1 - Rate Module
This is the Redirect module that redirects the browser directly to the "http://projects.wikidot.com/thread:117" page.
We use [[module Rate]] widely in templates to allow visitors rate content up and down. We want to make the Rating module easier to use, and usable in more cases.
The Rating module in fact implements a voting system, allowing visitors to cast positive or negative votes. This approach makes it more complex than it needs to be. Our main complaints with the current Rating module are:
- It needs per-category configuration in the site manager. We'd prefer to not have to do this.
- It is too pedantic, using dialog boxes when none are in fact needed.
- It is too limited in scope, missing wider applicability.
These are the specific changes we want to make:
- Remove the [X] cancel option. It can be done simpler by [+] and [-].
- Make [+] and [-] work orthogonally, i.e. click either to rate as far as allowed in any direction.
- Allow site moderators and admins to rate as far as they like up or down.
- Remove the popups on unallowed ratings, these annoy the user and serve no purpose. If a rating action is not allowed it should simply have no effect.
- Remove the ability to see how other people rated a page.
- Remove the entire "Page ratings" panel from the site manager and specifically the need to configure / disable rating per site. This should be controlled only by the presence or absence of the Rating module on a page / template.
- Extend the Rating module to allow a custom label:
[[module Rate label="Urgency:" ]]
- Extend the Rating module to allow a name property that is used to distinguish multiple instances of the Rating module on the same page:
[[module Rate label="Value for money:" name="value" ]]
- Extend the Rating module to cover different user interfaces1:
[[module Rate type="vote | voteup | stars | bar" ]]
- When %%rating%% is used in ListPages, allow selection by name property:
%%rating%%
%%rating{value}%%
- Extend the Rating module to allow a page property that lets us rate a different page, e.g. from within a ListPages display:
[[module Rate page="category:page" ]]
- When unregistered users try to rate a page, ask them for their email address and either log them in, or register them. Note: lightweight drive-by registration is a separate design.
Absolute vs Relative rating.
I like the current absolute rating (and the internal competition between howto:import-simple-excel-tables-into-wikidot and howto:forum-step-by-step.
However, a 0 - 5 stars rating commonly used by http://www.booking.com or http://www.hotels.com (and also proposed as a plugin for Confluence) would be a good alternate. It should also show the number of votes.
I like this idea. However, how will it be accessed from another page in the way that %%rating%% is used currently?
From what I can tell the best way to do so would be to handle it in the same way that page content is handled:
%%rating{name}%%
%%rating{name2}%%
… … …
With the name variable coming from this:
[[module Rate label="Value for money:" name="value" ]]
~ Leiger - Wikidot Community Admin - Volunteer
Wikidot: Official Documentation | Wikidot Discord server | NEW: Wikiroo, backup tool (in development)
Sounds nice. I like it.
Portfolio
That is a dangerous strategy!
Think about the fact, that someone can remove the rating module of a page by mistake - after some voting/rating..
Is than all information lost forever ?
means a remove = delete all stored information?
And - after the re-insertion ( or reverse back to older version) - than is there a new rating-storage build to start a new voting?
I know - we have the problem today too - but I always thought the setup per category with all the standard settings ( anonymous…) let it be more secure and stable.
-this is a question to the developer - what would happen today ?
If we can setup it per every page than this is okay - but are the infos stored per "Version" ? - No I think….
Service is my success. My webtips:www.blender.org (Open source), Wikidot-Handbook.
Sie können fragen und mitwirken in der deutschsprachigen » User-Gemeinschaft für WikidotNutzer oder
im deutschen » Wikidot Handbuch ?
We already have the possibility to add/remove a Comments module from the page. Nothing gets lost. In fact even if you add several rating modules to a page, they all refer to the same data.
As to seeing who rated a page, we'll check who actually uses this functionality. I do not like using this as a side effect for registration ("who's going to the conference") when we have much cleaner ways (join this site, watch this page) that are tied into notification.
If you have real use cases for seeing who rated a page how, let me have them. Otherwise, this still looks like complexity that can be killed and just because it's already there is no protection… :-)
Adding a new module and leaving the old one will make things more complex, not simpler.
Portfolio
Example: "Do you like the new version of ….. ?"
[+] Yes / [-] No
Reason to keep the 'who rated' data: Gives the ability to look up who voted "No" and ask them why they don't like the new design, so that it can be improved next time.
If this data is removed, the Rate module cannot be used for this (very useful) purpose.
