New Rating System +/-

Because when you have 1800+ reviews you want to remain as consistent as possible. Adhering to the formula is the only way to do that.

 

I understand. I think that legacy aspect is the biggest issue. But if you were starting new, you probably wouldn't use that formula. It's easy for me to say, of course, with 20 some reviews. Too bad they couldn't add the formula method as an option.

 

I agree. I think though it would be tough if you were starting now to review a beer. Before everything was broken down in categories where the Bros had 5 as exceptional and 1 as awful and notes in between. Without that now numbers will be even more subjective to personal preference as opposed to style (which, one is SUPPOSED to take in to account when reviewing or even rating a beer).

 

I can't like this post enough! Idiocracy is coming. Embrace it or die!

 

I think his point is that up until a few days ago, everyone's reviews could remain entirely consistent without them having to put in any extra effort in doing the equation ourselves.

 

I am trying (and will continue to try) to keep an open mind but I really don't see any advantages, only disadvantages. I specifically chose this site to review my (now almost 1500) beers and the rating/review system was one of the main reasons. Now it's basically untapped-wannabe. Meh.

Dope

 

Not a fan of the new rating system with just a single number. I really liked the separate rating categories for the different areas/aspects of a beer. Also not a fan of the fact that a serving type cannot be selected for beer reviews now. not cool man, not cool.

Eric

 

That's funny- I've kinda looked up to you as well! I've often had a hard time putting my finger on a a flavor and have relied on your reviews to help be figure it out. Funny world indeed.
But on topic- I have no issue with the new direction of the review system whatsoever. I don't necessarily think that these new measures are an upgrade but it's a new way of thinking about beer that makes rating-reviewing-tracking easier to a wider range of perspective BeerAdvocate users.

Sure, anything that is unusual to us is assumed to be a negative. But after the dust settles and we get more used to the new way the site operates, I think it will be no big deal. My initial reactions are that this site is being too "ticker-friendly" and maybe that's true, but none of that impacts my reviewing contributions at all. I've often thought that BeerAdvocate was too BJCP reliant and these new measures breaks away from those constraints and allows the brothers and their staff to act much more independently- much like the craft beer market does anyway.

BeerAdvocate is not my site. I do not own it or make big decisions about it. I am simply a user and it has been a gratefully rewarding hobby since I've been on board. The changes really don't impact me or my interest in the site at all. I don't really care how Jason, Todd and the gang decide to operate the site going forward. I'm just happy that they let me be a part of it all. I'll adapt and embrace whatever they decide to do. I look forward to being a part of the BeerAdvocate community even more in upcoming years and trust that their endeavors will be in the best interest of good beer regardless.

 

Further to my previous posts I guess I am free to make my own beer review website, and I did just that a couple of days ago:

http://ihatemacros.wordpress.com/

Also worked out how to write the formula to calculate beer scores in Excel that people might find useful (it goes in the total cell): =B1*A1+B2*A2+B3*A3+B4*A4+B5*A5

With the weightings you want to assign with the percent sign at the end in the "A" column (e.g. 10%, etc...). Then all you need to do is type your rating in the "B" column and you're good to go.

Enjoy!

 

Many excellent points made along the way. Here is the one key point we all need to realize. BA is a business, and like all businesses it needs to aim its marketing at those who best will help it to profit. Obviously the goal is to compete with Untappd, and by compete I mean try to become more like Untappd but retain key elements.

Trying to be as tactful as I can here.

We all think we know what is best for someone else's business, but no one knows it better than those who own it and run it. It has been obvious for quite some time that those things which helped make BA what it is, i.e. a distinct effort not to dumb it down for mass consumption, and to have its brand distinct, are no longer considered by BA's owners to be a successful business model going forward. I personally think that this is wrong headed, but I know nothing about this business, so what the hell does my opinion count for?

We all need to ask ourselves if we want BA to succeed, and if we do, I think we need to cut Todd and Jason, et al, some slack. Many of us old timers feel we have a right to complain, and feel like we are part of the decision making here, maybe even with more important opinions than noobs, but at the end of the day it is the numbers of clicks, and how often those clicks re-occur, that drive this site, not an idealistic urge to remain the pure expression of beer geekery and beer love it always has been here, and we old timers are no more nor less important than Johnnie Comelately who tried a Redds Apple Ale yesterday and clicked here today.

 

Excellent response and an important perspective. Blind loyalty to longtime users at the expense of potential new traffic is bad business. I can understand that. I just wish that the loyalty had extended at least far enough to allow longtime users the chance to back up their content that involved hours of effort and helped build this site. I feel that the Bros approach was unnecessarily heavy handed.

Having said that, the grumpy old man in me doesn't like the change to the ratings system. But realistically it won't change how I review or my overall scores by more than maybe a tenth of a point.

 

i don't know what's best for them business-wise, and yes the site is both free and theirs. as a user i'm put off by losing years of data and having my current site use heavily compromised.

 

I have no issues with people deciding to write "tasted good at Bob's last night" as their only comments. People can do what they want. I don't have to read it.

Why not just keep reviews with categories and then allow comments under "hads?" Seems like the best of both worlds to me.

Jeff

 

One work around. Write your reviews in Word using the categories you favor to structure your document. Then assign the number here and copy/paste the review here. Then if you like you can also save the Word document and have an easy back up of your review.

 

But the issue is, that the old system already had a way for the tickers to quickly rate a beer. This new method doesn't add anything really for them, but takes away from the reviewers. The old system wasn't "broken", and didn't need a "fix".