Change the rating system?

[TrishaAnn92]

Definitely worth considering!

[bookowlie]

I'm posting again simply to bring this back to the front. It's worth talking about, I think.

I agree. I am struggling with the rating with the book I just finished, so you have good timing to bring the topic back up.

[Gravy]

I think it's worth bringing to @"Scott"s attention

[rssllue]

Sounds good to me. The more accurate we can be with our ratings, the better and more helpful the reviews will hopefully become!

[Scott]

I think it's worth bringing to @"Scott"s attention

Whatever you wonderful moderators decide I can make it happen.

[ALynnPowers]

I feel like I am the only person who likes the rating system the way it is and will be extremely saddened by such a change...

[bookowlie]

I am on the fence about this one. I often feel bad about rating a book 2 stars because it seems negative. Still, I have gotten so used to the current rating system that I think it should probably just stay the same.

[anonanemone]

It will still be ok to use full stars even when there are half star options. Maybe we should set up a poll so we can get a real count on what people want. Could we weight it the same way as BOTM?

[PashaRu]

It will still be ok to use full stars even when there are half star options. Maybe we should set up a poll so we can get a real count on what people want. Could we weight it the same way as BOTM?

Not a bad idea, I suppose. Instead of leaving the decision up to a few people, not all of which are on the review team, all of the reviewers would have an opportunity to give their input. That seems fair. I would really prefer a more precise method, as the current one, for me, is rather vague and can't always accurately reflect my opinion of the book under review.

[ALynnPowers]

If it changes, then most of my previously reviewed ratings would have to be changed as well, in order to accurately represent my real opinion, and it just seems like too much trouble. Then what's next? A .1 star system? I'm joking.

[PashaRu]

I've thought about that, too. And I agree that it would be difficult, and probably impossible, to go back and adjust the rating for every book that's been reviewed. There are thousands, after all. Add to that the fact that many reviewers are no longer active. So instead of changing past ratings, a statement could be put on, say, the homepage and Reviews page, simply stating that reviews done before a certain date used a 4-star system with no half-steps available, and after that date, half-steps began to be used. That way, a 4-star rating would remain the top rating and prior ratings wouldn't be skewed too much. I think @Ryan mentioned this in an earlier post.

[TrishaAnn92]

I like the Poll idea. I would make us all feel included and special as reviewers. But really I think it would be a good idea to get everybody's opinion on it and maybe get more people to discuss the possibility.

I do agree that it would be too difficult to go back and change the reviews prior to chancing the rating system but the message about the date it is changed, if it is changed would help others that have had their books reviewed here to understand so they don't feel bamboozled I suppose and that they were given an inaccurate rating. I think that would be the biggest problem in changing the rating system.

[anonanemone]

Thanks, TrishaAnn. This would be a huge change for everyone. Do you guys think it would be too confusing for the authors to see a major change like that? I would hate for this to cause some sort of schism.

[rachel_bruhn]

I definitely agree we need to make some changes to the rating system. I think I am sort of in line with a previous comment about "2" being below average and "3" being above average. Although the way each rating is described, only books rated as "1" would be those that you would not recommend, but honestly, if I rate a book a "2" I am saying I do not recommend it. When I am reviewing a book and deciding on a rating I always ask myself, "Would I recommend this book to others?" If yes, then it gets a 3 or 4 (you have to be practically flawless to get a 4). If no, then you get a 1 or 2. I feel like there aren't enough ratings available for books that are not yet ready for publication, but have something to offer (basically a book I rate as a 2).

I understand not wanting to switch to a 5-point system due to the retroactive effect it would have on reviews using a 4-point system, but I do think it would help to have more options...including adding half-points to the existing system. I think this would provide a more accurate measure of how the reviewer perceived the book and provide a clearer image for the author.

[TrishaAnn92]

I definitely agree we need to make some changes to the rating system. I think I am sort of in line with a previous comment about "2" being below average and "3" being above average. Although the way each rating is described, only books rated as "1" would be those that you would not recommend, but honestly, if I rate a book a "2" I am saying I do not recommend it. When I am reviewing a book and deciding on a rating I always ask myself, "Would I recommend this book to others?" If yes, then it gets a 3 or 4 (you have to be practically flawless to get a 4). If no, then you get a 1 or 2. I feel like there aren't enough ratings available for books that are not yet ready for publication, but have something to offer (basically a book I rate as a 2).

I understand not wanting to switch to a 5-point system due to the retroactive effect it would have on reviews using a 4-point system, but I do think it would help to have more options...including adding half-points to the existing system. I think this would provide a more accurate measure of how the reviewer perceived the book and provide a clearer image for the author.

The only problem with going back and changing it on all the reviews is that there are thousands of book reviews on here and a lot of the people that reviewed them are no longer active which would make it unfeasible to go back and change the reviews that have already been done.
Not to mention there are reviewers that are still active on here that have a ton of reviews under their belt.