A stray "NOT HELPFUL" and no comment

[dreamlab]

Out of curiousity, I took a look at the ratings I have been getting for a recent review. And lo and behold, I found my first NH. (Or let's put it this way, I think it's the first - since I didn't go through all my reviews).

The NH came from a hidden ePinioner. No comment was left.
Fortunately (at least for my ego) the others were all VH.

I realize that I am only an average writer at best and so I am unfazed by H or SH ratings. I do like to see people writing comments when they give a SH rating to explain what can be improved. And I try to leave a comment when I rate a review SH also (though I must admit I almost never leave a comment with NH ratings since almost all of them are abusive cases like just a string of 100 words repeated one after another).

Just curious whether I am being unreasonable to expect a comment explaining a rating ... May be I am ...

[rich2003dm]

When you write on Epinions, an "NH" is just the cost of doing business.

You get them if people don't agree with you. You get them when people wrote on the same topic and want your review downgraded. You get them out of spite.

It very often has nothing to do with the quality of your writing.

Overall, most people are decent and will rate fairly. Judge your work by how they rate.

Shake off the "NHs".

I get them all the time and never, ever lose any sleep over them.

Rich

[Joubert[$]]

I get them sometimes too and if they're lost in a sea of VHs, tend to ignore them. As for the whole hidden debate, I tend to move back and forth on this one. I've used NH in both ways (although the old hidden way was rendered moot) and found myself the victim of revenge raters, and one would assume, blockers.

In the bad old days when so many folks had Sitemeter running, I saw one fellow hit my profile page a week after I had left him an NH rating and comment. Why NH? The product didn't exist yet (still doesn't) and he had written on what he thought the product would be based on press releases and magazine fluff. So he made the mistake of coming to my profile page via his distrust (block) list just to revenge rate my latest couple of posts. Schmuck.

And before the whole anti-Sitemeter crowd jumps on me, I'll point out that:[list=1][*]I haven't used it in months[*]I only used it to see which activities I engaged in that drew people to my profile page[/list=1]

[dreamlab]

Thanks for the advice. I am not bothered by it other than the concern that there might be a good reason the reviewer gave a "NH" but I am too dense to figure out why! But I am not going to think about this - nothing I can do at this point

By the way, can someone explain what a site meter is? I know it's against the TOS but I never did quite figure out what happened and why it was banned. Just curious ...

[Joubert[$]]

Sitemeter is a web counter service that shows the entry and exit page of a visitor, their URL and some other stuff. There are simple ways to defeat sitemeter, but most folks don't know or don't bother.

You can check out their website (sitemeter.com) for more info.

I actually find it to be a handy little program for my personal site.

[BobMc]

Howdy Joubert,

I once had sitemeter on my epinions page, and I did find it useful.

Wanna know what the TOS doesn't bar???

If you own a domain name and pay for webspace your provider will usually include stats...

Hmmm, how does that pertain to epinions?

If your picture on epinions is hosted in your webspace you can watch not only who views your member page, but who views any page your photo is on.

I host other members pics, so it would take me hours to figure out all the data. But, if you only host your own pic you can have all the stats of Sitemeter and more.

BobMc

[roymeo]

Every time I read a title like that, i have to check it out, just to make sure it wasn't me.

But if they're not visible, it shouldn't be me. I say shouldn't and not isn't, because there's the occasional person I run across who's not on my block list and doesn't appear to be ticketted, but I'm still kept from reading their VH review without clicking through the 'show me this review anyway' link. So there's still weirdness on occasion.


If it's hidden, it's a revenge rater, OR someone who doesn't understand that you can completely disagree with a good review (as long as it's not just WRONG in the factual area).

Or maybe someone who hurt them had some hand in the product. I've got an Ex-SO who wrote a book or two...I'll go NH anyone who liked it!

(haven't done it yet, haven't even searched to see if they're there, but it's too much bother to do it if I'm going to have to find some way of making myself anonymous, too.)



And occasionally you'll just get someone who doesn't think you earned yourself a VH or H....but usually those one weird ratings (especially when they're hidden) don't have any effect. Even when they aren't hidden and are Old Guard members, like that one SH by ptiemann in a field of VH's in one of my reviews back when he'd rate me, they really don't have that much of an effect. Don't worry about it.

roymeo

[suzer]

Dreamlab, I've been trying to figure out your epinions' ID as of late. Do you own a laboratory or a golden or black lab? Inquiring minds want to know.

