solosater

So I know I’m coming to this late and as a non-voter I REALLY don’t care but I’d like to have a few things explained to me like I’m a two year old please.

#1. Is the Showcase shown by top vote, most votes, or chronologically (I’m guessing no)?

I ask as Login’s “Twilight Journey” currently has 25 votes and a 5 star rating and is in the #1 spot while Luna’s “twilight, moonlight, firelight” currently has 31 votes and a 5 star rating and is on the 8th page and I have a 6, a 4, a 3, a 3, a 2, and a 14 ALL with 5 star ratings in that order in the Showcase.
I’m confused, I get that you can have a 5 star rating even if someone gave you a 4 if you get enough to counter balance the 4 but it still seems that logic would dictate that the highest vote would be Luna’s in this small slice of the Showcase.
BTW, I love them both and wouldn’t choose one over the other, as I don’t think you can compare the two. Perhaps if they where both of the same subject matter, you could compare them.

#2. Even though, as I understand it, the Showcase is not the Top five it seems as though a majority of the Top 5 are picked from the Showcase each month, doesn’t it seem like the manipulation is obvious and therefore should be easily stopped?

#3. How EXACTLY does this current voting system work? Again, like I’m a two year old, please.

Again, I don’t vote, perhaps I haven’t the right even to ask but I see more and more where all the stress is coming from. I hate that one of my better pics has been voted by someone as less than some others of mine I consider obviously inferior.

And please everyone, I'm not looking to start a fight, I'm asking a question I would sincerely like a straight answer for.

five

1) I've noticed that sometimes it says "5" when it is 4.x (four point something). Not sure why, but no, you can't get a pic back up to a perfect 5 (except by deleting a lower score that you yourself may have given your pic. Showcase is by vote ( 5 > 4 etc) first, then by number of votes (35 5 votes comes before 30 5 votes) and in the event of a tie between the vote and the number of votes ( both 5, both 35 votes), then the first one drawn comes first.

2) When putting into the Top 5, Thinkdraw uses a weighted formula (algorithm) based on the rating and the number of votes to determine the Top 5. I think the formula was posted at one time, but I am not sure. The purpose is to give weight to both the number of votes and to the ratings themselves in an effort to dampen the effect of a manipulative down vote and also to discount either possible manipulative cummulative voting through extra IDs or lots of friends voting on a pic for friends sake. I don't think they actually toss out the outliers (e.g. all 5s and one 1 -- probably should just ignore the 1).

3) The Showcases pics, because they are highlighted and easy to find, are both more likely to be voted on and more vulnerable to a down vote. C'est la vie. The alternative would be to do away with the Showcase but people have lots of fun with it.

solosater

Additional questions

#1. Does your own vote count? I never did vote on any of mine and I doubt I ever will but I was under the impression it didn't count toward the total.

#2. If its a Showcase shouldn't it be Chonological? It's not a contest it's a Showcase.

solosater

And thanks, five, for the info, I just really am not good with this stuff, I'm still pretty sure Al Gore won in 2000, but what do I know...

five

your own vote does not count

five

They could do it chronologically -- I think they like featuring the relatively "popular" pics upfront, even recognizing that some popular pics get bumped to the middle of the showcase.

five

I should have said your own vote does not count for top 5 -- it gets ignored -- but it does count for the showcase rankings.

marg

Yep.. like five said.. as I understand it, if a picture has an overall rating of 5 (10 votes), it will beat a picture with an overall rating of 4.95 and 50 votes - figure that out !

The Top 5 just goes on the overall rating, as far as I know, and you must have at least 10 votes... normally only straight '5's get in, so if your pic got a '1', you're blown !

This has been a very sore subject since the end of last year, and despite many pleas, ThinkDraw don't want to change it.. and it's their site.

What's really awful, is when a mediocre picture that you've done (not your best for the month !), steals a place in the Top 5 at the cost of someone else's beautiful picture, just because their pic got voted down by a stupid, malicious idiot.

We've been here and said all of this before, so apologies and I'll shut up now !

five

Sorry to correct Marg but a pic can make it into the Top 5 even if it has been down voted a little -- if it has enough total votes -- it's not just the overall rating for Top 5. TD applies a formula, as I noted before, that does using the total number of votes in the weighting. (okay, so if you have two pics with 30 votes, and only one of them gets pushed down from a perfect 5, the number of votes is not going to matter, but if a pic has 50 votes and gets pushed down from a perfect 5, it'll probably still get Top 5 compared to a pic with 30 votes and a perfect 5 rating)

For showcase, it is the rating only, then among those with the same rating, it's the number of votes.

IamAnonymous

It is wrong to assume that someone who gives a one vote is stupid or malicious. It could be a sincere form of personal assessment of the art, or perhaps a child voting.
Contrary to popular opinion Iam does not have a vote. Proof is available. Use the IamAnonymous login with the password 'whoamI' and try to vote on something. NOTHING HAPPENS! I rest my case!

solosater

I'm pretty sure marg and five and I never said Iam could vote and it certainly was not the issue here.

As far as one star votes and all, I'm sure there are pics that warrant a lower vote, as I don't vote I'm not concerned with that. Art is subjective; no two people will find the same piece interesting, ugly, exhilarating, saddening or whatever in exactly the same way so of course there will be an occasional lower vote that is sincere.

I'm pretty sure we weren't talking about that either.

As I said in my very first post on this thread, and I quote, “ And please everyone, I'm not looking to start a fight, I'm asking a question I would sincerely like a straight answer for.”

solosater

I believe five has answered my questions and I now understand the process even if I don’t agree with it.

Thanks five, and marg for your input as well.

I’m still not voting.

Kugusch

it seems to be a "split" system of voting.
1. First in order of Highest vote (all 5 ratings)
2. in order of most votes.....meaning 5 rating with 30 votes comes before a 5 rating with 29 votes.
After that would be the next highest rating (i.e. 4.91), and if there is more than just one picture with that rating then again the one/s with the most amounts of votes first.

HTH!

Login

Did I misunderstand Rachel? I thought she said that the Top 5 could / would be chosen by us. I must have misunderstood her, but I can't find her comments. Can anyone throw a light on the subject?

Luna

Login, if she said that I missed it.

marg

well.. I don't actually remember Rachel (ThinkDraw) saying anything at alll on the subject of Top 5 [or anything else].. certainly not in terms of sorting out the problems..

.. I guess I'm glad I'm going away, but I have this horrible feeling that, despite the fact that we've been complaining about this for 6+ months, TD REALLY don't want to change things.

I think it would be reallly nice if the pictures with most votes got in to the Top 5..

... however.. I've just looked at the June Top 5 and they're all brilliant !

Login

Mmm ... perhaps I should draw something for the dreams challenge!

zoyi

*** This post has been removed at the request of our users. ***

Doug

There's a dreams challenge? lol. Dreams showcase?.

Login

I've found the comment from Rachel that I was referring to. I did misunderstand it and, having read it again, I just don't understand the reference to Top 5. Can anyone interpret it for me ... I know I'm being dumb but it's way past my bedtime.