Rating Quizzes Rant
I just noticed that my most popular quiz dropped from 103rd to 263rd. The only members who have played it recently are newbies who did poorly on it. I wonder why my rating dropped by 160 points?
I'm slightly annoyed. If my quiz were badly written but extremely simple and easy, anyone could get 100%. That would just make it the most boring quiz ever. Everything in it would be generic and lame. It wouldn't be good trivia at all. In fact, I aim to ask for things that people WON'T know, and then I give a full description and explanation of these facts to add to their knowledge. I never want to leave anyone in the dark as to what on earth I mean by something or why on earth I asked it.
Which makes me wonder, how exactly do I rate quizzes?
Hm... Well, what do I notice in quizzes?
Voice/Style: Can I tell that there's a person on the other side of this internet thing asking me these questions or does it sound like a class quiz or machine? Does this person like the topic? Do they have a personal interest in the information? Does it sound like a child rattling on about cupcakes?
Scale: If there's someone there = above average. If it's direct question and answer format with obligatory information cranked out like a machine = average or poor. If it sounds like a child = subterranean poor.
Grammar and Usage: Grammar is sentence structure. Usage is the choice of words. Do the sentences sound normal? Are they redundant? Do they write like a professional in their field (either formal or informal is fine) or do they write like a child with a crayon?
Scale: If the writing sounds intelligent = above average. If it's "written in crayon" = subterranean poor.
Information: Is this information incredibly obvious and blandly stated, or did the author take some time to "show off" how much he knows and explain it?
Scale: Interesting and explained = excellent! (A++) Obvious and boring = poor. Obvious and lame = subterranean poor.
For me, information is the most important, followed by voice. Grammar can be easily fixed, but without content and personality, the quiz is dead. I don't spend a lot of time scaling a quiz. I think "Hey, he knows what he's talking about, and he sounds friendly" or "Did they think about this at all? Why did I waste my time playing?" The "child" comments are directed at people who are NOT children, but still write like a four year old talks.
If you're going to write quizzes, please do not write the same quiz that four hundred other people, or seven thousand other people, could write about your topic. Put YOU into your quiz, either by choosing interesting questions or by giving information in an interesting way. If any of seven thousand people could write your quiz, why should I play yours and not theirs?
To finish this little rant, I've decided to take the former rating to heart and shrug off the new rating. I thank everyone who took my quiz because they were interested, and considered more than their score when they rated my quiz. If the most recent players actually thought about what they were doing, instead of making the rating match their score, I appreciate the honest evaluation.
11 Comments:
I'm sure I read in the forums that ratings from newbies are ignored. It was a post from Terry I think. I understand how you feel though but you just can't take these things to heart, people have such different ways of rating quizzes that you just can't take them seriously. I have two very similiar quizzes online 'UK one hit wonders' and 'More UK one hit wonders', one is rated 700th and the other 46660th and honestly, I've stared and stared at them and can see no difference in the quality! All I can say is the people who played the first quiz were having a bad day and the folk who played the second one must have been in a really great mood :-)
By 50ftqueenie, Dec 12 06 1:49 PM
I am new at making quizzes. I have 2. I put alot of thought and time into my questions. I understand what you are saying. You have quizzes on Zelda. I loved playing that game, but i only played the super nintendo one. There for i do not know much of anything about them. So i would never rank your quiz with a low score just because i got the questions wrong due to the fact i was uneducated. My lack of knowledge to your quiz does not in no means make your quiz poor. Take care.
By boji8, Dec 12 06 1:56 PM
Ah...I don't know whether newbies votes are ignored, but I can see how many of them might think it isn't fair. It is fair, though, because they might not know what IS average on this sight.
Popularity tests are never very objective.
By kaylofgorons, Dec 12 06 5:10 PM
That's a great "scale" for rating quizzes that you have, kayle. I try to look at how much information and thought was put into the quiz, instead of how well I did on it. Maybe more people will figure this out once that read this...
By chimpy6302, Dec 12 06 5:59 PM
Personally, I tend to mark more quizzes 'excellent' if I got a lot wrong, but enjoyed the quiz. Am I weird?
By Quiz_Beagle, Dec 12 06 6:36 PM
I don't think you're weird. I enjoy a quiz when it's interesting and funny, even if I got everything wrong. I think it's pretty cool when an author can do that.
By kaylofgorons, Dec 12 06 7:18 PM
By Gil_Galad, Dec 12 06 8:49 PM
The most important thing for me in a quiz is to have original questions. I've played Harry Potter quizzes that had the same questions over and over again.
Another thing I like seeing in quizzes is "personality". It makes a very good impression when one's quiz is well-written in the author's personal style. A funny quiz is better than a quiz where one just answers the questions to get a few points.
And last but not least, I enjoy it when quiz authors add interesting bits of information that people who take the quiz are unlikely to know.
By Gil_Galad, Dec 12 06 8:59 PM
I tend to rate quizzes more highly if they challenge me (I have done 4995). If I don't know the subject I abandon the quiz, but if it looks interesting I do some research and then take it. I have written 17 quizzes the highest ranked is 1509 but it is not my best quiz. I try to concentrate on writing interesting quizzes with good additional information, as long as some people play them, that's all I want.
I haven't played yours, yet, because I don't play many computer games.
Regards,
Tin
By mnbates, Dec 13 06 2:23 AM
I think it is safe to say, too, that the ratings are not important to the site overall nor the flow of it - the ratings are only important (usually) to the author of the quiz itself. I tend to think they're a barometer of how the members assess a quiz [and not AT ALL how I expect that they should]. In my estimation the ratings tell me what the players thought of my quiz on their terms and I kind of like the feedback that way, whether I agree with it or not. I have, personally, taken quizzes where I scored a big and healthy 'Zero' and didn't hesitate to give it an 'Excellent' rating because it was a fascinating assembly of new information, clever wording and an obviously presented passion of its author. I have rated other quizzes (where I scored well) much lower because it was, in my opinion, obvious that the quiz was not meant to challenge but to attract lots of play and appear popular. I guess I think that once you begin to map out how you think a quiz should be rated by an eclectic group it's much like the car dealer saying "You may purchase any car on the lot here ~ just as long as it's a green four-door Buick". In that scenario it's clear that selling the Buick is the point of the deal and NOT if the potential customer cares about Buicks or green or doors at all.
If that makes sense, anyway....
By Gatsby722, Dec 13 06 10:56 PM
I agree with Gatsby722 (along with most of you guys). I used to rate every quiz that I didn't hate or not like specifically for some reason "excellent", but once I started writing quizzes, I realized that my quizzes were better than many of those on there, so I should rate quizzes more accurately, and I do. Probably pretty-much based on your system, Kayle. My highest rated quiz is ranked 1300 (of 65,000 or whatever it is), but I don't think it's my best quiz. I think it's my most creative quiz, though, and so I understand why people rated it so highly. I agree with Gatsby, though in that the ratings seem to be more for the author themselves. I am the only one that really cares what a person rates my quizzes!
By luvtheheaven, Dec 18 06 6:45 PM