Now, as far as getting NH ratings (hidden, or exposed). I can understand your curiosity, but as others have said, it probably isn't worth worrying about unless your review is in the wrong place (product, service not listed, so you just stuck it somewhere), you wrote an abusive review, and you don't seem like that type at all. The other possibilities are revenge rating, I guess others trying to knock you down to improve their own positioning (I never realized people would do that; what a hassle, for what?), disagreement with your opinion.

Some things we simply can't control, so let it go. People think they are hurting you by doing that, but for me, I don't give a darn.
I would be more concerned about a lower rating by someone whose opinion I value and respect.

[divad23]

I tend to NH quite a few reviews in the Music section, and especially with the site's slowness of late, it would take me forever to leave comments for every NH or SH. I get Emails from people who really want to know what's up, and I usually tell them they need to give me more information or stay on topic.

I'm not an Editor, and for good reason - I stay current on the recent reviews, but I just can't comment on them all. I'm a Top Reviewer, so I usually end up pointing people to what I've written and what the people on my WOT have written. (Not that I expect everyone to be as long-winded as me - it gets me NH's from time to time!) Live by example, right?

It's rare that I'm the only NH on a review of mostly high ratings. I tends to only happen on uninformative reviews of Christian music, where the other readers have rated it VH because they're mostly Christians too. Which is just ridiculous. If it's not a great review, religious brownie points can't change that. This remains true for many other biases that all of us Epinionators can fall victim to at times. But when I'm the only negative rating, I'll offer my advice if it's asked for, but generally, I'll tell them not to worry about me - I'm only one man, and even the most popular reviewers on the site get stray NH's here and there!

[roymeo]

The same holds true, even when someone is posting a "Hard To Please" review.

I think I was guilted in a couple of cases to SH a review that the first time I tried to rate it I gave a NH that didn't stick. (In the Gourmet category)


When you fill three pages and I have to search to even have an idea what it tastes like, it doesn't matter if it's for a good couse.

roymeo

[dreamlab]

I am not worrying about it but just curious As some of you mentioned, if it's from a reviewer whose work I respect, then it's a totally different story!

Thanks for all the info. I have never heard of revenge rating and I guess I learn something new everyday!

And by the way, to Suzi - I was dogsitting a lab when I had to come up with a handle and because all the good ones have been taken, I ended up with "dreamlab". No special meaning, but it stuck!

:p

[divad23]

If you've never heard of revenge rating, then you've never thought to do it. God bless your soul.

[suzer]

Fortunately dreamlab, you weren't gorilla sitting!

[LEDOMAINE]

You can almost be certain that most people who are anonymous are not totally honorable in their ratings or are not totally certain of their ratings [notice, before everyone gets in an uproar, I said MOST ]. Personally, whatever I rate, I prefer EVERYone know I rated it that way. No one or not everyone might agree with my rating. I'm sorry. But, there are many ratings by others that I disagree with, too. However, this is America (still), and it's my right (still) and your right to interprete the value of one review in which ever way you see it.

I will admit, I tend to distrust someone who rated consistently so far out of what I'd have expected. But, isn't that one of the most important reasons why we trust someone else or not?

Don't sweat an anonymous NH, but don't trust an ;anonymous anything. I've actually removed a couple people from my WOT when I found out they often used the anonymous feature. I'm no saint, but for the almost 2 years I've been at Epinions, I HAVE NEVER used the anonymous option... for ANY reason. If I don't feel comfortable about rating something one way or another, I just DON'T rate it at all. And, if I do feel comfortable with my rating, I rate the review according to how helpful it would be for the average consumer looking to make a buying decision (just as we're supposed to be doing).

Good luck. Sorry you've had to experience the bane of being a reviewer round Epinions. But, as so many of our esteemed reviewers have already told you, it's just "collateral costs" if you review here. Just remember, those ratings that count will, most likely, NOT be anonymous and that the majority will see your efforts and abilities for what they REALLY are and rate them accordingly.

Rouchelle

[pearman]

Also, when people see that someone hidden left a NH rating, they figure that it was because of the rater, and not because of the article. In other words, when I see an article with 12 VH's and 1 NH (hidden), I figure it must be a pretty good article for someone to have to hide themselves to give it a Not Helpful.

[dreamlab]

Thanks again everyone.

Now that I know about "revenge rating" I took a quick look at some of the ratings I got, and in many cases the stray H are given by the ones I rated immediately before as H

There was one SH and it was given by someone who wrote on the same topic.

Not that it means anything - my reviews are probably "H" and if you are kind enough you will give it a "VH" - and many of you have been very kind

But the statistics are truly fascinating!

Too much time on my hands today - I guess...

[suzer]

That's okay dreamlab. We all have our moments when we get insecure (okay, I won't speak for everyone; I'll speak for myself) about ratings and such. It is just human.