When you start reading a fan fiction, do you care about the rating it has? Do you give a fair rating, taking in consideration plot, strcuture, etc? I'm asking this because I've noticed that most of the fics here have a rating above 9. I know that Portkey authors are great, but sometimes made me wonder if that rating represents how good a fic is.
Personally, I don't consider the rating when I decide to read a fan fiction. What about you?
MOD NOTES by gal-texter:
Related discussion by PK fic mods
POLL RESULTS as of Apr 6 2004
What to do with Portkey's numerical rating system for fanfics?
Remove it - it does not help when deciding what to read [ 54 ] [46.55%]
Keep it - I use the ratings when deciding what to read [ 40 ] [34.48%]
Replace it - I have a better idea (list below) [ 6 ] [5.17%]
Unsure - I don't really care about the rating system. [ 16 ] [13.79%]
Total Votes: 116
6Apr2004 Merging this now with the Poll thread. James announces the removal of the numerical rating system.
We're keeping this thread open for more suggestions in improving our Fanfic Side. You may also post in this thread or email james@portkey.org.
24Feb2004 Locking this thread now so we can focus on this poll started by PK Admin, James. After a decision has been made, we will merge this with that other thread.
Full Version: Numerical ratings for PK's archived fics?
Portkey forums - Kindred Spirits > Sonorus! Listen! > St. Mungo's Triage - FAQs & Help Desk > Fanfic Accounts / Archive
I don't consider it either. If the summary intrigues me, why bother about the rating? I'll make up my own mind on whether I like it or not. Romy, did I answer your question right?
Personally, when reviewing, I don't give ratings. From what I've noticed, only those who think a Fic deserves a 10 will rate it, few will actually give lower than that, with the exception of Flamers. I read a Fic based on the summary first, but Recs and who wrote it does factor in too and then the decision on whether to continue reading is based on what I have read so far. So an out of 10 rating doesn't really hold sway with me.
Nielle
Nielle
Well honestly after reading the summary, I admit I glance over the rating. Does it hold some sway on me though? No, not really. Since after all the rating is the average of all of it put together and while some may find it fantastic others will rank it lower according to personal opinion on the plot, from what I have observed. Also another key into the factor, is exactly who wrote it. There are some fictions that generally get a really good rating since the author is sort of a famous name. Although once you read the fiction, it may not be all that deserving of a high score.
So in order to get less of an unbiased mark, you have to be a newbie author that is barely sharing her/his talents with us all.
So in order to get less of an unbiased mark, you have to be a newbie author that is barely sharing her/his talents with us all.
All this talk has made me go over and see what my rating was.... oh dear,lol...
There are several types of raters here.
1. Those who always give 10s no matter what. Most of these people simply don't appreciate the difference between good literature and mediocre stuff.
2. Those who never give 10s. These people tend to think they're better than everyone because they're harder raters.
3. Those who don't rate for whatever reason.
4. And honest raters.
A lot of people fall into 1, 3, and 4. The rating system has been discussed for many of the reasons which you people are discussing here. Unfortunately, we haven't come to any sort of consensus. The rating system is mostly in place to try and give authors more tangible, instantaneous feedback. However, it can also act more like a popularity contest, and is completely subjective, rather than relative to each other. They shouldn't really be used to compare fics to each other.
OK, now that I've ranted on that subject a bit...
Darkstar
1. Those who always give 10s no matter what. Most of these people simply don't appreciate the difference between good literature and mediocre stuff.
2. Those who never give 10s. These people tend to think they're better than everyone because they're harder raters.
3. Those who don't rate for whatever reason.
4. And honest raters.
A lot of people fall into 1, 3, and 4. The rating system has been discussed for many of the reasons which you people are discussing here. Unfortunately, we haven't come to any sort of consensus. The rating system is mostly in place to try and give authors more tangible, instantaneous feedback. However, it can also act more like a popularity contest, and is completely subjective, rather than relative to each other. They shouldn't really be used to compare fics to each other.
OK, now that I've ranted on that subject a bit...
Darkstar
I don't pay too much attention to it, but if I see a fic with tons of reviews and the final total is in the 7's or 8's, it might influence me in the decision to read it.
Something that I find annoying and from what I understand is against the rules, is someone that in their review says that he or she can't deny that you are a great writer but the plot of the story is not to his or her taste, and them, wham...you get hit with a 5.
Something that I find annoying and from what I understand is against the rules, is someone that in their review says that he or she can't deny that you are a great writer but the plot of the story is not to his or her taste, and them, wham...you get hit with a 5.
Yeah I don't pay much attention to the ratings. My stories on portkey often get an okay rating about8 or 9 but I don't really think that's a really reflection on my stories. Also you'll notice it's an average of all their ratings which also needs to be taken into account. I mean often my stories have a high rating because only 2 or 3 people have actually rated it.
I would like to think that I rate fairly when giving ratings. If I like the plot and the grammar and structure are good I give a 9 or 10. If I like the plot but the grammar isn't so good i give about an 7-8. If the plot is alrighht and I believe I could read it in give a 5 or 6, and if I really don't like the plot I give it abou 4. I generally don't give bellow 4 as then I feel as though I'm flaming the author.
Gemma
I would like to think that I rate fairly when giving ratings. If I like the plot and the grammar and structure are good I give a 9 or 10. If I like the plot but the grammar isn't so good i give about an 7-8. If the plot is alrighht and I believe I could read it in give a 5 or 6, and if I really don't like the plot I give it abou 4. I generally don't give bellow 4 as then I feel as though I'm flaming the author.
Gemma
| QUOTE |
| From Portkey Review Ettiquette: ...when the author states in the story that it has something in particular that might not be for everyone, and yet they get a lower value because of personal preference. Granted personal preference does play a part in liking and not liking a story, but the rating you give is the quality, the ease or read and the likeability of a fic. When the author can not appeal to your personal preference, it's polite to rate only what the author can do to make you like the story better. |
In other words, if it's right there in the summary that there are plot points that may not appeal to your personal preference, it's not right to rate it so low.
On the other hand, if it's a story that that you would otherwise enjoy but their are huge plot holes and issues like that and other writing issues, I'd feel the low rating would be justified.
As for me, I don't think I'd have the patience to get through a story like that, let alone give constructive critisism. It would have to have something about it that caught my attention that made me think, "this is a diamond in the rough, I'd like to help." I hope that doesn't sound stuck up, I'm just busy with school. In fact, I have two midterms, the first of which starts in about 2 hours and I really should be studying rather than being here....
