Feedback

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

Alan and Denise I am asking you publically to reconsider this communites feedback area and they way it is currently.

I for one think the feedback sections is a GREAT one...I'd like to think it can be used to say
"Lori thanks for telling me about the sale of cribs and saving me $500-you're always watching out for us"
"Rachel thanks for taking my call last night when I had nursing issues-I couldn't have done it without your help"
"Beth thanks for the book recommedation-it has helped my parenting"
or other kind of "love notes"

BUT the way in which it is currently set up it has plus and minus signs assigned to it and then it has a point system assigned to it so I can go "hmmmm...like the advice but to me it's a 1 and not a 2"....

I love the kudos section but I really think the plus and minus signs and the point system are juvenille, and I have to say they offend me some...I am a 37 year old women and while I love to get "kudos" I certainly don't come here to get graded, or a plus sign or a negative sign.

I guess I just think how in the world can negative points be assigned to any parent coming to such a positive community about raising our bugaboos...like the example I gave earlier what would a delete in score or a minus sign represent on a "parent board"
I'm trying to think maybe "I think Neve is a bad parent because she dropped her child"...I mean what is there we can really say about eachother to cause a negative sign or a decrease in points.

And lets say we chose to avoid someones posts do they deserve a negative sign from me because of that???? Of course not...

I'll be honest and you all seem cool enough for me to come out and say it I can see a point system if this was a cyber sex board or something where your rating folks on some weird particpation...but it's not it's loving parents...

I'd like to suggest feedback be marketed as leaving "kudos" for community members, and that the point system and the plus and minus system be removed.
I think folks should beable to click on their feedback and see a wave of love notes...many many many and read them to their hearts content...

I'm going to come right out and say it for this is how I feel...but if someone really needs to see points assigned to their kudos than I really question their securities.

I say this after unscribing to the point system months ago, and not for lack of kudos by the way I think at the time only one member had more "points" than I did, so I made the decision totally based on how I really feel about the issue.

Where do we turn our points in at???? Did I win anything :)...
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[tippy]

YES, YES, YES, Exactly how I feel Neve! Also, I personaly think that new mothers can have enough insecurities. They don't need to wonder "doesn't anyone like what I have to say?" or "Didn't they like MY post???" That is only a small part of it but I think it is valid none the less. I also don't get it. I'm relatively new to these boards and I have read numerous posts that have been extrememly helpful, where people have gone out of their way and posted links, pictures and looked up information for the benefit of the person who posted the thread and am always suprised that they don't have any positive feedback or points. Makes ya wonder if the boards are a little "clicky". Just my 2 cents. Thanks for bringing up a good point (no pun intended!):)

PS...How do you disable that thing anyway???

[ddmarsh]

I think you are right Neve but want to add that in general that seems to be how it does operate (pats on the back, thanks). It is just an unfortunate couple of members who have used it in a very childish way when they have gotten their noses out of joint. I do agree about the points and until you mentioned it didn't even realize that!

[jubilee]

I agree Neve, and long ago I turned off the points for myself too. I have benefitted from so many people's wisdom on this board that I couldn't possibly spend the time to "rate" each person.

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

I really have to say...and I honestly do beleive this that I don't think the lack of points is really a "clicky" thing as much as it could be several things and one is (atleast for me) that you forget about the rating thing, maybe not even forget but I guess you just kind of 'get over that it is there' some. I know for me I always felt guilty if I hadn't gotten around to rating anyone, for personally if I could rate each and every person in one swoop I'd do it. So my decision to dismantal mine was my way of handling that for this way I don't live with the guilt, and sure I can't get kudos via that system but i will be 100% honest I don't need them, now as a newbie they might have made me feel more invited and appreciated then, but I do get kudos anyway, and if I didn't my life is kudos enough. I mean I love this community but it is not where I get my major strokes in life.
I've been here awhile and have to say if there is any clickyness it is possibly due to that many many of us have met in real life, there was a retreat that a good 15 of us went to, there are yahoo groups set up for different folks with either same interest, that they live near eachother or just set up over the fact that the boards went down for 4 days and they wanted a method to stay intouch if it ever happened again. I'd have to really look up the definition of "click" here to respond correctly for when I use it I don't have a negative feeling with it at all, especially when describing relationships here. I just think what happens here are a lot of natural friendships that have taken place so you notice them in threads, but I do think that is natural especially considering some have traveled across country to meet eachother. BUT with that said I have never noticed a malicious "click" or a non inviting air to the boards. If I am wrong I apologize, for maybe I don't see it, I do know personally I have never felt that way.

