Ratings From Hell

So, I have a forum post on RRL that, every once in a while, gets picked up by some random passerby, and today I saw this in a comment:

"...if I think a 4-star rated story isn't that good (more like 3 stars), I can give it a 0.5 star, 1 star or a different rating below those 4 stars. The effect of my rating is that the overal rating will drop to say 3.965 or 3.97 or 3.975, given enough ratings. So in the end the difference between 0.5 and 1.5 ain't all that big. It's just that 0.5 stars will drop the rating slightly further and closer to the 3 stars I think it's actually worth, which would be a reason to vote 0.5 stars."

Honestly? This makes me want to cut-and-run from RRL for moral reasons (nothing to do with the showrunners over there), but I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts on the matter.

 

That is so dumb. It's like he's purposely trying to misunderstand the notion of the rating system. You rate a story so that you can say what you think of it, not try to subvert everyone else's votes.

 

...umm, because that individual's opinion should trump everyone else's? I think that is the point of the individual's desire to manipulate the system. By that notion, I guess someone should also be able to give 5.5 stars to bump up (manipulate) the average, if they really enjoy a novel?

 

Sounds like he wants to overall rating to be closer to his own personal rating instead of letting it be the combined rating of everyone together.

 

That sort of mentality is everywhere. People fanboy (or girl, whatever) and raise up ratings if they think their author is unfairly slammed. Others will lower ratings to balance out what they perceive as injustice. There's not really anything that can be done about it - on any platform.

On RRL it means literally nothing. On Amazon or other book sellers it has a straight connection to money in the bank.

 

Sounds like someone thinks they're the center of the universe.

 

Sounds like he's trolling.... or is really young which I seriously hope is the case.

 

I was always wondering about using them ironically, you know: Amazon Customer - 1/5 - [sample of review]

 

The main school of though is that more reviews = more attention. As a reader a book with only 5 reviews clearly isn't as attractive as book with 20 reviews, or any number comparison on those lines.

My point - which brought up the Amazon "even bad news is still free press" tangent - is that reviews on Amazon simply mean more than RRL ever could. I started my "career" with RRL and used to obsessively stat watch. After the first two years, it stopped mattering.

 

That is so bizarre to me, but you can't argue facts.

 

I keep going to respond but y'all are so good at beating me to my points.

 

And hey, look at it this way!

If a person like that comments, there are definitely going to be people that "spite upvote" just to annoy that particular person. "Oh, he's trying to drag it down? WELL, I'll give it 5 stars and tell a few friends to as well! Then it'll be a 4.8 instead of the 3.9 he was trying for!"

 

But if people are voting out of spite, then the whole point of there being ratings is destroyed. It becomes a fight between commenters, or a popularity contest, and has nothing to do with the actual story.

 

Lol... I just entered the trending section of RRL... so in anticipation of the inevitable, I wrote an ironic little song:

Hello drivebys my old friend,
You've come to badger me again,
Because a ninja softly creeping
Left a rating while I was sleeping
And the score that was planted in my fic
Like shit it sticks
With the sound of drivebys

 

Fair enough! And probably true. I was meaning it more encouraging that one "bad" review from someone doing that will probably be countered by a few "do gooders" so it doesn't crash the ratings of a story completely, etc.

 

Malicious man, sorry that happened. Reminds me that if I ever do post publically first and foremost I will need thick skin

 

Don't let the trolls get you down. The rating system on RRL is broken in such a way that positive reviews (4 / 4.5 - maybe even 3.5) drop you in the ratings. That doesn't mean that they hate your fic, they probably like it, they simply don't realize the impact of their support.
There are a few trolls and assholes, but on the whole, of those who actually interact with you, the vast majority will be decent