Ratings are my life's thermometer. I base my entire self image around the ratings I receive.

I know you're probably thinking, that is stupid. But think about it. If you can't succeed in the small things how can you succeed in the larger. Especially when a lot of effort is expended. God knows I spend an extrodinary amount of energy in these rating threads

I agree with paxx except I think of 5 as being OK and 6 is a bit better than average. For 4 I would say it's 'not bad'.

Being one whose work bypasses moderation I always start with a 6. Usually it stays there. Doesn't bother me at all. If ratings were really important then no site would be a good place to upload your work. Check out the deskmod WB section, the lowest ratings in the whole section (last time I looked) are two of my older skins both of which got high ratings at other sites.

Ratings are over-rated... they shouldn't be taken too seriously.

If anything hurts the credibility of ratings it's that so few people actually rate skins. If more people did it they might be more meaningful.

paxx and david bring up a good point. There should be a defined scale for the rating system so ppl have a better understanding of the numbers.
Example
1: Give up
2: Don't quit your day job
3: Try again
4: Getting warmer
5: Sitting on the fence
6: Lookin good
7: Needs more salt
8: Almost
9: Woo Hoo
10: Top of the Hill, Cream of the crop

Now that is the best point in this entire thread, if more people actually took the time to rate the skins it would be much more meaningful than just a few.

It's real common for a skin to have 30 or 40 comments but only 2 or 3 ratings.

I like your scale Delicious...

Personally, if I take the time to comment on a skin, I also rate it....

Yep. Great scale Delicious. Maybe I'll ask Pat (T-Man) to inlcude it in the rating list.

Sally, better you never get promoted to the point were your uploads bypass moderation, because then you're stuck with the auto 6 rating.

Sally it doesn't take rocket science to link the association with 'brown-nosing a boss' and suggestion admin bias.

Post 31 is clearly wrong with regards to the statement "Every skin I have uploaded has received a 6 rating with exception to my last one which got an 8 rating." so the thread topic is flawed.

Do the math. On virtually every work of yours, the individual admin rating equates near enough to the average for that skin. This is a clear indication that, whatever the criteria for the scale of an admin's rating it is not inconsistent with the public perception of that skin as indicated by the subsequent scores.

With regards to a '1' or a '10'....perhaps one person 'hated' your skin because it would not load properly [for them] or they DID have a personal dislike for the artist....conversely, perhaps the '10' was someone adoring the work, or merely adoring the artist.
Either way, you cannot, by your ratings as listed, have grounds to suggest personal bias by the admins against you or your work.

Another [personal] example of 'non-bias'...myself and treetog are good friends...we are both admins...and he is arguably one of the best and most accomplished skinners around. Ask him what's the lowest rating he ever got from me...[I thought that particular work wasn't up to his usual standard] Bias? Not bloody likely from THAT score...

The funny thing is I really don't care about ratings of skins. OK, so why the thread?

Every single time the hackneyed issue of ratings and/or bias is raised, the answer/solution has been that if more people posted 'ratings' on works then a more equitable and accurate indication of a skin's true 'value' would emerge.

The only inherent 'bias' in the system is that if you are at a 'level' that does NOT require moderation then you ONLY get the automatic '6', whereas the rest of the community at least gets ONE valid 'mark' on their work.
Many of mine have had no 'public' rating at all, and therefore no legitimate reflection/indication of their 'standing'....

At last count it looks like you have five [5] admins responding to this.
I guess we all just lurve ratings debates...

Not gonna touch it.....

Ratings mean nothing to me. As long as the comments are genuine, that's good enough for me

I agree with jake11, at first when I started submitting walls I would get a 6 and or a 5 and think that my walls were really weak. I then thought about it and really the rating isn't that important to me. I actually have quite a few walls that are average to subaverage but my approach is that I have a site that I can share with others an enjoyment for desktop/computer enhancement and even if one person D/L's a wall I made, I get gratification. The comments are great becasue it allows me to see what people think about what I made. I've got comments for a wall that say it's great and another that say it's sucks but I like that because you will never appeal to everyone....unless your Nikos. My point is that the rating is just a rating good or bad, it's about how you take it.

Yeah, that Nikos, I am about to pack my bags and head over to his house and see just how in the world he is making all that cool stuff so fast. I am almost suspecting he has a whole contingent of slave labor in his attic grinding out work for him.

I'm almost there adni18, now where did you say you lived?

It's funny because I've seen his profile and he lives in Greece (right?) and all I can think about is that his home looks like the Parthenon or something and he probably has an ocean view and a boat he uses to go out and catch fresh fish or something. What a life

Yeah, probably has a real cool villa on a mountainside overlooking the Ocean, and after getting a case of computer eyes, probably steps out on the patio, jumps out and dives 300 feet into the water without makin' a splash.

Then he glides up to the surface from 60 feet below with two giant starfish in his hands and hollers out saying, "WOW. this gives me an idea for another wallpaper!"

Effortlessly climbing his way back up to the patio, he faces the Ocean and the Sun, takes a deep breath and says; WHOA, that was brisk baby!

JAKE!

LMAO

You've got a whole story written for Nikos already...I can just picture it. *Lights, camera, ACTshun*

You're good

Does he meet a fairy princess trapped in a tower at the end?

Thats too funny............

I don't know why, but I was actuallty thinking about writing a short story along these lines. But then I thought maybe adni18 might not appreciate it being thrust into the spotlight like that.

I'll hold the thought though just in case as I seem to be able to "see" this "scene" so clearly.

Well maybe you can make it about a another person.....Adni19....so that way Nikos won't know it's about him.

Yes, I see how that might work GA, although the story I have in mind must take place in Greece, and include bright Sun, Ocean, Warm open portico's, and computers, artistry, ect. Oh yeah and of course our friend, though he wouldn't know, per se.

On second thought, I think I'll scrap the whole idea. It suddenly seems in poor taste, and besides I like adni's comments on my work. They seem to be truly genuine. I already know how he produces so much quality work so fast, he does it by not wasting time on this board.