How our catalogs work: who ranks first and why

Our editors do not set the order in our catalogs by hand. Reader votes decide it, and the same rule applies to every section.

How a position is decided

1. First we compare the total number of votes a person has received, both likes and dislikes. The more readers voted, the higher the position.
2. If the vote counts are equal, the one with the higher share of likes ranks higher.
3. People nobody has voted for yet are placed at the end of the list.

Why the number of votes matters more than the percentage. For most people the share of likes is close to two thirds, so on its own it tells little apart. A percentage is also distorted by small numbers: a single like would give 100% and put a little-known person above someone thousands have voted for. The number of votes shows who readers care about more, and the share of likes settles ties.

What does not affect a position

• Money. A position in the catalog cannot be bought.
• Editorial opinion. We do not move anyone up or down by hand.
• Page views, publication date and biography length.

How to vote

Each celebrity page has Like and Dislike buttons. You can vote without registering. Each reader has one vote per person. If you change your mind, you can change your vote: it is recounted, not added a second time.

Where the rule applies

In every list ordered by votes: the main celebrity catalog, selections by profession, birth date and year, zodiac sign, height, name and birthplace, the band catalog and catalog search. In a selection the position is counted only among the people in it, so a person can be first in one selection and tenth in the main catalog.

How often the order is updated

A vote counts at once, and the order of the lists is recalculated within a few hours.