How is the forum rating system doing?

[WhiteBlue]

I have been away from the site for half a year and I was wondering how the new rating system is perceived by the users, the mods and the admin.

[hollus]

Sebastian Vettel 1.75
Fernando Alonso 2.68

Betfair odds after the Japanese race.

I wonder why people are voting this post down. This is just reporting facts. Looks like a clear abuse of the system to me.

You posted that 14 minutes before opening this thread. Is the thread a sincere question, or a trick to complain? I also see that the post hasn't gotten a negative rating, just lost its positive one. We'd have this issue before, while you were away...

I have to say that I am myself a bit underwhelmed. I had good hopes in this voting system, and I don't think it is doing too bad, the first page with the highest voted users has most of the interesting people in it (and not me, a good sanity check!), while some users have managed to maneuver themselves into ratings lower than -5, which just says troll quite loud. So not too bad.

But lately it is like most people have inhibited themselves from actually voting. Especially few users earn their first vote, so the system hasn't quite bootstrapped itself as it should. Why?

[WhiteBlue]

You posted that 14 minutes before opening this thread. Is the thread a sincere question, or a trick to complain? I also see that the post hasn't gotten a negative rating, just lost its positive one. We'd have this issue before, while you were away...

You are quite attentive. I was in deed down voted first and after I complained about it someone voted the post up. I suspected from the begin that people would vote purely by sympathy and not by the factual content of a post. That was confirmed by the experience. I have not made up my mind what I think about the system. I need more experience than just one week to determine that. Thanks for your opinion Hollus. I appreciate that you took the question serious and would like other people to add their voice here.

[Steven]

I do agree with Hollus, my opinion about the system is pretty much the same.

While I can understand the reason for not voting, there are simply too few votes being cast at the moment to make it democratic. There are currently about 10 people voting regularly, something I think is not enough.

Also, the little downvotes that have been cast are currently a reflection that some users are too emotive, so here it is working nicely. Few votes here as well, but that is of course the result of few people being able to downvote yet, which in turn is the result of the small amount of votes.

In the beginning, as it was clearly announced and expected, some votes had to be corrected, as well as some explanation for users, but right now it's running well.

There's a few ideas though:
- Highlight a most recently upvoted post somewhere in the header of the forum homepage
- Disable voting in some threads or even some forums

I'm looking forward to hear reactions on those suggestions or perhaps hear more suggestions from you all!

[Dragonfly]

Not a bad idea to limit the forums where voting is applied. And because the forum is technical, only in the technical forums and only post/users contributing in pure technical aspects should be subject to voting.
Currently I have the feeling that up/down voting is depending on match of opinion or vice versa. And kind of internal grouping is taking place it seems.

[hollus]

Limiting the voting to the technical subsections sounds like a good idea to me.
I just saw the Schumacher retires (again) thread has 7 upvotes, most concentrated in a post saying that Herr S is better than Senhor S. If few people is voting and that is what claims votes, soon the ratings will be just random fan noise. (Note, I am not critizising the actual post, which was in its right place, just wondering which 5 people felt the need to upvote it and why.)

I never understood why people come to F1T looking apparently more for socialization than technical-tech stuff. This site does not have the best gossip or sporting reports, is not the fastest to get the news, so if people join it is presumably because there is a larger/better/cleaner concentration of pics, tech, physics and detailed analysis here than in other sites and forums and that is appealing. I just don't see the logic in then diluting that very trait of the site. But apparently fanbois keep drowning the level heads here. I guess it is how internet goes these days. A tricky problem indeed.

[flynfrog]

I do agree with Hollus, my opinion about the system is pretty much the same.

While I can understand the reason for not voting, there are simply too few votes being cast at the moment to make it democratic. There are currently about 10 people voting regularly, something I think is not enough.

I struggle to find something worthy of an upvote most days

[MuseF1]

... so if people join it is presumably because there is a larger/better/cleaner concentration of pics, tech, physics and detailed analysis here

This is exactly why i joined up. Unfortunately it seems the amount of fanboys hage increaser massively since when i joined.

It makes sense to limit voting to technical threads/posts on a site thats aimed at technical users. Arguing who is the best driver is largely subjective and often biased so why should voting be allowed on them when its all just a matter of different viewpoints and opinion.

