed Threads" folder, and I discovered that one of the threads I had participated was active again.  The thread is in the French-English forum and is entitled "EN: that / which".  Unlike all the other threads listed, this one showed (next to the thread title) 3 gold stars, and when I passed my cursor over the 3 stars, it read, "Thread rating: 1 votes, 3.00 average." 

I've checked several other pages, and this is the only thread that shows any such marking. 

Why is this thread different from other threads?  Has WR decided to implement a rating system?  Can someone explain what is going on?


----------



## cuchuflete

Hi Joelline,

Looking at the date of the first post, I see it is from the Dark Ages, when threads had arbitrary, subjective ratings applied in a seemingly random fashion by some of the 246 members registered. [  9th May 2005, 10:06 AM ]  I exaggerate, but not by too much. The system was faulty, so the Administrator had the very good sense to turn it off.


----------



## Joelline

Hi Cuchu,

Thanks for the explanation.  I didn't even check the date of the 1st post--just of the last post (but then, if I had checked the first date, I probably wouldn't have attributed any significance to it!).  You're quite right about the ratings system: I hope we never go back to it!


----------



## Alxmrphi

What's this new Thread rating thing about, how does it work?


----------



## Loob

I assume you're talking about this, Alex?


----------



## Alxmrphi

Ah, I'd never seen it before and assumed it was new, not REALLY old.


----------



## Sherlockat

G'day guys,


I think it's time to rate (by starring, for instance) answers as per users' preferences. I realised a few languages forums on the net use this method so as to improve the quality of answers amongst active members...This may encourage members to pay heed to what they write, improving the quality of WR dictionary at some future date. 
Time is ripe, isn't? 


Thanks for this window, have a good day...


Another enthusiastic WR member...


----------



## Sowka

Hello Sherlockat 

I don't like such rating systems. When I write an answer, I want to make it the best answer that I can give at that specific moment. I don't need any stars to do that because I'm interested in the topics, and I want to help people as best as I possibly can.

In this, I also bear in mind that it should be useful for future readers of the thread. And that's one of the problems with a rating system: An answer that the starter of a thread finds "not so useful" might be the perfect answer for a later reader. If another answer has been rated "very useful", this later reader might be distracted from "his perfect" answer.

The quality of our forum lies in our seriousness and dedication, and in the fact that all our answers are reviewed by the other participants.


----------



## Peterdg

I'm sure this has been discussed before; only, I can't find the threads back.

Anyway, I agree with Sowka and I think that was also the conclusion of the other thread(s).


----------



## Sowka

Here is one of the previous threads: Points.


----------



## swift

Good evening. 

As Peter says, this particular topic has been discussed over and over again. This is one of the most instructive threads on the matter: Was this thread useful?. An interesting feature was introduced a few weeks later: Was this thread helpful?. And in this thread you'll find an excellent point made by Cuchuflete; read also these sites administrator's opinion in post #18.


----------



## Vanda

I don't like it either. It sooner become a competition among experts to show ''who knows more than who'' and would drive out those who either are learning or can give a decent but not expert help.


----------

