Definition
This measure is the share of WordPress plugins whose rating count did not rise during a calendar month. It records rating growth, or the lack of it, across the population, not the rating score each plugin carries. A plugin either gained at least one rating in the month or it did not. The share is calculated separately by popularity rank.
Population and window
Rivale measures this across the top 12,500 plugins, by popularity rank. The window is the report month, comparing rating counts at each end of that month against each other. This determines whether growth occurred. The popularity ranks are the same three used across this dictionary.
How it is computed
The rating count at the last observation of the month minus the count at the last observation of the previous month. A difference of zero or less counts as no gain, so a removed rating never creates a gain. Plugins ranked at both month ends with a known rating count are included, grouped by their rank at the start of the month.
How to read it
The figure compares the rating count at the last observation of the month with the last observation of the previous month. A difference of zero or less counts as no gain. A removed rating alone can never create a gain by this measure. Read it beside removed reviews for the other side of published feedback measured across the same plugins and ranks. A high share at one popularity rank can be compared with the share at another for the same month. The share reflects only the two month-end observations, so any change in between is not shown.
What it is not
This measure does not report the rating score itself, only whether the count of ratings grew across the month. It only includes plugins ranked at both month ends with a known rating count. It does not cover plugins that left or entered the top 12,500 plugins partway through the month. It is not the same figure as removed reviews, which counts published reviews that disappeared rather than ratings that failed to grow. It also does not distinguish a small rating gain from a large one, only whether any gain occurred.