On another note... Why can't I vote?

[Raptor22]

The number of fanboys has indeed increased. They seem to flow around to the more popular fora.
F1_live was great till the fanboyism hit and the Anti Schumacher, Anti this and anti that showed up.
Then I was on Shamucraoks for a long till till it died. It was about the best level headed frum around because most people knew each other and you had to get invited to be a member. It all went to pot when some membes started getting their fanboy buddies on board to boost their popularity.

I see F1Tech going the same way.

[FoxHound]

Limiting the voting to the technical subsections sounds like a good idea to me.
I just saw the Schumacher retires (again) thread has 7 upvotes, most concentrated in a post saying that Herr S is better than Senhor S. If few people is voting and that is what claims votes, soon the ratings will be just random fan noise. (Note, I am not critizising the actual post, which was in its right place, just wondering which 5 people felt the need to upvote it and why.)

I never understood why people come to F1T looking apparently more for socialization than technical-tech stuff. This site does not have the best gossip or sporting reports, is not the fastest to get the news, so if people join it is presumably because there is a larger/better/cleaner concentration of pics, tech, physics and detailed analysis here than in other sites and forums and that is appealing. I just don't see the logic in then diluting that very trait of the site. But apparently fanbois keep drowning the level heads here. I guess it is how internet goes these days. A tricky problem indeed.

I have to agree Hollus. I use the thread as a reference for an unnamed outlet, and I do not participate in the actual innards of technical discussion. So I'm guilty as charged for being here and being non-technical.
However, the raison-d'etre of my membership revolves around the explanations of F-ducts, EBDs, and D-DRS etc. It's never a black and white outcome, but at least the Scarbs of this world can come and help explain things to us plebs.

Yet to use an example here of where the voting system is falling down, you only need to look at the Mercedes or Schumacher threads. Here are prime examples of posts that have been upvoted (for fanboi reasoning or favoured poster.... ie vote mine, I vote yours)

Schumacher comes from an era when men raced. Hamilton is from an era of unsportsman cry babies

Yup someone thought that technical

If Schumacher is a dirty blocker, then Hamilton is a dirty overtaker.

I think he has shown himself to have the potential to be one of the greats in F1. He has already achieved more than probalby 90% of drivers ever to have entered F1.

(about Vettel)This worth a vote? My 2 year old boy can see this!

Ross Brawn has proven himself to be non trustworthy.

Yet no evidnce to back it up, and it also upvoted!

Fans just seem to be too eagre to lap up the printings of the press. The truth about what goes on in Formula 1 is much more than that.

In response to facts being written in the press...

That's just the usual PR BS to control what fans are thinking

Schumacher, legend. nuff said

So, in effect side yourself to a popular driver post a bunch of crap and watch them upvotes come rolling in. Choose the right thread and your ilk will outnumber the others and your "winning".
The reality is, these votes are worthless. Even mine are pretty defunt, although I'd like to hope they werent as bad as the nameless examples I have used.

[Raptor22]

The voting system is fine but I think only the mods should be able to down vote or upvote. That will keep more control over the runaway voting and keeps the vindictiveness out of the downvoting.
Voting after all by nature is about popularity but its usually centrally governed in any system

[FoxHound]

I have clicked on JohnsonsEvilTwin and I actually agree with some of what he says.

But that does not make me him, and perhaps Richard or Tomba could put that right by confirming IP addresses or whatever it is they can.

[marcush.]

so why not separate the voting into tech and clowns?
You can up and downvote a non tech item posted-but that will only the size of the clown you made of yourself .
Getting up and downvotes for technical posts is raising or lowering your reputation as someone contributing hard facts to it?

btw did´t we already have a forum voting system thread,Steve?


I don´t really care when people go away and come back under different nicks ...

[FoxHound]

Voting after all by nature is about popularity but its usually centrally governed in any system

Being popular or voice a popular opinion does not mean you are factually correct. This is especially correct in some instances that the neutral viewer can readily see....

[WhiteBlue]

I like the idea to exclude certain non technical threads from the voting system. Perhaps team and race threads are the most likely to get fanboy attraction and should be excluded from up voting. To discourage trolling it should still be possible to down vote useless posts that only serve to provide an argument over drivers or teams.