Rating

I don't give a hooey if this has been talked about extensively or not. I

was a member but haven't and will not renew my membership because of my

frustration.

The rating system is fair and I loved posting my pics and getting

critiqued. I was a kid in a candy shop. My problem is that I would post a pic

that would rating well and then some jerk on a bad day comes along and gives

me a 1/1 with no explanation. If you don't like my work, don't just give me a

1/1, tell me why!

As a new photographer and newbie to the community I appreciate feedback on

what needs improvement or applause for a job well done. I don't want coddling,

I just want what I understood the community was to offer. If I were a veteran

to photo.net I would take newbies under my wing and encourage them to unfurl

their wings. You who ruined it for me, shame on you. Shame on you.

Thank you to all who met my expectations and more. I appreciate the time

and effort you took for me. There are a lot of fantastic people out there that

I wish I could learn more from, but unfortunately won't.

 

Lisa

Awww, cmon Lisa... it's just the way it is, and there's nothing to be done about it. The ratings are practically meaningless, and represent generally too small a sample of the whole population to be characteristic or representative. You get 3/3s, and so does everyone else, seemingly randomly- but some of them are probably from people who sincerely feel that the shot sucked. Some, no doubt, are the product of someone's frustration. And some ratings are from people trying to rate what they actually see on the screen. Comment on photos, and you'll get comments. Take the newbies under your wing and they'll thank you for it (and maybe even give you some nice mate rates...) But don't let the ratings drive you away, because they're just a minor flaw in the system, and they 'work' well enough to keep the site in advertising revenue and running. If you have any doubt about the meaninglessness of the ratings, check out the number one top rated photo that's been there since yesterday : )

Hi Lisa-why not submit photographs for critique only and thus avoid the anonymous 3/3 raters (I call them A33's)? I must admit that I have been thinking about doing this myself. regards, cb :0)

Lisa you are absolutly right. you are very brave to comment on this matter. the members and the administration of this site, will shoot you down, for not takeing your lumps(3/3)i doudt that anything will be done to fix the problem, it has plagued this site for as long as i have been here. but for me i,am always glad to see new blood speak out againest the rateing syatem.it is lost to so many just how discourageing the system is to the new photographer.

take my advise; forget about this site,join a local photo workshop.

you,ll learn more about what your doing right and what to do to improve.

sincerly Joe B.

LISA 1/1 AND 2/2 DONT WORK NOONE CAN RATE 1/1 OR 2/2..STICK AROUND YOU WILL GET USE TO IT.:D

Lisa,

 

There is so much more to photo.net than just ratings. If that is all you came here for, and that's okay if it is, then you are missing out on a lot of what photo.net has to offer.

 

Don't take ratings to heart. They really are of very little value. You really can't learn ANYTHING from ratings alone except popularity, be they 3/3's or 7/7's. As has been suggested, you could post for critique only, but at the cost of far less exposure for your images.

 

Unfortunately, you have to take the good with the bad. Nothing's perfect, and the rating system certainly isn't, but IMHO it's far better than it was and is probably the best that we can hope for at present.

 

Don't let the actions of a few a**holes spoil it for you. As E Walker suggested, comment on other's portfolios and eventually some will comment on yours in return, and hopefully provide some useful critique.

I dunno, Lisa, I notice you have never ever rated a photo below 4. Does that mean you never saw a photo you didn't like? Or just that you couldn't be bothered to comment either? What goes around comes around, I guess.

 

There have been periods in the past where 1/1 ratings were applied by programs and later removed by the administrators. For a good while now, 1 and 2 ratings have been deactivated- you can still click them, but they aren't counted towards the averages. You may want to go back and see how many 1/1's you still have.

Lisa - being new myself, I understand the frustration & disappointment with low ratings and no explanation. I've received quite a few 3/3's with never a word why. :) <br>

<br>

To be fair, though - if you want comments and ratings,it seems like you should also be returning that courtesy to others as well. In over a year, it doesn't seem like you've had much time to do that. Maybe you think noone cares what a newbie thinks. I understand that too, but I comment as I can anyway. If someone feels my opinion isn't worth much they can ignore it if they wish. <br>

<br>

I find many people here to learn from, and some who are very kind and helpful to us beginners. Those people alone make it worthwhile to me. Perhaps you'll rethink you're participation. At any rate - good luck to you & happy shooting

If you want people to stop by your photos and tell you what's wrong or right with them, then you should at least try to do the same yourself to others. With 8 comments left in photos other than yours during over a year participating in the site, what would one expect?... As for giving that much importance to (only low) ratings to the point of leaving the site...well, sorry but that just sounds sad.

Lisa, shame on those who "...ruined it for..." you? Shame on you for expecting people to come flocking to your pictures with almost no effort on your part. You appreciate the time and effort of those who met your expectations but have offered almost none of your own time for others.

 

Also, you complain about the 1 and 2 ratings. I don't see you getting just as irate toward those people who gave you the 50+ 6's & 7's but didn't leave a comment.

Lisa,<br>

As said above, the main rule is "give to receive": the more you'll write comments/critiques, the more you'll receive in return.<br>

You don't look like a large writer, go on Lisa! Make the photo.net community knowing you! In more than one year, you only left 8 comments and 57 ratings... be more active! that's the best way.<br>

Cheers Lisa, take a long breath and enjoy your photography.

Hello Lisa, I'm going to stand with all of the community members who point out that it's a two way street.

