I have an entry I think will do well. It starts out well . . . really well. Realistically, I know that will not hold. And it doesn't. It plummets. But then, long about day three, it stabilizes and starts to climb. Ever so slowly and not necessarily steadily, but it climbs. Until about 24-36 hours before rollover. Then my hopes are dashed.
Naw... The pattern is changing. I started out with a 7.2 after somewhere around 7 votes on my bag entry. Dropped .7 in two votes and now it's at 6.05 and falling.
It's the happy people's fault. They need to stop voting in the beginning!! :P
In all seriousness, though. I'm going to switch to voting right away. I find that I'm more impressed in the beginning, and less impressed with the entries the more I see them. Initial reaction is an important part of photography, so I should give those photos their due and vote early. Then if something stays with me through the week, go back and add points to that. I think I'll try that for awhile. Because it seems like when I vote at the end, everything's a 5 or 6 and nothing impresses me much. Even though I remember saying "oh wow" when I first looked through any particular challenge.
Naw... The pattern is changing. I started out with a 7.2 after somewhere around 7 votes on my bag entry. Dropped .7 in two votes and now it's at 6.05 and falling.
It's the happy people's fault. They need to stop voting in the beginning!! :P
In all seriousness, though. I'm going to switch to voting right away. I find that I'm more impressed in the beginning, and less impressed with the entries the more I see them. Initial reaction is an important part of photography, so I should give those photos their due and vote early. Then if something stays with me through the week, go back and add points to that. I think I'll try that for awhile. Because it seems like when I vote at the end, everything's a 5 or 6 and nothing impresses me much. Even though I remember saying "oh wow" when I first looked through any particular challenge.
I only raise my initial vote. I never decrease it.
First impressions... at least on images... ha! are IT.
Generally the same but I'll start near the middle (no use overachieving) drift up a little to give me some hope, but near the end of voting it's usually heading down, violin territory is typical.
Naw... The pattern is changing. I started out with a 7.2 after somewhere around 7 votes on my bag entry. Dropped .7 in two votes and now it's at 6.05 and falling.
It's the happy people's fault. They need to stop voting in the beginning!! :P
In all seriousness, though. I'm going to switch to voting right away. I find that I'm more impressed in the beginning, and less impressed with the entries the more I see them. Initial reaction is an important part of photography, so I should give those photos their due and vote early. Then if something stays with me through the week, go back and add points to that. I think I'll try that for awhile. Because it seems like when I vote at the end, everything's a 5 or 6 and nothing impresses me much. Even though I remember saying "oh wow" when I first looked through any particular challenge.
Okay, so we'll have another enthusiastic voter early on, so our scores will drop later. LOL
Actually, I think DPL will change this pattern. But I'm not saying it's a pattern, because it's the kind of thing that is just loaded with confirmation bias, i.e., we are much more sensitive to drops than to rises or to staying the same. But if it is a pattern, DPL will dampen it, I think.
Naw... The pattern is changing. I started out with a 7.2 after somewhere around 7 votes on my bag entry. Dropped .7 in two votes and now it's at 6.05 and falling.
It's the happy people's fault. They need to stop voting in the beginning!! :P
In all seriousness, though. I'm going to switch to voting right away. I find that I'm more impressed in the beginning, and less impressed with the entries the more I see them. Initial reaction is an important part of photography, so I should give those photos their due and vote early. Then if something stays with me through the week, go back and add points to that. I think I'll try that for awhile. Because it seems like when I vote at the end, everything's a 5 or 6 and nothing impresses me much. Even though I remember saying "oh wow" when I first looked through any particular challenge.
Okay, so we'll have another enthusiastic voter early on, so our scores will drop later. LOL
Haha!! True! :)
Hopefully you're right. I like it better when there is no pattern. The bouncing around so that you never know is more fun than just a down down down or an up up up.
I wonder when that troll is voting, because I notice that almost every photo gets a “1” vote. That can really crush the average, when there aren’t many votes.
Maybe someone voting 1 or 2 is just determined to vote throughout the range, full dynamic, as it were. I'd sometimes like to go for tenths, as in 5.7, because I mostly vote 5, 6 and 7. Maybe a few 4's, and without hesitating to go high if my enthusiasm is engaged. Even so, my cynical side believes that some people feel a sense of self-worth and power in being able to strongly influence an outcome, be it ever so humble. The annoyance and even anger it generates may also be satisfying, throwing more wood on the personal fire. Kind of like the thrill of an arsonist, without the real damage and sexual overtones (hmm, who knows?). Maybe I'm over-blowing it, but such are my meandering thoughts. I treat it as an outlier, though I hate to think a serious entrant would sink so low as to torpedo fellow entrants. Win at any cost. Again, hmm, the fish starts to stink from the head. It's like a chess player lying about his or her rating so as to impress others and garner hollow respect. Stupidity that we might best ignore.
I wonder when that troll is voting, because I notice that almost every photo gets a “1” vote. That can really crush the average, when there aren’t many votes.
I started this thread as a light-hearted one, not intending to complain, and I weighed back in last night in the same spirit. That said, there did end up being a single out-lier 1 vote on mine . . . .
But there's another possible explanation, Juli, other than a "troll" out to crush the average of certain of us - in this challenge you and me among them.
Someone is going to have to help me out with this, as it's only a vague memory, but I asked about it once. I can't remember whether it happens when you are using a keyboard number pad or the cursor and maybe only after you had voted the entry and were revising and bumping from the thumbnails??, but there is one way of voting that can "cause" intended 10 votes to become 1's. I think maybe only the first digit registers (the 1 and not the 0 of the 10)?? It has happened to me more than once and the first time I noticed it I was aghast as I NEVER give a 1. Yet there I was when all was said and done with several of them in my rated photographs AND on my very favorites in the challenge. I was appalled and distressed - what if I'd not noticed?
Robert would know, I'm sure, but maybe the General or some other long-time member can help me explain. And of course I'd much prefer to think that the "one" came from a well-intentioned voter who meant to give me (or bump me to) a 10 than from someone with malicious intent - so that's what I believe :)
I think you may be right -- voting with the keypad can sometimes give unexpected results. Check on your Preferences page to see how your account is set up for voting from the keyboard/keypad if you want to do it that way instead of clicking on the number on the voting page.
...but there is one way of voting that can "cause" intended 10 votes to become 1's. I think maybe only the first digit registers (the 1 and not the 0 of the 10)??
Wow, that is interesting, and would explain why the 1s are on the excellent images.
I can't wait to hear your explanation of the 2s...
Don't laugh at me, Don :)
The thread I was only half remembering is actually linked to the preferences page if you explore the keyboard voting options. I do think it might be of interest to some.
I have tons of 1's and 2's on tons of entries that bother me not a whit. And I have 1's that I actually think indicate a high level of discernment rather than the opposite. Indeed, I rarely look at the voting pattern and hadn't even noticed the 1 on my "Boredom" entry until Juli pointed it out.
But once I looked, I did think it was strange to get a single 1 out of 65 votes and then to have the next lowest score be a 5. Did you give me the 1? It's fine if you did - truly! You are one of those members whose scores, whether high or low, I consider "discerning".
Announcement today after I brought this problem to the SC attention. I wish it had been emphasized with the green SC highlight, but maybe this will help.
