Since starting this site, I've been debating whether or not I should add a rating at the end of the post as a way of "ranking" the desirability of a particular food. I'm not sure how valuable such ratings might be, so I'm putting up a poll to ask what my readers (all 200-300 of them) think.
If you'd like to see me add a system like a scale from 1-10, a star system, or whatever, please vote and if you have a particular preference, please leave a comment.
Thanks for reading!
8 comments:
Hi Orchid,
I personally don't like the rating system, i prefer your blog when it has the comments about what you like or dislike and why, and ratings mean nothing for me.
I think on a site like candy blog ratings are valid as her blog is pretty commercial also, but for a personal view on products on a blog i think ratings don't mean much. (And i know ebidebby uses a ratings system so i'm trying not to offend her here, i love reading her posts but i don't take notice of the ratings).
If you did in the long run add a ratings system it would have to be something like a picture based stars or choc bars or something i think to be noticed. I think i have seen on someones blogs they rate by wasabi peas or something and they show the picture of the peas out of 5. That is quite good i think, if you are going to rate something. Kind of like in the tv guide.
Also wanted to ask about your adsense, do you make much money from that if i might ask? I just added it to my site but no earnings as yet.
Kelly
Hi, Kelly, and thanks very much for your input. My husband agrees with you in regards to ratings. I've been torn. I wouldn't write anything differently, just add a rating at the end.
As you say, ratings can be seen in a particularly way. I see them as relative to the experiences of the reviewer. That is, a "10" is the best item that person has found, but that doesn't mean anything objectively. However, for some people, they'd rather look at pictures and get a quick rating rather than read through all the information.
I'm still torn about it, hence the poll.
The poll seems to be in favour of a ratings system so far, but no one has really commented as to why. I'd like to hear a few of their opinions. :)
I could go either way - voted as indifferent. I don't think it would HURT your blog really. The main reason I've done ratings in the past is just for fun - and it sort of serves as a sort of "wrapup" at the end of the review (you could also collect other info there, say like Marvo does with pros/cons, where bought, etc.)
I have to disagree that ratings necessarily = commercial blog though. It's the writing that matters.
I think it's probably split on whether people actually pay attention to ratings. Again, if the writing is there (and it is for your blog), then I'm going to pay attention to what you SAY, not to a number. But it wouldn't annoy me to see a rating.
Bryan: Thanks for your comment, and for your kind words about my writing!
You make very good points. I love the way Marvo does his blog in every conceivable way (the humor, the wrap-up, etc.). and would probably rip him off if I thought I could and not be too obvious about it. ;-)
I'm going to leave the poll sit there for awhile and see how it goes. I figure that if too few people vote, that'll also indicate indifference.
Kelly: The funny thing about commenting is that some people are too busy to do so (because they check from work or just don't have the time), and some are actually afraid to. I've commented on other folks blogs about this and they say they love getting comments, but never comment on other people's blogs. I think they're afraid of being attacked or insulted by other commenters. Generally though, I think most folks are just busy, or have nothing to add.
Thanks for your comment!
For a while, I didn't have a rating system, and when reading other people's review blogs, I don't really have a preference. I like reading the whole review, rating or not!
I like to rate because it's fun for me to quantify my feelings on a snack, and it's fun to compare similar snacks. The rating system, while not terribly precise, helps me do that. I don't take it too seriously.
But I think there are people who might skip to the end to see the rating and only read if it's really good or really bad. I don't think it's a bad thing!
Ratings or not, I will still enjoy reading your blog. :)
Sera at The Candy Enthusiast has a cool system, too, where she says whether or not she'd buy something again (or if she'd hoarde it!). I often consider whether or not I'd buy something again when I review it, so non-traditional rating systems like hers can be great!
Hi, Ebidebby, and thanks for your comment. One thing I realize about doing a review blog is that my desire to repeat consume anything is greatly undermined by being someone who does this sort of blog. In fact, I don't know how Sera manages to sample something nearly every day, let alone hoard something for future consumption. As it is, I've got stuff lying around for weeks before it can be finished even when there are small portions involved, and I review every other day.
I think any ratings system would have to be like yours. While I can say I'd be inclined to buy something again, the chances that I will are relatively low since there's so much to try and I can only eat so much junk. ;-)
I think ratings are rather pointless, myself. I know that I do use ratings out of 10 in my few reviews. However, they are quite subjective and are influenced as to my mood and the fact that the items reviewed are something special. They will always rate higher than a typical item.
What's more important are your impressions of the item rather than just a number.
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