 

Sad to say, 3/3s are a part of life on PN, like taxes are in the real world. Nobody likes it but everyone is treated the same.

 

As I pointed out, it's a community, your home page says you are a member of it. But if you want more ratings and more comments, contributing to it will be the way you achieve that.

 

Regards. Peter

I was going to start a post complaining that no one has complained about low ratings for at least a week (no one ever complains about high ratings). A week with out the rating woes and whines cuts into my entertainment quota and makes me cranky. It would be no fun here on the Feedback Forum if photographers, newbies or pros, just took their photos, posted them and let the viewers rate as they see fit.

You're right there, Tim. I've said for years there should be a rating forum so we can get our daily fix. Still, you only have to wait a little while 'till one comes along...

Lisa...I understand your frustration, but as other have said rates are part of the system and

a very small part...of course you could have received more feedback (positive and

negative) but as Yann said then you have to give more on your own....on the other hand

look at the number of people that have seen your photos...some have several thousands

hits....can you imagine having this audiance without this site...look at portofolios, some

very good profesionnal photographer have lower average rating than amateurs just

because their work do not match average taste or the category most people

like...sometimes just because they share so many different good photos that some don't

like instead of presenting consensual work for rates...if you are passionate about photo I

think the only interesting way is to shoot, shoot again, participate and bring better

photos...and discuss about them...

8 comments on other images after more than a year and the last one was <I>"wow. 'nough said."</I>

<P>

You can piss and moan all you want but you got back about as much as you put into this site.

post a few nudes of yourself you will get RESPONCE....:D

Lisa, a suggestion: just take time out and post photos on the NO WORDS forum for a while, where it's all just fun and non judgemental. Amazing how enjoyable it can be and refreshing for your photography. Then go back to the critique forum with renewed enthusiasm and accept good and bad ratings graciously. Kind regards, Neil.

All,

 

I really didn't know what to expect when I posted. I need to explain that the reason I never commented on many photos was because I wasn't confident enough in my knowledge to put forth critiques of my own. I am ashamed of myself looking back on how much I could have put forth positive comments. You are all right, it Was hypocritical of me, I just never realized it. I don't know technicalities of photography. I look at a photo and it either looks "right" to me or not. The main thing that discouraged me was the low rating without telling what was technically wrong. I guess I haven't fully explored what photo.net has to offer, I got so excited about finding out if others thought my work was good or not. Very one-sided of me. I wasn't looking for popularity, just confidence bolstering. Someone also mentioned that I've never rated below a 4. That's true. I love looking at the recent photos and I like to offer positive ratings. If I happen on a photo that I don't particularily care for I don't like to rate low without offering reason, but usually I don't know what it is that I don't like about it. So I skip it. Photography for me is very instinctual- like I said before, I have no technical knowledge. The funny thing is that I have been thinking about posting this for months. I realize now that it seemed a lot bigger to me than it really should have been. Thanks for setting me straight.

Lisa, no need to apologize, it can be hard on the nerves to put your work up for public review. I think a lot of us have gone through some or all of what you've been feeling and doing. To the extent we have hung around, we have found ways to make use of the site; there are many ways. As for getting feedback beyond numbers on photos, its not easy, you need a thick skin sometimes, but it is possible with some work.

 

I've exchanged many comments on photos over the past four years and made some valuable connections in doing so. I agree with others, you do have to "give to receive" -- so don't worry about your technical proficiency, most of us are amateurs like you trying to figure things out as we go along; any civilly stated feedback is generally appreciated in my experience. And a reasonable number of people whose works you comment on will take a look at your work, particularly if you share interests and you visit and comment on their photos more than once.

 

There's a posting in my portfolio called "Five" that contains a long list of people who have identified themselves as particularly interested in giving critiques of photos. It was an experiment that's been over for some time, but you might want to try commenting on photos of people in this group, as there's a better chance that they will respond in kind. I'm not participating much myself these days, but I would think that lots of people on the list are. Good luck.

<p align="justify">Lisa, I left some critiques on yours, feel free to reply, that's a first good step. Don't apologize, go ahead, enjoy photography, that's also why you were on photo.net.<p>

You wrote: <i>I don't know technicalities of photography</i>, how many really do? ;P<br>

I thought about leaving this website in last January, how stupid I was... I've learnt in some months more than ever I'd imagine.</p>

I went through a period after I first joined when I only rated photos that I thought earned a 4/4 or better. As the weeks passed I posted several photos that I was, in one way or the other, emotionally attached to, usual an enlightening moment on a trip abroad. I was deeply offended when several images received average ratings of below 4/4. However, as I took a closer look at these images, there was nearly always a fatal flaw. This has helped improve my photography. Thus, I concluded that an honestly given 3/3 can actually be an assist to a fellow amateur. I still get annoyed when a photo gets an early 3/3 or two and then, the next 10 ratings are 4's, 5's, 6's and the odd 7. You sort of feel victimized but it also makes you a little more conscious of whether or not you deal with anger appropriately. So, in addition to making you a better photographer, PN may also make you a better person. Enough of this insincere crap!

Suck it up. The fact that you get those low ratings seems to motivate you. That's a good

thing.

I read somewhere within this thread - giving = receiving!

 

And that is not true! How can we know who rated us as it is anonimous?

And really it is not fair to put all our efforts in producing a good photograph and then receive 3/3 without any comment to see what is wrong and how to improve!

 

Why are people only rating without any comment?

 

Thank you,

Biliana