I don't base my opinion on rating on Portkey at all. The average rating here is over a 9, and frankly, I've read fics that I think are quite bad (in plot, plausibility, characterization, etc) that have very high 9s, and I suppose that's influenced my ideas of just how useful the rating system is. Of course, there are also the fics that very much deserve all the 10s they get, but they are more or less the minority. The thing is, an 8 isn't bad at all, so I don't think it should be treated as such.
Of course, my tastes might be just odd and I have different standards. However, although I don't review all that much (bad!Autumn, I suppose), if I think a fic is so amazingly good, I'll post a review, and generally a long one. Of course, the reason I might not post a review to a fic I don't think is good and has a lot of things needing improvement is because I won't make it through the entire chapter and will simply press the back button.
Okay, so basically.. I don't rely on the rating system at all. I base my opinion on the title, summary, and perhaps the username if I'm feeling picky. But usually just the title and summary. If I see spelling mistakes in the summary, I'm not going to read the fic at all. (Come on, reading the word 'storys' or 'summarys' is not a good way to show off excellent grammar or spelling.) Same goes for the "R&R plz!!!" that people stick at the end of summaries -- I refuse to read if someone has one of those there, particularly in netspeak.
Of course, my tastes might be just odd and I have different standards. However, although I don't review all that much (bad!Autumn, I suppose), if I think a fic is so amazingly good, I'll post a review, and generally a long one. Of course, the reason I might not post a review to a fic I don't think is good and has a lot of things needing improvement is because I won't make it through the entire chapter and will simply press the back button.
Okay, so basically.. I don't rely on the rating system at all. I base my opinion on the title, summary, and perhaps the username if I'm feeling picky. But usually just the title and summary. If I see spelling mistakes in the summary, I'm not going to read the fic at all. (Come on, reading the word 'storys' or 'summarys' is not a good way to show off excellent grammar or spelling.) Same goes for the "R&R plz!!!" that people stick at the end of summaries -- I refuse to read if someone has one of those there, particularly in netspeak.
Personally I wouldn't mind seeing the back of the ratings. It means pretty much nothing - I've read some fics rated 9.8 that I wouldn't have given a five. And as Nielle says, I don't tend to rate fics I review either.
MOD NOTE: This and the next 3 posts originally formed a thread in the Administration forum. ~gal-texter 30Mar2004
Is there anything that can be done to monitor the ratings systems better? I've noticed a lot of ratings that users give that lower a story's overall rating but do not match the review that they gave. For instance, someone may give a story a 7, but then rave about how great they think it was and the author should continue. I just don't think that the rating and reviews systems match up very well. Anyway, thanks for listening!
-aideeeight
Is there anything that can be done to monitor the ratings systems better? I've noticed a lot of ratings that users give that lower a story's overall rating but do not match the review that they gave. For instance, someone may give a story a 7, but then rave about how great they think it was and the author should continue. I just don't think that the rating and reviews systems match up very well. Anyway, thanks for listening!
-aideeeight
One of the mods raised this point on the site - and we've not had the time to work on this issue, especially with all the other forum , moderating related jobs to do and not to mention the fact that we're moving servers for the last week, and it's been a little hellish. Currently the mods are looking at two ideas. 1) Get rid of it completely , since people view the rating system differently. While some have a generic rating as their base good work, and then going up more for better, OTHERs work differently in that they give full points unless they find faults and take off points accordingly. 2) Remove it, and give it a Thumbup or Thumbdown rating. Ie - XXX many people liked that chapter, and XXX didn't. IT does rate it slightly - but doesn't have all the nuances that the other rating system can bring. We'll be having a look at this matter soon, and see what comes of it.
Me likes the thumbs up/down idea. But then again my opinion doesn't count anyway 
I'll have to agree with Aideeeight, though - the ratings system is pretty ineffective.
I'll have to agree with Aideeeight, though - the ratings system is pretty ineffective.
To be honest, I'm a fan of getting rid of the rating altogether. The number of reviews should speak for itself in a story.
I saw another case in point, the author was rated an 8 while the reviewer left a one sentence review saying how wonderful/great the story was....
NOTE: locking this thread now, so everyone could continue airing their views in this poll. ~gal-texter
I saw another case in point, the author was rated an 8 while the reviewer left a one sentence review saying how wonderful/great the story was....
NOTE: locking this thread now, so everyone could continue airing their views in this poll. ~gal-texter
As some of you know, I am very much against the rating system. Simply because people have a tendency to lower the rating based on not liking the plot rather than on the level or writing in the fic. If you think about it, a number tells the author exactly nothing.
I say we rise up in rejection of the subjective rating system! *gets out her protest signs*
Seriously though, I don't think the rating stops people from reading. I think it does cause unnecessary hurt for the author though. Look at is this way, if you were an author putting yourself out here for the rest of us to gawk at, how would you feel if we gave you a 5 (or some other number) and didn't really give a reason for it.
We need to remember that not all authors can blow off just a random number that is less than perfect being assigned.
As long as the review that says the fic wasn't perfect doesn't give actual statements on how to improve it is useless! The same goes for silly little numbers.
I say we rise up in rejection of the subjective rating system! *gets out her protest signs*
Seriously though, I don't think the rating stops people from reading. I think it does cause unnecessary hurt for the author though. Look at is this way, if you were an author putting yourself out here for the rest of us to gawk at, how would you feel if we gave you a 5 (or some other number) and didn't really give a reason for it.
We need to remember that not all authors can blow off just a random number that is less than perfect being assigned.
As long as the review that says the fic wasn't perfect doesn't give actual statements on how to improve it is useless! The same goes for silly little numbers.
I'm VERY glad this topic has been brought up. Thank you!
I very much agree with mogliecat (and, everyone here, in general). The rating system, to me, is basically a popularity contest - and some of those people that are "less popular" usually get the critisism (it's as if people are afraid to critique the "popular" author's work!). I, personally, hate to see perfectly good fics getting flamed, without any explanation or reason. It sickens me. And though they are just numbers, it's bad enough to be just putting yourself out there, and - bam! - getting a nasty review.
I'd much better like it if we didn't have the rating system at all. That way, people can judge the story by what they read, not what other people think (which, btw, I think happens too often... grr).
I'm not one for rating, and it's not like I'm boycotting the system - I just don't think it's working, especially considering we are human, and humans are often pressurized by ... *coughcough* outside influences.
Just my two cents.
