How is the forum rating system doing?

[Pup]

http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... 86#p482786

So should my post have been downvoted???

Yes. Like I said, it's one thing to give an opinion or propose an idea; quite another to call something proven, when it clearly is not. Even saying "I think these photos prove..." is a world apart, imo, from declaring them "conclusive evidence". It's disinformation and misleading. Just say you don't agree and show the evidence you think supports your opinion and leave it at that. It makes no sense to 'challenge' people, using your own words, as it just leads to arguments rather than useful discussion.

Others may disagree, and if they do, I'm sure your post will be voted back up. But to me, one of the primary causes of arguments on these boards is the tendency for people to state opinion as fact.

[i70q7m7ghw]

I don't care any more. Anything I read here get's taken with a pinch of salt from now on, even front page posts. I saw a post by scarbs earlier which was a single sentance, but got like 10 upvotes, just because he's scarbs.

Unfortunately success has probably been this forums downfall. Fed up with every other post being either a fan boy post, a post about feeding/blowing the diffuser and a post with 20+ high-res images which don't show anything in particular, the poster just wants upvotes. On that last point, there should definately be a rule that you can't post an image unless you are pointing out something you've spotted in it, or it's something new.

[el-Magico]

On that last point, there should definately be a rule that you can't post an image unless you are pointing out something you've spotted in it, or it's something new.

Owh.. another Wesley123 type;

But why should it only be allowed to drop pictures incase you have spotted something?
Perhaps some other person can spot something on the pictures, what the poster himself overlooked?!!
Also not everybody is able to access all photo's that are available on the internet etc.. [-o<

[i70q7m7ghw]

On that last point, there should definately be a rule that you can't post an image unless you are pointing out something you've spotted in it, or it's something new.

Owh.. another Wesley123 type;

But why should it only be allowed to drop pictures incase you have spotted something?
Perhaps some other person can spot something on the pictures, what the poster himself overlooked?!!
Also not everybody is able to access all photo's that are available on the internet etc.. [-o<

My browser crashes out multiple times on some of the car threads because people insist on embedding 10+ super high-res images. What's the point if they are nothing new? The worst ones are where we just get high-res pictures of Toto Wolf, or Lewis Hamilton's new hair cut.

[turbof1]

I think it's true that respected members get disproportional admiration, but this isn't in any way different then in real life. I think the best way you should view respect is as a exponentional curve.

It still requires you to bring something good to the table. I recently made some drawings about some noses. I received quite a huge chunk of upvotes on those. For instance this: http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... 18#p471518 . Just note I don't do it for upvotes; this is a welcome place where I can dicuss my ideas with bright minded people. Believe it or not, but this is infact a very, very nice forum! In the past I joined other, none relative forums, but ehmm... let's say it didn't showed the brightest of mankind.

Scarbs ussually has some fantastic insights, of which nobody thought of but does make sence. Very often 1 sentence or 1 drawing is so much more then a huge piece of text.

Diesel, I just think you really stop caring about it and look this forum as it is: a virtual place where people can exchange views on anything about f1, and just participate in that yourself. I think you'll enjoy it here much more.

[Pup]

I sympathize on the photos. I like having them, but I prefer the way Avocado posts them; i.e., embed the first photo and provide links to the rest. I wonder if there's a way for the forum to do that automagically?

BTW, one of the best hacks I have is a javascript thingy that automatically loads linked photos when I click it. Someone on the autosport forums posted it years ago and it works like a charm for me. Just make a bookmark and paste this in as the address field...

Code: Select all

javascript:%20(function%20()%20%7B%20function%20I(u)%20%7B%20var%20t%20=%20u.split('.'),%20e%20=%20t%5Bt.length%20-%201%5D.toLowerCase();return%20%7Bgif:%201,jpg:%201,jpeg:%201,png:%201,mng:%201%7D%5Be%5D%7Dfunction%20hE(s)%20%7Breturn%20s.replace(/&/g,%20'&').replace(/%3E/g,%20'%3E').replace(/%3C/g,%20'%3C').replace(/%22/g,%20'%22');%7Dvar%20q,%20h,%20i;for%20(i%20=%200;%20q%20=%20document.links%5Bi%5D;%20++i)%20%7Bh%20=%20q.href;if%20(h%20&&%20I(h))%7Bq.innerHTML%20=%20'%3Cimg%20src=%22'%20+%20hE(h)%20+%20'%22%20/%3E';%20%7D%7D%7D)()

Here's another one that will resize big photos to your fit your browser window...

Code: Select all

javascript:%20(function%20()%20%7B%20%20%20%20var%20margin%20=%20220;%20%20%20%20function%20getWidth()%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20var%20myWidth%20=%200;%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20if%20(typeof(%20window.innerWidth%20)%20==%20'number'%20)%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20myWidth%20=%20window.innerWidth;%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%7D%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20else%20if%20(document.documentElement%20&&%20(%20document.documentElement.clientWidth)%20)%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20myWidth%20=%20document.documentElement.clientWidth;%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%7D%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20return%20myWidth;%20%20%20%20%7D%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20var%20ss%20=%20document.styleSheets%5Bdocument.styleSheets.length-1%5D;%20%20%20%20var%20l=0;%20%20%20%20if%20(ss.cssRules)%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20l%20=%20ss.cssRules.length;%20%20%20%20%7D%20else%20if%20(ss.rules)%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20l%20=%20ss.rules.length;%20%20%20%20%7D%20%20%20%20if%20(ss.insertRule)%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20ss.insertRule('img%20%7B%20max-width:%20'%20+%20(getWidth()%20-%20margin)%20+%20'px;%20%7D',l);%20%20%20%20%7D%20else%20if%20(ss.addRule)%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20ss.addRule('.postcolor',%20'max-width:%20'%20+%20(getWidth()%20-%20margin)%20+%20'px;',%20l);%20%20%20%20%7D%7D)()

I keep both bookmarks on my favorites bar so they're only a click away.