It's funny what brings us together and what we say that perks our ears up to "hmmmm that could be a good friend", one of my most treasured friendships here on the boards is with a member who emailed me over a post about a rescued poodle. It's Andrea LuckyKat, and had she not I wonder how long it would have taken for us to realize we have a lot in common.

That's why I'd rather see just kudos though, for much of how you feel, for if you don't see the points beside ones name your not really noticing if they have feedback or not.

I hope that what I said makes sense...I hate that anyone thinks it would be (too) clicky here. There are so many users that there are many niches out there of buddies that is for certain, I think it a good thing.

I forgot how I disabled mine, I think it is under user profile...

Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[momathome]

ITA, Neve!!! I turned off my ratings several months ago when someone started getting very vindictive about the whole thing. While it spoke volumes about the person's maturity level, it defintely made me question my own. Consequently, I shut off my ratings. While I am generally happy about this, it stinks that I now can't leave positive feedback when a person has been helpful to me. I say, ditch the ratings but maybe leave it so you can still leave comments.
-Lauren

[tippy]

"BUT with that said I have never noticed a malicious "click" or a non inviting air to the boards. If I am wrong I apologize, for maybe I don't see it, I do know personally I have never felt that way."

Neve, I also didn't mean to imply that by appearing "clicky" it also means that these boards are non inviting or malicious in any way!!!! I just meant that if you were new to the boards and trying to "become part of the community here" (which by the way I do feel a part of) the whole point system and rating thing could come across that way to a new member. No offense intended. I totally understand that some of the members here have obviously had ample opportunity to develop the relationships they have and I really admire that. I certainly don't mean to mimimise or discredit that in any way. Like I stated in my post, I feel there are newer members that might not have had the opportunity of forming those relationships yet but don't feel they are any less "important" and worthy of positive feedback..I guess that is why I am in agreement that the whole point thing should go. I hope this clarifies what I meant by "clicky". It was probably a poor choice of word but I couldn't really think of any other that touched on what I was trying to get across. :-)

Just wanted to add that I did look under user profiles but still didn't see where you can disable the rating/feedback thing. Anyone who knows would you mind posting. Thanks in advance!

[missym]

Just go to User Menu > Edit Preferences. Click No where it says "Participate in user rating and feedback?"

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

[tippy]

Woops, duplicate post!

[tippy]

Thanks Missy! :)

[redhookmom]

When I first visit this board I remember wondering about the ratings. I cuncluded that a bad rating meant that the person continually gave advice about baby products that turned out to be bad. For example: I bought the XYZ stoller and it was just awesome, and it turns out that another person figured out it was not so great. Silly me.

[alandenisefields]

Thanks for all the feedback about the board feedback system! We do appreciate all the comments.

Just an FYI: the software we use for the boards is an off-the-shelf script by a DCScripts. So, we are at the mercy of their programmers regarding how the boards function (that is, what features are, how they work, etc). We agree---we would love the feedback system to be improved over what it is now.

Of course, we could always use an entire new software program for the boards, but that would be very difficult (major change, importing old threads, etc).

Good news: DCScripts does have a "suggestions forum" where they take feedback from users about what new features folks would like. If folks have a second, can you post a specific suggestion on how you'd like the feedback section to work here:

http://www.dcscripts.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=54

We will also email the programmers as well with this idea.

Thanks again,
Alan & Denise