-Lauren
I very much agree with mogliecat (and, everyone here, in general). The rating system, to me, is basically a popularity contest - and some of those people that are "less popular" usually get the critisism (it's as if people are afraid to critique the "popular" author's work!). I, personally, hate to see perfectly good fics getting flamed, without any explanation or reason. It sickens me. And though they are just numbers, it's bad enough to be just putting yourself out there, and - bam! - getting a nasty review.
I'd much better like it if we didn't have the rating system at all. That way, people can judge the story by what they read, not what other people think (which, btw, I think happens too often... grr).
I'm not one for rating, and it's not like I'm boycotting the system - I just don't think it's working, especially considering we are human, and humans are often pressurized by ... *coughcough* outside influences.
Just my two cents.
-Lauren
| QUOTE |
| Look at is this way, if you were an author putting yourself out here for the rest of us to gawk at, how would you feel if we gave you a 5 (or some other number) and didn't really give a reason for it. |
That doesn't make any sense. It is your (not you specifically, but anyone) fault as an author for putting your fic out. You're taking a risk at getting bad or good feedback, and if someone thinks that your fic sucks, than they are allowed to have such a privilege. Not everyone is guarenteed to like your fic, and you are subjecting yourself to any sort of criticism and bad feedback when you post up your chapter or whatever.
I don't understand why you're protesting a "subjective rating system." Isn't all rating and reviewing based on personal taste? The rating system is to see whether or not you like the plot, characterization, writing style, etc etc etc in the fic. The more you personally like it, the higher the number you give.
| QUOTE |
| Simply because people have a tendency to lower the rating based on not liking the plot rather than on the level or writing in the fic. |
So? If I think your plot sucks arse, I'm not going to give you a high rating even if you manage to use spell and grammar check. I don't see the logic in giving someone a high rating if you think their plot is terrible. Plot is one of the most essential parts of a fic, and if the one there is awful, why would anyone want to give the author a thumbs up?
| QUOTE (Ashes) |
| I don't see the logic in giving someone a high rating if you think their plot is terrible. Plot is one of the most essential parts of a fic, and if the one there is awful, why would anyone want to give the author a thumbs up? |
Ashes, I think what was meant by this:
| QUOTE |
| Simply because people have a tendency to lower the rating based on not liking the plot rather than on the level or writing in the fic. |
is generally a good plot, but not one that would be satisfactory to some. For example, people might not like Dead!Harry and because the plot has that, people will rate the fiction lower.
I hope I made sense...
Ashes
| QUOTE |
| That doesn't make any sense. It is your (not you specifically, but anyone) fault as an author for putting your fic out. You're taking a risk at getting bad or good feedback, and if someone thinks that your fic sucks, than they are allowed to have such a privilege. |
Actually it does make sense if you read all of what I said. I didn 't say people are not allowed to give a negative review. I specifically made comment about giving bad reviews without explaining why. If a reader doesn't like a fic the reader should be able to articulate the reason for not liking it.
As for the other part, a fic can be well written as far as style, grammar, spelling, basically perfect. That doesn't mean that everyone will like the fic. A reader should be able to articulate the reasons they did not like the plot in a written review. If the reader isn't capable of coming up with sound reasons for the rating they have assigned they probably should not rate the fic.
Ashes
| QUOTE |
| I don't understand why you're protesting a "subjective rating system." Isn't all rating and reviewing based on personal taste? The rating system is to see whether or not you like the plot, characterization, writing style, etc etc etc in the fic. The more you personally like it, the higher the number you give. |
I'm protesting because we have documentation that the rating system is abused. Also, a written review is much more helpful. I don't see anything wrong with a reader saying they don't like a story as long as the author is given some reasoning behind it. Yes, both ways are subjective, but with just a number the author is not helped in any way.
This site has many purposes: reader enjoyment; fun for members; and last but not least to assist writers. We don't assist writers with random assignments of numbers for a rating without something to back up the number assigned.
| QUOTE |
| I specifically made comment about giving bad reviews without explaining why. If a reader doesn't like a fic the reader should be able to articulate the reason for not liking it. |
It's the same thing both ways, I suppose. People leaving good ratings or reviews but not explaining why they liked it or gave a good rating. Maybe there should be an amount of required writing in the reviews to ensure that something is actually there?
Eh. Ideally the rating system is to give random lurkers an idea of how good people think the fic is, but then there are different issues make the rating system fall apart. Nothing ideal ever works out, anyway.
Personally, I read upon getting recommended fics now, because I don't like to scroll through things that have things that are even mispelled in the summary. If you can't spell in the summary or title, what's to say you'll do any better in the fic? So, the rating system is useless to me, anyway.
The thing is -- if the rating system does go, how will that ensure that all reviews are good? (I don't mean 'complimentary' when I say 'good', by the way.) How would a lack of a rating system make people write thoughtful reviews where they explain why they think the fic is good/bad? Even if there's no number, someone saying, "I liked your fic," or, "I hated your fic," isn't much help, either.
Eh. Ideally the rating system is to give random lurkers an idea of how good people think the fic is, but then there are different issues make the rating system fall apart. Nothing ideal ever works out, anyway.
Personally, I read upon getting recommended fics now, because I don't like to scroll through things that have things that are even mispelled in the summary. If you can't spell in the summary or title, what's to say you'll do any better in the fic? So, the rating system is useless to me, anyway.
The thing is -- if the rating system does go, how will that ensure that all reviews are good? (I don't mean 'complimentary' when I say 'good', by the way.) How would a lack of a rating system make people write thoughtful reviews where they explain why they think the fic is good/bad? Even if there's no number, someone saying, "I liked your fic," or, "I hated your fic," isn't much help, either.
Ashes
| QUOTE |
| The thing is -- if the rating system does go, how will that ensure that all reviews are good? (I don't mean 'complimentary' when I say 'good', by the way.) How would a lack of a rating system make people write thoughtful reviews where they explain why they think the fic is good/bad? Even if there's no number, someone saying, "I liked your fic," or, "I hated your fic," isn't much help, either. |
I know what you are saying. We can't make people give real reviews, as much as I would like to.
The reviews that just say "i hated your fic" or "I liked your fic" don't help anymore than the rating system. In fact I would say just saying "I hated your fic" without an explanation is a flame.
I'm thinking we need to fight the battles we can win. We can get rid of a rating system that for all intensive purposes is useless. We can't send out trained monkey assassins to eliminate the reviewers who don't give good *by good I don't mean inflating the ego of the writer, I mean giving useful information* feedback.
