[PAID/FREE] I'm looking for a rating mod BUT I need specific features

[Cmely]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a rating mod and I've seen few around that could almost suit my needs but I do really need two specific features :

- Allow users to post in a thread ONLY if they have previously rated other posts in this thread.
- Possibility to have a thread-specific counter of rates received by a member.

Do you know some mod which could have those features ?

Now, I'm going to explain you why I need those, maybe some of you will be able to tell me how to do without  .

I'm running a photography forum. I would like to create a weekly challenge : each week a theme is chosen and members post their pictures related to this theme in the thread of the week (one week = one theme = one thread). Pictures are rated by users and the member who get the higher score win.

So, I would like to force members to rate other pictures first before they can submit their own. And then I would like to keep a rate counter per thread.

Do you have any suggestion on how I could achieve that or any ideas on how I could do otherwise ?

PS : I'm ok to pay some (reasonable) fees if needed to adapt an existing mod or to create something from scratch.

[Cmely]

Nobody has any suggestions? 

[Arantor]

Why make users rate before posting their own?

[Cmely]

Hi Arantor,
I was suprised you didn't answer sooner 

And thank you for your question, it makes me realise that I've not been clear enough in my explanations.

The picture challenge I'm talking about goes this way :
One theme will be anounced each week.

For each theme, one thread is created. So one (and only one) thread a week will be created. Pictures posted in this thread will be rated by members. Picture with highest rate will win.Only one thread will by active at a time (the previous themes will be locked)

Members who want to participate will post their picture in this thread BUT I would like to be sure they have rated at least one other picture in this same thread before they can post.  This to be sure to have enough participation in the rating. I want to avoid a lot of picture submission without enough vote.

Does it make more sense to you ?

Maybe I'm asking something too complicated or maybe there are better ideas.
This is why I'm submitting my problem to the community because I'm not skilled enough in SMF to find a solution.

[margarett]

Your explanation makes sense, although your idea not that much

What about the first picture, who posts it if no one rated? Also, the first pictures will have advantage because there are fewers to rate.

Wouldn't it be easier to just have a sticky with rules for users to follow? And even still, it would be biased towards the first pics.
You should probably ha a fixed timeframe to post pictures and another one to rate.

[Arantor]

Considering that I am currently using borrowed laptops and iPads to do work on, it is quite a miracle I can post at all.

Anyway in addition to margarett's quite accurate concerns, there is one huge concern: the belief that it will actually encourage ratings. Historically such systems do not encourage such behaviour.

[Cmely]

Considering that I am currently using borrowed laptops and iPads to do work on, it is quite a miracle I can post at all.

Yes, but you are THE Arantor. I believe you can post even if there were no more computer on Earth 

More seriously, could you elaborate a little bit about your statement ("...historically such system do not encourage such behaviour").
What would be your suggestion ?

And if I follow Margarett's and your advice, what do you think (this question is for both of you) about the following idea ?

First week : the first theme is proposed and members have one week to post their pictures.
Second week : the second theme is proposed. Members can post picture for the second theme and vote for pictures of the first theme.
And so on, week after week.

But this mean there will always be a gap between posting time and voting time. Doesn't it break the fun ?

Then, based on your experience, what would be the best rating method :
- A 5 level scale (from 1 - very bad to 5 - very good), and the picture which get the higher score is chosen,
- A simple "like" system - Picture which get the more likes is chosen,
- A more complicated system : members rate several aspect of the picture (technic, lighting, composition, ...) and the picture which get the best overall score is chosen.
- Something else much more easier to implement and manage 

[margarett]

How you do it is really up to you. I'd suggest 1 week for posting pics, 1 week after for voting them. Not concurrent competitions at once. But then, it's my idea, not yours...

The rating... A 5-level scale gives you more specific results. Like/dislike is "all or nothing".

Why don't you ask your users how THEY want to have the contest working. After all, it's targeted at them, not us
/2 cents.

[Arantor]

I would err towards even-numbers rather than odd-numbers if you're going to have a rating system because that way it forces people to actually pick a side rather than sitting on the fence.

Agree on the separation of posting and ranking.

But ultimately, strongly agree on the 'ask the users' front. We're only going on what we've seen generally, but each community is different.

[Cmely]

Thank you both very much for your answers and suggestions.
You may see the result of this "brainstorming" here : http://www.lux-optima.com/index.php?board=95.0

It's not quite exactly what you suggested but your remarks helped me a lot to simplify what I need.
Thanks.