Inappropriate Ratings

Sorry Tim, I was a little busy at the weekend:

Thanks Dean

Dean wrote: Sorry Tim, I was a little busy at the weekend: Forum ID Username Action Section Date 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46106] admin 9/21/2013 7:13:46 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46624] admin 9/21/2013 7:11:12 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46586] admin 9/21/2013 7:10:01 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 45236] admin 9/21/2013 7:06:04 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 44010] admin 9/21/2013 7:05:36 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46398] admin 9/21/2013 7:04:37 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 45448] admin 9/21/2013 7:02:58 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 44981] admin 9/21/2013 7:02:01 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46171] admin 9/21/2013 6:58:41 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 44445] admin 9/21/2013 6:56:08 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47555] admin 9/21/2013 6:55:30 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 43092] admin 9/21/2013 6:42:37 PM 13705 Dean Delete review [review_id: 943662] admin 9/21/2013 6:36:45 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 38578] admin 9/21/2013 6:35:24 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 43815] admin 9/21/2013 6:34:08 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46728] admin 9/21/2013 6:32:03 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47193] admin 9/21/2013 6:31:10 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47194] admin 9/21/2013 6:30:41 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46682] admin 9/21/2013 6:15:40 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46483] admin 9/21/2013 6:15:11 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47209] admin 9/21/2013 6:14:45 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47336] admin 9/21/2013 6:14:07 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46051] admin 9/21/2013 6:12:18 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47385] admin 9/21/2013 6:11:51 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings 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46573] admin 9/21/2013 5:44:18 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47283] admin 9/21/2013 5:44:01 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46767] admin 9/21/2013 5:43:41 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47345] admin 9/21/2013 5:43:27 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47758] admin 9/21/2013 5:42:53 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47716] admin 9/21/2013 5:42:30 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 45357] admin 9/21/2013 5:41:20 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 44172] admin 9/21/2013 5:41:03 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 44071] admin 9/21/2013 5:40:44 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47208] admin 9/21/2013 5:39:26 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47301] admin 9/21/2013 5:38:32 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 44086] admin 9/21/2013 5:37:13 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 45077] admin 9/21/2013 5:36:56 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 45995] admin 9/21/2013 5:36:39 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 46074] admin 9/21/2013 5:36:19 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 47668] admin 9/21/2013 5:35:59 PM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 31559] admin 9/21/2013 11:12:24 AM 13705 Dean Delete Members Ratings [ForumID: 48946] admin 9/21/2013 11:10:00 AM I'll get around to your "two" guys later (it's at least four btw).

I saw that a 5 star review for Dream Theater's latest was posted today.  I think we might need to keep our eyes open as the avalanche of DT reviews comes in soon.  That guy in particular hadn't even rated anything else on the site.

Dean wrote: The album was released today so we now have to be 100% certain of any wrong doing before we delete a review or rating. Of course most of them will be, but proving it is another thing.

Thing that concerns me is yet again the fact that there are many many "no review" ratings for the latest Dream Theater (rating only). As well those that rated the album before the official album release concern me in that they either rated blind, rated on the album stream which wasn't good quality or they rated on an illegal download copy. I also don't understand how anyone can rate an album without having spent much time at all with it. To see in excess of 100 reviews of an album before official release especially where most of those reviews are rating only is something that I don't understand personally. I believe that unless the rating only reviews are stopped the system will always be open to abuse.

sukmytoe wrote: Thing that concerns me is yet again the fact that there are many many "no review" ratings for the latest Dream Theater (rating only). As well those that rated the album before the official album release concern me in that they either rated blind, rated on the album stream which wasn't good quality or they rated on an illegal download copy. I also don't understand how anyone can rate an album without having spent much time at all with it. To see in excess of 100 reviews of an album before official release especially where most of those reviews are rating only is something that I don't understand personally. I believe that unless the rating only reviews are stopped the system will always be open to abuse.

Edited by Second Life Syndrome - September 24 2013 at 05:19

Jason, I agree with you there and I'm sure that the bands value the opinions of those that they let have the early copies however anyone given an early copy to review would never give a rating only here. PA must be the most important prog music resource available and reviewers such as yourself are part of what makes PA great. The thing that does concern me is that abuse by those who give rating only points to an album purely to increase or decrease album scores - (fanboys or haters who really have nothing better to do than to spam ratings) - can have an impact on a band or an album here. Anyone serious about an album review would do a written review and a written review does show whether that reviewer knows anything about the album that is being reviewed in which case nonsense reviews and scores can be weeded out. A review that says simply that you hate or love an album without giving sensible factors of why that is should not exist here, to my mind. We here on PA can impact the sales of an album and it is naive to believe that decisions to purchase albums aren't made by many with reference to the album opinions shown here. If we really face it anyone who gives an album that has clear merit a 1 rating is motivated by factors other than knowledge of prog music or music in general. For me to rate Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" (as a pure example) with 1 shows that I really have no understanding of music whatsoever and a serious reviewer would never do that - if I did that as a rating only review I could get away with it however if I had to do so in writing my real reasons for doing so would be quite apparent (be that reason that I have no clear understanding of music or that I am simply a band hater) as I would have to sensibly justify my score in the review.   

Sagichim wrote: ^ Admins are working over time when DT or Steven Wilson are releasing a new album

The odd thing is, after the stupidity of people rating them before they were released, at the moment I'm not seeing any deliberate manipulation of either of these two albums.