Should we add a ratings/vote mod to the forum?

[mouser]

Should we add a ratings/vote mod to the forum?
It would let people rate each topic (from 1-5); and show average rating on the posts list.

Pros: fun, easier to find good posts
Cons: might make people feel bad if their posts dont get rated highly.

[Josh]

YES! Add it! This would be a superb addition to the forums!

Then I can finally vote down those GOE threads I never view ;-) hehehehe

[f0dder]

I dunno about this - it's usually a bit sucky when added to a forum that has existed for a while. Who's going to go through all the old threads and rate them? This means that possibly superior threads might show up at the bottom of search results, just because newer threads have been rated while the old ones haven't.

Fortunately some of the other problem (read: forum whoreism) that thread rating (or even worse: karma system) can give probably won't happen on DonationCoder, because it's such a unique place. But still: think this through.

[Josh]

Well, with the existed for a while issue, you could add a sort option that allows us to either sort by RATING or sort by date. That would allow us to see threads that would otherwise disappear.

[app103]

Absolutely NOT!

This is not digg...what are you thinking?

And that is all I am going to say on the matter. 

[mouser]

keep in mind that the ratings wouldn't actually *effect* anything the way they do on digg, but just serve as a way for people to idenitfy popular posts.. BUT.. you have a point.. that's why i ask these questions, to get thoughtfull opinions..

[jgpaiva]

Hey, is this the mouser i know? You are thinking about adding a "wisdom of the crowds" mod to the forum?
WTF... What did those nice aliens do with you?


As for my opinion... Usually, a good thread gets lots of posts and views, so a need for an explicit rating might be overkill. I think that maybe a "sort by views" and "sort by replies" might be the best way to go if you really insist on this.
I don't really see a "need" for it, though.

[Josh]

Actually, the idea that jgp states is a great one. Sorting by views or replies is a good way to do this without an official "voting" or "rating" system.

[jacquesrober]

For what it is worth: no to ratings. Look what they did to movies with ratings. You get a dull ex iron curtain or other out  of the way title that appeals to the reviewer sense of justice and the result is a dull movie that gets a 2 or 3 out of 6. (6 is really bad) Mission impossible III got a rating of 4.5. The audience will rate it just by going to view the movie. I agree that the same applies to posts: the more people reply, the more interesting the subject.

[lanux128]

i agree with general consensus, ratings will only skew the search results bypassing the contents of a thread. & as f0dder pointed out, the older threads will get left out..

on the other hand, it might be easier for user to locate threads with useful tips/solutions/reviews/workarounds etc. since it has already been verified by the responsible & impartial folks of DC. maybe only members at certain levels can be allowed to vote but then it will sound as elitism..

anyway, as the cliche goes, it's a double-edged sword or something like that. (i know, i suck at cliches). just my 2¢..