Stan: I welcome the addition of an e-mail article option. However, the new Rating system clutters up MacMinute's layout. In fact, the story rating ruins MacMinute's clean new layout. Stories now take up about 25% more space because of the two additional lines. <br><br>I don't see the point of rating news stories. I trust MacMinute's brilliant editorial team not to publish unworthy stories in the first place.<br><br>If the rating system is here to stay, please make it more compact! For example, attach it to the end of the story, instead of putting it in a new paragraph.<br><br>Escher<br><br>

I don't think it clutters the layout, but I do agree it's a useless feature on short term. If the news weren't edited by pros it would make sense. Like slashdot.com.<br><br>On long term however, the information provided by readers to the editors through rating is very important. This way the editors can concentrate on issues that interest the Mac public more and disregard those that are less important. So, basically by voting for the liked and disliked articles you are shaping the site to your own taste. So, your precious time is better spent.<br><br>http://raszl.net

I have to agree... it takes up too much space, and rating an article seems kind of silly. I don't even like the e-mail feature, but I can at least see the usefulness in having it.<br><br><br>[color:red]What? I don't understand. What?</font color=red>

I don't rate the articles..they are all good. So to me they are a waste of space.<br><br>

Gotta agree with iraszl, the voting information is valuable to the editors over the longer term. What I'd like to see is just a simple "rate this story" link, that say, pops open a window so I can vote on the story. I'd prefer not to see the aggregate rating stars until I clicked on the "rate this story" link -- in fact, I don't find the stars necessary at all (though it is a nice nod to iTunes).<br><br>Actually, this raises another question. When I rate a story, what am I rating? (a) my interest in the story, OR (b) how MacMinute covered it?<br><br>But really, ever since MacMinute started tracking link accesses, this kind of information has been available to the editors, provided, of course, each story had a link.<br><br>[edit: typo]<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by asterizk on 10/08/02 08:40 PM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>

I registered for this fourm just to agree that the email option and rating system is a waste space. I was hoping that there would have been a news article saying it was a new feature and I would have rated it "1" until it made a difference.<br><br>I frequent your site because I like your sleek quick to read format. I now have to scroll a lot more and for what? To know how some one else feels about a tidbit of MacNews? People are going to vote high numbers on good news and low numbers on bad news and I don't care what they think - I want to know the facts.<br><br>I have emailed info from your site to others numerous times. It is so simple. I copy and paste. If your point is to create a mailing list and spam all my friends I don't think you are going about it the right way. I tell all my friends to visit macminute because of the sleek way they present the MacNews. Please don't leave this format.<br><br>

I never read the articles, just browse through them so i don't really mind. but the ratings looks like a copy of iTunes song rating. but i don't mind if they are there or not.<br><br>[b]Rakka...

That only happens in Chimera, seems to be a bug in it. If you scan the HTML, there is no extra BR or P tag... It should all be on one compact line. As for the usefullness, it's going to be great. Types of stories that get low ratings won't get published again so we'll even get the news faster.<br><br>-- j o n k n e e --<br>MacMerc.com<br><br>

After speaking with Stan about the "Ratings" in an iChat with other members, the deal is this: The ratings are for the editors to decide what the readers like and don't like reading about. You aren't so much rating how they covered it, as much as WHAT is being covered. For instance, if MM has 4 articles about XYZ Software over a period of time, and it only gets a one or two-star rating each time... you can bet there won't be a 5th article.<br><br>Correct me if I'm wrong, Stan.<br><br><br>[color:red]What? I don't understand. What?</font color=red>

Thanks for that info, jonknee. I didn't realize that Chimera inserted an addtional line break. Older versions of IE had a similar problem. Even without the extra break (e.g. in OW or IE), I still think the rating feature clutters up MacMinute's clean design.<br><br>MacGizmo: Thanks for explaining Stan's motivation behind the ratings feature. I guess in this modern day and age more interaction with the editor can only further improve his work.<br><br>Escher<br><br>