Burda Style For people who sew

I would like to know how the rating is working

what is a good rating and what is a bad rating

Sep 3, 2009, 07.47 PM by tschasta

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22 Posts

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  Sep 5, 2009, 01.30 PMby Alden

  The more pink dots you give the better the rating, this helps others decide if it is a good pattern or not or how popular a particular project is. Does that answer your question?

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    Sep 5, 2009, 04.52 PMby tschasta

    yes of course – thanks a lot

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  Sep 5, 2009, 04.52 PMby tschasta

  yes of course – thanks a lot

  1 Reply

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    Sep 5, 2009, 04.54 PMby tschasta

    this was a mistake, excuse me

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  Sep 5, 2009, 11.03 PMby nehmah

  Not to worry, I left a message on your wall. Cordially, Nehmah
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  Sep 10, 2009, 06.17 PMby leeshv

  Personally, I think the rating system is definately flawed. It really irks me to see projects that obviously take hours to complete…and are very good quality, get a 1, 2, or 3 dot rating. Other projects which lack creativity of any kind and are completed in minutes get a full count. I realize that this is probably due to people rating their own projects. Maybe there is a better way, or maybe projects shouldn’t be “rated” at all. Leave the rating for ‘How-To’s" and patterns.

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    Sep 10, 2009, 11.05 PMby ralarkins

    I don’t think the rating system is flawed as it is very subjective for projects. What surprises me is to see a project with 5 stars but no comments. It seems to be a rating of eye candy appeal as opposed to technique, workmanship quality, or innovativeness.

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    Sep 12, 2009, 05.50 AMby geid

    Chiming in on one point: in general, ratings get better over time … the more people that rate, the more valuable they become because it then becomes a sampling of the whole community, not just (as ralakins points out) people who want eye candy.

    We put the number of people who rated next to “stars” so you could see … if its 1 person, its a pretty subjective rating. But if its 100 it becomes a decent sampling of the community.

    Best,
    George

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  Sep 11, 2009, 12.52 AMby leeshv

  I completely agree, but this is where I see the flaw. I love to read all comments, and feel they really encourage artistry. I just feel badly for the creators, that have clearly poured their hearts into something just to log on and see the poor rating that has been given to them. I publish my creations because I am proud of my work and love to hear feedback…be it good or bad….A rating with no comment at all is useless, and in some cases, needlessly hurtful.
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  Sep 11, 2009, 02.13 PMby immi.

  I need no help to decide if a project may be good or not. Such a rating is always subjectiv, depending on a lot of different points. It is discouraging to get a rating about 3 or 2 dots without a comment. It is critizism in a negativ way. My heart is warmed to this creativ power in all projects… don’t disturb.

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    Sep 12, 2009, 05.47 AMby geid

    You make a good point, but I am sure some people like the feedback for sure. What I am hearing is that it should probably be an “options” … eg. when you post your project, you can choose to allow other users to rate or not. This way everyones happy.

    Just a thought for a future enhancement.

    Best,
    George

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    Sep 12, 2009, 06.14 AMby immi.

    Oh… that’s it! Great idea! Anybody should be satisfied – I had feare for the future because of all these burdafashion-user who will come here – a quiet different lobby which pefers ratings and competitions.

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  Sep 11, 2009, 09.24 PMby wzrdreams

  Uhm… I just rated a project and I wasn’t even logged in. Alarming?

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    Sep 12, 2009, 05.44 AMby geid

    Hello wzrdreams, you don’t need to be logged in to rate. This is similar to when there is a contest or survey. The system detects the computer and only allows one rating. You can see that on many websites these days (eg. http://www.instructables.com).

    The reason is that user studies simply show that people don’t rate if they have to log in and renders the rating functionality useless (eg. because little to no ratings).

    I hope this helps!

    Best,
    George

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    Sep 12, 2009, 11.34 AMby ralarkins

    Thanks, Geid, for explaining how projects can have ratings with no comments. Or at least it seems that to leave a comment, I have to login.

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  Sep 12, 2009, 12.05 PMby tschasta

  I see there is a great discussion going on just because of my short question in case i was to stupid to check the system and rated about 3 times until i checked out how it works. I think that the technical options are difficult because you click on the rating and tschawumm, you already rated. that was a little difficult for me. So my question was just a question of the webdesign anyhow. Funny to read whats going on here now.
  Even after all – now that i know how it works, i think it is a good thing, because I want to give a comment on a project and do not always want to write “great, wunderfull, I like it …” So just a click from 1 to 5 and it is done. I like it.
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  Sep 12, 2009, 02.13 PMby wzrdreams

  Hey Geid, Thank you for the explanation.
  I still think the system isn’t ideal…. what does each rating mean, and how can a voter revise their rating if they change their mind? What is the point of having a 1-5 rating? Who does it really benefit? I agree with those who have said they would like a “thumbs up” only rating system on projects. Comments are great, but no one needs passive bad ratings. I hope this feature can be tweaked to be a positive only form of feedback.
  Thanks!

