After Laughter (Comes Tears)
posted by max on June 12, 2007 at 06:45:13 PM
I've always felt that YTMND should focus more on the content being produced than the users that produce the content itself.
Back in 2004 a lot of the content on the front page included links to a user's profile and at some point in time this stopped.
While the site's identity continues to grow, there isn't much of an outlet for users to gain an identity beyond their sites.
With suggestions and help from others I've created a beta version of a new scoring system that will privately rank users based on a number of criteria. This can then be used to give users who create great content more exposure, as well as being used as a method of highlighting content that will most likely be generally well received. Obviously the algorithm will be tweaked over the next few weeks but I hope to make it a useful part of the site. I don't want to turn this into a popularity contest, so for the time being I have no plans of publishing a list of users with associated scores.
Another upcoming change is the Hall-of-Fame, which will see a total re-haul. The Hall-of-Fame has not reflected the true spirit of YTMND and has been used as a repository of sorts. A lot of the items that don't belong will be removed and a lot that do belong will be added.
With suggestions and help from others I've created a beta version of a new scoring system that will privately rank users based on a number of criteria. This can then be used to give users who create great content more exposure, as well as being used as a method of highlighting content that will most likely be generally well received. Obviously the algorithm will be tweaked over the next few weeks but I hope to make it a useful part of the site. I don't want to turn this into a popularity contest, so for the time being I have no plans of publishing a list of users with associated scores.
Another upcoming change is the Hall-of-Fame, which will see a total re-haul. The Hall-of-Fame has not reflected the true spirit of YTMND and has been used as a repository of sorts. A lot of the items that don't belong will be removed and a lot that do belong will be added.
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Users with decent sites (the sites themselves, that is) who aren't already all over the FP are the ones who should be benefiting from this, especially knowing how some of the current pinkies have behaved to get the popularity they've received. Ehh, I dunno how to do it fairly but I worry about a system that currently rewards evenging dvers & alt users but doesn't include folks like lowcast, inkdrinker, korf41, hanktherapper, WobblesTheGoose, AwesomeBob, xXWaspXx & lots more.
I completely disagree with promoting certain users over others. The whole point of ytmnd was that anyone could make a site and the "market" decides its rating. Promoting certain users over others isn't the right direction, in my opinion. The fact that users need their ego fed by e-popularity is the entire point of letting the ytmnds speak for themselves.
Syncan, I think some concern stems from most of the pinkies already having more exposure than the average user. (Justifiably so in most cases) Take you http://random2.ytmnd.com site. It got 61 votes. A lot of funny people here would kill for 61 votes I bet. Now, if you made that today, who knows how many views it would get. But whatev, I never looked at Most Voted This Week anyway, so it's okay by me.
syncan, I know yr smart enough to see the error with that logic. The popularity of sites is NOT totally based on the sites themselves. If you want to test this, I'll make a few sites and let some pinkies post them. Then compare them to the stats I get with a similar site posted under my acc't. I'll bet you a hell of a lot of money that fourest or Sitsu's name cache will get them 1000s of views and at least +.5 points higher votes.
Hell, I could probably prove this simply by using a brand new account, too. If you vote and comment openly here, it comes back to haunt you, both from users who revenge vote (often with alts, even among the pink list) and the masses who attack dissenting opinions on mind-numbingly stupid sites. I can actually see my site ratings drop after a good hour of voting/commenting. Sorry to be a fly in the ointment but this feature rewards cowardliness as it stands.
He's right Syncan. If it's based on a users avg. rating then it is about who made it more than the site's contents. Like I said elsewhere if the list is really just people Max wants to feature, great. But if it's done by the numbers then it's a big mistake. I hate him, but gay Korf if a prime example. He openly downvotes stuff he doesn't like and his sites take a beating. "it *IS* the sites that speak for themselves" is a pretty naive thing to say.
If you both make the "exact same site", one or both will get accused of resubbing. It doesn't work that way. For the sake of argument, just compare chav-slayer's (who I like, mind you) grouchtasticvoyage.ytmnd.com to my legendarygrouch.ytmnd.com. I'm not saying either are brilliant. I'm merely posing that syncan is off his rocker here.
What gets me is we have to listen to Max bitch about the quality of YTMND being so poor. Well people who at least try to vote on site content most of the time, and therefore knowly open themselves to revenge downvotes votes, do so with the overall quality of YTMND in mind. But f*ck those people I guess. (Umfuld understands he doesn't really 'have to' listen to anything Max says. It's just an expression and he'd like to continue to have said option. - Umfuld's attorny)
"Back in 2004 a lot of the content on the front page included links to a user's profile and at some point in time this stopped." Then bring back linking to a user's profile! I think you're treading on some big ethical problems, not just having a seperate, private ranking system, but trying to decide who counts as a user who deserves more attention than others. No matter how you slice it, it's going to be a popularity contest, especially against ytmnd regulars and outside sites that just use ytmnd.
I downvote stupid pink sites. That's not to say there aren't funny pink sites, but you jackasses let this go to your head and now it seems like a lot of FeatUsers are exploiting their notoriety to perpetuate this idiocy. I hope they can come to there senses and realize they're featured because they've done some decent work and the past and learn not to squander their efforts on retarded sh*t like schisming because of max's silly color issue.
Max, lemme just say: Good idea; significant flaw:
As opposed to having two tiers of users, the elite, and the people like me, who are ruining this site, why don't we introduce some subtle shading to the dichotomy. If you have people on a continuim from 1 (total rock) to 0 (total suck) wouldn't it be possible to shade the featured user page so that the closer you are to 1 the more likely you are to be featured? This ensures an incentive to improve as well as some exposure for all, still based on ability.
Speaking completely selfishly, I like it how it's set up now, because now I'm at least assured a decent number of views whether my site makes Up and Coming or not. I've never cared all that much about rating, but I do care about views. Besides, considering how well the "random" Worthwhile section functions, it probably wouldn't work anyway.
i hear ya necro. in a way it is kind of a reward for those who've consistenly made good sites, to have your latest sites be so more out there for everyone to see. it just seems like a problem to me where Fourest can make a YTMND of a straight scan of a Garfield strip with big LOL text and some "lol, internet" music in the background and command all the attention of the world because he's already up there. i do like the self-policing ways of YTMND.