Ratings do matter!

[gordonjb]

<p>Rating are the yard stick PN uses to decide the degree of exposure your images will receive.<br>

The amount of exposure you receive will ultimately be a factor in how much critique you receive and the overall amount of opportunity to interact within the community you have.<br>

Getting many and high ratings is about social networking, in other words kissing ass and glad handing and has very little to do with the quality of the work.<br>

Anybody can have their work show up in the TRP pages if they are willing to commit to playing the game well.<br>

I see utter crap with as many as 60 ratings, all at or above 6/6, which is the acceptable " kiss ass " number, if you want to play the game.<br>

All you have to do is spend 5 minutes looking at the TRP to figure out that everything Fred said is on the money.<br>

I do not have a solution, however I do hope that there is one, as it seems a bit sad that the current system rewards mediocrity if paired with social skill, rather than good photography.</p>

[mattbuser]

<p>When I have submitted photos for critique I get a few ratings, and not very many critiques. It seems that people will take the time to click a few numbers but not the time to tell me what they think of the photo or what I can do better. I get very average ratings on shots that I think are pretty well done, but very few comments on what I can do better. </p>

<p>So I have come to value the ratings as a way of telling me whether people like my shots or not becouse there are very few comments. If I get rated high, then it would seem to me that someone liked what I did, if I get an average rating then I feel that I need to find areas of improvement on my own. I would appreciate more comments on my photos so that I know what people are thinking. </p>

<p>Matt </p>

 

[rarmstrong]

<p>Matt, the reality of this site is that you really do need to make contact with others socially for them to start visiting your images on a regular basis. Actually, I view this as a positive experience. Prior to the internet, how would it have been possible to have a huge worldwide community of people with similar but also such diverse and interesting interests? For me it has been an exciting and often humbling way to learn, not only about photography, but about my fellow humans, many who are incredibly talented and willing to share their knowledge. The rating system, in my view, is just a mechanism to begin the journey. If you sincerely participate, many others will reciprocate and you'll begin to see more in depth comments about your images.</p>

[seismiccwave]

<p>>>I do not have a solution, however I do hope that there is one, as it seems a bit sad that the current system rewards mediocrity if paired with social skill, rather than good photography.<<<br>

Gordon, I don't have a solution either but I don't desire one. Isn't that a fact of life that the entire social system rewards mediocrity if paired with social skill? You do live in this society, don't you? You need social skill to survive. You don't need photographic skill to survive. So human interaction and social skill is number one priority regardless of what you do. The artistic recluse is only discovered after he/she is long dead and gone. ;-)</p>

[Norma Desmond]

<p>Marc, I've suggested that several times but have never gotten feedback on the idea from administration.</p>

[AJHingel]

<p>The only effect would be that most would wait 48 hours before bothering having a go on rating! A more radical solution and more effective would be that photos posted for critiques are without names all together until the photos end up among the TRPs and in the portfolios of course.</p>

[rarmstrong]

<p>I like the idea of anonymous postings. Maybe it could be done as a trial in a separate forum category to see how it goes. It's possible that those who currently choose not to participate in ratings would post in the anonymous forum as a way to neutralize the "social" effect of the current rating system.</p>

[gordonjb]

<p> " The artistic recluse is only discovered after he/she is long dead and gone. ;-) "</p>

<p>Oh good, so there is hope for me yet.</p>

[newbie1]

<p>When I rate or critique, ( I am new here), or when I receive a rating or critique, I like knowing the other photographer. If I am impressed with the photo and it appears to be in line with the type of shots I am trying to shoot I will go to that photograhers site and see more or find out more about the person. This way I am able to maybe see what I am looking for or can find out what I am not doing in my own photos.</p>

<p>Again, as I am not receiving the critiques I am requesting and believe I really need seeing other photographers work does help alot.</p>