Blogcritics.org Product Scoring System - Page 2

3. The 10-point scale is better.
There are a myriad of issues here, and you'll see why it's terrible in a moment. One of the things that has entered into the mindset of people over the years is that a 7 is average. If a site lists their definitions that way, they're not using the scale properly. That means there are only four scores for something above average (7, 8, 9, 10) and six for below average. Add in the rare use of a 10, and the scale loses even more leverage. Even if a site lists a 7 properly it is recognized as average. This is simply not the case.

The balance there is obviously off. One of the more interesting details about the 10-point system is how it ends up over time. If you average the scores over a period of time the score that's given most often is a 7.

What that indicates is that the majority of products reviewed are above average. That does not mean a 7 is the indicator of an average product, and that's wrong in the end. If you perform the same test on a five star scale, it ends up with a rating of three stars being average. This is exactly where it should be if you want a true designation of the term "middle of the road." In other words, that's the place most products fall into, and that should always be the average.

Article Author: Ken Edwards

Ken Edwards is the Gaming Editor at Blogcritics, and calls Breaking Windows home. Ken works part time for Student Publications at BGSU as the Webmaster and System Administrator. He is also a freelance web developer.

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