  1 Reply

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    Sep 13, 2009, 02.12 AMby wzrdreams

    Just to clarify, I do appreciate constructive criticism, but 1-3 dots do not help me. I didn’t mean to imply that I can only handle positive comments/praise.

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  Sep 12, 2009, 05.46 PMby Harlekin

  To be honest, i don’t like the point rating, especially if people don’t leave a comment, i was rated three points twice without no comment for uploading a bag, which attracts a lot of people in the “real” world. So still don’t get the point for that function…but as i see, a lot of fellow members feel hurt, which is only natural, considering the work and love put into most projects…as wzrdreams said, feedback is always welcome, but not rating, just for..“uh i don’t like the style, so i just give one point”
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  Sep 12, 2009, 08.09 PMby arsonista

  I agree with the anti-raters. On the old site there was no way to describe what fabrics to use. Therefore I had to use the comments field. Therefore I had to RATE MY OWN PATTERNS. Ha. Anyway, I’ve found it more productive to just contact users directly if I have any constructive feedback rather than just leave a single, snarky button. I don’t use the ratings to determine if I’ll download a pattern or look at a project.
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  Sep 12, 2009, 09.02 PMby DitaVee

  I’m also an anti-rater – in fact there’s a whole other thread on this on a different part of the site. I’m even MORE anti rating now that I know you don’t even have to be logged in (and thus I take it, not even a member)!

  Just to be clear, I have no problems at all with rating patterns or tutorials, simply with rating projects. I find it negative and encourages competition where sharing should be the goal. Ralarkins points out the very problem with rating of this kind… It’s subjective, meaning that if you have no interest in the project because it doesn’t relate to you in some way – then you’re probably going to mark it low (unless you do what I would consider the right thing and not rate it at all). Not only this, there are plenty of people who will rate based on presentation mostly, regardless of the quality of the item. The maker should not be down marked because they don’t own a swishy camera or photoshop and live near a gorgeous country cottage.

  And let’s be honest, as much as we’d like to think that people would choose not to rate at all on something which they consider a) irrelevant to them b) to be plainly presented c) they plain don’t like d) “that the heck, I’m bored and in a bad mood, you get a 1”… It’s human nature to do this! If it wasn’t already happening, there wouldn’t be down marking without comments to back it up.

  My final point is where is the purpose? On a pattern or tutorial I often use the rating and comments to find out the quality of something and whether it’s worth my time to look more. I’d hate to think this was the purpose of rating a project. Other than this I can see no gains to be had from the rating.

  I used to manage a site where there was a rating system in place like this, and to alleviate these problems there was weighted scoring. So, if you were someone who consistantly marked way off the average (higher or lower) your point weighting went down so that your rating meant less and didn’t impact on the over all score. I’m not saying that would work here, I’m using this example to point out that most sites recognise how flawed this type of voting can be if not managed.

  2 Replies

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    Sep 12, 2009, 09.04 PMby DitaVee

    Ech – I miss having the edit function to go back and fix my spelling mistakes 8-)

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    Sep 12, 2009, 10.29 PMby ralarkins

    Personally I would rather see a rating system that has a cumulative point spread for each item of design, workmanship, use of materials and creativity with a “doesn’t appeal to me at all/Not applicable” button. I find lots of things with bad design or (most commonly) workmanship getting top marks. To accurately score, pictures of the front, back, design details and workmanship. Ideally there should only be a few absolute top rated items. After all, if the coffee date dress is made the same way with no design changes, how creative is it? Nobody wants to leave criticism (whether constructive or subjective) because members are constantly told to be nice in our comments. I am a anti-rating person as I would prefer to know what about the project gets a lower score. Of course, someone’s idea of good workmanship is another’s idea of sloppy. My biggest pet peeves in this area are ‘Lack of Pressing’, ’Lack of grading/clipping/notching on curves and corners", “Uneven top stitching” and the dreaded “Unclipped Threads Left dangling”. (I have several others, but those are the most common mistakes I see.) OK, time to step down from the soapbox.

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  Sep 13, 2009, 11.30 PMby nehmah

  Oooh goody, my turn up on the Ivory soap box! I agree with Rose. It’s the lack of care in cutting, sloppy construction, poor fitting, and minimal or no pressing that annoys the stuffings out of me. The two worst are not pressing, (Don’t tell me “No time” you’re not running for the last plane off the island) and modeling a garment that is far too small. Ladies, and gents, when the parts are flattened out, smashed together and your face is going odd colors, this is your body saying, “It’s too small; take it off!” Cut and adjust for the correct body size by numbers, not your RTW size. It isn’t the beginner who does this. All too often it’s one who has been sewing long enough to do better, and usually does so. Cordially, Nehmah

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    Sep 14, 2009, 02.14 PMby ralarkins

    OK, Nehmah, I think we can both agree that we both have totally gotten off topic, which was of all things, how to use the rating system. But it did feel good to vent, didn’t it? After all, why sew a poorly made, ill fitting garment when you can buy it cheaper off the rack? Cheers.

