New Feature Trial Grading Policy Change!

[Gossamer]

Trial Grading Policy Change

One of the biggest issues on Mizahar is the huge backlogs of grades. In order to help this situation and encourage more people to become Graders, we are willing to make a change in the grading policy on a trial basis.

Starting now through the end of Summer 517, we are going to relax the grading policy so that graders with a Grader Medal can grade their own threads. These can be solo threads or threads with large groups - even quests where an ST who has ran it has not graded it.

You will not have to wade through the grading que to grade your own threads. You can grade them at any time at your own leisure. However, you MUST remove your grade request (if there is one) from a grading request thread if you grade your own threads. And like always, you must post your grading results in the last post in the thread.

This should eliminate a great deal of the grading que.

Remember, you must have a Grader Medal to do this. You must keep your grades honest to the best of your abilities. If at any time someone has an issue on how a grader is awarding their own character's grades (or anyone else's for that matter), they can HD ticket the thread link, the grade that was awarded, and why they think it is wrong. They should include a 'suggested' grade correction. If those reading the HD agree on this suggestion, the grader who awarded the bad grades will get a warning and asked to correct the grades. The second time this happens, the grader will loose their grading medal and their ability to grade for the period of one year. After that, they can reapply to become a grader, though reinstatement is up to the staff at that time.

This should be a HUGE incentive for people to apply for grading status. This should also neatly clean out the grade request threads we have all over the game that are near to bursting with requests. We trust our graders. This is a transparent way to help the game out and get this giant monster of a backlog in grades going again. This also gives people the means to police themselves and keep themselves honest.

I encourage folks if they already have a grader tag to go ahead and grade their threads. If you don't have one, I encourage you to apply via the HD to get a grader tag. You must be here active 60 days and answer a ten question true and false quiz.

That's it. Keep it simple. Keep grading threads for others if you can, but don't hesitate to make your own grades a priority. Feel free to comment below if you have suggestions, concerns, etc. Remember this is a trial period. We are taking this situation for a test run to see if we can eliminate the number one issue most people have with Mizahar .... and that issue being the sluggish character progression due to the huge grade ques. Every thread we can eliminate from those ques help. Every single one.

Please note you do not have to grade your own threads. If you are more comfortable skipping them and leaving them for other graders, feel free to do so. It is my hope though with everyone with a Grader Status grading not only other threads but their own, that will make everyone more comfortable to objectively grade things they've written.

Happy threading folks!

Goss

[Gossamer]

One more quick note. If you have a grader medal on one PC but not another, feel free to HD ticket in order to get grader medals on the other PCs. This is a medal attached to a player, basically, not just one character. The same goes for those of you who have staff accounts but don't have grader medals.

[Sayana]

This is certainly an interesting policy change. I hope more people are encouraged to become graders.

And just to clarify, it doesn't matter where your grade request is in the queue, so long as your PC is in it then you can grade it?

I'll have to check out my outstanding grades and get grading.

The only thing I'll really miss are those lovely comments (positive or constructive criticism). But it will be a small price to pay if it helps with the grading queues.

[Gossamer]

As I said..

You will not have to wade through the grading que to grade your own threads. You can grade them at any time at your own leisure. However, you MUST remove your grade request (if there is one) from a grading request thread if you grade your own threads. And like always, you must post your grading results in the last post in the thread

[Yisanareysin]

Maybe finally we'll get Sylira down to less than a hundred outstanding grades

[Faradae]

That's an interesting (and unexpected) change that I hope will work out well.

Personally, I'll not grade my own threads, though. As I wrote when I applied to be a grader: To me, receiving a grade feels like a gift, and it's as much fun as giving grades to other people. I prefer reading something new and learning about other people's characters and their style of writing to skimming my own text again.

That's a matter of personal preference, of course. I hope this policy change won't lead to people only grading their own threads. That would dampen the grading system for players like me.

[Ball]

Fara: I think that is a fair concern, and I think that is one of the things addressed in Goss's starting post. In all fairness I believe that is the main reason Graders were not suppose to to grade their threads originally, that and people are dumb and will over-reward themselves over all.

Most of my threads I am willing to grade, if I get to them, simply because they are so bloody old or not worth much in XP right now (a few will be and I hope those threads I will speak with the other people involved and we can all agree on a grade I think. I think I have a few threads were all the people in them are graders lol)

One more quick note. If you have a grader medal on one PC but not another, feel free to HD ticket in order to get grader medals on the other PCs. This is a medal attached to a player, basically, not just one character. The same goes for those of you who have staff accounts but don't have grader medals.

w00T this is awesome to hear. I will request that and hopefully get crackin' on some grading for ya'lls. Syliras anyone?

[Gossamer]

I like getting grades too. Unfortunately it's stopped being worth it for me to wait sometimes years for them. I suspect others feel the same way.

[Gossamer]

We've been sailing along nicely with the Self-Grading Trial until...

I had to remove my first set of grader tags today. Why? Here is an glimpse of the very lengthy pm I sent after the grades were deleted and tags removed.

First, you have tagged multiple threads "Grading in Progress." This is not allowed. You can only grade one thread at a time. You are also clearly not reading CS's and making sure they are up to date and that stats are not maxed because you keep awarding +5's to stats that are maxed on other characters. Strike two. Thirdly, the skill Seduction covers any sort of sexual interaction including Lovemaking and Kissing... so those are redundant skills you are awarding.

Make sure you don't award LORES as skills. If you have ZERO clue what you are doing, you don't belong with a grader tag.

Goss

[Salara Kel'Halavath]

I agree entirely with Faradee. I've not had any of mine graded yet but I'm looking forward to seeing what another grader picks up in my writing that I might not have seen myself. As a new grader I believe this will make me a better grader.

Would it be fair to consider allowing graders to grade graders in the same fashion? You scratch my back....

I'd gladly apply myself to doing a non-grader grading every other one with each pilot grade/self to ensure our players don't get left behind.