Maybe we should revisit one of the older forums about what makes a good review. Perhaps members seeing that authors would like a bit more for their hard work than an "I liked it" will encourage people to write thoughtful reviews. I also think it would be good if authors made it clear to their readers that they would like people to tell them what could be improved in their fic. Granted some authors just want a pat on the back for just putting something up, but those authors are usually the ones that need the most improvement.
By the way, we are open to any suggestions that anyone might have on how to make the review system work better.
Here are a few of the ideas that are being kicked around right now:
1: just use written reviews. would work well if all reviewers were able to give thoughtful reviews.
2: a modified rating system that has a preset explanation for each number given. I sort of like this idea, but I'm not sure of the logistics of setting it up or what exactly would need to be wrong on a fic to rate a certain number. An example would be for a 9, the fic is close to perfect, the plot works and does not seem too contrived, but it does have a few grammar errors and/or spelling errors that slightly interrupt the flow of a story. A 10 could be if the reader did not notice any errors *this doesn't mean they are not there....just that they are not severe enough to interrupt the flow* on the other end, a 1 would be it's chock full of errors for grammar, spelling, the plot is not well written *meaning it is not presented in such a way that makes the reader see in their mind what is going on*
We would still allow written reviews to go along with the rating.
3: a basic thumbs up or thumbs down along with a written review. I'm not sure I like this option much better than the current system, but I would like to hear other people's opinions on it.
So far that's what we've got. If anyone has any other ideas, please post them. If you would like to make comment about one of the above ideas we welcome that as well.
MOD NOTE: Locking this thread now so we can focus on this poll started by PK Admin, James. Please post your ideas there.
After a decision has been made, we will merge this with that other thread. ~gal-texter 24Feb2004
This thread has come about as a result of much discussion by both mods and users about the usefulness of the rating system on Portkey.
I'll save my comments on the system for later on - but I'm opening this topic up to all users of Portkey to discuss. Particularly I want your thoughts on:
I look forward to your feedback,
James
I'll save my comments on the system for later on - but I'm opening this topic up to all users of Portkey to discuss. Particularly I want your thoughts on:
- Does it help you decide what to read?
- Is it accurate?
- Should it be replaced, and if so, what with?
I look forward to your feedback,
James
I don't think it's accurate. I've said before that there's fics on PK that have a 9+ rating that I personally would not have given a 5.
Most people who habitually leave reviews don't use the rating system; myself included.
I think we should remove it.
Most people who habitually leave reviews don't use the rating system; myself included.
I think we should remove it.
Our Portkeymates can also get ideas from this related thread (without a poll). I've locked that thread for now so we can continue discussing here on this Poll thread.
For ease of looking things up, I'll repeat my inputs in the Fanfic Mods' discussion:
-------------
IMHO, it's okay to remove the ratings system.
My understanding is readers should use this to indicate an author's progress from chapter to chapter, right? That was a very laudable objective. But yes, there were problems:
1) Many readers don't know how to rate objectively
2) Many readers can't keep track of an author's progress, as there's usually a long wait between chapters.
3) Readers have different standards. Some rate very highly, others very low, the rest are in between.
4) Many "good" stories get ratings that are lower than what "inferior" stories get.
------------
AND adding these ones:
5) Flamers can abuse the rating system to drag down stories' ratings.
6) Inexplicably low ratings due to factors 3-5 may discourage authors from posting here. (I fear this could be true for some writers I've invited to become PK authors.)
For ease of looking things up, I'll repeat my inputs in the Fanfic Mods' discussion:
-------------
IMHO, it's okay to remove the ratings system.
My understanding is readers should use this to indicate an author's progress from chapter to chapter, right? That was a very laudable objective. But yes, there were problems:
1) Many readers don't know how to rate objectively
2) Many readers can't keep track of an author's progress, as there's usually a long wait between chapters.
3) Readers have different standards. Some rate very highly, others very low, the rest are in between.
4) Many "good" stories get ratings that are lower than what "inferior" stories get.
------------
AND adding these ones:
5) Flamers can abuse the rating system to drag down stories' ratings.
6) Inexplicably low ratings due to factors 3-5 may discourage authors from posting here. (I fear this could be true for some writers I've invited to become PK authors.)
I honestly don't use the ratings system that much. I do really try to rate the story that I'm reading accurately according to my own opinions. But as for deciding which stories I read, I don't use this system. I look more to how many people have reviewed. If there has been a huge response to a story, you know something there has drawn the reader. I vote to throw it out. It's not really accurate anyway. 
I don't think it matters that much. It's always nice to see a row of "10" down your review list, but it isn't always accurate. It doesn't do much either.
I'd say either get rid of it, or find some better system. There are a lot of people who will automatically give a fic a 9 or a 10 if they read it, just to encourage the author to write. Perhaps a multiple-rating system (rate for readability, plot, style, level of H\Hr (from too little to overkill), etc. seperately), using a system where you actually have to consider it for each rating -- i.e., 1 to 10, but 1 isn't necessarily the worst and 10 isn't necessarily the best. (No plot, decent plot, over-plotted).
Maybe rate each of the various categories, too -- i.e., "Level of Angst" "Level of Smuttyness" "Level of Romance" etc., so that those people who designate their fics 'angst' which -I- (or another reader) don't percieve as having much angst would be able to voice our opinion on the subject.
But it doesn't need the rating system. What I'm suggesting is largely much too complex a system to implement, but unless you DO implement a super-complicated system, it's going to continue to be highly inaccurate... so I say, just get rid of it. Reviews are good enough, if all you want is to boost the author's ego.
Maybe rate each of the various categories, too -- i.e., "Level of Angst" "Level of Smuttyness" "Level of Romance" etc., so that those people who designate their fics 'angst' which -I- (or another reader) don't percieve as having much angst would be able to voice our opinion on the subject.
But it doesn't need the rating system. What I'm suggesting is largely much too complex a system to implement, but unless you DO implement a super-complicated system, it's going to continue to be highly inaccurate... so I say, just get rid of it. Reviews are good enough, if all you want is to boost the author's ego.
I'll just post what I said in the mod discussion. I am editing it to remove a specific reference to a fic and a few other things.
An arbitrary number assigned by someone who may or may not be of intelligence doesn't really help authors. An author can see based on the written reviews which have a better chance of helping the author how the chapter was received as compared to the last.
If everyone followed the exact same guidelines as to what is a 10, 9 or whatever number then the rating system would be a good indicator or progress. As it stands we don't have literature professors reading, we have mostly children, so the grading system is useless and can be offensive to an author.