[el-Magico]

The worst ones are where we just get high-res pictures of Toto Wolf, or Lewis Hamilton's new hair cut.

Agree, but that should be handled by the mods..


Btw, this post in this topic of Wesley123 should really get some downvotes by his own standards, cause it is clear incorrect.

That's the R24. The R25 has it's exhausts more inside it's bodywork, plus it has shark gills all over the top of the sidepod, plus the winglet behind the chimney would have been held by a central pillar, not a pillar at it's most inside edge.

[i70q7m7ghw]

By the way, sometimes, I'm right, and scarbs is wrong:-
http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... 36#p466936
http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... 91#p467091
http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... 25#p467125

Just saying.

Did I get any upvotes? Did I f**k.

[Pup]

And here I was, thinking you were just being petty.

[i70q7m7ghw]

I just reminds me of this thing with the McLaren suspension. I could clearly see back then that an exhaust ramp would have no place on a 2014 car, but everyone else disagreed.

At the moment in the McLaren thread, I'm being told I'm wrong because experts have said it's mushroom shaped... because you know, experts are never wrong...

[turbof1]

I'm following that too. Tbh what does it matter. People see objects too in the clouds, does not mean they are objects, but they just see a vague resemblance.

Just my advice: don't cling on such petty small details. Decide for yourself what the bigger picture is and focus on that.

[RZS10]

On that last point, there should definately be a rule that you can't post an image unless you are pointing out something you've spotted in it, or it's something new.

Owh.. another Wesley123 type;

But why should it only be allowed to drop pictures incase you have spotted something?
Perhaps some other person can spot something on the pictures, what the poster himself overlooked?!!
Also not everybody is able to access all photo's that are available on the internet etc.. [-o<

My browser crashes out multiple times on some of the car threads because people insist on embedding 10+ super high-res images. What's the point if they are nothing new? The worst ones are where we just get high-res pictures of Toto Wolf, or Lewis Hamilton's new hair cut.

There could be additional threads for each car, e.g. "F14-T Images/Pictures" with just pics so the car threads would stay pic-free, except when someone wants to illustrate something.
But that might be too much, we already have seperate car/team threads.

[wesley123]

You might want to explain me how that post was in any way useful and undeserving of it's rating. And yes, I was one of those who downvoted that post. I don't think it needs any explanation as to why I downvoted it.

It is self explanatory... perhaps for persons with maybe Asperger's syndrome it is not.
But for your info, it was a joke..(perhaps you overlooked the ..) due to Hamilton's previous pre-season test-crashes; this year and last year.

The remark about the Ferrari guys was based on the picture, you could see the mechanicals looking at the Mercedes..

Now if you would be so kind to explain your need to downvote, I would very much appriciate that.
Thanks in advance!

Joke or not, it was way too inviting for some driver ying-yang, something the topic wasn't meant for. A joke in itself isn't wrong but yours was too inviting to get some flaming or driver ying-yang going on. This forum is meant for technical discussion and not the typical "I think he/she is better!!", the rating system was partially put in place to stop this from happening.

And yes, for someone else my reasoning behind it might have not been very obvious, but remember that that works the other way around too. Your intentions in a post might not be clear to others either.

Ps.
I just read your opening post in this topic
and it just became crystal clear for me... you're way to serious

I come on this forum for the technical part, if I wanted to read some funny stuff I would have went to 4chan(although arguably that site is hardly funny) or something.

[hollus]

This forum is meant for technical discussion and not the typical "I think he/she is better!!", the rating system was partially put in place to stop this from happening.

This might just be my opinion or my perception, but the voting system is doing that. We still get a fair amount of it, and a bit of it is healthy, but I remember when testing season used to be mayhem. We would get a lot of new members that didn't know the usual etiquette over here, would just follow their teams/drivers thread, and --- that stuff all over the place, and quarrel a lot too. Now that still happens, but only to half or a third of the extent it used to, and if it is too blatant, the -1s either rein it in or label it for everyone to see. I don't want to point fingers, but follow Mclaren_Mircea's history for an extreme turnaround from polluter to contributor, and there are many other similar examples.
No way the system is perfect, though. How could it possibly be, we are dealing with real people here.

[wesley123]

I agree, it is working on that. But my question on that, will that stay the case?

Upvotes aren't used rather well to my experience, and are more used as an "I agree" or "I like this" rather than "This is a quality post(and correct information)". As ratings grow higher and more people will reach the magical mark of 25 upvotes we will see more people receive an ability to downvote. My guess is that it will be used in a similar fashion.

Another problem is people's opinions on that, recently people have been unhappy by being downvoted, and this leads to misunderstanding and tension. This also has been, in my view, a growing concern which will increase as more people can downvote.

To reduce tension and reduce the amount of pity voting("aww you were downvoted and I don't agree with the downvote, here, have an upvote") I think it might be a good idea to hide the rating from posts. The same things still work(-2 and the post is hidden), but it won't be visible for others other than the user himself. This will reduce the amount of voting that happen on posts because the voter disagrees with the rating, and will only cause votes because he/she thinks the post is good or bad.
The votes should come out of what you think, and not out of pity because someone else had another opinion on the post. People will use the system wrong, it's inevitable, but by this you close out the opinion other people had and make the rating system only about you.