Hiding or removing rating from airing dramas

I agree that not only something should be done, but even more interest should actually be shown on MDL's side to the whole issue.

I've seen dramas, which have only just begun and even though only 5-6 episodes came out, there were users that rated every single episode until the very last one. I don't really understand why that is even possible, especially when there even is a counter on the drama page that says which episode is going to air in what time. The fact that it's possible aside, to me that's very clear that whoever does this is not interested in the rating being anywhere near accurate for what the drama is, and it shouldn't be accepted in either a positive or a negative way.

I am a bit of a technological boomer, so I don't know how difficult or easy something might be. Still, if there are users who create multiple accounts on the spot to do that, creating a buffer period for how long an account needs to exist before they can vote could potentially help. Unless someone is so meticulous that they write down the login and password for every single one of those accounts, there's a chance that in x amount of time, they won't even be able to log into that account anymore. If there are bots, a "simple" captcha or something that verifies if you are a bot would probably be able to help.

Not to mention, both of these should be easy to spot. Sure, there can be situations when there is a lot of activity under a drama, especially if it's a popular one, but identical good or bad reviews coming in very large numbers all at once should be easy to spot, and given a closer look. I imagine there must be a way to verify how many accounts use the same IP, but with VPNs, it may not be entirely accurate either.

I am not sure I would go quite so far as to attach a mandatory mobile number verification, though. If a website asks me for my mobile number, it's usually and insta-close for me. In my country, every mobile number has to be registered to a person, with all their personal details, and I don't want to offer an easy access to all my personal details on random website in the internet. I can give it to, let's say, a bank because I would expect a certain amount of security from them, but pages like MDL, I don't trust them to keep these things secure.

 ra111ster:

from what i gather is that majority of people don't rank ongoing shows. so if there are bad actors they would come in after say 10 episodes and tank the score. on the other hand it's unlikly for someone who dropped the show early on because of personal preferences to come back and to rate it badly. unless, the show really "hurts" them :D . so yeah having some cool off period sounds alright to me.

personally i lean towards solutions for ongoing shows which reflect current status of the drama like "watching", "dropped", "onhold" etc., something that doesn't involve personal preferences. 

Two more reasons why I suggest delaying the amount of time to open for ratings and also necessitating voting for each of 10 episodes as a minimum in ratings (thanks to Sharlottka's comment):

 1) The comment section where actual viewers comment would be more demonstrative of what is happening in the drama, as opposed to numbers that can be tinkered with.

2) Accounts maliciously targeting a drama do the most damage when the number of viewers is fewer and ratings therefore count for more, with the algorithms. I usually ignore ratings at the extreme of both ends, but the viewer trying to figure out whether to watch a drama will find it difficult based on numbers.    
If someone watches 10 episodes and rates them all as 1, that should trigger a moderator into looking at the account. Why would someone watch 10 episodes, just to rate them all as 1 or 2? If someone drops a drama after one episode, that is understandable. 

So when is our "Lovely" Admins or Moderators gonna see this or take some actions about it? Lately 1/3rd of the comments everyday on airing dramas are about Ratings up, ratings down, Rating deserves this, and deserved that, It's a mess . I never understood the Logic of opening a drama score after 1/2 episodes of a kdrama and 4/5 episodes of a cdrama.whether it is low or high,it doesn’t give Justice to the production. At least let it be half completed before opening the Rating, users can rate or drop whatever they want as long as they're not bot accounts, but the Main Overall Rating should be opened after half of the drama is finished airing, or even better if It's released on ending day after all episodes are done.

 ra111ster:

personally i lean towards solutions for ongoing shows which reflect current status of the drama like "watching", "dropped", "onhold" etc., something that doesn't involve personal preference

oh there are people like that as well 🤭 :

P/S: (DON'T MISUNDERSTOOD!! I SEPARATED MY LIST ACCORDING MY OWN PREFERENCE:)

Dropped - 1st line up (must watch immediately)
Currently watching - 2nd line up (watch after finish dropped)
Plan to watch - 3rd line up (watch after currently watching)

There are some great suggestions in this discussion. I agree with delaying opening up ratings until the drama finishes airing. I believe it will have a net positive effect. 

Another suggestion I'd like to add is the possibility of having two scores / ratings. I've noticed there are typically posters that have a talent for tracking the metrics of a drama both during the live airing phase and post completion. They often provide detailed and insightful data-driven posts in the comment section. You can go back to the MDL page of a completed drama and find them there posting updates highlighting a show's ongoing success / milestone achievements. It would be beneficial if they had a tab / section to put this data that is visible and easily accessible for potential watchers. When this data is posted in the comment section, it is subject to being buried by general posts, and even if put in a topic, it can be overlooked. 

There are two ways this potentially could be done. MDL could add a professional film critic aggregate score / rating. Similar to how Rotten Tomatoes has a fan score and a film critic rating. Although this may be tricky to implement and would require knowledgeable users to compile professional reviews from reputable sources and generate an average score from their ratings. The other is simply an option / feature that allows metric data and extras to be added in a visible and easily accessible place next to the MDL user rating. Complied statistics / data from reputable and verified sources that users can submit to MDL for approval. Any significant awards or nominations could also be added in this section. I think this would contribute to providing a clearer overall picture of a show's success / value.