Examples of the problems with the rating system:
"I liked it" or "good" rating 6. Someone please show me exactly how the number is helpful. At least if it were without the number the author would know the person liked it.
another example:
GURL YOU TOTALLY HAVE TO CONTINUE I LOVE YOUR STORY!!!!! Rating 10. I should mention that this is an actual review to "* ****** ******" and the 10 was given to an author's note, not to mention the fact that the story was horrid. (yes I do realize that saying it was horrid is very subjective, but I can honestly say that it is the worst thing I have ever read)
An arbitrary number assigned by someone who may or may not be of intelligence doesn't really help authors. An author can see based on the written reviews which have a better chance of helping the author how the chapter was received as compared to the last.
If everyone followed the exact same guidelines as to what is a 10, 9 or whatever number then the rating system would be a good indicator or progress. As it stands we don't have literature professors reading, we have mostly children, so the grading system is useless and can be offensive to an author.
Examples of the problems with the rating system:
"I liked it" or "good" rating 6. Someone please show me exactly how the number is helpful. At least if it were without the number the author would know the person liked it.
another example:
GURL YOU TOTALLY HAVE TO CONTINUE I LOVE YOUR STORY!!!!! Rating 10. I should mention that this is an actual review to "* ****** ******" and the 10 was given to an author's note, not to mention the fact that the story was horrid. (yes I do realize that saying it was horrid is very subjective, but I can honestly say that it is the worst thing I have ever read)
When it boils down to it, I guess I suggest scraping it as well. I personally always found to be far too wildly inaccurate and at times even annoying. I admit a high rating is nice for the ego but I always feel so deflated when I get a 10 rating with nothing but a " 
" for the review.
And that's another topic, I HATE it when the reviews have nothing but: But I suppose that's another topic.
Eric
" for the review.And that's another topic, I HATE it when the reviews have nothing but:
But I suppose that's another topic.Eric
I voted for removing it too. As many people have already said, it's too inaccurate. There are those who give 10 just because, and others who can give 1 and ruin the rating of a really good story just because they didn't like something that happened in the story, that has nothing to do with the quality of the whole thing. The rating would be fine if it was explained with the reviews ("I gave you a 8 because..."), but most of the time reviews don't say anything to justify it. I've read rewiews with a 1 that said "very good plot and structure but don't like the pairing".
Personally, I don't look at the rating of the stories I read, and I don't rate myself, I prefer to express my opinion in the review.
Personally, I don't look at the rating of the stories I read, and I don't rate myself, I prefer to express my opinion in the review.
The rating system doesn't affect what I read in the least. I think word of mouth and recommendations are the only thing that really get me to read a fanfic, whether it has a 1 or a 10 rating. In fact, I never even look. A story title and summary get me to read the story over anything else. I also think it's irrelavant because there isn't a section on the site listing stories by rating. Nothing really comes of the ratings so they become unimportant.
That being said, as an author - and maybe this is just wildly self-absorbed of me- I hate people that review without leaving a rating! They go to all the trouble of leaving a glowing review, or scowering review, only to leave a big fat blank at the rating. It's irratating. So I suppose it just causes more frustration than anything.
The only suggestion I could come up with is instead of a rating system, maybe start a list of "top 5 fics of the week" (or any number you choose). THAT would get me to read the fic more than a rating system ever would. Honestly, the portkey awards got me to read a bunch of fics i probably never would have seen if they hadn't been showcased in a list that i didn't have to go searching through. I don't think I'm the only one who can say that; I noticed a bunch of new reviews for one of my stories when it was showcased in the awards. People hadn't seen it before because when you're story gets posted, it only stays up as long as it takes to be bumped off the first page. So you get a very short chance to get your fic seen.
But being showcased in the awards page, the stories were easy to find, quick linked and categorized. I found a bunch of great fics that i'd never seen.
So maybe a list in each forum (H/Hr, R/L , L/J) each week or month of the best stories...which would be decided on by a Mod. Hmm... maybe one of the mods could be open to recieving mail from the community with suggestions, and that mod would decide on the list. There are lots of ways you could do it - I certainly haven't listed every idea here. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say in my very verbose way.
So that's my suggestion! Thanks for listening! : )
Kate J
That being said, as an author - and maybe this is just wildly self-absorbed of me- I hate people that review without leaving a rating! They go to all the trouble of leaving a glowing review, or scowering review, only to leave a big fat blank at the rating. It's irratating. So I suppose it just causes more frustration than anything.
The only suggestion I could come up with is instead of a rating system, maybe start a list of "top 5 fics of the week" (or any number you choose). THAT would get me to read the fic more than a rating system ever would. Honestly, the portkey awards got me to read a bunch of fics i probably never would have seen if they hadn't been showcased in a list that i didn't have to go searching through. I don't think I'm the only one who can say that; I noticed a bunch of new reviews for one of my stories when it was showcased in the awards. People hadn't seen it before because when you're story gets posted, it only stays up as long as it takes to be bumped off the first page. So you get a very short chance to get your fic seen.
But being showcased in the awards page, the stories were easy to find, quick linked and categorized. I found a bunch of great fics that i'd never seen.
So maybe a list in each forum (H/Hr, R/L , L/J) each week or month of the best stories...which would be decided on by a Mod. Hmm... maybe one of the mods could be open to recieving mail from the community with suggestions, and that mod would decide on the list. There are lots of ways you could do it - I certainly haven't listed every idea here. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say in my very verbose way.
So that's my suggestion! Thanks for listening! : )
Kate J
I'd be happy to do that, Kate J. I think that's not a bad idea at all.
I voted for scrapping it. As a reader, the ratings don't hold much meaning as everyone seems to either put a 9 or a 10. I mean, is there really a difference between a 9.38 and a 9.62?
As an author, the ratings scare the poopie out of me...I've thought about applying here, but I think my ego's too delicate to withstand a 9.2343.
I like Kate J's suggestion. Another suggestion, though probably too much work to implement, would be someplace where people could list there favorite stories. One good thing about ff.net is that I find tons of good h/hr stories by simply jumping from profile to profile and reading from their list of favorite stories.
As an author, the ratings scare the poopie out of me...I've thought about applying here, but I think my ego's too delicate to withstand a 9.2343.
I like Kate J's suggestion. Another suggestion, though probably too much work to implement, would be someplace where people could list there favorite stories. One good thing about ff.net is that I find tons of good h/hr stories by simply jumping from profile to profile and reading from their list of favorite stories.
i voted unsure cuz i try to use it, but i always forget so i dont really care if its gone or not.
