Ciao Members and Criticism

I've noticed a few members recently have been really crap at taking ratings. Indignance seems to be rife and people are taking comments really personally, even when reviews are factually incorrect.

Cue: snidey little conversations and personal comments.

Back to the bad old days of Ciao?

Discuss.

Can't say I have noticed any difference, although I don't spend a lot of time on there any more.

I'm intrigued. I've not been there enough recently to pick up on any changes but what you say wouldn't surprise me at all.

I've not been here long but I feel as if it has been a rough month. There seem to be so many little problems that contribute to this.

People don't seem to know the difference between opinion and fact. FACT.
A rating is based on how useful someone felt the review was, so it is their opinion. Because of the way Ciao works they are made to comment as they have to explain their rating, in cases an opportunity to offer criticism.

Unfortunately people take criticism to be a slap in the face, when they should accept it. In no way is someone forced to make changes corresponding to criticism, but it's there like advice.

When you bring in the over-rating business plus all the unnecessary comments then it lulls members into a false sense of security that between them they are doing the correct thing and cannot be faulted.

It's ridiculous to think they can offer criticism to new members but when it comes around to criticism of them it's not right because surely they are past that stage.

I'm waiting for the back lash for my ratings. I went through a number of reviews tonight, some I knew lots about and some where I touched virgin territory.

I was very harsh with some of my ratings and I am interested what the person will say when they read my comment. One review was standing on very shakey ground and I pointed it out but as my rating went against everyone else I wonder how the person will take it.

I had my fair share of members asking me not to rate their reviews anymore as I always managed to point out what was wrong. I notice that a lot of the time when one person rates lower than the rest it encourages others to do so, too.

I had problems with a few ratings on my early reviews and unless I feel someone revenge rates I take it on the chin.

I have seen a number of members taking comments very personal, even attacking members for rating in a certain way - in particular when their opinion is very different.

I had a member contact me a couple of times with regards to one of the reviews he had rewritten. I re-read the updated review and found it still only merited the rating I gave it the first time. Why do people assume I will uprate only because they edited? In my guestbook the member asked for me to re-rate, I don't know why he thought I would. I re-read but not necessarily re-rate - unless I see a vast improvement.

Minnitee wrote:

I had a member contact me a couple of times with regards to one of the reviews he had rewritten. I re-read the updated review and found it still only merited the rating I gave it the first time. Why do people assume I will uprate only because they edited? In my guestbook the member asked for me to re-rate, I don't know why he thought I would. I re-read but not necessarily re-rate - unless I see a vast improvement.

Exactly. There's the assumption that adding more equals a higher rating but of course it depends on what you add.


I'm not sure if your rating would be harsh, honesty is the best policy but all too often one negative rating gets blown out of proportion.

But the first conclusion that people jump to when a low rating is given out is that it's a revenge rating or the person hasn't read the review properly or... or... tonnes of reasons that aren't anything to do with the author being factually incorrect or padding out a review to 4000 words or just not offering decent information.

And then, yes, they demand you leave their reviews alone...

Maybe Ciao should have a topic, "how to react when given a negative rating (plus comment)", but I reckon many do not read up on this anyway.

Must admit I questioned a comment left on one of my reviews the other day, nothing to do with the rating as I never looked at that, and it was hardly a criticism of the comment I just did not agree with their conclusion of what I was saying. Never got anything back so I guess it was taken in the right way.

atticusuk wrote:

Must admit I questioned a comment left on one of my reviews the other day, nothing to do with the rating as I never looked at that, and it was hardly a criticism of the comment I just did not agree with their conclusion of what I was saying. Never got anything back so I guess it was taken in the right way.

Or they are just ignoring you.

Quite possibly.

I have also noticed lately that people are taking to heart ratings that go against the grain. On occasions when my rating as well as others has been lower than the average, the member is quick in removing them from their cot. The message this sends out to some people that if you want to increase your 'trusted' list and get more rates, is to rate reviews highly even though they mightn't merit it. Lisa x

It's a shame as it causes some members to feel bullied into rating the same as others, so as not to appear being 'mean'. In some cases as we've discussed before I notice that lengthy reviews get high rates, even when they lack a lot of personal opinion. Members come along and see its got a alot of 'E' ratings and feel they should automatically rate the same. I've read a number of lengthy reviews in the past where the member has clearly taken some time in putting it together, but it contains chunks of historical facts rather than opinion. People really shouldn't worry about going against the grain, and start rating what they feel a review deserves. Lisa x

I never feel pressured to rate aginast the grain, I rate how I feel and forget what the other rates are. Too often I see reviews on films that give away major details and yet they still get VH and sometimes E's... how is that helpful to a general redaer on the site?

It bugs me cos i think that people just rate certain people a certain rate cos they dont want to annoy them

I had a short discussion with Another member over on Dooyoo recently cos she apologised for rating me a U and explained why... I told her that i agreed with what she said completely and fully expected to get lower rates but i couldn't write the review without my own political thoughts coming across as well.
Strangely though she was the only one to low rate me

edited. No name necessary.

lisa2062 wrote:

It's a shame as it causes some members to feel bullied into rating the same as others, so as not to appear being 'mean'. In some cases as we've discussed before I notice that lengthy reviews get high rates, even when they lack a lot of personal opinion. Members come along and see its got a alot of 'E' ratings and feel they should automatically rate the same. I've read a number of lengthy reviews in the past where the member has clearly taken some time in putting it together, but it contains chunks of historical facts rather than opinion. People really shouldn't worry about going against the grain, and start rating what they feel a review deserves. Lisa x

Sometimes I just don't rate when I come across either something that's so E'd up that to VH would look like a slap in the face or when I just don't think a review deserves the high rates it's had. Sometimes I'm not in the mood for the aggro and fighting and not ready to deal with the revenge rates it can generate and then maybe I'll just walk away from a review. Certainly Ciao's deaf ear to abuse complaints over the past few weeks doesn't encourage me to get into ratings that are too out of line. I SH'd someone for a 'best looking celebs' and got nothing but aggro and revenge ratings for days after.

The only way we can uphold Ciao standards is if Ciao supports us when the rated get nasty.

Hmmm do i look scary then... I thought my pic made me look all cuddly

If I get a revenge rate, which happens rarely I go and ask them what I did that made them give that rate... then depending on their answer tell them how things work and that if they want to stay on Ciao revenge rating will get them warned and kicked off.
Maybe people are scared off me for some reason or other

Ailran wrote:

Hmmm do i look scary then... I thought my pic made me look all cuddly

If I get a revenge rate, which happens rarely I go and ask them what I did that made them give that rate... then depending on their answer tell them how things work and that if they want to stay on Ciao revenge rating will get them warned and kicked off.
Maybe people are scared off me for some reason or other

No wonder...

koshkha wrote:

Sometimes I just don't rate when I come across either something that's so E'd up that to VH would look like a slap in the face or when I just don't think a review deserves the high rates it's had. Sometimes I'm not in the mood for the aggro and fighting and not ready to deal with the revenge rates it can generate and then maybe I'll just walk away from a review. Certainly Ciao's deaf ear to abuse complaints over the past few weeks doesn't encourage me to get into ratings that are too out of line. I SH'd someone for a 'best looking celebs' and got nothing but aggro and revenge ratings for days after.

The only way we can uphold Ciao standards is if Ciao supports us when the rated get nasty.

It's not the revenge rates that get me - that I can live with.

It's the Abuse reports to Ciao as Abuse that I can't have, mainly because Ciao staff members are unbelievably stupid and/or lazy.