A poll about changing the rating system!

[bookowlie]

Since the vote is so close between two of the options, would it help to have a run-on vote for just those two?

[rssllue]

Only if mine loses.

[bookowlie]

hahaha - at this point, I wonder if I should change my vote to keeping the status quo.

[rssllue]

[bookowlie]

All I can do is laugh.

[Gravy]

I'd rather stick to four stars than move to five. As has been said before, the bump feature acts like a fifth star, but I won't use that, and neither will some other users...

[gali]

I'd rather stick to four stars than move to five. As has been said before, the bump feature acts like a fifth star, but I won't use that, and neither will some other users...

[bookowlie]

What is the bump feature?

[PashaRu]

What is the bump feature?

@bookowlie The bump feature is a feature of Bookshelves which allows a user to "bump" a book to the top position on his/her shelves. It was suggested that this could be used to gauge how highly a book is rated or recommended, i.e., it could be assumed that a book in the #1 position on a user's 4-star shelf is his/her favorite book. In this scenario, if a book makes it to the top 5 or 10, it would be reasonably safe to conclude that the user (especially the user who reviewed the book) strongly recommends it. It would be like a "fifth star."

However, I think that many users don't pay much attention to the position of books on someone else's Bookshelves. Heck, I don't pay attention to their position on MY Bookshelves; they are simply in alphabetical order. In my opinion, this isn't a reliable barometer to judge how much another user liked a book.

As I mentioned before, I would prefer a 4-star system with half stars. It is more precise (seven rating levels available, instead of five with a 5-star system), and past 4-star ratings would remain as the top rating possible.

Note: a 4-star-with-half-stars system could include up to nine levels, if 0 and .5 were available ratings. I'm not necessarily suggesting this, but it's a possibility.

[bookowlie]

Thanks Pasharu for the explanation. I remember when this feature was discussed, but I didn't realize it was known as the bump. I agree with you that many users don't look at the position of books on someone else's Bookshelves. If they look, I think they probably just look at the rating. Anyway, I think the position on a person's Bookshelves tends to be based on personal preferences. You might give x number of books the highest rating, but I suspect the ones that are moved into the Top 3 positions are the ones you personally liked the best. For example, a mystery fan is probably going to have mysteries in the Top 3 slots rather than a sci-fi book, even if it might objectively be a better book than the others.

[Gravy]

Personally, I won't bump any books. To bump a book up is to denote it as a favorite, and I just don't have any favorites, or, if I do, they're temporary, and I don't want to name any book as my "favorite".

[quadbrookie]

I would really like to have the half point system! If you think about it there aren't any other rating systems or websites that have this! It never hurts to be different but, that's just my opinion.

[Gravy]

I would really like to have the half point system! If you think about it there aren't any other rating systems or websites that have this! It never hurts to be different but, that's just my opinion.

That is a very interesting point @"quadbrookie".
When I first joined I had followed enough blogs to be a little stuck on the four star ratings of this site. Now I'm used to it, and it is something unique to the site. Yet another reason to keep four as the highest rating! Who wants to be like everybody else?!

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

The current rating system is fine to me. Bad, so-so, good, great. A fifth star really isn't necessary.

[bookowlie]

The current rating system is fine to me. Bad, so-so, good, great. A fifth star really isn't necessary.

I agree with you, to a large extent. However, I think the author don't see a 2 rating as being average/so-so...they tend to view it as negative.

-- 08 Dec 2015, 10:17 --

One more day of voting! Now that I see two of the choices are neck and neck, it seems unfair to go forward with either option. Either way half of the "electorate" will be disappointed.