But i like kate's idea, because its the same with me, i would never have read some of best fics if it wasnt for having them in the PK awards. So i think it would be great to have a top 5(10) of the week(month)
But i like kate's idea, because its the same with me, i would never have read some of best fics if it wasnt for having them in the PK awards. So i think it would be great to have a top 5(10) of the week(month)
| QUOTE (James) |
| 1) Does it help you decide what to read? 2) Is it accurate? 3) Should it be replaced, and if so, what with? |
1) Nope.
2) Nope.
3) Scrap it. The reviews are enough.
As I said in the other thread, I pay no attention to the rating when reading a Fic and I do not give a rating when I review. I rarely see one below a 9 and many people do not rate on quality, but on whether they like the story. The ratings measure popularity rather than anything else.
A quick look at my profile shows that I don't have an overall rating below 9.5. I don't believe that has anything to do with my talent but rather I haven't done anything really horrible in my stories that would offend readers like kill Harry or Hermione. A rating would only be of worth if a specific group of people gave a rating based on a predetermined criteria.
Nielle
I am rather indifferent to the whole thing. Sure as Eric said, it is great to receive straight "10's" but it is no more infuriating to only receive a " ", but maybe that is another matter for another time.
Kate's idea is great, although it can also be discouraging to authors or not. Yet, we should probably see what happens to determine if it will be a great addition or not.
", but maybe that is another matter for another time.Kate's idea is great, although it can also be discouraging to authors or not. Yet, we should probably see what happens to determine if it will be a great addition or not.
I always forget to use the rating system. Just not part of my reviewing habits.
That's my two cents.
Kristina
That's my two cents.
Kristina
I would get rid of the rating system.
More often than not, it is incredibly inaccurate, IMO. I've seen fics with a high 9 rating that I would have given a 3, at the very most.
People should tell the author they like/dislike the fic in a review, rather than just giving a five or a ten (or what have you). Ideally, a well thought out review, but what is ideal is not often what is realistic.
More often than not, it is incredibly inaccurate, IMO. I've seen fics with a high 9 rating that I would have given a 3, at the very most.
People should tell the author they like/dislike the fic in a review, rather than just giving a five or a ten (or what have you). Ideally, a well thought out review, but what is ideal is not often what is realistic.
I don't really like the whole rating system, as an author I'd rather get a review that says "I don't like your story because...." than a rating of 10 and a .
I like the idea of a top five fics, but I think if each member could have a list of their favorite authors it might be better, because what a mod (or whoever else would pick out the list) may have different tastes than me. But if I saw recomendations from an author I liked I'd probably be more likely to look at those stories.
Just MHO,
Laurie s
.I like the idea of a top five fics, but I think if each member could have a list of their favorite authors it might be better, because what a mod (or whoever else would pick out the list) may have different tastes than me. But if I saw recomendations from an author I liked I'd probably be more likely to look at those stories.
Just MHO,
Laurie s
Here's my $0.02, being the only person so far who has voted for a replacement. <g>
Back in my X-Files days, we had a site called Ephemeral (http://www.ephemeralfic.org/) that had a recommendation system to help people decide if they wanted to read a particular story or not. Obviously, this is helpful due to the sheer quantity of stories that are posted in a given amount of time.
However, this recommendation system was not based off of scoring, which I've found to be fairly unhelpful in helping me distinguish one story from another since most stories get about the same rating (usually mid-9s). It was instead based on rec hits. If you read a story and liked it, and wanted to recommend it to others, you would hit a "recommend" link, and that would be counted as one rec. Therefore, if you're just glancing through the site quickly to find something to read, the number of recs a story has will help.
There are, of course, several caveats to this, as Portkey is not the same system as Ephemeral. Namely:
1) Possible abuse of the system. That is, of course, a possibility even now (if someone wants to inflate their scores by posting anonymously or something), but it's very easy to simply hit a recommendation button, so if people abuse the system, using the number of recs associated w/ a story in order to determine reading plans would be as unhelpful as it is today.
2) Related to #1, even if you were to institute a policy wherein one would have to be logged in to rec, such a system discourages use and makes it complicated because then it must be decided whether someone can only rec once per story, or once per chapter (Ephemeral doesn't have that problem since it does not retain story "memory" and each part stands on its own)? The former option isn't satisfactory, and I'm not sure how complicated, technically, the latter would be to achieve. Ephemeral does not track one story through its entirety; only a single part that is posted.
Additionally, I'm sure it's more complicated than I can think of, not being a tech-type person. <g> Perhaps the best way to do this is to abandon the ratings system entirely, and we can simply use the reviews function to help us determine whether or not we want to read a story. But as a reader, I do have to say that the ratings don't help me much.
Sarea
Back in my X-Files days, we had a site called Ephemeral (http://www.ephemeralfic.org/) that had a recommendation system to help people decide if they wanted to read a particular story or not. Obviously, this is helpful due to the sheer quantity of stories that are posted in a given amount of time.
However, this recommendation system was not based off of scoring, which I've found to be fairly unhelpful in helping me distinguish one story from another since most stories get about the same rating (usually mid-9s). It was instead based on rec hits. If you read a story and liked it, and wanted to recommend it to others, you would hit a "recommend" link, and that would be counted as one rec. Therefore, if you're just glancing through the site quickly to find something to read, the number of recs a story has will help.
There are, of course, several caveats to this, as Portkey is not the same system as Ephemeral. Namely:
1) Possible abuse of the system. That is, of course, a possibility even now (if someone wants to inflate their scores by posting anonymously or something), but it's very easy to simply hit a recommendation button, so if people abuse the system, using the number of recs associated w/ a story in order to determine reading plans would be as unhelpful as it is today.
2) Related to #1, even if you were to institute a policy wherein one would have to be logged in to rec, such a system discourages use and makes it complicated because then it must be decided whether someone can only rec once per story, or once per chapter (Ephemeral doesn't have that problem since it does not retain story "memory" and each part stands on its own)? The former option isn't satisfactory, and I'm not sure how complicated, technically, the latter would be to achieve. Ephemeral does not track one story through its entirety; only a single part that is posted.
Additionally, I'm sure it's more complicated than I can think of, not being a tech-type person. <g> Perhaps the best way to do this is to abandon the ratings system entirely, and we can simply use the reviews function to help us determine whether or not we want to read a story. But as a reader, I do have to say that the ratings don't help me much.