~ Leiger - Wikidot Community Admin - Volunteer
Wikidot: Official Documentation | Wikidot Discord server | NEW: Wikiroo, backup tool (in development)
Sounds fair enough but do you actually believe people either use this, or that it's the best way? Surely the simplest is the combination of a poll and comments, so people can express themselves.
To give a concrete example, we propose a new syntax for the Rating module and allow you to vote, then we contact those who voted No and ask them why… That's a pretty opaque way of working. No-one here would accept that.
I'm not really convinced of the use case. In fact, I think that if people realize their rating can be monitored, they're less likely to rate.
Portfolio
If I'm not mistaken the ability to show who has voted, or not, is already available.
It is already available but my question is whether anyone actually uses it. Not theoretically, but currently (the rating module has been around for three years). If no, it must go. If yes, we need to ask what the actual use case is, and whether this is still the best solution. Note that when we made the Rating module we had no watchers, notifications, _templates, etc.
Portfolio
i use it when ever i can. bugs wishes etc.
let me give you and example.
who wants to share mny million euros i have just found lying in the road.
[[module Rate]]
i get 10 ratings.
Two of them are, lets say, helmuti and michal,
the other eight are all squark who has used his 8 email addresses to create 8 user names and vote.
i KNOW helmuti and michal are genuine because i can see they have good karma. I KNOW that squark is taking the micky because his fictitious accounts have no karma.
Please don't take something away thats already there. especially as YOU can chose whether to turn it on of off or not.
Make it a little more flexible instead, and it could get used far more.
I still can't quite believe anyone cares in such detail who rated a page. It seems… massive overkill. Rating is not a scientific thing, it only shows people who care enough to click in the first place. It is much more logical to allow people to discuss and draw conclusions from that.
Again, I use the example of this design. I do not care who rates it. The overall rating may be roughly interesting but what I really care about is the discussion itself.
However, people seem to be attached to this feature. God knows why. You need to realize that every line of code in Wikidot is a cost and reduces the chance of new and necessary functionality. It's not as simple as "we have it, we should keep it" but "we pay to keep it and that may prevent new functionality, is that a good bargain?"
For example, it's quite plausible that keeping the "who rated" functionality makes it too hard to add the ability to rate with different names. Thus, we do have to be quite brutal sometimes about throwing out rarely used or marginal functionality to make space for new and necessary stuff.
Anyhow, the tradeoffs here aren't clear yet, so no decision.
Portfolio
I also like seeing who rated an item up or down.
Maybe it's not useful, but still some fun.
Piotr Gabryjeluk
visit my blog
What about the problem that if people know they are being watched, they won't rate things honestly?
Portfolio
If this is a problem, you enable the anonymous rating. Most of the time, this is not a problem (see digg), also prevents spam-rating-up-or-down.
Piotr Gabryjeluk
visit my blog
Please cite an example where we've seen spam rating up/down and where this feature helped prevent it. If you're going to use this as an argument, please quantify it.
What does the reference to Digg mean? How does rating comments (on Digg, to make them visible/invisible) compare to saying "I want to join this party"?
A very confused thread when everyone thinks how they might use a feature but few people can actually explain why they need it.
The best explanation I've seen now is simple curiosity. This makes it a "nice to have".
Portfolio
I do.
I disagree entirely with this statement.
However i would like to know how it adds complexity. Especially as its already there and working…
What i would like to see is a [[Module whorated expand = true]] that could be placed anywhere on a page,
This could be used for many things. An example follows.
"who is going to the wikidot convention"
use the rate module and the whos rated module togeather, and you have a one click solution.
I agree completetely with Phil.
Why should we stop/delete the store of the log-information - who had voted for what?
Why lose a usable possibility of inforrmation which exists today ?
ok, I do not know what happens if someone removes the "rating module" from a page… is than this (neccessary, i think) information "gliding & hanging in the air" with broken joins back to the page?
Or - for upward compatibility - I would let the "old" rating mofule as it is
- and "invent" a complete parallel new complexity….
( with or without the need of the site manager setup )
I hioe this is clear´enough ?
Service is my success. My webtips:www.blender.org (Open source), Wikidot-Handbook.
Sie können fragen und mitwirken in der deutschsprachigen » User-Gemeinschaft für WikidotNutzer oder
im deutschen » Wikidot Handbuch ?
Sometimes, anonymous rating might be useful.
If redesigning I would allow more than one rating for a single page:
Piotr Gabryjeluk
visit my blog
:-) Indeed. Have mixed that into the design.
Portfolio