That's not what it says on the tin...

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

I must be blind but I hadn't ever realized that there was a "rate a thread" option. Therefore I have never rated a thread. I had noticed the bones after thread titles, though (I'm not that blind yet).

I think rating a thread is somewhat confusing. For example, does a high rating stand for a good opening post of the thread or rather for interesting discussion it has provoked? In my opinion rating a single post tells more to the poster than rating a whole thread.

Originally Posted by HI

It helps to see 5 bones in judging whether read a thread or not, but thread title does a lot more in attracting/repelling me in my choice of reading

Originally Posted by Eomer

I especially wonder why certain threads have, what seems to me like, bizarre ratings.

It would be ideal for readers, who don't want to scroll through every single topic here if "good" threads would have five bones and duplicates or "bad" threads would have one bone. It doesn't seem to work that way, though, and I'm not entirely sure if it's a bad thing. We all do have different preferences and the current thread ratings tell just what a little minority thinks of them.

A public rating causes prejudices and it doesn't probably feel very nice if your own precious thread receives the lowest rating possible. I'd say the reputation system is much more expressive.

Originally Posted by HI

On the whole, we've grown towards mutual admiration society rather than fighting club

Quite so.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I've already made several embarrassing attempts to link to other threads and posts. The only time I ever get it to work is if someone else has already done it and I can thereby copy it.

I tend to look at every new thread in the fora I visit, occasionally discriminating by title.

[Formendacil]

I pay attention to the thread ratings, but I don't bother with them.

Basically, I stick to my regular forums: Books, Mirth, and Barrow-downs, and check ALL the threads.

When I'm bored/have extra time, I will check out the Novices and Movies. I avoid the RPing just because it's a bit too much, and I'd rather not get sucked in. (As the moderator of a non-Tolkien RP elsewhere, I don't have the time for ANOTHER story...). And I avoid the "new Silmarillion" out of principle. Too dangerous to go somewhere like that, with all of my canonical/purist opinionated tendencies.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Eomer of the Rohirrim

So what? Should we campaign to get everyone to rate every thread they devote some time to? Please share your thoughts.

The only problem with rating threads you spend a lot of time on is that a rating suggests you actually like or enjoy the thread. Sometimes I spend a lot of time pondering issues on a thread which are actually giving me a tense, nervous headache. I can't say I enjoy such threads, but like the old tobacco, I develop a nasty addiction to them and just. can't. stop. myself.

[Kath]

I never really look at the thread ratings when I decide which to enter. My way of picking a thread is simply to go to the active topic lists and click on a new thread with an interesting title or one I know I like as I have been there before.

I also have never rated a thread but that is because it is only in the last minute that I have worked out how to do it! I usually ignore all those options at the bottom of a reply save the one that says 'email notification'.

[Parmawen]

Wow! This is the first I've ever heard of a rating system for threads! It seems like a good idea though, but I suppose what with everyone's different objectives on what's funny/good and what's distasteful it could be rather contradicting. For instance, perhaps a rather random thread that I find funny others might not like...it'll have a rather strange rating then, with 10 bones and 1 bone. Maybe if a mod or someone posted a little instruction-pamphlet on the thread rating's criteria, i.e. originality and grammar, etc.

I love the reputation system...although I find that I get very little reputations. Then again I don't post that often. Here's a question for all you multi-posters: Do you get a lot of reputation comments? or is there still a lack? I've only had one and I've been here a few good months...

Still, whoever thought of all these systems is a genius!!!!

[Rilwen Gamgee]

Originally Posted by Ainaserkewen

I've never done it either. Nor do I look at the thread ratings. I have my own system for maximising my reading pleasure here.

I don't look at the ratings much either. Besides, as Eomer pointed out, there are some amusing/insightful topics that should have recieved higher ratings, but don't, when others that are redundant and not well-compiled recieve un-fitting ratings. Since this is so, I usually ignore them, and if the topic seems interesting, I read it.

So, in short, my policy is this: ignore the ratings, because they can give false impressions of topics. (Or, "don't judge a topic by its rating"...)