Sarea
Personally, I really don't go by the rating system. I go by the summary to see if it interest me.
What I would like to see is a system to measure the amount of H/Hr in it. There have been fics that I read that are labelled H/Hr, but have some amount R/Hr in it. The amount varies on each author's story because of their plot line, but some have gone too far and gone in depth of an R/Hr relationship. Let's face, with OotP out, most of the H/Hr's can't see R/Hr ever happening.
Well, there's my two cents!
Sarmi
Though I initially sort of cringed when I saw the rating system might be going down, when I put some thought into it, I ended up voting to scrap it.
The main reasons mostly involve rater incompetence. People who rate things very low for no reason and very high for no reason skew the ratings and make them invalid.
I like the "Recommendations" forums, but there is a small problem with those, as well-- the people who participate on these forums tend to be the same people. It doesn't seem as though the majority of readers post to the rec forums, and so it seems there are a great number of really appreciated fics that go unrecommended due to a sort of clique mentality.
I think it's likely there's a better way to do things-- though I couldn't honestly tell you what it would be. Perhaps if you docked user points for using the number review function in the same way you dock points when the "author alert" is used, this could go a tiny way toward helping. For instance, if you tell people they have to use points to rate, they might actually put reviews that say more than "Good" or "Sucky."
Another huge problem with the rating system has to do with people who read the summary of a story, read the author's notes at the beginning, are duly notified of the content of the story, and still have the gall to complain. If I see one more low rating on an NC17 story where the reviewer has said something like "Too much sex," I'll track them down personally and hang them by their toes.
The main reasons mostly involve rater incompetence. People who rate things very low for no reason and very high for no reason skew the ratings and make them invalid.
I like the "Recommendations" forums, but there is a small problem with those, as well-- the people who participate on these forums tend to be the same people. It doesn't seem as though the majority of readers post to the rec forums, and so it seems there are a great number of really appreciated fics that go unrecommended due to a sort of clique mentality.
I think it's likely there's a better way to do things-- though I couldn't honestly tell you what it would be. Perhaps if you docked user points for using the number review function in the same way you dock points when the "author alert" is used, this could go a tiny way toward helping. For instance, if you tell people they have to use points to rate, they might actually put reviews that say more than "Good" or "Sucky."
Another huge problem with the rating system has to do with people who read the summary of a story, read the author's notes at the beginning, are duly notified of the content of the story, and still have the gall to complain. If I see one more low rating on an NC17 story where the reviewer has said something like "Too much sex," I'll track them down personally and hang them by their toes.
I find that the rating system, while good in theory, really is arbitrary because there is certain segment of readers that do not take it seriously.
There is nothing worse than getting a rating of a 6 with "I really loved it!" Well, obviously you didn't or otherwise you would have rated higher. It's just as bad to get a 10 with just a . I don't know which annoys me more. I would like constructive feedback, but I know that is an idealistic notion considering what I've seen in fandom. One can dream I suppose.
The current system now has many problems. A user does not have to logged in to rate a story which allows for multiple ratings by anyone. Writers can delete low ratings to make sure their ratings stay high. Those are the two most glaring problems to me.
There is nothing more disheartening than seeing a poorly plotted and written fic with a very high rating while another story without those problems has a lower rating. Unfortunately, the rating will affect whether or not some readers will give a fic a chance.
I personally would like to see the current rating system discontinued. I am not sure if there is any kind of viable replacement for it, but I am willing to listen to suggestions and offer my opinion.
There is nothing worse than getting a rating of a 6 with "I really loved it!" Well, obviously you didn't or otherwise you would have rated higher. It's just as bad to get a 10 with just a
. I don't know which annoys me more. I would like constructive feedback, but I know that is an idealistic notion considering what I've seen in fandom. One can dream I suppose.The current system now has many problems. A user does not have to logged in to rate a story which allows for multiple ratings by anyone. Writers can delete low ratings to make sure their ratings stay high. Those are the two most glaring problems to me.
There is nothing more disheartening than seeing a poorly plotted and written fic with a very high rating while another story without those problems has a lower rating. Unfortunately, the rating will affect whether or not some readers will give a fic a chance.
I personally would like to see the current rating system discontinued. I am not sure if there is any kind of viable replacement for it, but I am willing to listen to suggestions and offer my opinion.
I voted to take the rating system off the site. As an author, I find it incredibly annoying, and overall, useless. Too many people out there either abuse it by rating a story higher than it deserves, or rating lower. I never rate stories, because I feel it doesn't help anyone if they only recieve a "good story" and a 10. Though I do appreciate it, the reviewers aren't doing their job. The basic point of a review is to access the writer's storyline, grammer, mechanics, creativity, etc, and comment - truthfully - on it.
Abusing such a system with a 1-10 rating is easy - all someone has to do is press 1, and an aspiring writer feels terrible afterwards (I've seen it happen too many times
). In my opinion, it would be better if we just got rid of the rating altogether.
Sarea has an excellent idea, however. I would definitely go for that.
-Lauren
Abusing such a system with a 1-10 rating is easy - all someone has to do is press 1, and an aspiring writer feels terrible afterwards (I've seen it happen too many times
). In my opinion, it would be better if we just got rid of the rating altogether.Sarea has an excellent idea, however. I would definitely go for that.
-Lauren
I haven't found the rating system useful at all. If anything it becomes frustrating to get glowing reviews that say a story is perfect then receive less than a ten or the other way around. Don't give me a ten if your review states I don't deserve it. As an author, I find it pointless and as a fellow reviewer I find it pointless. A number can't really help you like a well rounded written critique can.
I did like Kate J's suggestion of some type of "Top 5" weekly posting. I think that should be looked into more closely.
I did like Kate J's suggestion of some type of "Top 5" weekly posting. I think that should be looked into more closely.
Here's my take on the rating system:
When I'm searching for a fic to read, yes I do look at the rating. However, when I see a certain fic that's rated 7.70 or below, I tend to read the reviews. Most of them are praising the author; I guess either they forgot in their enthusiam and approval of the story to actually give it a rating; others rate accordingly and they state what they did and/or didn't like about the story. I guess it depends on the story and the reader at times; the rating system doesn't work for certain stories and their authors.
When I'm searching for a fic to read, yes I do look at the rating. However, when I see a certain fic that's rated 7.70 or below, I tend to read the reviews. Most of them are praising the author; I guess either they forgot in their enthusiam and approval of the story to actually give it a rating; others rate accordingly and they state what they did and/or didn't like about the story. I guess it depends on the story and the reader at times; the rating system doesn't work for certain stories and their authors.
