Suggestion for Rating

Since it seems that so many people rate without commenting (especially when they rate low),could there be a way to make the only way to rate be if you leave a comment?

For example, you press the submit button after commenting, and the screen that pops up includes a place to vote. You can either vote or decline to vote.

That sounds like an excellent idea Ann, that would stop these creeps who have no guts and wouldnt know a poem if it bit them in the a$$!!

I think thats still not a solution. If you restrict some body to vote only after commenting... still the person can fool you. Because if the person doesn't want to leave a comment he can still type some junk like asdfgh and then strike us with a one. And we don't have the chance to know who it was as non members can also vote. So whats the point in it? Somebody had suggested that if they restrict to only members for votting, you may get a chance to know who is doing it. But on the otherhand then it becomes hard for us to rate for friends or known people, less than 5 even if we feel it deserves less than 5. Soooo....both ideas are not going to work.

You really have some valid points there, but this idea was just in the infant stage anyway, you brought up some great points that I didnt even think of, but there will be some way to fix it, someone will think a good way. But as far as voting for your friends voting less than a 5, only a real friend would do it if they truly didnt like it, are we that vain around here, that if we got a 4 our lives would be over?

yes, Trincy did make some valid points.... I'm afraid there is no solution that is without it's flaws. I guess the solution to the bogus comments problem would be up to the moderators... if someone left a comment like that, then it and the accompanying vote could be removed. Just a lot of work for the moderators. I would say leave it up to the poet, but I'm afraid some poets would be tempted to remove any bad vote even if a valid comment came with it

ya that probably is true that if someone wanted to get rid of a bad vote then they would discard the comment...never would have thought about that...I still think that it would be a good idea for only members to rate or comment. I think people should have to comment before they rate, but the rate shouldn't come up by the comment...it should be added up like normal so you would see the comment but not know what exact rating they gave you...oh well just my thoughts...

I agree Sparky....also agree that the 1's really stink as far as people just doing it to lower ratings but it's gonna take someone smarter than myself to come up with a solution..go Janis, go Janis... :) Michelle :)

I withdraw my request… it sounded like a good idea…but everyone made such valid points… I didn’t want it to see who gave bad ratings… I thought it would weed out people that would just go through and randomly rate all ones, thinking that very few would take the time to leave even a crappy comment just to blindside someone with ones

P.S. whatever you have in the works, Janis, good luck with that! I know you only have our best interest in mind