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    Sep 16, 2009, 01.56 PMby Ghainskom

    I’ll continue on this off-topic path as I understand some sewing projects are a miss (too small, ill-fitted, etc.) but then why would you want to upload it for the rest of the world to see? Blows my mind. Thank you for letting me vent :D

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  Sep 16, 2009, 03.20 PMby nehmah

  Hi Ghainskom, I suspect that most folks who upload a project or photo don’t recognize any problems. On the plus side, looking at a photo of your project when you can’t use mental blinders, is a real eye-opener. Hopefully, they will see and correct whatever they have done incorrectly. Cordially, Nehmah

  1 Reply

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    Sep 16, 2009, 04.08 PMby ralarkins

    Ghainskom, I give newbies a lot of leeway, because honestly, they are very proud of what they have done. I don’t want someone to stop sewing because they received a bad rating for poor quality when all they need is a little (ok, sometimes a lot of) practice. Intermediate and experienced don’t get the same leeway and they deserve poor ratings for less than stellar work.

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  Sep 16, 2009, 04.20 PMby nehmah

  If we are to fairly rate, we need to check out the creators. That way, ralarkins’ suggestion can be applied. N
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  Sep 16, 2009, 07.27 PMby wzrdreams

  When I bother to rate, I don’t rate based on workmanship (pressing, thread tension, stitching accuracy). Complaining about garment workmanship is part of my day job and I’m not on Burdastyle to do more of the same. I think most of us are here to learn from each other, to share our experiences, to be inspired, and to brag a little about our accomplishments. I rate based on creativity, design, color choice, fabric choice, and for styling and photography.

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    Sep 16, 2009, 08.58 PMby ralarkins

    Then you are voting purely based on eye candy appeal. Some of the garments are being sold. You can honestly rate a 5 on something that is poorly made? I am afraid I can’t. I don’t rate anything anymore, especially after reading what criteria others are using. None of are rating based on the same criteria and at that point the rating becomes moot.

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    Sep 16, 2009, 09.21 PMby wzrdreams

    @ ralarkins: No, I don’t think I’m rating purely on the “eye-candy” appeal. That would be true if I only rated based on the quality of the photographs and styling. I won’t be a buzz kill for anyone who is making things for their own pleasure and accomplishment.

    However, you make a good point about the stuff for sale. I don’t and won’t rate items for sale. If and when I decide to sell a creation, I doubt I’ll list it here. Etsy – yes, Burdastyle – no. I think etsy is a great market place and Burdastyle is about the craft.

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  Sep 16, 2009, 07.27 PMby wzrdreams

  When I bother to rate, I don’t rate based on workmanship (pressing, thread tension, stitching accuracy). Complaining about garment workmanship is part of my day job and I’m not on Burdastyle to do more of the same. I think most of us are here to learn from each other, to share our experiences, to be inspired, and to brag a little about our accomplishments. I rate based on creativity, design, color choice, fabric choice, and for styling and photography.
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  Sep 16, 2009, 07.28 PMby wzrdreams

  I hate when I accidentally post twice.
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  Sep 16, 2009, 10.20 PMby DitaVee

  I think this whole thread shows the various reasons that rating for projects just doesn’t work…

  I’m the first to admit I’m not an expert seamstress, but anything I post on here is something I’m proud of and want to share. It worries me even more now seeing the comments on here from people I really respect, and knowing that I will get a low rating from them if the workmanship is not spot on.

  I guess I’m really starting to feel that for my own peace of mind I’d rather stick to posting my creations on my blog and not on here, because in all honesty, a low rating feels like a kick in the teeth, especially for someone like me who’s trying to improve.
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  Sep 16, 2009, 10.43 PMby emmastaf

  I’m with the non-raters. I don’t post things on here to show off, or for others’ approval. I post things because I’m happy with how they turned out, and maybe I hope to inspire someone else. Workmanship is important, but it’s not the reason everyone is on here, and I don’t think people should be discouraged because they want to focus on aspects other than workmanship. It’s not my place to tell them how to create. It’s true that someone who can’t focus on workmanship will not go far in fashion as a career… but I am a scientist; sewing is just a hobby.
  I think the project rating system needlessly stratifies the community. It’s already frustrating enough to see that pretty people with nice figures and good cameras get more comments. I hate the thought of people feeling rejected and unwelcome in what’s supposed to be a friendly community.
  -e
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  Sep 17, 2009, 02.46 AMby wzrdreams

  I’m totally in agreement with DitaVee and emmastaf.
  This is not school, I am not here to be rated/graded on my work. Being on the receiving end of unsolicited criticism is a major bummer… It’s a creativity smack down. Like on Ravelry, I want the immediate authority to delete comments on my projects and wall if I find them objectionable.
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  Sep 17, 2009, 07.33 AMby immi.

  If I were able, I would decide to forbid the community rating my project. I agree with ‘wzdreams’, ‘emmastaf’ and ‘DitaVee’ – my english is not good that’s why I don’t find own words. ;)
  By the way: I noticed that one is able to rate own projects… again an again… ???