The following chart shows the high, average, and low score linear patter that has formed over the past 965 challenges. As I viewed the chart something interesting stood out (no! not the spikes where there were nude challenge:P) but the appearance that we may be squeezing the voting scale.
The linear pattern on the high scores of each challenge has dropped a 10th of a point while the average score has increased slightly over a 2/10ths of a point. But the biggest change is in the low score column at an increase of 1/2 of a point.
The high scores seems to be ok, I mean a 10th of a point over the course of 965 challenges is not a big deal. I'm more focused on the low score pattern where the increased is a 1/2 point in the same time frame. Is it because were are scared to vote low because of repercussions? Are the worst of the photographs improving? Whatever the reason, it seems to show evidence that it has effected the average score by raising it 2/10ths of a point (0.2000).
Are we squeezing the voting scale? I would like to see how others interpret the chart.
This thread is not a rant or let's beat a horse to death thread but I'm curious what do you think.
It could mean the low scoring DPC member is better than previously. It could mean the voters are more forgiving.
I don't attribute anything to this minor change. What I find interesting is the compression of the voting scale by the averages, so that no matter how good or how bad, someone always dislikes it and someone else always likes it, resulting in 90% of the entries here falling within less than half the available scale. Nothing wrong with that, it's just the way it works.
wouldn't high voting be what he is talking about, since the average bottom score in the challenges appears to be going UP?
No, what he's saying is that because the lowest votes are increasing, that we aren't using the lowest scores of the scale as often anymore. Which, in effect means it's "squeezing" the scale down to less choice in the voting.
I believe it's because the forums and the site is so dang full of vitriol against anyone thought of as voting 1s and 2s that as a whole, people are just moving their scale up a bit and only voting 4 - 10s now, and not using the bottom much at all because of it. That's just my belief though.
Or so many voters as individuals as well as alleged 'groups of voters' are being chastised/criticized/whatever-ized in the forums so much lately that people are trying to 'normalize' as well as 'raise' their 'average vote given' as seen on their profile page so as not to appear to be a part of whichever 'group' is currently being ranted upon while at the same time the over zealous in voting style is attempting to do the same in order not to appear to far to the other side...hmm...seems no one wants to stand out.
I've been a member for almost 7 years and my personal opinion is that with the improvement in digital technology so has there been an improvement in the general quality of the pictures in DPC.
Fewer low votes (ie. 1s and 2s) would explain the whole trend. The high scores are affected less because they had fewer low votes to begin with. The low scores are affected most because they had the most low votes to begin with.
I think he may be right that the voting scale is being squeezed, that is clear. The real question here is what he is asking, and why. What I would like to see is the site membership and the voter activity on the same scale. If the membership is stagnant and voter activity is level then I would say it is the forums or something else effecting it. I would also chalk it up to how entering changes your voting style. It is a living site and I agree that if a trend, such as frogs or what ever holds true, then something must be done to keep the site evolving and not to let it grow stagnant.
I think he may be right that the voting scale is being squeezed, that is clear. The real question here is what he is asking, and why. What I would like to see is the site membership and the voter activity on the same scale. If the membership is stagnant and voter activity is level then I would say it is the forums or something else effecting it. I would also chalk it up to how entering changes your voting style. It is a living site and I agree that if a trend, such as frogs or what ever holds true, then something must be done to keep the site evolving and not to let it grow stagnant.
it gets stagnant when people keep doing what they think can gather high votes disregarding whether or not the photo holds any value besides being a ribbon winning entry for a website called DPC.
//runs and hide from the flame throwers and godzillas
I've been here since 2002. My scores are going down. (There needs to be an exception to every rule....)
Seriously, I think that it is really hard to get much out of the graphs. Images from early in the site's history would not score as well today. (See my highest scoring image, for example. Seriously, take a look.) Not only has camera capability moved forward, but also the viewers are more sophisticated. Yes we go for the eye candy and pretty pictures, but each fad has its day and the site moves on. (My personal current peeve is the letterbox effect, that is in current vogue.) I'd say the low scores are a little higher because the cameras are more forgiving. My FD-71 was horribly noisy in low light. The high scores are a little lower as we demand more and more perfection. In the end, in any challenge, there is everything from 1 to 10 on the images. So you are talking about averages, not about individuals voting. Think of it like flipping a coin. If it was heads last time, on average it should be tails this time. But the coin has no memory and does not know how it landed last. Similarly, each voter votes his or her own way. (Though some have called for uniform voting... how sad.) What the average tell me, is that at the moment, this is what the averages are. If I score higher, then I have beaten the average. Lower, and I am more towards my norm.
Fewer low votes (ie. 1s and 2s) would explain the whole trend. The high scores are affected less because they had fewer low votes to begin with. The low scores are affected most because they had the most low votes to begin with.
I would agree but add 3s to the mix and 10s as well. But why fewer? Are voters afraid that DPC is more likely to scrap their vote if the vote is near the end of the spectrum. Or could it be people are hesitant in giving out 1s, 2s, and 3s for fear of being fingered out as a troll. And have more voters adopted the 10 vote is for ground shaking-perfect pictures?
Fewer low votes (ie. 1s and 2s) would explain the whole trend. The high scores are affected less because they had fewer low votes to begin with. The low scores are affected most because they had the most low votes to begin with.
I would agree but add 3s to the mix and 10s as well. But why fewer? Are voters afraid that DPC is more likely to scrap their vote if the vote is near the end of the spectrum. Or could it be people are hesitant in giving out 1s, 2s, and 3s for fear of being fingered out as a troll. And have more voters adopted the 10 vote is for ground shaking-perfect pictures?
when you vote 1,2 or 3 you are asked to comment.
voters hated that?
I've been here since 2002. My scores are going down. (There needs to be an exception to every rule....)
Seriously, I think that it is really hard to get much out of the graphs. Images from early in the site's history would not score as well today. (See my highest scoring image, for example. Seriously, take a look.) Not only has camera capability moved forward, but also the viewers are more sophisticated. Yes we go for the eye candy and pretty pictures, but each fad has its day and the site moves on. (My personal current peeve is the letterbox effect, that is in current vogue.) I'd say the low scores are a little higher because the cameras are more forgiving. My FD-71 was horribly noisy in low light. The high scores are a little lower as we demand more and more perfection. In the end, in any challenge, there is everything from 1 to 10 on the images. So you are talking about averages, not about individuals voting. Think of it like flipping a coin. If it was heads last time, on average it should be tails this time. But the coin has no memory and does not know how it landed last. Similarly, each voter votes his or her own way. (Though some have called for uniform voting... how sad.) What the average tell me, is that at the moment, this is what the averages are. If I score higher, then I have beaten the average. Lower, and I am more towards my norm.
The problem isn't that the scores don't average out, because they do, it is possible problem that all pictures rate the same.
didn't the vote wiping process only start a year ago? (where a person has gone through and voted '1' for every image, these scores are wiped off at rollover).
that might explain why the lower end of the scale has changed!
