💡 In simple words: On WikiDeal, we want feedback to be fair and honest. If you take the time to leave detailed, useful comments, you earn thank-you rewards (like Karma tokens or small surprises). But if someone always gives 5 stars or 1 star without thinking, or ignores feedback requests, the system balances it out so everyone gets a fair picture.

🎯 In 20 seconds (scientific summary): Rating Balance encompasses the proactive policies to stimulate honest, calibrated, and diversified marketplace ratings. This framework, still under construction via upcoming open calls, integrates "incentivized feedback" (rewarding detailed, constructive reviews with Karma or privileges rather than money) and mechanisms connecting to the Maturity Score and Civic Incentive (e.g., educating users, rewarding early reviews, and applying a "tax" on systematic ignorance or artificial positivity).

Rating Balance

Innovation, WikiDeal R&D. (Previously known under the concepts of "Judgment Balance Indicator", "Rating Balancing Policy", and "Incentivized Feedback", which are now unified here).

Origin	🟢 WikiDeal concept
Status	Under study (proposal), to be built via Open Calls

The Policy in Brief

The Rating Balance framework aims at keeping marketplace ratings honest, calibrated and diversified. It is not just an indicator: it is a policy that proactively stimulates balance rather than merely measuring it.

Because this system is highly complex, the specific algorithms and rules are not yet finalized. They are intended to be built and refined through dedicated open calls (e.g., Open Call: Rating Balance Processes).

The envisioned policy rests on three pillars:

Honest: ratings should reflect real experiences.
Calibrated: extreme patterns (such as systematic 1-star or 5-star scores) are weighted relative to a rater's track record, minimizing distortion.
Diversified: feedback should come from a wide variety of users, supported by motivation and incentive tools close to the civic incentive approach.

Incentivized Feedback

A core paragraph of the Rating Balance policy is Incentivized Feedback. Feedback on WikiDeal is meant to be detailed and useful, covering soft skills, communication, and problem-solving. To stimulate this, users receive advantages, never money (as paying for reviews compromises honesty).

These incentives include:

Karma tokens (see the Time and Resource Bank).
User and admin rights, or the right to run for certain functions.
Direct credits from providers: e.g., an authorized late check-in, an extra night in a booking, or a local cultural experience.

Mechanisms and Connections

The policy connects directly with the Civic Incentive and the Maturity Score systems through three core mechanisms:

User Education: Users are educated on how to leave constructive, precise comments without exaggerating or wasting time (moderation, precision, and contextual use cases).
Early Reviewer Advantages: The very first users who comment on new services or persons receive proactive advantages (notably in Karma tokens, for example earning the right to an extra free night in a 7-night accommodation booking). This jumpstarts the reputation and maturity of the offering.
Feedback "Tax" and Penalties: To prevent skewed distributions and artificial positivity, a "tax" or penalty is applied to users who too frequently ignore feedback requests or exclusively leave positive comments without nuance.