It doesn't really effect me much. As an author I sometimes see 9.60 as a low average rating compared to 9.80, but if I scored 9.60/10 in a test I would be delighted. So to be honest I don't care if it is scrapped, it wouldn't bother me.
I voted to replace it with something else.
First of all, I have to agree with the majority of comments made -- the system, such as it is, would have been a useful thing to have but it seems that it is not working out well.
I won't go through all the flaws of the current ratings system; others have done that quite well already.
My suggestions:
1. I think the suggestion made (sorry, forgot by who but it was a GOOD idea) for a "Recommend / Not Recommend" vote would work. It would make it easier for readers to judge whether a work is worthwhile by the number of people who are willing to recommend something for reading.
2. Another suggestion. Is there a way to show the number of rating points (which is currently used as a basis for generating chapter alerts) that a fic generates? The system (as I recall) awards a reviewer with a certain number of points depending on the length of the review he posts. To some extent, this would weed out the one liners (e.g., "I LOVE IT!") or the graphics-intensive posts (the 10 in a row) which I often see in the reviews ... and which brings up the number of reviews but gives no idea of the quality of the story.
If the total number of rating points generated can be seen (as well as the number of reviews), the reader may get an idea of how others feel about the story. For example, a story with 240 reviews but with total rating points of 240 should mean something.
The downside to this, of course, is that there is no way of knowing if the reviews posted are positive or negative ... a lengthy post that generates the maximum 4 points may be a flame, or a negative (but appropriate!) critical review.
But then, no system is perfect.
3. I'm thinking (although I'm totally tech-challenged) that a combination of the above may also work -- a high review rating (points wise) plus a high number of positive recommendations should mean something.
4. I was thinking of "voting for" the recommendation about a "Top 5 fics of the week" thingy, but the problem there will be ... who's gonna do it? The mods, of course ... but isn't this too much of an imposition? While I love our mods, and praise them for all the effort they place into the site ... too much of a good thing is too much. I don't want to risk a mod burning out because we keep loading them up with responsibilities ...
Hope this is clear. I'm working right now with a god-awful splitting headache, but felt this is something I *had* to comment on. If things aren't clear, please feel free to PM me for clarification.
Thanks.
gil
First of all, I have to agree with the majority of comments made -- the system, such as it is, would have been a useful thing to have but it seems that it is not working out well.
I won't go through all the flaws of the current ratings system; others have done that quite well already.
My suggestions:
1. I think the suggestion made (sorry, forgot by who but it was a GOOD idea) for a "Recommend / Not Recommend" vote would work. It would make it easier for readers to judge whether a work is worthwhile by the number of people who are willing to recommend something for reading.
2. Another suggestion. Is there a way to show the number of rating points (which is currently used as a basis for generating chapter alerts) that a fic generates? The system (as I recall) awards a reviewer with a certain number of points depending on the length of the review he posts. To some extent, this would weed out the one liners (e.g., "I LOVE IT!") or the graphics-intensive posts (the 10
in a row) which I often see in the reviews ... and which brings up the number of reviews but gives no idea of the quality of the story.If the total number of rating points generated can be seen (as well as the number of reviews), the reader may get an idea of how others feel about the story. For example, a story with 240 reviews but with total rating points of 240 should mean something.
The downside to this, of course, is that there is no way of knowing if the reviews posted are positive or negative ... a lengthy post that generates the maximum 4 points may be a flame, or a negative (but appropriate!) critical review.
But then, no system is perfect.
3. I'm thinking (although I'm totally tech-challenged) that a combination of the above may also work -- a high review rating (points wise) plus a high number of positive recommendations should mean something.
4. I was thinking of "voting for" the recommendation about a "Top 5 fics of the week" thingy, but the problem there will be ... who's gonna do it? The mods, of course ... but isn't this too much of an imposition? While I love our mods, and praise them for all the effort they place into the site ... too much of a good thing is too much. I don't want to risk a mod burning out because we keep loading them up with responsibilities ...
Hope this is clear. I'm working right now with a god-awful splitting headache, but felt this is something I *had* to comment on. If things aren't clear, please feel free to PM me for clarification.
Thanks.
gil
I wrote a lengthy reply on this topic last night, apparently hit the incorrect reply button and the whole thing is gone. So, here is my condensed version!
I voted to keep the ratings system two days ago. However, after reading other's opinions and thinking on the matter, I would rather replace this system with another ratings system.
The rating scale of 1-10 is too wide, in my opinion. I'm sure there is a good reason this particular scale was initially implemented, but if you notice, whenever you complete surveys and such, a 5 point scale is the norm.
1 = poor
2 = below average
3 - average
4 = above average
5 = excellent
If I were rating a story on this scale, I would give a 3 if the story was okay, possibly some grammar and punctuation problems and a thin plot. I would never give someone a 5 (the comparable rating on the current scale) b/c it seems too far removed from the top score, and an average rating shouldn't be.
So, I would recommend using a smaller scale, as 1-5 or even letter grades, A - F. Using letter grades would put the rankings on an even keel; everyone should have a reference point for what a "C" means from their time in school.
In keeping with the HP theme, we could use the HP grading system for OWLS (not ssure what it is). The only problem with that is that, since it is 'fictional' the ratings wouldn't mean the same for everyone and the 'cutsy' factor of rating as in the HP world might make it pointless.
CC
I voted to keep the ratings system two days ago. However, after reading other's opinions and thinking on the matter, I would rather replace this system with another ratings system.
The rating scale of 1-10 is too wide, in my opinion. I'm sure there is a good reason this particular scale was initially implemented, but if you notice, whenever you complete surveys and such, a 5 point scale is the norm.
1 = poor
2 = below average
3 - average
4 = above average
5 = excellent
If I were rating a story on this scale, I would give a 3 if the story was okay, possibly some grammar and punctuation problems and a thin plot. I would never give someone a 5 (the comparable rating on the current scale) b/c it seems too far removed from the top score, and an average rating shouldn't be.
So, I would recommend using a smaller scale, as 1-5 or even letter grades, A - F. Using letter grades would put the rankings on an even keel; everyone should have a reference point for what a "C" means from their time in school.
In keeping with the HP theme, we could use the HP grading system for OWLS (not ssure what it is). The only problem with that is that, since it is 'fictional' the ratings wouldn't mean the same for everyone and the 'cutsy' factor of rating as in the HP world might make it pointless.
CC
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